Legend of St. Valentine offers peace, love
Monday is St. Valentine’s Day, the epitome of love, kindness and sacrifice — and coincidently, my favorite holiday.
The legend of St. Valentine has undergone many variations over the centuries and some scholars say there was more than one person of that name, each with their own interpretation. As for me, I am content with the story I heard so many decades ago about the young Roman soldier named Valentine was being held in prison. He was there, presumably, because he had been preaching the story of Christ’s birth and His teachings, and was sentenced to death for this.
While awaiting trial, he spent his time teaching the young daughter of the jailor about Christ, and when he was taken away, left a letter for her, signed “Your Valentine;” thus, the beginning of Valentine’s Day. As a young girl — with the name of Valle — I loved this story and still do. The sending of valentines commemorating love is to me, very meaningful.
My favorite valentines are, of course, my six children — Paul, Diane, Grant, Shelley, Keith and Olivia and a long line of (some of) their progeny. Friends come next, and then the love list follows with my three resident cats. A few years back, I spent this special day playing pinochle or Scrabble with family, but now they’re scattered between Arizona , Alaska, Seattle — (and fortunately, a few at Liberty Lake). That leaves Olivia and I to vie over the cribbage board — which is not a bad thing at all. (Sometimes she even lets me win.)
Also, as I once wrote, every day is Valentine’s Day when you’re a bird-feeder. When I step out around 6 a.m. — arms laden with containers of black oil sunflower seeds and wild bird mix, I’m greeted on even the coldest, nastiest day (like our recent unlamented entire month of January.) with an enthusiastic gathering of wild turkeys — as many as 80 and more. I broadcast handfuls in several feeding areas, some spacious open ground, some with tree cover — and by the time I return to the porch to scatter the remainder on the deck for the “snowbirds.” The next handout is peanuts for my all-season residents, the “pine-jimmies” (aka Western tree squirrel). Often, there are Stellars’ Jays — big, noisy, and so beautiful. They share (because they must) with the nuthatches and chickadees, who while eating the sunflower seeds, still enjoy digging into a peanut from time to time. What a fun thing to watch.
Too, there’s always an early-evening gathering of 15 or so whitetail and mule deer, who intermingle to partake of a bucket of fresh-chopped apples, which I toss out lavishly in swathes that allow fair distribution. Several of them are last spring’s fawns — now only half-grown and so pretty, especially the “mulies” with their dark V-shaped “hairstyles.” This winter has been terribly unkind to all wildlife, with all browse covered with the impenetrable snow. (I must say that my dinky SS check is sorely tested by apples and sunflower seeds, but my little house is paid for, so it’s share and share alike.
By the way, “my” family of raccoons — Big Mama and her equally big three “babies” — still come by from time to time — food is hard to find in three feet of frozen snow, so before bedtime, I put out chopped apples, peanuts, unsalted nuts and whatever else I can come up with. The adorable “Disney” skunk — which hibernates part-time — also takes advantage of this on occasion. When they (rarely) show up at the same time, they ignore each other and partake of whatever’s there, a good thing in this hard and brutal winter.
Surrounded by so much sweet, furry and feathery beauty and total trust — can anyone say these are not valentines? Whenever I go out onto the porch — for firewood or other chores — the foraging birds simply make way for my feet — and the air-bound fly around me as though I were not there. Some swoop closely –looking me over — greeting me perhaps? What a gift. No matter what the weather, my heart is light and filled with joy every morning and through the day with the acceptance of these precious creatures. They are true living Valentines — just as our families and pets — innocently following the credo of Love (which really does make the world go ‘round.)
There’s still a lot of winter left, suet feeders are invaluable for needed extra protein, consider this even if you’re not a regular bird feeder, it’s so simple to hang some suet blocks so loved by our healthy population of varied woodpeckers. Or make some peanut butter pinecones with real (no-additive) peanut butter. Simply scrunch the peanut butter into pinecones — or even scrape it onto a heavy-barked tree (such as a Ponderosa pine) into the cracks between and behind bark segments. Then pull a chair up by the window and have your binoculars at hand.
It’s been such a long, cold, difficult, and sometimes frightening — winter — so much anger, fear and negativity — thankfully tempered with truly positive happenings and events. We’ve got to hang in there and remember that the sun is shining up there behind those clouds — and cling to the hope and beauty of this special holiday. Happy St. Valentine’s Day.
Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
