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-Groucho Marx




Valentine's Day traces its origins to an annual Roman pagan celebration, called
Lupercalia, which was held yearly on February 15. Seems the lovers' holiday has its
roots in raucous annual Roman festivals where men stripped naked, grabbed goat-
or dog-skin whips, and spanked young maidens in hopes of increasing their fertility,
says classics professor Noel Lenski of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The Celebration was disapproved of by the Roman Catholic Church and thus linked
the festival to the legend of St. Valentine. Even so, the Holidayǯs popularity persisted
into the fifth century A.D; at least 150 years after Constantine made Christianity the
official religion of the Roman Empire.
-n the third century A.D., Roman Emperor Claudius --, seeking to bolster his army,
forbade young men to marry. Valentine, according to legend, defied the ban and
performed clandestine marriages. 



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The first known Valentine's Day card was sent in 1415 from France's Duke of
Orleans to his wife when he was a prisoner in the Tower of London following the
Battle of Agincourt.

The tradition of hand-written Valentines gained popularity in the U.S. during the
Revolutionary War. Mass production soon began in the early 1900s; and Hallmark
started selling the cards 1913.



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The Holiday gears much of its commercial focus on men: -n the U.S. males will spend
nearly twice as much on the holiday as U.S. females. -n 2010, the average man spent
$135.35 on Valentine's Day gifts, while a typical woman spent $72.28.

How sweet it is; about 47 percent of U.S. consumers will exchange Valentine's Day
candy, at a cost of about $1 billion. Nearly 75 percent of that billion comes from
sales of chocolate (chocolate has been linked to romance at least since Mexico's
15th- and 16th-century Aztec Empire).

This year is expected to generate $14.1 billion in retail sales in the United States.
Given these billions of dollars and all the effort and energy expended to say ’ 
 is there something we as boomer men can do that is 

 

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Women in most developed countries still outlive men by 5 to 9 years; although men
do get oldȄ 
. For that reason aging in place is an important issue
to the women in our lives.

$
. Widowhood is more common among older women than older men. -n the
United States, about 700,000 to a million women are widowed each year.

Approximately 75 percent of widows are 55 or older; and widows account for 53

percent of women 75 to 84, according to U.S. Census data.

Women tend to spend their savings on their husbands' care, and then live alone for
15 to 20 years with far fewer resources. Medicare pays only about half of older
people's health costs; the term for this is /012



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004while youǯre both home
to enjoy the benefits of being home by choiceȄtogether.

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-t may not seem romantic but loving your spouse means being there for her now
and in the future by leaving a legacy of independence. The thought of her loosing the
safety and comfort of home is unpleasant at bestǥThis year skip the chocolates and
flowers; instead make an appointment with a CAPS trained remodeler for a home
assessment.

Then make dinner for her and after take her by the hand look lovingly into her eyes
tell her your expression of love this year will be differentȄlastingǥTurn down the
lights (using the rocker switches you just installed), light the candles and describe
your future together in an accessible home with beautiful Universal Design features.
After all, as Groucho says: ’



 
 
  

 




 


Sheǯll love you for itǥ

Œ
And - Love Her (1964)
The First Time Ever - Saw Your Face
Aging in Place Easy Use HGTV
Make Dinner for Her
Spend Down Advising the Widow
John Roach for National Geographic News: Valentineǯs Day Facts and Figures
http://www.aginginplace.com
(photo ecovelo.info)