Another week is coming to an end and warmer Arizona temperatures are thankfully in the forecast. Here in Portland there is talk of up to 14 inches of snow accumulation over the next week. Our pet sitter will have to navigate the neighborhood hills and use our crampons to safely walk the dogs. Phoenix will at least be in the 60’s for our “Valentine Getaway.” It starts with budget meetings for my wife and ends with friends in Tucson, but in the meantime we’ll get some alone time at a Marriott Vacation Club villa.

The next stop on our “Travelin’ Tour” will be Seattle for a baseball weekend with college friends. Our Indiana Hoosiers will face defending National Champion Oregon State in one of several college baseball match-ups at Safeco Field, home of the Mariners. Just after we get back from Arizona, Major League spring training will start along with several similar college pre-season tournaments. Last year I attended one in Surprise also featured Oregon State, so I’ll see my first game a few weeks later this year. Nonetheless, as Spring quickly approaches it’s time to “Play Ball.”

Indiana basketball did not fare well against hot-shooting Iowa last night, so my Alma Mater is once again not likely to make the post season. There was a brief breeze of hope with last week’s unexpected victory in East Lansing, but this home court loss puts an extra long nail in the coffin. It’s funny how the I.U. Alumni Association caught up with me last week in my temporarily insane condition and it resulted in the purchase of a digital directory to support the 200th anniversary of the school. Try getting that money out of me this week?

I got my Valentine’s cards out to the grandkids and wrote the traditional poem for my wife. We celebrate the twentieth anniversary of our first “date” tonight at the Outback bar that has become a regular dining favorite for ribs. “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” is what Elvis might serenade us with. He would have been 84 last month, while Frankie our aging cat (named after Sinatra) is 18 years old today. They once did a great duet of “Love Me Tender” (not the cat).

Mid-week “Date Night” was at Rosa Rosa, the new Paley restaurant downtown that proved to be disappointing. Tomorrow night’s movie will be Stan & Ollie. It may be a challenge getting there in the snow, since I’ve already bought the tickets. Maybe Uber to the rescue? My wife already plans to order a car to get her to the airport the next morning for her business meetings. I won’t fly out for another two days.

As you may have noticed, I continue to avoid specifying the days of the week. It’s been my experience in retirement that they are now all really the same, and there’s no need to use the typical Monday thru Sunday labels. Also, vacations and holidays no longer apply. It’s simply today, tomorrow, and the next day on the retirement calendar. By the way, this week’s 1,000 Places To See Before You Die calendar features India, Malta, and Tokyo that are on our yet-to-visit list, and Slovenia, The Bahamas, and Greece that we’ve already seen. As Elvis might sing to his Valentine, “Got A Lot O’ Livin’ To Do!” Make that Travelin.’

Oh got a lot o’ living (travelin’) to do
A whole lot o’ loving to do
Come on baby, to make a party takes two
Oh yes I’ve got a lot o’ living (travelin’) to do
A whole lot o’ loving to do
And there’s no one who I’d rather do it with-a than you!