Do you remember, as I do, how exciting a simple red heart was when it landed in that cardboard mailbox on your desk in primary school? The drama! Whether homemade or store-bought, plain or fancy, from someone you knew or someone you didn’t, signed or unsigned, nothing made St. Valentine’s Day sweeter than receiving lots and lots of heart-shaped, heart-felt communications.

I have never lost my taste for Valentines. I love to make them or buy them and send them even more than I love to receive them. This year, I was not ahead of the curve enough to make my own, but I will be next year. This year, this blog post will have to suffice. Homemade or not, I keep the ones I have received in the past and look at them each year afresh. Today, when the predictions of “wintry mix” came true,

I am reveling, even more than usual, in the color and sheer extravagance of reds and pinks in February. I am also listening to one of my favorite CDs, “Valentine Collection” by Minnesota’s own Ann Reed, an assortment of sweet and bittersweet original songs sung in Reed’s chocolate-rich alto voice and accompanied by her accomplished playing of the twelve-string guitar. (Be sure to check out Reed’s website for fabulous facts and funny pix.)

Below is a kind of flip book of some Valentines that brighten our home this year. Keep those cards and letters (and comments!) coming!

Wishing you love everywhere you look, Leslie