Short Month, Long Winter

                 Two candle-climbing angels, without candles, guard a glass Valentine heart.  

February is inching its way to the month's end.

A glance at the calendar noted there are only
28 days in  this month.

A memorized elementary school blurb from childhood flashed through my mind.

"Thirty days has September, 
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31, except February, that has 28."

Yup.  That little ditty is still stuck in the brain after seven decades of life and that's amazing.

So it's time to take down the beautiful Valentine's Day cards, strip the dollhouse of hearts and tiny Valentines, and put away other telltale signs of the day of love.

More snow fell on top of the many inches we had already received this week. 

However, it was not half as bad as some parts of Massachusetts that got whomped.

Here's goodbye to Cupid. 

Hello to more thoughts of the spring, including gorgeous flowering plants and heavenly bird song,  to come!

Hope springs eternal!

A "Sweet" Suggestion

Some public places, such as beauty salons and tax services, have small bowls of candy on desks for clients.

In one office, the secretary told me to help myself to any candies desired.

I selected one small heart-shaped piece of Dove chocolate. 

Inside the foil wrapper came a treat even more special than the candy.

There was a saying there that really made me smile and think.

It read,  "Laugh until your heart overflows."  

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED UNTIL YOUR OWN HEART OVERFLOWED? WHAT MADE YOU LAUGH?

Complete Joy in Little Things

As one gets older, we become more aware of  small pleasures and gifts given to us by nature.

When in the midst of raising kids, working full time jobs, and trying to juggle a million different things, it's harder to see the things  that bring us joy.                                                                                          

For Valentine's Day, my daughter and son-in-law brought me a gorgeous fluted milk glass vase (that used to be mine, ha ha ha), filled with glorious pink roses!

They are so large that some of them can fit in the palm of one's hand.

Every time I glance at the small table where meals are eaten, it's possible to look at those gorgeous blooms in my very favorite color. 

They bring so many smiles a day that it would be impossible to count them.

Flowers are among the most dazzling of gifts that make our hearts sing.

Singing, in itself, can also be a gift and listening to others sing, as well.

Music is another one of those precious pleasures that make life quite wonderful.

WHAT ARE SOME SMALL THINGS THAT BRING PLEASURE IN YOUR OWN LIFE? COULD YOU SHARE A COUPLE?

Love or Gold?

 

The white sign with the golden letters packs a powerful message.

Gold can come and go but love is forever.

Would it  be okay to have love and maybe a little bit of gold, along with it?

That might be the ideal. 

Not only is it important to love others, it's imperative to love one's self, too.

If a person fails to love him or herself, first, how can it be possible to love others?

Even though marriage vows say a husband and wife are together  " until death do you part,"  love still doesn't go away when one of the spouses dies. 

Love is forever, throughout eternity.

Wishing you lots of love today, whether you give it or receive it, or, best yet, a little bit of both.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF LOVE?

Cousins Add Love to Our Lives

There's no doubt about it. Cousins definitely have the ability to add love to our lives in all stages.

Thanks to having many cousins, both female and male, I feel very blessed.

My cousin, Marianne's apartment has been featured on this blog in the past.

We both enjoy flowers of all kinds and pretty arrangements.

One month, she comes to my apartment for a visit and we have breakfast,lunch or brunch.                                                                    

Then, the next month, I go to hers for the same.

It's a win/win arrangement. We have  wonderful visits and delicious food which is a super combination.

Marianne and I have many things in common.  

One can definitely tell we are cousins.

For instance, we both love art.

The painting above, in her lovely apartment, is of the skating rink at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

The rink opened for the first time on Christmas Day, in 1936.

We both also love baking.

At a recent breakfast, my cousin served, among many things, homemade sugar cookies with buttercream frosting. 

Her mother, my late Aunt Gert, also used to make these.  They are so delish.

Marianne and I both love Christmas. This year she left her Christmas tree up and festooned it for Valentine's Day.

Hearts and Knick knacks are also both on our radar.  

Look at this sweet little teddy bear and the pretty hearts on the curtain in the dining room.

Who would be unable to love gorgeous quilts and delicate lace? 

Many of our treasures have been found in thrift shops. Yes, we both enjoy thrifting, too.

It goes without saying that we love tablecloths year-round.

We love each other, too, and that's the best thing of all!

ARE YOU CLOSE TO ANY COUSINS?