No room for Vinegar Valentine's.

Dear Thomas,

In honor of Valentine's Day, we launched the "14 days of Valentine's" to give people ideas of ways to celebrate. Take off your stuffy hat and play along with me. The lyrics go:

"On the first day of Valentine's my true love gave to me, a gluten free option to cook Chinese." (We have two spots left in Saturday Feb. 2 hands-on "Chinese Takeout" class and due to several requests, we'll be teaching it both GF and also WG (with gluten).

Thomas, did you celebrate Valentine's Day? Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I know the tradition was brought over to America with your parents' generation and that handmade cards were popular during the Revolutionary War. And I also know you fought in that war. I wish you would have tucked one in the wall for me to find. Kind of creepy, but would have been so cool.

Speaking of cards Thomas, I understand a trend popped up between when you died and when I was born. Vinegar Valentines were the rage for about 100 years. They were the equivalent of mean spirited texts or tweets or posts (forget it...I'm not even going to begin to try and explain). Obviously, they were given as written insults and surprise, were never well received.

You'll be happy to know the woman, yes woman, who is credited with commercializing Valentine's cards in America, Esher Howland of Massachusetts, refused to mass produce Vinegar Valentine's and the trend died.

I look forward to celebrating love this year with Richard. He's such a dear hard working man who I love as much as the day we married.

Until next time, your house's faithful caretaker,

Marilee