Country School Valentine's Day

With the Christmas break a distant memory and the brief celebration of Lincoln’s birthday but a couple days previous, at our country school we all looked forward to Valentine’s Day.  For several days at school we had worked on making valentines for our mothers out of paper doilies and red construction paper.  Back in late January, the Sears sales catalog arrived in our mailbox.  Several pages in that slim publication were devoted to Valentines.  Slim little cards with colorful puppies, kittens, hearts, flowers and statements of love and affection. They came in packages—assortments of maybe twenty or more of these little cards proclaiming in large print and small, “Be My Valentine!”

My task, once the cards arrived, was to decide which one to give to Jim, to Dave, to Mildred, Joyce, and Nita.  To Bob and Marvin.  To Lyle and Dick.  To Darrel and Donald, my twin brothers. And all the other students attending our school. One card for every student.  Choices to make.  Big decisions. Few of the cards were the same, so I had to decide who should receive which one.

On the teacher’s desk stood a big box decorated with red hearts.  All of the cards were deposited in the Valentine box, waiting for February 14 and the Valentine’s Party planned for that afternoon.

Students’ mothers were invited to the party, bringing treats—home-made cookies of many kinds—chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar. As we ate cookies, our teacher opened the Valentine box and distributed the valentines.  Each of us got a valentine from every other student.  Most of them were “store bought” but several homemade as some families couldn't afford the fancy ones from the Sears catalog.

We enjoyed them all. Enjoyed the little celebration with our mothers.  And probably most of all, enjoyed the break in winter.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Valentine’s Day was more than Valentines.

COMING EVENTS:

February 23, 2:00 p.m. Gard Theater, Spring Green.  Showing of Winter on the Farm with questions and discussion.  Followed by book signing of THE QUIET SEASON. Sponsored by Wisconsin Public TV and Arcadia Bookstore.

March 5-March 25, Writing retreat, Indian Shores, Florida.

April 5, 7:30 p.m. Stoughton Opera House, Stoughton.  WPT Farm Story, discussion and book signing.

April 7, 7:00 p.m., Kiel Library.  Garden Wisdom presentation and book signing.

April 8, Heritage Hill Historic Center, Green Bay.  Details to be announced.

April 10, 6:30 p.m. Sun Prairie Library, Limping Through Life.

Purchase Jerry’s DVDS and his Books from the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, Wisconsin (a fund raiser for them):

The library now has available both of Jerry’s DVDs, A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps and Jerry Apps a Farm Story.

Also available are several of Jerry’s book including The Quiet Season (on which the DVD A Farm Winter is based), as well as Rural Wit and Wisdom and Old Farm, which are related to the DVD Jerry Apps a Farm Story.

Contact them for prices and special package deals.

Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division St.
Wild Rose, WI  54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.org
www.wildroselibrary.org
920-622-3835