all in the morning, betimes

valentine's day started off with a bang, though a rousing renditon of sugar-pie-honey-bunch is closer to the truth.

yesterday, Beloved sent me a beautiful bouquet of red tulips and blue irises. we went to the maple tree in simsbury - the scene of my fiftieth birthday, and the sort of place where one of the bartenders shared her baklava recipe. the food is a consistent couple notch's above standard bar food, and the kitchen is genial about requests.

today, Beloved is going off to celebrate chinese new year with his chinese class, and i am meeting a friend to discuss a new workshop series at the collinsville yoga center (in collinsville, of course) on sunday afternoons in march and april. we're calling it "introduction to the intuitive arts."

i reached deep into my computer files and pulled out a bunch of Old Ideas - manuscripts whose middles have become hopelessly muddled. today i have an article to write for the monthly "Eating...the Angel Way" column i do with my friend karen rider for the inner tapestry journal.

this week, among other things, i've been sitting with the idea of what my Perfect Day would look like. i dont have it completely mapped out yet, but i know its a blend of work and play and yoga and exercise and lovemaking and eating well, with time slotted in for all the beings i care about. this valentine's when Beloved goes off to the gym, i going to write down all the things i'd like to do in a "perfect day."

what about you, Gentle Reader? what does your "perfect day" include?

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.