And after that previous entry, it occurs to me I ought to write one more.

The wife says I'm good for Valentine's Day this year.

Got no flowers, no candy. There is a small necklace as a present, but she doesn't know about that, yet. And we have dinner reservations at the best restaurant in the county.

Mmmmmm... prime rib!

But those aren't the reasons I'm off the hook for this romantic holiday this year.

No, I'm well in the 'plus' column because of my recent internet purchases.

And no, it wasn't the green and violet laser pointers I got from Hong Kong. Those toys were for me, even though everyone else seems to enjoy playing with them. You can hit the town's water tower from our front porch with the green laser. If you do, the town's cop will soon make a night patrol of your neighborhood. ('Course, that may have been a coincidence...)

I'm in such good graces with the wife because of my after-Christmas purchases of some good old Irish dirt.

Dirt that has been hand-made into fine Irish bone china, that is.

She says I may even be good for all the holidays for the rest of the year.