Vintage Valentine Greeting

 

It's cold and bright here in southern Wisconsin, a pretty Valentines Day.  I enjoy finding vintage cards like this one at my local consignment shop.  The back of this one has a signature in pencil: from George Stewart.  No love, but maybe this was from a school boy who didn't give his heart freely.  When my sister and I were little in the 1950s, my grandmother worked at the Rexall drugstore in Elkhorn.  She always made sure we got wonderful fancy Valentines (wish I still had them), and usually a big satin heart-shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates.  We made those candies last forever, and we played with the little pleated papers that each one sat nestled inside.  We kept the boxes for ages too, usually putting our costume jewelry or doll shoes inside once the candy had been eaten. 

These days I pretty much consider Valentines Day an artificial holiday, designed to boost the bottom line of card manufacturers, florists and restaurants.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  But we just decided to have pizza and play Scrabble, and skip the commercial side of the thing.  Dick did bring home a bog of Hershey kisses with almonds inside, just what I need to maintain my lovely figure.

Happy Valentines Day to all of  you who celebrate it; I hope your day is as good as you hope it will be.

Make a Valentine

1920s Valentine

Today a gift.  If you copy this image and print it out, you can mount it on card stock.  Then carefully cut out both pieces.  Use a tiny brad to attach the arms and the iron to the girl's body. The arm on the right side goes behind her.  The arms should swing back and forth as if she is pressing something.  You could attach a piece of card stock to the back so she stands up.

It has been a frustrating day here. Our car developed some nasty ailments and had to stay over night at the dealer.  This cost us lots and lots of cash.  Then I tried to make chocolate truffles for my sweetie for Valentines day.  Not a success.  The little broken bits of chocolate taste good, but my imagined plate of cute little round truffles isn't going to happen.  Maybe I can melt them and make chocolate sauce.

One Hundred Songs for Valentines

Valentine postcard from my local consignment shop, postmarked 1910

I like to make playlists for upcoming holidays, so here are 100 eclectic songs currently on my Valentines playlist.  I'd love to know what else you would include.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Marvin Gaye

All You Need is Love, The Beatles

Baby I Need Your Loving, Four Tops

Back Home to Me, Sophie Milman

Besame Mucho, Diana Krall

The Best is Yet to Come, Frank Sinatra

Calling You, Stanley Turrentine

Can't Help Falling in Love, Elvis Presley

Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Frankie Valli

Circlesong Three, Bobby McFerrin

Corazon, Asere

Crazy, Patsy Cline

Cupid, Sam Cooke

Dedicated to the One I Love, The Mamas and the Papas

Do I Love You? Jane Monhoit

Don't Know Why, Norah Jones

Dos Gardenias, Buena Vista Social Club

Dream, Brad Mehldau

Easy to Love, Charlie Parker

Embraceable You, Judy Garland

Everything I have is Yours, Rossana Casale

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Solomon Burke

Face of Love, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

February Sea, George Winston

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Roberta Flack

Fix You, Coldplay

Fly Me to the Moon, Frank Sinatra

For Your Precious Love, Jerry Butler

Goodnight My Love, Sarah Vaughn

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? The Chieftains

Heart Asks Pleasure First, Ahn Trio

Heart Full of Soul, The Yardbirds

Heart Like a Wheel, Anna McGarrigle

Here, There, and Everywhere, The Beatles

How Deep is Your Love?, The Bee Gees

I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby, Ella Fitzgerald

I Can't Stop Loving You, Ray Charles

I Got You Babe, Sonny and Cher

I Hear Music, Daniel Martin Moore

I Just Called to Say I Love You, Stevie Wonder

I Just Want to Make Love to You, Muddy Waters

I Never Loved a Man The Way That I Love You, Aretha Franklin 

I Only Have Eyes for You, The Flamingos

I'm Getting Sentimental Over You, Ella Fitzgerald

I've Been Loving You Too Long, Otis Redding

I've Got You Under My Skin, Diana Krall

In My Life, The Beatles

Julia, The Beatles

Killing the Blues, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss

La Valse d'Amelie, Yann Tierson

Let Me Be the One, Jaguar Wright

Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye

Let's Get It Started, Black Eyed Peas

Let's Stay Together, Al Green

Light My Fire, Jose Feliciano

The Look of Love, Dusty Springfield

Love and Happiness, Al Green

Love Letter, Bonnie Raitt

Love Me Do, The Beatles

Love Train, The O'Jays

Lovefool, The Cardigans

Loves Me Like a Rock, Paul Simon

Lovetown, Peter Gabriel

Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac, Ahn Trio

Makin' Whoopee, Lucky Lucy Ann

A Man and a Woman, Charlie Byrd

My Funny Valentine, Chet Baker

My Romance, Carly Simon

Nick of Time, Bonnie Raitt

Night and Day, Frank Sinatra

Night Moves, Bob Seger

Old Love, Eric Clapton

One Love, Bob Marley

Please Send Me Someone To Love, Sade

Poinciana, Ahmad Jamal

Put a Little Love in Your Heart, Jackie DeShannon

Ritmo De La Noche, Al Di Meola

Round Midnight, Alex De Grassi

S'Wonderful, Diana Krall

Skinny Love, Bon Iver

Something, The Beatles

Squeeze Me, Lucky Lucy Ann

Stardust, Hoagy Carmichael

Sunday Kind of Love, Etta James

That's Amore, Dean Martin

This Could Be the Start of Something, Oscar Peterson Trio

Though I Live Not Where I Love, William Coulter

True Affection, The Blow

When a Man Loves a Woman, Percy Sledge

Why Should the Fire Die? Nickel Creek

Words of Love, The Mamas and the Papas

Yellow, Coldplay

You and Me, Lifehouse

You Are So Beautiful, Joe Cocker

You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Stevie Wonder

You Showed Me, The Turtles

You Took My Breath Away, Traveling Wilburys

You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You, Dean Martin

Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher, Jackie Wilson

Your Song, Elton John

Valentines Day

Valentines Day this year in Janesville is overcast and 26 degrees. Snow blankets the ground and has narrowed our street to one lane; more is predicted for this evening. Here is my Valentine to all those folks who sweeten my days: my husband, my kitty, all those friends here "in the flesh" and those online friends who challenge and encourage me every day.

Having eaten rather a lot while we were in Texas, I am trying to stay away from sweets for a while, but I enjoyed drawing these message hearts. I'm curious, what would you have your candy hearts say, if you could choose? I'd love to hear from you.

This poem is from the Wisconsin Poets' Calendar. I won it last month on the Midday Quiz on Wisconsin Public Radio. I'm really enjoying the artwork and the poems.

Pinball Lover
by Richard Swanson

He

better than you and I

knows how to

when to

tilt her