February Birthday Quotes


Laura Ingalls Wilder, writer b. 2/7/1867 Every job is good if you do your best and work hard. A man who works hard stinks only to the ones that have nothing to do but smell.


Jules Verne, author b. 2/8/1828 We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones.


Roberta Flack, singer b. 2/10/1939 So see every opportunity as golden, and keep your eyes on the prize - yours, not anybody else’s.


Jack Palance, actor b. 2/18/1919 One of the most important reasons for living is to do something-live outside of yourself and put together an idea, an idea that you want to explore and then complete... Awaken your creative sensitivities.


Ansel Adams, photographer b. 2/20/1902 When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.


Anais Nin, writer b. 2/21/1903 Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.


Sparky Anderson, baseball mgr. b. 2/22/1934 If I ever find a pitcher who has heat, a good curve, and a slider, I might seriously consider marrying him, or at least proposing.


Adelle Davis, nutritionist b. 2/25/1904 Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.


Buffalo Bill Cody, showman b. 2/26/1846 You who live your lives in cities or among peaceful ways cannot always tell whether your friends are the kind who would go through fire for you. But on the Plains one’s friends have an opportunity to prove their mettle.


Joanne Woodward, actress b. 2/27 1930 Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day - ah, now that’s a real treat.


History of Valentine’s Day


It is not exactly clear which Saint Valentine the holiday was named after, as there are 3 separate saints named Valentine or Valentinus - all of them martyrs. The most popular belief is that the Romans started it. Valentine’s Day was once a minor Roman holiday honoring an Italian saint, Valentine, who was executed for secretly marrying couples against the wishes of the emperor, Claudius II. The emperor had cancelled all marriages so Roman men would serve as soldiers without distraction. According to legend, Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself, while imprisoned for his crimes before being executed. It is believed that he fell in love with a girl (who may have been his jailor’s daughter) who visited him during confinement. Before his death, he wrote her a letter which he signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. As Valentine Day spread, seasons played a role (as in many celebrations) as thoughts of spring began to appear with an emphasis on new life and people’s thoughts turned to love. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be widely celebrated around the seventeenth century. By mid-eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace the written letters due to the improvements in printing technology. Into the nineteenth century, February 14th was more of a customary day to express romantic feelings and to court one’s love with a tender letter, a love poem or a private gift - a holiday for lovers only. Later, ready-made cards made it easy for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates contributed to an increase in sending Valentine’s Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s.


4 YOUNG AT HEART ♦ February 2012


In early years, Valentine cards were handmade in various styles: Cutout Valentines were made by folding paper several times to cut out a lacy pattern with small, pointed scissors; Puzzle Purse Valentines were folded puzzles, to be read and refolded (the writings in the folds had to be read in a certain order to be understood); stencil cuts from oil paper and painting through a stencil made Theoren Valentines and Pinprick Valentines were made by pricking tiny holes in a pattern with a needle or pin. In 1847, Esther Howland of Worchester, Massachusetts, began designing and mass producing fancy cards for Valentine’s Day to sell in her father’s stationary store. She became known as the Mother of the Valentine, making elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” In doing so, she made it possible for the rest of society to participate in the celebration of the holiday by expanding its focus to include platonic love when people can express their affection for those close to them, not just their romantic interests. This did not, in any way, diminish the amorous aspects of the holiday. In fact, the new commercial aspects of the holiday have made it easier for the shy, the timid and those lacking natural grace and eloquence to take advantage of the availability of chocolates in fancy heart shaped boxes, beautiful ready-made bouquets of flowers and fancy cards inscribed with poetry composed by professionals to romantically convey their feelings of love. An estimated one billion valentine cards sent each year, make Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday! (Pssst: did you mail yours yet?)


Unscramble the words below to reveal a wise quotation:


1. eag________________________ 2. eosd_______________________ 3. ton________________________ 4. optrtce_____________________ 5. ouy________________________ 6. rmof_______________________ 7. ovle_______________________ 8. tub________________________ 9. vleo_______________________ 10. to________________________ 11. soem______________________ 12. xentet_____________________ 13. octrspet____________________ 14. uoy_______________________ 15. ofrm______________________ 16. gea_______________________ 17. aisna_____________________ 18. nin_______________________


Answers on page 22


Miss the Last Issue?


Don’t spend time searching for the latest copy of Young at Heart or get to the newsstand as the person just ahead of you grabs the last copy…


JOIN OUR SUBSCRIBERS to get a copy of the latest Young at Heart in your mailbox every month.


Mail name, address plus $12 (check or m.o.) for six (6) months to:


Young At Heart NW 305 NE 6th St., #704 ,


Grants Pass, OR 97526 More information:


541.476.0067 or info@ youngatheartnews.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24