More Grumpy Valentine's Day Posting

Sorry, but I loathe this particular holiday for two reasons:

First, we hates mawkish sentimentality.

Second, I don't don the ol' tinfoil-lined chapeau very often, but there is something about the commercialization of Valentine's - headed by the Trilateral Commission of FTD, Hallmark and Zales, but abetted by many other allied industries - which has crossed over the line into outright bullying.

YIPS from Steve: Didn't Eisenhower warn us about the military/sentimental-industrial complex?

No, all in all, it strikes me that this day is best left to the kiddies. So yesterday afternoon, I found myself industriously shrouding old shoeboxes in wrapping paper for the Llama-ettes' card exchange at school today. My five-year-old is particularly excited. It was she who spear-headed a move to make breakfast for Mommy this morning (heart-shaped pancakes with red food dye). And she has been beaming for days in anticipation of all the cards she thinks she'll get from her friends. She probably will, too - a truly social little creature, she seems to like everybody and just about everybody seems to like her. I even understand that she proposed to one of her boyfriends this past week - and removed any doubt as to the outcome by replying on his behalf.

YIPS from Steve: Whereas we went with the heart shaped waffles....

Last night, I helped the boy make his valentine's cards for his class: we went with a white dragon holding a heart shaped card thing (he's really into dragons at the moment), scanned it, and then printed them for the class. He was really fired up for this morning.

Now just in case you think that my crankiness is awfully hard on the Butcher's Wife, let me assure you that this is not the case. We have our own particular ways of expressing affection, honed over 15-plus years' worth of practice. In fact, Christina and Sadie are calling me out to divulge such ways and means. I'm sorry, Ladies, but those records are permanently sealed. Suffice to say, it works.

YIPS from Steve: Sadie, Sadie, Sadie.....drop me a line.

(Insert evil baying-laughter here)

Yips Back! from Robbo: To paraphrase the classic dialogue between Jeremy Irons and Ron Silver in Reversal of Fortune:

Silver: You're a very strange man, Mr. Llama.

Irons: You haff no idea.