It’s Valentine’s Day. The day for lovers. The day you send special greetings to the one you love. Flower and candy companies make a killing.

David and I have been sick since Sunday.   The full blown flu with body aches chills, temperatures, coughing a lung out and just general malaise.   I’m not sure where we picked it up. At the doctor’s office or at church or at a restaurant where a little girl in the booth beside us was coughing so hard I thought she would hurt herself.  Wherever we got it, we got it good. I spent two full days in bed trying to stay warm with the heated matress  pad set on high, a heating pad at my feet and three blankets covering me. David actually took a day off work, something he NEVER does no matter how he feels. I didn’t think he should have gone back today. but he did.  Our daughter just called and her whole family has been down with the flu.  Our oldest son was in the hospital with high blood pressure.  Yes, we are a sickly family right now.   Today I feel halfway to normal and hopefully the worst has passed.

The really sad thing was the first day I started to feel poorly, I went out to feed and water my chickens and Shannon, my big, beautiful, white Brahma was lying dead in the yard and all the other hens were cowering in their nests three to a nest.  I knew something very traumatic had happened in the coop, but since they couldn’t tell me, I will never know.  But Shannon had been murdered that was quite evident.  I really felt so sad because she was the one who was always afraid and I hate to think what her last few seconds of life were like.   I am wondering if it was a hawk.   It doesn’t matter how many times I find a dead chicken, I always get a sick feeling in my stomach and a feeling of loss.   I still have ten hens left.

I came downstairs today to find this.

Roses and a card. David wrote some really romantic things on the card that I won’t share here. Just know I didn’t think he could be so romantic!  It was a nice start to Valentine’s day. I decided, despite how I felt, he deserved a home cooked meal.  I haven’t cooked for a week.  I made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, peas and cranberry sauce.   David was very happy.  He’s been living on leftovers, cold meat and frozen food for days.

I have been working on some little projects for Valentine’s decorations.

Little felt hearts.  These were so fun to make while I watched tv.

Then I made this with them.

A heart garland.  I have to make the other half to cover the entire fireplace mantle.

The postman brought me a treat.

More sock yarn.  And then a few days later….

More sock yarn. I am seriously loving this yarn. David wanted a pair of socks from it, so that is what I am doing.

Really loving how this is knitting up.

And look at this wonderful yarn.  I have enough new yarn for seven more pairs plus I can use the leftover yarn to make patchwork socks like I have done with these….

Three or four different leftover balls of yarn to make these socks.  I’m loving these, too.

And this was some self striping yarn I had to make these socks.

And a while back I wrote about some Christmas socks I wanted to make with this particular yarn.

It wasn’t as Christmassy as I thought it would be.  Too much pink so I ordered some new yarn that does look like Christmas colors.

I sit in my knitting chair and look before me at all the wonderful yarns to work with and I am loving it. There is my Christmas yarn on the left.   I know, we just got done with Christmas, but it is always on my mind since I do tend to make a lot of presents.

I do a lot of online shopping and order almost all my clothes online as I don’t like to shop and am an impulse buyer. I have found I save money ordering online because I don’t buy a lot of stuff that I don’t need.  Well, I ordered this denim jacket and it is my favorite all time purchase online ever.  I put it on when it arrived, wore it all day, wore it out to the store and kept it on all evening.  It will look good with just about any top I have and it is so comfortable. Great jacket for Spring.   Plus I love all things with flowers on it.  There are flowers on the front and back of this jacket.  I wrote a great review for it at the online store.

I hope you are having a wonderful Valentine’s Day. No one buy you a Valentine? Buy yourself one.  You deserve it.   Just know I love you all that are reading this today and I really think about you and your lives and hope with all my heart that life is treating you well. Hugs and love. Bye.