Happy Valentine’s Day! Today I am enjoying a beautiful bouquet from my darling husband and looking forward to dinner tonight at Folie Douce in Arcata, one of our favorite restaurants. 

I recognize that, as delightful as this holiday can be for those with sweethearts, the emphasis on romantic love can make it feel lonely or pointless for those who don’t. Fortunately, there are many ways to celebrate love in all its incarnations.

Every year, my photographer friend Lorraine Miller-Wolf organizes a Valentine-making party. Dozens of friends come to her house to make cards using colored paper, rubber stamps, stickers, lace doilies, markers and old catalogs. Mugs of tea mingle with scissors and glue sticks on the newspaper-covered tables.

Sometimes homely, sometimes elaborate, but always created with love, these cards are then given to people who could use some extra caring. They are distributed via local assisted living homes, senior lunch sites, a kidney dialysis center, and a meal delivery service for seniors. Together with similar parties hosted by friends, this year Lorraine’s efforts resulted in more than one thousand heartfelt Valentine’s Day cards shared with people in our community, a record.

That’s a whole lot of love. Whether your Valentine’s Day involves a candlelit dinner with your sweetie, a long walk with a dear friend, or a snuggle with your pooch, have a good one!

darkened bedroom
surprised by a French kiss
from our French poodle

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Makino Studios News

Custom Paintings: I love doing commissions! You can order a custom piece to honor a life passage like a birthday, wedding, or birth. I will talk with you to understand what is unique about this person in your life, and then create an original painting for the situation, with or without a haiku, as you prefer. Sizes and prices are variable.

Makino Studios Gallery: Have you checked out the gallery of art on my new website? While some of these paintings have sold, many can be ordered as signed prints. 

Connecting: I appreciate whenever someone takes the time to respond to these posts, and I read and answer every comment.