Jeff Davis County received a considerable economic boost on St. Valentine’s Day as love was in the air. Florist delivery trucks were speeding about town and the countryside delivering bouquets, balloons, stuffed bears and sweet confections to make the heart grow fonder and keep some out of a doghouse.

We ladies here at The Headlight received a delivery of fresh tomatoes from our new advertising customer, Leon Eaton at Triple Eaton Farms. Red tomatoes are preferable over red roses and candy any day (says the single woman who hasn’t a chance of getting a rose.)

Love is to be celebrated and one should keep looking if you haven’t found it already, but finding love and being happy with what you have is not easy. As the cynical comedienne Chris Rock says, you’re either married and bored or single and lonely. Take your pick.

For the single ladies out there who may be on the market or thinking of jumping in, perhaps you would benefit from instruction I learned during my formative years. My mother told me: “Whatever you do, (1) don’t marry a man that smokes and drinks, (2) don’t marry a man that don’t have a job, (3) don’t marry a man that won’t work around the house, (4) don’t marry a man that won’t clean up after himself, (5) don’t marry a man that won’t spend time with you, and for God’s sake (6) don’t marry a man like your daddy.”

That certainly narrows the playing field.

A favorite cooking show is Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa. She has this one recipe she refers to as “Engagement  Chicken,” suggesting that if this meal is served to a love interest, then by the end of dinner and before dessert, you’ll have a ring on your finger.

The voodoo meal consists of a chicken washed and patted dry with half a lemon and half a head of garlic and thyme shoved into the cavity, olive oil, salt and pepper and into a 400-degree oven. Depending on one’s level of expertise in the kitchen, candlelight, music and a low-cut dress should perhaps be added as extra incentive.

I decided to do a test run on a bird just to see if chicken could get any better. I mean I love chicken, right, this must be some recipe. Plus, a whole chicken feeds me for at least four days.

All joking aside, this was the best chicken that has ever come out of an oven in my control. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, mighty tasty, however not worth a ring valued at some poor schmucks six-months salary.

Great love is elusive, but no matter, let’s keep trying and keep the florists in business, and you may want to pop over to Ramey’s and pick up a chicken – at least get a nice dinner out of it.