Super Bowl Sunday

Today was Super Bowl 44 in Miami, Florida, with the Indianapolis Colts against the New Orleans Saints. We didn't watch the game. We discovered years ago that it is a great day to get outside because everyone else is inside watching the game.

The rain these past two days left behind some beautiful clouds and spectacular views so after arriving home from worship service and eating lunch, we decided to go for a drive. We headed north toward Mt. Baldy and the community of Claremont, which is famous for the Claremont Colleges. It's a beautiful place and we had a lovely drive.

We also stopped in 2 grocery stores today -- Stater Bros (just around the corner from our home), which is part of a large corporation of supermarkets. Then near the colleges in Claremont, we stopped in Sprouts Farmers Market, which specializes in organic vegetables and fruits and in whole grains. Our refrigerator is now well stocked with lots of produce. Garden salad and sauted vegetables were a highlight of our evening meal for two.

This has been a spectacular day with nothing spectacular happening. But I am still anticipating Valentine's Day -- just one week away -- so having been to 2 grocery stores in the past few hours, I have decided that Ted Kooser's Valentine poem about hearts is most a appropriate selection for today's blip. Here it is:

The Celery Heart
CELERY HEARTS: 98 CENTS
--placard at Hinky Dinky

Surely it misses those long fly balls of light
its leaves once leapt to catch, or longs to run
its roots out into the salty darkness.

What once looked like a Roman fountain
is now a ruin of fallen columns
bedded on ice. Its only consolations are,

at regular intervals, the hiss of mist,
and at times the warm and reassuring squeeze
of passing hand. But better this, by far,

than to be the sullen heart of artichoke,
stripped of its knives and heavy armor
and mummified for eons in a jar of brine.


Have a great second week of February everyone.
Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol

P.S. I've listed more about Ted Kooser's book here.