Christmas Lights and Valentine Hearts

Now that January has given way to February with its chocolate hearts and paper hearts and hearts on socks and hearts on cards and hearts on sleeves declaring love forever-I have finally put most of Christmas back into boxes and drawers and wherever else I can stuff it.

Out near the barn there remains a string of solar-powered Christmas lights strung around a massive bush of some sort sitting by itself in the field. When it's been a bright, sunny winter's day those lights of red and green and blue illuminate winter's night. Looking out the back window when the dark sky's a bed of silver stars and the moon's but a sliver those dancing lights in the massive bush spread wonder and warmth out across the giant snowdrifts and into the hearts of anyone passing by. That alone justifies leaving them up. After all, it is the month of hearts and I'll keep them up until the month of hearts lends itself to the month of shamrocks.

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