DRINKWALTER: Valentine’s Day memories

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February 14, 2010

Anonymous The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Sun Feb 14, 2010, 12:07 AM EST

Every year when Valentine’s Day rolls around, I fondly remember the year I took on a group of rambunctious little boys and became their Tiger Cub leader.

Tiger Cubs is a good way to introduce the boys to Cub Scouts. When the boys reach first grade, they can become Tiger Cubs. Their weekly meetings were held at our house where I had a program and or project for them to do each week. Many of the boys were friends of my son at the time so it made the rambunctiousness a little more predictable. On the week of Feb. 14, I taught them the history of Valentine’s Day.

There are a few different legends but the tale I shared with them told of a prisoner named Valentine that fell in love with a young girl, supposedly the jail keeper’s daughter. She visited Valentine regularly. Before being sentenced to death, he sent her a love letter that he signed, “from your Valentine.” And there it began. The first Valentine card was postmarked in 1806. It was from a British sailor to his wife, letting her know he was returning home from the sea to live with her for good.

I can’t remember what other project I did with the boys that day besides making Valentine cards and serving home-baked valentine-shaped cookies, but I do remember my daughter being so excited that the boys were coming over. She had her own Tiger Cub shirt that she’d proudly sport each time we met. The front had a cute iron-on picture of a tiger. At the time, she was fascinated by any puffy, iron-on patched picture shirts. She always would pat the design and say “good fat and patten.” I’m not sure why she used that odd phrase. Who knows, maybe that Pennsylvania Dutch heritage from my dad’s side was seeping out. What do expect from a 3- year-old?

Anyway, when I was a child, I remember we would give Valentine cards to our teacher and to those we liked in our classes. That was a great to time to make a kid feel pretty lousy if they weren’t one of the cute popular kids. By the time our children were in school, things had changed; the teachers made sure that a Valentine was exchanged with each and every kid in the class. Even if the other kids couldn’t stand the sight of that nasty bully (you know, the one who picked on anyone who “looked” at them), the beasty child received a Valentine.

So here it is again Valentine’s Day. For those fortunate enough to receive a gift of flowers from their beloved, there are easy ways to make your gift last longer. (If you received a dozen red roses from a reputable florist, they probably weren’t cheap.) I read that you should use a well-washed vase, snip the bottom of each flower at an angle before placing them in the vase and use the packet of crystals that come with the flowers. Replace the water and crystals every few days to keep the flowers fresh longer. Also, you should never put the bouquet near a bowl of fruit. Ethylene gas that is emitted from the fruit will kill the flowers. (Unless the fruit is dipped in chocolate. Maybe?)

And, if you were fortunate enough to receive a box of chocolate from your beloved, I guess the proverbial question will then be: How can a two-pound box of chocolate make you gain five pounds? But don’t worry, I read that chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don’t need an appointment. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Deb Drinkwalter is a Lockport resident. Her column appears every Sunday. Contact her at d.drinkwalter@yahoo.com.

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