HERE WE GO AGAIN. There’s a new storm front coming in–looks like another nasty couple days for the south.

I went looking for St. Valentine. I found out that there are few real facts available about the Saint. The provable facts seem to be that he was a Christian Priest in the 3rd century AD. He lived in what was still Rome and was martyred either for being defiant of the Roman authorities, who weren’t fond of Christians or because he refused to give up his faith. He was beheaded or otherwise dispatched on Feb. 14 (which became his feast day) on or around 269 AD. Other than that there is little information that has a real strong factual background.

Today, Saint Valentine’s Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Valentine, is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion,as well as in the Lutheran Church.In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Valentine the Presbyter is celebrated on July 6 and Hieromartyr Saint Valentine (Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy) is celebrated on July 30. Notwithstanding, because of the relative obscurity of this western saint in the East, members of the Greek Orthodox Church named Valentinos (male) or Valentina (female) may celebrate their name day on the Western ecclesiastical calendar date of February 14. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine

The Saint is reportedly the patron saint of love, marriage and young people. But when I searched further it got even more confusing
For many years the Church recognized three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. Valentine was a priest or bishop, and possibly a physician as well, during the third century in Rome. http://www.allsaintsbrookline.org/celtic_saints/valentine.html

Confused? I’m going to look into this further tomorrow. So stay tuned.

Got some old Valentines hanging around, check them out:

I found some vintage Japanese Valentine planters (girl figurines) going for between $125 – $140–now that’s something you could love.

Then there’s three packages of Hallmark paper Valentine dollies that they’re asking $22 for. Quick start checking all that old junk in your closets

Or the single fold out Viking Valentine card with honeycomb tissue for $65 used but not forgotten!!!

Now for my holiday suggestion: Too cold for a picnic try putting some plants around the living room move the furniture back. Put on some nice music and surprise you love with a table cloth on the floor and snack, sandwiches, wine or champagne and something sinful for dessert: YOU!!!!

Remember intelligence with out imagination is useless.

Today an icon from the past is gone: Shirley Temple has passed away. Though she was before my time, her cute ways and lively dance will always remain with me–animal crackers in my soup.

Still no plans for Valentines except being the usual get together on Friday with the girls.

Today let’s look at cupid.

Cupid has been around a long time. He is a Roman God (aka Eros to the Greeks, from which we get the word erotic), son of Venus goddess of love, and himself a victim of love and a jealous mum, But his potential tragic story came out with a happy ending (ask Psyche–even a goddess of a mother-in-law isn’t necessarily a blessing).

Cupid is winged because lovers are flighty and likely to change their minds, and boyish because love is foolish and irrational. His symbols are the arrow and torch, “because love wounds and inflames the heart.” These attributes and their interpretation were established by late antiquity, as summarized by Isidore of Seville (d. 636 AD) in his Etymologies.

THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH HAD OTHER OPINIONS: Theodulf of Orleans (during the reign of Charlemagne) saw Cupid as a seductive but malicious figure who exploits desire to draw people into vice. Cupid’s quiver symbolized his depraved mind, his bow trickery, his arrows poison, and his torch burning passion. He was portrayed naked, so as not to conceal his deception and evil.

The god has evolved into a child/toddler with wings and a cherub face. Today, Cupid and his arrows have become the most popular of love signs, and love is most frequently depicted by two hearts pierced by an arrow, Cupid’s arrow.

Learn more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupid
http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/biography/history-cupid-valentines.aspx
http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/cupid.htm

Cupids are big time collectibles–none in my collection but if you have one you might check it out or let me do it for you.
Tan Chihuahua Dressed as Cupid Collectible Figurine Statue $20
Cupid’s Heart Collectible Art, Vintage Postcard $30
Vintage Kewpie Doll Cupid- Rose O’neil $100
CUPID Pink Roses Print Vintage Gesso Frame Tojetti (known for his fat cupids) $119
2 Cupid c1899 Engraving Print Virgilio Tojetti Antique Barbola Frame $139
Vintage 60s Ormolu Cupids Filigree Jewelry Trinket Box Hollywood $225

Make your day an adventure–write it in your card/or in a love letter just how much you care. Give a gift from the heart, not what is expected for the day–something specific for your relationship and lover.

