Caught up in the emotion of Valentine's weekend, with hearts, chocolate and roses in a swirling frenzy through the social media statuses and News Feeds, I'm happy to report of my own successful Valentine's gift from none other than...Officer Buckle. I did receive a box of chocolates, which didn't take up residence for long in the kitchen and...I did receive a very touching card. It states, "Our love is like a fairy tale." And on the card was a king holding a broom (how perfect) standing behind his queen, who was seated at her desk holding a feather pen. Officer Buckle had inscribed the words, blog and book writing, onto her papers. There, you see...he loves me! Proof. But...the gift, in reality, had already been delivered time and time again. Let me back up a bit. Two nights before Valentine's with a blizzard a comin', Buckle was just about to tuck himself into bed when his phone rang...never a good sign an hour before midnight. "Oh, no, the night-watch commander hadn't reported to duty; a mix-up," he said, pulling back on his pants. The snow was really coming down now as our long awaited for blizzard of the season was upon us, and it was a beautiful sight...from the inside...by the fire...or, from under the electric blanket. But Buckle was about to experience it from the other side. After pleading with him to take the truck (nope) and to be careful...now think of whom I'm talking with, I tucked my tail and my own self into bed.

Through the night I awakened to the sound of sleet and snow plows, and I wondered how he was holding up. Truth be told, the commander commands from behind a desk...inside, but there was still the driving to and from the desk and the chance of a quick trip to 7-11 or Wawa that had me worried.

When I finally awakened at 8:00 a.m. and he still wasn't home, I jumped up and looked out of the window. There he was, shoveling himself back ONTO the driveway. The plows had done a nice job on the streets, but you know what that means? A very large and icy ridge at the bottom of the driveway. Once he had made enough clearance to get his car off the street, he came inside...to go to bed, I thought, since he had now been awake for 27 hours. "How was your evening? Did you stay busy? I re-set the electric blanket and it's ready."

"I've got to go back out again. Is my green sweatshirt dry?" he said, grabbing a granola bar.

"Yes, but aren't you tired?" I inquired, jogging after him through the house.

Three hours later he proclaimed himself, finished. He had cleared the driveway, cleared the cars, cleared the sidewalk, fed the birds, check the gutters to make sure they weren't frozen shut AND cleared a path for them to drain. He had also checked on his beloved newly cut log pile, which he had covered with plastic the day before in anticipation of snow. He wanted to make sure it would stay dry during the storm. I knew all of this, of course, because I had run from window to window throughout the morning to check on him. Hey, I had a friend a couple of winters ago wonder what was taking her husband so long while shoveling, only to find him with a broken hip on the driveway...so I needed to be sure. This is something my silver has taught me.

So come lunch time, there he was in the garage stomping off the excess snow from his boots, probably wondering what his reward would be for being the ever efficient storm trooper...a bowl of hot soup or maybe a mug of freshly made hot chocolate with marshmallows before climbing into bed? When all of a sudden...POING! There went the spring on the garage door. Uh, oh. And when he reached above the door and pulled on the safety cord to disengage it...BAM!...the door slammed to the floor, carrying Officer Buckle with it...he almost slid into home plate...forever!

Oh, well, so much for rewards. But, as far as me and my Valentine's gift...I have my Officer Buckle ready and waiting for what ever action life may bring...whether it be blizzards and frozen gutters, broken garage doors (and already fixed I might add), or more log piles waiting to be split. My silver has taught me this...THIS is good. I love you and Happy Valentine's Day, Officer Buckle.

Below are the 'fruits' of my window hopping...enjoy!

The Silver Side of Life