Ain't love grand ?

Love is in the air but there's a lot of smog out there, too!

In addition to all those chocolates, roses, cookies, fudge, etc., maybe we could all use a little "couple advice" . What better opportunity than Valentine's Day ?

I recently came across this excerpt from an actual wedding ceremony. These are the words of the pastor to the couple:

"[Mary] look at [John], [John] look at [Mary]; Neither of you is marrying Mr. or Mrs. Right. Keep that in perspective, work out your differences, and all will be well."

Another minister cautions all couples, "Marriage is not easy." He then follows it with a few tips for a happy relationship. I recently found his "scared straight marriage speech" on line. It was, well, quite basic. I preferred the interesting advice given in the many comments from readers. Check some of these out:

1. Watching television does not count as "spending time together."

2. Never, ever, introduce your current spouse as "my first wife" or "my first husband." Your spouse will not think it is funny.

3. Don't ever tell another person in the presence of your spouse that you are training him or her.

4. In a "discussion" , don't EVER say, "I'm gonna break this down to your level." It just causes all kinds of things to get broken.

5. "I'm sorry" should not REALLY mean, "I'm sorry...until I do it again."

And these are specifically for my male readers (Ladies, you may want to show them to your man.) :

6. Don't ever call any pair of jeans your wife is wearing a "really nice pair of mom jeans."

7. Never ask your wife if she is PMSing.

8. Don't make pig noises while your wife is eating. It's NOT funny. EVER.

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I'm not sure where I found this tidbit, but it does give one food for thought:

Think about what your spouse is living with. How easy would it be to be YOUR spouse? Now, treat them accordingly.

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So, go out there and have a great Valentine's Day!!!!

My husband is a WHAT?!?!?

Do y'all remember those little single frame "Love is ... " cartoons?

They were originally based on little love notes from Kim Grove Casali to her future husband, Roberto Casali. As time went by, they morphed into one of the longest running syndicated comic strips around. Kim passed away in 1997 but her son, Stefano Casali, maintains the comic strip and continues to sign them "Kim."


Over the years, I think Kim must have hit on every possible expression of love but I wasn't able to find one that said what I was thinking today:


LOVE IS ...

Supporting your mate's interests!! (while wearing a smile)


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For years, I've silently carried a heavy secret burden. This has gone on for far too many years. I now feel I need to come clean and today's the day. If you think any less of me after hearing the facts, so be it. I'm hoping as friends (and I consider ALL of you my friends), you can simply accept my situation and not hold it against me in the future.


Here goes: I married a numismatist ! What's worse? He's also a philatelist! (Oh, the shame!!)


Neither affliction was obvious when we met. I mean, he didn't have a scarlet "N" or "P" on his forehead. Those facts came out slowly, over time, as our relationship developed. By the time I realized these things, we were madly, hopelessly, in love. Things could be worse. Remember the movies Married to the Mob and I Married an Axe Murderer? (Then again, he started both as a child. Does that mean I married the class "geek" or "nerd"?)


There were little clues along the way. He never dropped a handful of change in his pocket without carefully studying each coin. Before taking out the recycle bin, he always checked the old envelopes for interesting stamps and postmarks. But the most obvious indicator was he knew really obscure answers while watching Jeopardy. Always explaining the knowledge by noting there was a stamp or coin commemorating the event or person!


The stamp collecting seemed to have reached a dead-end before we got together. Three large, scrapbook-like albums, hidden away in a closet, are the only evidence of that part of his past. (We all have secret stashes, don't we?) However, back in the early days, he dragged me to few coin shows where I actually "faked it." (Yep, that happens in a lot of relationships.) I "oohed" and "ahhed" and tried to seem impressed.


The Big Guy seemed to put the coin collecting on the back burner while he pursued other interests. He did keep subscribing to Coin World (a weekly numismatic publication) and kept himself up-to-date on coin news. Occasionally, he'd quietly add something to his collection. He threw me for a loop on Friday though, when he came home and announced he wanted to attend the big coin show in Baltimore this weekend!


What could I say? I tried to seem enthusiastic and supportive. I wore comfortable shoes and tried to psyche myself up about strolling aisle after aisle of glass cases full of coins that, after the second aisle, really do all look alike to the layman (or "woman" as the case may be.) Some are gold, some are silver. Some are large, some are small. Yadda, yadda, yadda...


The Big Guy's eyes glowed as he studied the various displays. He talked animatedly with the vendors. They all spoke in English but using terms I could not follow well. I felt like an alien in their world. I finally excused myself and found a seat and cold drink in the concession area. (Okay, I admit it. I did plan ahead and took a book in my purse.)


A short while later, he emerged from the exhibition hall, smiling and happy. He was in a good mood. That made me feel good for him. We went out for a nice dinner afterward.


All in all, it was a GOOD DAY!

Oh, what a beautiful day in Dover!

What a fantastic day for an outdoor barbeque competition - low 40s, wet, windy and really, really gray. This picture was on our way there before the rain really moved in!
It didn’t get any better throughout the day.
Today was the 4th Annual Diamond State Barbeque Championship Cookoff at Dover Downs in Dover, Delaware. As of this year, this is the largest BBQ competition on the East Coast, boasting 82 cooking teams today. (I say “as of this year” as there are two other contests in close competition as far as how many teams participate.) Sponsored and coordinated by the Dover Downs Casino, this is generally a fairly big one-day production of cookers, other food vendors, merchandise vendors, community displays, children’s activities and live entertainment. The rain pretty much wiped out all spectators so I’m sure they took a big hit on gate admissions.

This year, they set up a large enclosed tent in the infield for the judging. The wind and heavy rain beat against the sides of the tent the whole time and shook it quite a bit, but we stayed dry. Now, if only it had been heated!Our normal average temperature today should be 60°-64°. For the last three days, we’ve either tied or broken the low maximum high temperature records. That means the high temperature each day has never been lower on these dates. I’ve never worn a leather winter coat and gloves at a contest before and I was still cold!

The good news is, we had 82 cooking teams who braved the cold wet weather to set up camp Friday morning and cook all night to serve us up some fantastic food today. Whether they won prizes or trophies or cash, they deserve a great round of applause for simply surviving. My particular judging team had excellent samples in all categories in spite of the terrible cooking conditions. (It’s really hard to control temps in a slow cooker in this type of weather.)

We normally hang around these events after judging, enjoying the entertainment and other activities but, having turned into popsicles, we escaped into the casino for warmth, indoor plumbing and another form of entertainment. Perhaps our “donation” will offset the admission gate losses!

This contest wraps up our competition season here. We’ll be back to do it all over again in April. Till then, we hope to stay warm.
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On our way up the road this a.m., I spotted this billboard by the Cecil County Marriage Initiative: “Just be nice. Duhhhh !” Great advice, isn’t it?