Best Valentine

Grand-daughter Desiree sent us a text with this photo today of Tristan after the two of them opened the Valentine envelopes they found in their mailbox. The inside message of his card we sent him reads: "NO! You are one in kazillion!"

The photo is not roses, carnations, orchids, nor candy hearts or a beautiful bottle of fragrance; it's not a lovely piece of jewelry, but what the photo contains is priceless to us. Our great-grandson Tristan and his mommy, Desiree, have lived near Oklahoma City for the past 18 months. We miss them immensely. It is always fun to send them something "hard-copy." A text and an email are nice, but for a little guy a card with a little cash tucked inside is so fun.

As I type we are waiting for grand-daughter Ashly and her little brother (grandson) Emerson to arrive to visit with us for a little while. Receiving this photo and a visit with Ashly and Emerson will be the best Valentines we could receive.

A Perfect Heart

To make a perfect heart you take a sheet
of red construction paper of the type
that's rough as a cat's tongue, fold it once,
and crease it really hard, so it feels
as if your thumb might light up like a match,

then choose your scissors from the box. I like
those safety scissors with the sticky blades
and the rubber grips that pinch a little skin
as you snip along. They make you careful,
just as you should be, cutting out a heart

for someone you love. Don't worry that your curve
won't make a valentine; it will. Rely
on chewing on your lip and symmetry
to guide your hand along with special art.
And there it is at last: a heart, a heart!

from Valentines: Poems
by Ted Kooser, former U.S. Poet Laureate
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry


Thank YOU to everyone who has commented on enjoying the Kooser poetry. I've thoroughly enjoyed this season. I absolutely love celebrating and honest, I've spent very little money to have so much fun, so the Madison Ave folks don't like me much. I will take little chocolate Peppermint Pattie Valentine hearts to my new students tomorrow -- not much expense in that!

Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun, and Chloe and her friends), aka Carol