Hearts of Slush

The Friday newsletter digs out from a thick coating of wintry mix.

When it comes to ranking months of the year, I hold the somewhat unpopular opinion that January is actually a rather nice month. It’s often cold but not brutally so, and it offers the hope, possibility and sense of renewal that comes with turning over a fresh calendar page.

February, though? February can kick rocks.

Here in Kentucky, we’ve been encased under a solid sheet of ice for several days now, and though my pandemic-era lifestyle has not been one of going many places tobegin with, the weather is now belaboring the point: you ain’t goin’ nowhere, buddy.

It’s onto this pile of slush and ennui that we throw Valentine’s Day, a well-intentioned holiday that has the ill fortune of showing up at the worst possible time each and every year. This time last year, my kids both contracted a nasty case of the flu that sapped any plans we had to go out for the holiday—something I never really liked doing anyways, as dining out on Valentines’ feels much like shopping on Black Friday to me—a much…