Best V-Day Ever!

TITLE: Gertrude Ederle, CALL NUMBER: LC-B2- 6435-16[P and P], REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-ggbain-38654 (digital file from original negative), No known restrictions on publication., MEDIUM: 1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller. CREATED/PUBLISHED: [no date recorded on caption card,]. Found on http://publicdomainclip-art.blogspot.com.

Somewhere in the midst of watching Journey's Steve Perry lament going "Separate Ways" on VH1 and taking a big bite of chocolate cake, it hit me: This was the best Valentine's Day ever.

I was watching a VH1 Classic Top 20 Breakup Songs of All Time special.

I was eating cake from a mug. That's right. One single serving of gooey goodness -- cooked for me by me in the microwave.

I was cuddling with Buddy, an Australian shepherd/blue heeler mix with a reputation for being a 60-pound lap dog. Cody the miniature huskie and Freckles the 14-year-old mutt were curled up nearby.

The scene was laughably pitiful. So, I laughed. Long and hard with a few snorts thrown in. I put my cake down and danced the wild, I-got-no-one-watching-me dance of a single woman who's kicking it with man's best friend.

Eventually I collapsed on the living room floor of the house I was house-sitting, and the three dogs I was dog-sitting bounded over to beg for a good scratch behind the ears. That's when I realized I meant what I'd said: this was the best Valentine's Day ever.

I wasn't dreaming sappy pink dreams or wishing for a hand to hold. I was having fun. And I knew that someday I'd get to totally dig having a Valentine, but that this day I was okay with cuddling Buddy.

Now, how about another mug of chocolate cake?