A holiday theme story is in progress, almost ready to post here. And meanwhile,

Here is a wee corner of the Valentine’s Day display at our corner Big Chain Grocery. This is only 25% of the fanfare; I cropped out the background of customers, juice coolers, carts, and other sundries. But even this small slice shows that the staff have outdone themselves. They set out flowers, giant balloons, cookies and cakes from the bakery in back, even strawberries hand-dipped by the Produce team in stripes of dark chocolate and white chocolate. Yesterday before 8:00 am the store had a rush of young men hurrying to buy bouquets! That seemed a hopeful sign. And so many bouquets to choose from! (In the center of these bouquets, the sharp spiky blue flower below is Sea Holly. It’s an interesting touch, and one more sign that the staff really care about their handiwork.)