Are you one of those who scoffs at the significance of this day? You're above it, right? You don't need capitalism's helping hand in the matters of love. Love is private, personal and not tied to a calendar date. Valentine's Day is pure nonsense, demanding silly cards, silly pink colors, silly gifts (more stuff!) -- the whole thing is just plain dumb.
I've heard the arguments. I reject them all.
Let me turn serious for a minute: this morning, I read an article in the NYTimes about how people in China (the country that had sucked up so many of our commercial habits) are struggling to celebrate Valentine's Day. With the coronavirus raging, causing untold misery among the sick and even among the not sick, people are finding unique ways to still celebrate their loved ones. Vegetables are scarce, so giving a bouquet of broccoli brings joy. With messages of love. Restaurants are closed and families worry, too, about the economic consequences of the epidemic. Still, there is a desire to make this day special. People phone in pizza deliveries -- an ounce of joy in somber moments.
The point is most of us on this side of the ocean live at a time and in a place where silly Valentine expressions of love are easy to deliver. So very easy. Write a message, buy a flower, spend a moment with someone you love. Walk outside, breathe in the fresh air freely, frequent a favorite coffee shop, think about the importance of love in your life.
But why on this day? Why February 14th? Well why not?! Here, in south central Wisconsin, it's bitter cold outside. (You read the numbers I posted yesterday.) Coldest day of the season thus far. You want to dwell on that, or do you want, instead, to dwell on how good it is to have had (and most likely continue to have) love in your everyday?
How sweet it would be if we could all take the time to celebrate the driving force of our lives. Every day, yes of course, but especially and intensely on one day, when we all acknowledge it collectively: love matters. We do too little to honor it year round. Today, it would not harm us to acknowledge that most everything that we do in life is in some way driven by feelings of love.
This is what a cold Valentine's Day looks like at the farmette.
Ed doesn't need a great prod these days to make something of Valentine's Day. Since I am traveling to Chicago later in the day, we concentrate on our morning together.
Off to Finca Coffee Shop!
It's so sunny and beautiful that the Arctic air loses much of its harshness. And indoors -- it's all pleasure. We live in times of working furnaces and digital thermostats. One click and the room is a perfectly comfortable temperature. Such incredible luxury!
Being who we are, gifts are not going to be part of this day, but a box of chocolates stashed away for daily sharing is perfectly wonderful and so we drive over to our favorite chocolate shop and pick up a box of deliciousness.
And tradition has it that Ed picks a card and scribbles a message, because he is a good guy and he knows I like gestures.
Love. For Ed, for family. For friends. For the good souls on this planet who continue to do well by each other against all odds. I honor that love today.
(the second dozen, in my tabletop of family photos. and love.)
And in the afternoon, I am on the bus to Chicago to spend the weekend with my daughter and her family.
I come just in time to see everyone converge -- from school, from work.
(Unpacking Valentine's Day treasures from school.)
I've offered to cook a family dinner. When I assured everyone that a yummy and healthy meal would be on the table in twenty minutes from start to finish, there were skeptics. But in fact, it's easy: ask your fishmonger to take the skin off of a fat piece of salmon. If she or he seems unbusy, tell them to cut the fish up in chunks. (Why? - it cooks evenly, quickly and it avoids the grease splatter.) Not smaller than 1.5 inches please. Okay, get some broccoli, dill, garlic, lemon. And Red Boat fish sauce. And a chunk of parmesan cheese, and a russet potato or two. Ready, set, go!
Stick two potatoes in the microwave (prick them first!) for about 10 mins if medium. Grate cheese (or just buy grated cheese if you really want things ready in 15 mins). Press a couple of garlic cloves and mix this mush, plus a dash of olive oil and a shake of salt with the salmon cubes. Take out a frying pan, put a little olive oil in it, heat it up. Dump in the salmon cubes and occasionally flip them around. Boil a little water, set a steamer inside and steam trimmed broccoli (or just plunk it in the water if you don't have a steamer) for 3 - 5 minutes, depending on flower size. You're almost done!
Check on your potatoes. If they feel soft-ish, they're ready. Cut them in half, place one half on each plate and sprinkle with parmesan. Splash some fish sauce into the salmon (you can also add a little soy with maybe honey and a dash of ginger for a teriyaki touch). Don't overcook the salmon! Eight mins tops!
Plate the salmon. Squeeze lemon over it and maybe add some dill sprigs, esp if you bipassed the teriyaki step. Broccoli also deserves some parmesan. Because I like to be regarded as the corn cob grandma, I also threw a corn into the microwave for three mins after the potatoes came out, but this is completely unnecessary. Cut a tomato into wedges instead. Less starchy.
Boom! Done!
And now's the time to let all good children go to sleep. If you're entertaining your mother/mother-in-law for the evening, then your options (for uttering words of deep love) are limited, but of course, wise people know that you can stretch Valentine's Day over to the next evening. Grandma will baby sit and you'll do the town.
