VALENTINE

There should be a special day for every purpose; almost every purpose. Mean, ne’er-do-wells don’t need the extra attention but the rest of us, the every day, try, fall down, getup, smile, try again folks; taking comfort in special days is a self bestowed reward. We have the habit, I think, of framing our days and experiences in the mood that we happen to be in. No matter what the weather, it can be just right for something or no good for something else. But it's all about us, not the weather. So we set aside those special days to remember something that is either important or up lifting. National Pickle Day is November 14; I can’t wait. Albert Einstein’s birthday is March 14; let’s hear a cheer for E=mc2. If it didn’t work, neither would our smart phones. 

Today is Saint Valentine’s Day. Saint Valentine himself is generally believed to be from Roman times. He preformed weddings for soldiers who were not allowed to marry, for which he was executed; it started out with martyrdom. During the middle ages, Chaucer associated Valentine’s reputation with courtly love and by now, romantic love is the object. Today is the day to tell your loved ones how much you care with chocolate or flowers, at least a hug and a kiss. 

When I was in junior high school, a long time ago, ‘Little Abner’ was a hillbilly character in the Sunday comic strip. This time of year in ‘Dog Patch’ they had a Sadie Hawkins dance, where Daisy Mae and her friends pursued Little Abner and his friends. Our junior-senior high was housed in one building. The mid winter dance had a Sadie Hawkins theme and we had 12 year to 19 year olds in hillbilly costumes, sock-hopping around the gym. The only ones really dancing were the high schoolers; we junior high kids milled around in two groups, girls under the basketball goal opposite the stage and us boys near the band. Occasionally a 12-13 girl would ask an older boy to dance but I was a night-long spectator in my too big jeans held up by twine suspenders and a flannel shirt. It was a good dance with Coke in green glass bottles and popcorn at the concession stand. That Valentine celebration was memorable. I watched the big guys woo the girls and I got to spend my dollar. 

My 2016 Valentine and I went to a softball game last night, LSU vs. University of Connecticut. Baton Rouge was warm in late afternoon for the first pitch but but when the sun went down, the chill came on in a hurry. I took some photographs and we cheered the home team to victory. LSU’s little 2nd base-girl was terrific, running down shallow fly balls in right field and turning two double plays. Ladies softball is great. I would compare it to championship table tennis played on a kitchen table. Really, really quick; blink and you miss something. The base clearing, grand slam home run in the 4th inning had everyone on their feet. It was a Valentine mood at the ball park not unlike Sadie Hawkins. We didn’t get a turn at bat or even dance but we did share nachos and a bowl of jambalaya. Then this morning there were two different caches of chocolate on the counter top.