5:20 p.m. I'm outtahere to join my sweetheart of almost 30 years for a church Valentine's banquet (as mentioned below). Thanks for helping me get through a rough week. I'll see you on the flip side ... and will add postscripts to your comments this weekend. There's only two shopping days until Valentine's Day. And remember Dan English and family as they observe their tough personal anniversary tomorrow.

3:33 p.m. Only 2 1/2 hours to the annual church Valentine's banquet. For those keep score at home, I met my wife at a church Valentine's banquet more than 30 years ago. I was the speaker. She was giggling. Love at first sight happened a coupla years later (although I did note how cute she was). You know what my definition of happiness is this time of the year -- knowing what you're going to buy your wife for Valentine's Day and knowing she's going to like it.

12:32 p.m. Nice little word war going on under Quick Fix 6 between Livefree & Out-of-Stater Tater re: congressmen allowing average Americans to have a retirement option similar to theirs. (We've been stuck on Social Security for awhile; any other great topics out there that'll stir passion?)

11:50 a.m. Ex-Sandpoint mayor David Sawyer tells Huckleberries what's happened to him since he left North Idaho: "I had worked for 2 cities in Oregon as a city manager and (last) summer my wife Manuela and I had a little baby on June 1 in Sandpoint: Sophia-Kaimu. Last month we left for germany to try our hand at switching roles--me as baby cargiver, Manuela as provider (she is an acupuncturist); me as cultural outsider, my wife as guide.

11:14 a.m. Officer Hoyne of Enumclaw, Wash., who wrote that superb piece yesterday about the fatal Hayden police shootout, told me he and his two police brothers found Huckleberries Online while surfing for conservative political commentary. One's in Colorado, the other in Illinois. It blows me away when I hear of folks around the US who are reading this blog. It's humbling. And scary.

9:59 a.m. As Howard Dean would say: Aaaarrrrgggghhhh. My Better Half called to say she'd reserved tickets already for Lake City High's drama production of "Seussical" -- and instructor Sandy Seaton gave me a SENIOR DISCOUNT because I'm now 55. A SENIOR DISCOUNT fuhcryinoutloud. I'm too young to be this dang old.

9:31 a.m. As you can see, I've brought back "Quick Fix 6" -- at least for now. I've been lost without it. I want to know what the media have been, ahem, overlooking in their drive to present all the news that's fit to print (according to them).

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