“Tis Valentines Day once again. This year my family’s hearts are being warmed by our terrific new kittens. (Nick is curled on my lap as I type. You can see Murray and Nick here. )
This beautiful heart is a fair trade handicraft purchased from Ten Thousand Villages
I never knew this growing up, but an interesting thing I’ve learned through family tree research was that my paternal ancestor who emigrated from Alsace to Canada was named Valentine.
But of course Valentine’s Day is named for St. Valentine, and over the years (particulary thanks to the greeting card industry) this day has come to symbolize romantic love around the world.
As it turns out, Family Day, the new Canadian Statutory Holiday follows tomorrow. That’s kind of appropriate as the classic Cole Porter song “Makin; Whoopee” warns, performed by the fabulous Michelle Pfeiffer in this clip from The Fabulous Baker Boys
My son was telling me that in Japan girls make chocolate gifts for their intended beaux, who are then honor bound to reciprocate a few days later with a more substantial gift. Diamonds maybe?
This next clip from Youtube is the magnificent Marilyn Monroe performing the classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes number Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend
Sadly, Marilyn was the classic example of a woman seemingly with everything but actually unhappy in love. SHe ended her own life a suicide at the age of 36. [Although speculation abounds; Marilyn's Wikipedia entry tells us that neither accidental overdose or murder were ruled out.]
Madonna’s rock video Material Girl clearly payed homage to the classic Monroe number. Perhaps cautionary tales like Marilyn’s helped, but happily Madonna is still going strong past the age of 50. She seems to have a firm grasp on her career and is clearly getting the most out of life.
You go girl!
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