Valentine's Day

My favorite holiday is approaching and I couldn’t be more excited! As most of you know Valentine's Day is on February 14th and it is also known as my birthday. For most people, this Hallmark holiday is dreadful and expensive. You can see people buying a lot of things for their loved ones from chocolates and flowers to even huge overly stuffed bears. In the United States, the total spending for the holiday is expected to top $18.2 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. That's an average of $136.57 per person. That honestly just sounds crazy to me! I know for a fact that my dad and many other frugal farmers are not spending that much on flowers and chocolates for their loved ones, and definitely not on a piece of jewelry either! They also probably for the most part do not even know when Valentine’s Day is.

However, you can find farmers outside showing their love to their animals, not just on Valentine's Day but all year round. Seriously nothing can truly compare to the love a farmer has for the animals he raises. They would rather be out in the yard taking care of those animals then on a beach for vacation. No matter whether it’s snowing, freezing rain, or even hot and humid, you can find a farmer outside caregiving to his animals on any given day. It’s that passion and love for their occupation that is simply humbling to watch.



I think I might have mentioned last year that my mom once received a new manure spreader for Valentine’s Day as Dad said he was spreading the love all year long with it. Mom was happy if dad was happy, and of course the cattle were happy with clean yards. Mom also says her best Valentine’s gift was me, finally a gift Dad couldn’t pick out! Enjoy your Valentine’s Day whether it includes some sweet chocolate, a night out for dinner, or some silly shiny new manure spreader. I look forward to my year 17 as the best is yet to come! 

~ Kesley Holdgrafer