it’s citrus season, so i’m thinking salmon

baby oranges, you’ve got my heart

Where I live, the days are still short, and though we’ve had a tiny taste of spring the last week and a half, I woke up to a skiff of fresh snow.  The weatherman, with all of his charm, said we should get anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of snow in the mountains.  Winter hasn’t left yet.

One particularly encouraging part of winter is that it’s peak season for all sorts of citrus fruit; bites of sunshine when the snow keeps falling.  I can’t tell you how many bags of baby oranges, aka mandarins and satsumas we have consumed.  They are sweet, easy to peel and quite frankly, a yummy pick-me, pick-me nosh.

sipping chocolate

I walked into my local grocery store the other day and I saw red.  This didn’t equate to anger, like the saying from back in the day, nope it’s almost Valentines’ Day.  Shelf, after shelf was loaded with red, cellophane wrapped heart-shaped boxes filled with mediocre chocolates.

candy striped tulips … my heart beats

Being an unconventional girl, I’d rather be given love tokens of a different ilk.  While I’m on the bandwagon, I’m not big on going out for a bite to eat, either.  It is way too busy with people crammed into my favorite spots with no time to really enjoy the meal.

My dreamy, romantic Valentine’s Day would look a little different.  It would include flowers; bouquets of off-beat blooms, a pot of herbs or a load of dirt to plant with flowers.  Coffee sipped outside on the stoop, bundled up since it is still winter.  A long walk through one of our parks or grabbing a drink at a dive bar while holding my Valentine’s hand.  Dinner at home; of course we’d cook together and maybe sit on the floor by the fire to eat.  You see, my celebration has elements of the traditional, but suited to me and my love.

a given:  there would have to be chocolate.