A Red, Red Rose, or the Spoils of Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day Flowers...Doing My Part

I have no idea how much money is spent annually on flowers for Valentine's Day, but I don't think it's a stretch it say it's well north of a billion dollars. Here's how I figure that: There are 300 million-ish people in the US; maybe 100 million or so are adult males; at least 50% of those buy flowers, at an average price of $20/bundle; and that gets you to $1 billion. And I think I was being conservative on some of those numbers.

Regardless, I try to do my part to support the flower industry every year. Last year was Tulips, this year Chrysanthemums.

Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm f/2.8 Macro

Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm f/2.8 Macro

If You Haven't Had Butternut Squash...

If you haven't had Butternut Squash, then you owe yourself an apology for depriving yourself of a treat. Inspired by some fellows I know that cook quite a bit, and with our recent success with spaghetti squash, I decided to branch out and get a butternut squash to prepare for Valentine's Day dinner. Having decided that, I found a recipe (here) that seemed within my grasp, though the proposed 10-minute prep time must be for somebody who knows how to handle one of these monster gourds; I went well beyond that in my prep. After cubing the squash, and applying the following ingredients (minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and parsley), I popped it in the oven at 400 degrees for 55 minutes, and thereafter had a wonderful dish that will certainly find its way onto our plates again.