RESPECT OTHERS IF YOU WISH TO BE RESPECTED

Any plans for Valentines?
Not for me I’m afraid. I was stood up for the Internet date. I was there and waited 1/2 hour, had a drink and left–what a waste of my Sunday. Maybe I’m too old for romance?!

So we’ll do romance for the rest of you this week. Let’s look at how we developed the present ubiquitous shape for the heart. There’s lots of theories:

From an African Plant: The silphium, now extinct, with a heart-shaped seed. It was used for birth control in the 7th century BC.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2006/02/the_shape_of_my_heart.html

From a Saint: In the 17th century when Saint Margaret Mary Alocoque had a vision of the shape surrounded by thorns.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2007/02/the_shape_of_my_heart.html

“The color of hearts is generally red colored. Red traditionally represents passion and strong emotions in many cultures.” – See more at: http://www.romancestuck.com/articles/general/history-of-heart-shape.htm#sthash.L8gF2dcT.dpuf

It’s anybody’s guess: “…some people are guessing (and it is funny!) that the Valentine heart-shape as we know it today was done by a doodler to represent the human female buttocks or a female torso with well-endowed breasts or the imprint of lips (wearing lipstick) made upon a piece of paper.” http://www.brownielocks.com/valentinehistory.html

My google search found the following heart shaped collectible items.
M&M’s candy box
Star Wars box (My vote for weirdest)
Trinket boxes
Porcelain Tea Set (very interesting)
Jewelry box
Frames
A Poo (as in Winnie) watch (right up there with the Star Wars one)
Ceramic mugs(red on the outside, white on the inside)
Perfume bottles
Vases
and the most expensive (almost $60) a heart shaped music box.
Do you have any heart items laying around your house that might be a valuable (money not love) item to make a few bucks on?

So what are you doing on Valentines?
If your unattached like me you could
PLAN A GIRLS’ NIGHT IN
One of the first things to do on Valentine’s Day if you are single other than go to a romantic dinner is to plan a girls’ night in. Call all your single ladies over, cook up a great dinner and pour some wine – for each other! Valentine’s Day is about having a good time with your supporters, and your girlfriends are definitely it. Kick back and watch your favorite movie, chit chat like old times or plan a craft you’ve all been dying to make. You’ll soon forget what day it even was! http://love.allwomenstalk.com/things-to-do-on-valentines-day-if-you-are-single

Remember he (or she) who has hope has everything.

I am damp but not mildewed yet. How about you?

What are your weekend PlanS? I have a “date” to meet a gentleman from my dating service this weekend so wish me luck.

Keeping in the warm category: Today it’s coffee or more to the point coffee cups. I have a couple in my inventory: A collectible with Norman Rockwell painting on it and one I’m researching today: A Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Studio’s extravaganza) with a jack-o-lantern being attached by a chainsaw, neat huh?

OK Google found me an interesting group:

The most popular theme seemed to be various M&M figures ( there were a lot of various companies, place and attractions cups of course)
The weirdest a Lady Godiva mug with a very out of focus nude on a horse appearing on a coffee mug
The most expensive was a large Bugs Bunny ceramic mug for $24.99.
And finally I haven’t a clue from Spokane Washington “collectible” with a Sherriff Ozzie Knezanich picture and emblem on it.

