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Nothing says love quite like a potato

I lugged my potato around with pride.

After all, it was not just any potato.

It was a heart-shaped potato, pulled straight from the tater sack.

Imagine Better Half’s luck on Valentine’s Day when he presumed he had no clever gift to present me, then discovered otherwise in electing to prepare baked potatoes for dinner.

Talk about a life preserver tossed to a drowning man.

In the days leading up to Feb. 14, he confessed he lacked inspiration, that he was fresh out of ideas and hard pressed to follow up with “punny presents” as in years past.

Maybe you remember some of them from previous Valentine’s Day columns in this space.

He’s given me shovels because he “digs” me; a broom because I “swept” him off his feet; an electric pencil sharpener so he could make the “point” that he loved me; and a coffee pot that was “grounds” for marital bliss.

I can’t hold a candle to him.

The best I ever came up with was a bag of pistachioes because I’m “nuts” about him.

So on the day when I’m really not expecting anything I get something.

Not red roses.

Not chocolates.

But a heart-shaped potato on a red heart-shaped dish. On it he carved our names – Ki (his nickname) and Jan for Janice since it wasn’t a very big potato.

Next to the plate he leaves a note that proclaims – “This ‘Spud’s’ For You.”

I laughed. The rest of the day.

So I brought my prized potato to work this past week, asking anyone interested or not – hey, did you see my potato I got for Valentine’s Day?

The sight of it and ensuing explanation of its significance drew oohs and aahhs from a gallery of gals.

And laughter, too.

Male co-workers, on the other hand, offered recipes and preservation pointers.

As for Better Half, he intends to plant the potato in hopes of producing a crop of more “spud love.”

I think it’s time to dig out that shovel he got me a couple of Valentine’s Days ago.

(Kiaski, a resident of Steubenville, is a staff columnist and features writer for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times and ocmmunity editor for the Herald-Star. She can be contacted at jkiaski@heraldstaronline.com.)

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