Hey! Hey! Anyone There?...

Yes, it's been a while. Quite a while. Sorry about that. I got horribly, painfully ill for a couple of weeks, and then my daughter followed suit with an entirely different type of illness just as I was starting to study for the first exam in one of my classes. So...I have no excuses, really. My bad.

Anyhoo...I think I just might be one of those infuriating women who never knows what to say when she is (repeatedly) asked the question: "What do you want for Valentine's Day?" My mind just goes blank! I really can't think of anything at all!

But here's the good thing about me: I am NOT one of those women who says: "Oh, I really don't want anything. Don't worry about it..." And then she gets pissed off when her husband takes her at her word. I don't understand those women. I've never been the "mind game" type. I don't "test" my husband. I don't say one thing and mean something else entirely, and then get him in trouble when he fails to read my mind. (How dare he not be telepathic when I need him to be?!?) I don't know. I just don't get that way of thinking.

But now that I've gotten myself onto the subject of Valentine's Day, I feel that I should use this opportunity to talk about The Valentine's Day Chicken.

Oh yes, that's a real thing. In my family, anyway. I'll explain:

When I was growing up, Valentine's Day meant taking valentines to our friend's houses--leaving a treat on the doorstep, ringing the doorbell and then hiding until they opened the door, picked up the treat, and went back inside. In addition to this tradition, we would get "doorbell ditched" too. A nameless, mysterious being would always leave each child a card and a treat on the front doorstep.

But...one Valentine's Day, I don't even remember how old I was--probably in my teens or something, there was suddenly a name written on the tag that was affixed to the chocolates that were left at the door for us: "From, The Valentine's Day Chicken." I was a little surprised at first, and then I started laughing. My mom can be pretty random sometimes, but this was one of her classic moves. I didn't say anything at that moment, though, because my youngest brother and sister were still young enough to not know who was leaving the treats at the door.

From then on, every year, we got treats and a card from The Valentine's Day Chicken. Even now, that generous specimen of poultry is a treasured part of our year.

So, here's hoping your Valentine's Day will be fabulous. Filled with lots of chocolate, hugs and kisses, and great big chickens leaving stuff on your front doorstep! :)