COFFEE FACTS:
1. Legend has it a 9th-century Ethiopian goat herder discovered coffee by accident when he noticed how crazy the beans were making his goats. http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/23-facts-about-coffee-the-worlds-most-important

2. New Yorkers drink about seven times more coffee than any other US city. THAT EXPLAINS A WHOLE LOT http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/23-facts-about-coffee-the-worlds-most-important

3. Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that grows coffee. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/coffee

4. The coffee bean is actually a seed inside a bright red berry. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/coffee

5. Once a coffee-lover made a world record of consuming coffee. He drank 82 cups of coffee in 7 consecutive hours. NOTE TO COFFEE-LOVER: IT IS ESTIMATED THAT CONSUMING 100 CUPS OF COFFEE AT A TIME CAN KILL YOU! http://coffeeloversunited.com/17-fun-facts-about-coffee-some-weird-interesting-untold-coffee-facts/

6. It used to be custom in Turkey that if a husband did not provide his wife with coffee, it was grounds for divorce. TILL FOLGERS DO US PART. http://likes.com/misc/12-awesome-facts-about-coffee?page=3

7. The word “coffee” comes from the Arabic “qahhwat al-bun,” meaning “wine of the bean.” http://likes.com/misc/12-awesome-facts-about-coffee?page=3

8. Coffee Contains Caffeine To Attract Bees FOR POLLINATION http://listverse.com/2013/09/27/10-interesting-facts-about-coffee/

9. The world’s most expensive coffee is said to be Kopi Luak coffee, made from beans eaten and excreted by the luak (palm civet) of Indonesia. NOW THAT’S SOME RECYCLING I THINK I’LL SKIP http://www.express.co.uk/fun/top10facts/432503/Top-10-facts-about-coffee

10. A car fueled by used coffee grounds made the 250-mile London to Manchester trip in 2010…It was called the ‘car-puccino’ and made the trip on the equivalent of 11,000 espressos. http://www.express.co.uk/fun/top10facts/432503/Top-10-facts-about-coffee

SO I’M TURNING YOU LOOSE–GO ADVENTURING THIS WEEKEND. PLEASE

I know given that our cold spell means a low of 55 tonight doesn’t leave a lot of room to complain, but I swear this is the dreariest winter we have had in a long, long time. I can hear you all saying: “Get over it GF, our city just ran out of salt for the ice.”

So let’s think of something warm to hot today:

As you know my objectives with this blog is to get you to 1. Have more Adventures
2. Start looking about your house and storage for
collectible items that you might want to sell through
consignment.

I Googled Warm/Hot collectibles and found:

A vintage coin collection from warm places (like Jamaica and Greece)

An ad featuring Goofy and a kid from 1977 for Walt Disney World stating “We got Your Sunshine.” And with an asking price of over $7.00.

A Vintage Soviet Electric 220v Body Warmer Heater Grelka Hot Therapy …Don’t ask I have no idea, but it’s almost $30.

and then there’s a Hummel Collector Plate “August Hot Summer Days Calendar Collection”

Did you know that the Hummel figurines developed from sketches done by a nun: Sister Maria Innocentia in the 1930’s. A Swiss publisher put them on post card called Hummel’s “art cards”. Franz Goebel, porcelain maker acquired the rights and began making the sketches into figurines in 1935. They were introduced into the US at this time, but didn’t really get popular until after WWII went soldiers began sending them home. The popularity grew and prices skyrocket in the 70’s.

Today the Goebel company still produces the pieces and all prototypes must have Sister Maria’s Convent’s approval before production. Hummel in German means “bumblebee”. According to Dr. Lori (Ph.D. Antique Appraiser) some figures are valued “in the hundreds, even thousands, of dollars per piece.”

Particularly valuable pieces include:
“For Father” (Apple Tree Girl)
“Globe Trotter”
“Little Goat Herder”
“Going to Grandma’s”

Is your piece real:
Again according to Dr Lori
The mark of Sister M.I. Hummel is incised on every authentic piece.
All Hummels have a mold number incised on the bottom of each
And the Goebel stamp trademark is also on the bottom–these have changed over the years

So is your item hot, warm or cold?

Go do something today—even if it’s just planning a winter vacation in Florida (that’s a Key West Sunset) where the sun still shines occasionally.

NEVER FORGET YOU’RE IMPORTANT…ACT ACCORDINGLY.

