Happy Valentine's Day

Cliff and I don't worry about gift-giving, even on most holidays.  And to me, one of the silliest holidays ever drummed up by anyone is Valentine's Day, unless we're talking about children young enough to enjoy getting a lot of nice heart-shaped cards and candies.  I used to hint for a box of chocolates, just because I like them so much; but now, you can buy a huge box of valentine candy and there's mostly air inside it... air and dividers that are supposed to make it look like there's a lot of candy in said box, and about five candies.  I told him the other day some nice, cheap(er) chocolate cherries would be great, if he wanted to get me anything.

So this morning when I got out of bed and came through the living room, what should I see but a heart-shaped box of Russell Stover candy!  Cliff usually takes me at my word and doesn't bother with Valentine's Day, and I must say, it was a nice surprise to me, waking up and seeing it on a chair.  When a gift comes out of the blue when I'm not expecting it, it's always prized.  He also got a pretty Valentine card with the usual sappy but sweet sentiments on it, then added some of his own... and the card wasn't just one of the nice, fifty-cent ones from Dollar General; it was made by Hallmark.  So I didn't chide him for buying a big heart-shaped box with only eight candies in it.  It was a surprise to me, and I love surprises!  If I had expected one, it wouldn't be as special.  I don't think anyone should have to buy a gift for someone just because they think they have to. 

Moving right along, most years on Valentine's Day, I go to Google trying to find a song I heard on the radio in the fifties:  "I'd Like to Trade My Heart for a Paper Valentine".  I've never found anyone else who has heard of the song, but I know it played several times on WHB, Kansas City's most popular music station back then.  I liked the song so well, I memorized it and still remember all of it.  I seemed to remember once recording myself singing it for my blog, but couldn't find it in a Google search, nor even on a search of the blog.  

Imagine my surprise when I went to Youtube and there I was at the top of the list, singing the song as I played with my dog, three years ago.  So if anyone else in the world recalls the sing from their childhood, they can at least listen to my pathetic video and know they didn't imagine the song.

A reader, Ed, found the song by the Mills Brothers!  The name of the song is simply "Paper Valentine", and I was typing the whole sentence "I'd Like to Trade My Heart For a Paper Valentine".  Thanks, Ed!  It was from 1954, when I was 10 years old.  My mom worked in Eagleville, and I had the job of doing the dishes before she came home.  While I washed dishes, I listened to WHB from Kansas City.