Lucky Valentine

She’s not going to see this coming. This week I’m taking some time to bask in the Glory of Lori.

We were set up on a blind date. Our friends Doug & Cookie were our bosses before becoming lifelong friends, each owning their own business. They had a habit of co-locating their businesses next to each other, so the two crews had enjoyed many Friday happy hours over the years with each other. Lori had left Cookie’s employment to attend law school, but someone I worked with knew her and put us together. This was the first stroke of good luck - our overlapping social networks.

We hit it off right away. We talked a lot about food, and farming. I was in grad school, doing an independent study of a marketing idea I had - a delivery service for all of the merchants at the North Market. My thesis was that all of those workers in downtown Columbus would love it if they could order the great products offered by the North Market’s merchants and have them delivered to their offices before heading back home in the suburbs. In short, I was thinking some of the same things that Jeff Bezos was thinking, around the same time. He had a better plan, and has executed it well…but I got the girl. We ate at the Galaxy Cafe in Powell, one of my all-time favorite “joints.” Not fancy, but much care was taken in the sourcing of ingredients and the preparation of meals.

After meeting my best friend Peter for the first time, he offered me a 3-word directive: “Don’t blow it.” Somehow I pulled it off. We were married in 1997. Our firstborn arrived in 2000. So we had a few years before we came parents. It’s been about two years since we’ve felt like “empty-nesters.” Nearly perfect symmetry. Just the two of us, then four, now back to two. And we genuinely like each other. We kind of marvel at it.

How many people get to this point and no longer recognize their spouse? How many have been biding their time before parting ways, “for the kids?” On this side of things, I see how easily that could have been us. Too much stress of a particular type, at just the wrong time…sometimes circumstances exceed our capacity. But if you can run enough gauntlets without breaking, strengthening the bond through shared crucibles that galvanize rather than disintegrate…then you’ve really got something. Undoubtedly there are more challenges ahead, but we know what we have in each other, and will take them on.

We’ve come this far and are in pretty good shape. The road ahead looks pretty sweet. Let’s ride, baby.

Sunday Supper

Well, it is Super Bowl Sunday. I raided the Copia Farms freezer for some chicken wings, which I’m going to prepare this way. If I can spare the time, my intention is to make homemade pizza Hot Pockets using this Rough Pastry Dough and a filling of Mid’s Pizza Sauce, Italian sausage, Green Pepper and Mozzarella. This Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef is part of the meal prep plan for the week ahead as well.

Sunday Music

Pat Metheny & Charlie Haden playing their duet Waltz for Ruth is never a bad thing. This rendition of Funny Valentine by Rachelle Ferrell is wonderful. John Prine & Iris DeMent singing In Spite of Ourselves. How about a nice mix of Sade to round things out this week? Enjoy!

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Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.



Peace & Love,