Sweet, silly Valentine's Day! What's there not to love?
I've heard the arguments. I reject them all.
Let me turn serious for a minute: this morning, I read an article in the NYTimes about how people in China (the country that had sucked up so many of our commercial habits) are struggling to celebrate Valentine's Day. With the coronavirus raging, causing untold misery among the sick and even among the not sick, people are finding unique ways to still celebrate their loved ones. Vegetables are scarce, so giving a bouquet of broccoli brings joy. With messages of love. Restaurants are closed and families worry, too, about the economic consequences of the epidemic. Still, there is a desire to make this day special. People phone in pizza deliveries -- an ounce of joy in somber moments.
The point is most of us on this side of the ocean live at a time and in a place where silly Valentine expressions of love are easy to deliver. So very easy. Write a message, buy a flower, spend a moment with someone you love. Walk outside, breathe in the fresh air freely, frequent a favorite coffee shop, think about the importance of love in your life.
But why on this day? Why February 14th? Well why not?! Here, in south central Wisconsin, it's bitter cold outside. (You read the numbers I posted yesterday.) Coldest day of the season thus far. You want to dwell on that, or do you want, instead, to dwell on how good it is to have had (and most likely continue to have) love in your everyday?
How sweet it would be if we could all take the time to celebrate the driving force of our lives. Every day, yes of course, but especially and intensely on one day, when we all acknowledge it collectively: love matters. We do too little to honor it year round. Today, it would not harm us to acknowledge that most everything that we do in life is in some way driven by feelings of love.
This is what a cold Valentine's Day looks like at the farmette.
Ed doesn't need a great prod these days to make something of Valentine's Day. Since I am traveling to Chicago later in the day, we concentrate on our morning together.
Off to Finca Coffee Shop!
It's so sunny and beautiful that the Arctic air loses much of its harshness. And indoors -- it's all pleasure. We live in times of working furnaces and digital thermostats. One click and the room is a perfectly comfortable temperature. Such incredible luxury!
Being who we are, gifts are not going to be part of this day, but a box of chocolates stashed away for daily sharing is perfectly wonderful and so we drive over to our favorite chocolate shop and pick up a box of deliciousness.
And tradition has it that Ed picks a card and scribbles a message, because he is a good guy and he knows I like gestures.
Love. For Ed, for family. For friends. For the good souls on this planet who continue to do well by each other against all odds. I honor that love today.
(the second dozen, in my tabletop of family photos. and love.)
And in the afternoon, I am on the bus to Chicago to spend the weekend with my daughter and her family.
I come just in time to see everyone converge -- from school, from work.
(Unpacking Valentine's Day treasures from school.)
I've offered to cook a family dinner. When I assured everyone that a yummy and healthy meal would be on the table in twenty minutes from start to finish, there were skeptics. But in fact, it's easy: ask your fishmonger to take the skin off of a fat piece of salmon. If she or he seems unbusy, tell them to cut the fish up in chunks. (Why? - it cooks evenly, quickly and it avoids the grease splatter.) Not smaller than 1.5 inches please. Okay, get some broccoli, dill, garlic, lemon. And Red Boat fish sauce. And a chunk of parmesan cheese, and a russet potato or two. Ready, set, go!
Stick two potatoes in the microwave (prick them first!) for about 10 mins if medium. Grate cheese (or just buy grated cheese if you really want things ready in 15 mins). Press a couple of garlic cloves and mix this mush, plus a dash of olive oil and a shake of salt with the salmon cubes. Take out a frying pan, put a little olive oil in it, heat it up. Dump in the salmon cubes and occasionally flip them around. Boil a little water, set a steamer inside and steam trimmed broccoli (or just plunk it in the water if you don't have a steamer) for 3 - 5 minutes, depending on flower size. You're almost done!
Check on your potatoes. If they feel soft-ish, they're ready. Cut them in half, place one half on each plate and sprinkle with parmesan. Splash some fish sauce into the salmon (you can also add a little soy with maybe honey and a dash of ginger for a teriyaki touch). Don't overcook the salmon! Eight mins tops!
Plate the salmon. Squeeze lemon over it and maybe add some dill sprigs, esp if you bipassed the teriyaki step. Broccoli also deserves some parmesan. Because I like to be regarded as the corn cob grandma, I also threw a corn into the microwave for three mins after the potatoes came out, but this is completely unnecessary. Cut a tomato into wedges instead. Less starchy.
Boom! Done!
And now's the time to let all good children go to sleep. If you're entertaining your mother/mother-in-law for the evening, then your options (for uttering words of deep love) are limited, but of course, wise people know that you can stretch Valentine's Day over to the next evening. Grandma will baby sit and you'll do the town.
Sweet, silly Valentine's Day! What's there not to love?
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