I apologize for the following information: It was 87 here yesterday, yes that is degrees ABOVE 0—today it’s gonna be high 70’s and tomorrow dropping to a low in the 50’s and a high mid- to -low 70’s.

I just finished Nora Roberts’ WINDFALL: two shamelessly romantic pieces that are a great escape for those of us who spend too much time working and not enough socializing.

I have one signed first edition that’s gonna be listed: THE MAMMOTH HUNTERS BY Jean M. Auel. It’s part of the Clan of the Cave Bear novels.

My second autographed book is Postcards from Paradise: Romancing Key West by June Keith.

Key West is one of my favorite places to be. It’s about 8 hours by car or an hour by plane from most of Florida and is like leaving the states without having to have a pass port. Key West’s nickname (one of them at least) is Key Weird and I can’t deny the place is a little off the normal straight and narrow (maybe more than a little). It has beautiful old homes, beaches, 3 old forts (one the Key West Museum with a very scary doll; one almost gone but now a Garden Club and the final one a state park)and enough t-shirts to cloth all the tourists who come here for years and years. There’s Duval Street which stretches from Atlantic Ocean to Gulf of Mexico from Gay to Straight and everything in between. There are fine restaurants set on decks overlooking the water (Louie’s Backyard) and bars on top of hotels (La Concha/Crowne Plaza) where you can see just about the whole 2×4 mile island. There’s the writers: Hemingway (who’s house you can visit) and Tennessee Williams whose plays are presented in the multiple small local theaters to name a very few. Things are special there and they’re always ready to celebrate–in fact every night they do just that with a sunset revel that includes tight rope walkers and Scottish bagpipes. And the activities here include scuba diving and the Duval Street Crawl–both involving liquid, just not the same kind. The food is wonderful and varied, the drink ever flowing and the banana pancakes (at Blue Heaven) are divine. A great place to go for an adventure. I by the way stay at Courtney’s Place (see picture)–a little compound close to Duval.

Dance, live, love your way through life’s adventure.

Did you miss me? Afraid I’ve been goofing off, what with my Friend’s Birthday on Wed. Getting ready for garage sale on Thurs. Doing the Garage Sale on Friday and Sat. and cleaning house on Sunday. I had plans to get back in the groove on Monday but some family issues came up so I was out and about TCB most of the day. Today isn’t a great day either as I’m just trying to straighten and organize. So Hopefully, Wed. will be back to business. At least I’m back on the blog.

Oh I’d like to give a big Thank You to Peter—one of my favorite bartender (and artist) at The Enzian (Maitland, FL) who cheered me up while I ate lunch there on Monday.

This week I hope to get into my trunk from my days as a Beatles Maniac. I haven’t opened it in years, and have not done any major review of it in forever.

Did you know that it was 50 years ago this month that the Beatles Landed in the U.S. and we were never quite the same. According to Kovels (Newsletter for Collectors, Dealers and Investors) “…Today that (Beatles merchandise) is highly collectible–with Beatles fans young and old competing for everything from ticket stubs (a ticket to Forest Hill Music Festival recently sold, with newspaper clipping detailing how to win tickets, for $115—the original cost of the admission by the way was $5.95), to metal lunch boxes (A Beatles lunch box with matching thermos and complete with dent sold for $411).

Other items that sold was a Beatles pin back button: “I’m a Beatles Fan” for $95
A George Harrison Yellow Submarine Figural bank for $411
A Yellow Submarine watch with face chips and wearing and a leather band “period” replacement for $847
The highest at this particular auction (Hake’s Gallery that specializes in pop culture) was
A Beatle’s promotional display “Here They Are The Fabulous Beatles” with a photo, die cut cardboard with one vertical fold for display and marked “Printed in England” 1963 went for $1,496. Oh MY
www.hakes.com

And the auction by the way coincided with the iTunes release of a new Beatles album–44 BBC recordings from 1963 which can be down loaded for $1.29.

So Lord willin’ etc more tomorrow.

AND Remember: All you need is love—everybody now——