I anticipate this being a good week. No pressure to get ahead on the job so each day will be a "normal" day, if there is such a thing. Mark leaves town Wednesday afternoon for the weekend's gigs so I'll be able to sleep and get some projects done.

Valentine's is Wednesday. Mark has already given me a beautiful Valentine's gift--a turquoise heart pin/pendant from Durango, Colorado. He brought it home from the tour and couldn't wait to give it to me. I baked him his Valentine's apple pie (a tradition) last night so he'd have more days to enjoy it before leaving town. It was really really good. Probably my best apple pie ever and I've made some really good ones. I still haven't found the perfect apple for a pie though. On this one I used Golden Delicious and they were better than Red Delicious. I want one that stays firm and tart after cooking. I'll keep experimenting.

Wednesday we will exchange our Valentine's cards and I would be surprised if I didn't get flowers at work but they aren't necessary. What I would like is a romantic evening out. I fully expect NOT to get that with the rush for Mark to get out of town and the status of our money situation. And, of course, by the time he gets back Valentine's will be forgotten. I'll live. I don't care much for Valentine's. Too much pressure. I didn't like it when I was single and never ever had a boyfriend at Valentine's and I don't much like it now.

I'm off to the nursery to buy some plants. Plants are really my thing but that is what Mark is getting for Valentine's. He has said he wants a Lady Banks rose and climbing things for our back fence so that is what he will get. I also took a big red galvanized oval tub and wrote the lyrics to "our song" (John Hiatt's Have a Little Faith in Me) all around it in white paint. It looks pretty cool and I'll fill it up with these plants.