Listen up Gentlemen, this is important!

I am going to let you in on the three most important days on the reenacting calendar, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and your wedding anniversary. Face it, you forget one of these and your days out in the field with your pards will be limited.

Now as you all know, Tony loves the ladies and Lord knows the ladies love him, so I speak to you from experience.

By the time you read this you are on zero hour for Valentine's Day. I was at Wal-Mart today and the isle with the Valentines stuff was a mix of the left over lame stuff and a lot of trampled items. Buy your wife or girlfriend some of the left over lingerie the day before VD and we won't see you in the field before Gettysburg.

The guy in the line ahead of me had a bag of a dozen apples. He explained they were red and kinda heart shaped and his wife would give him points for originality. His originality will come in handy as he tries to figure out how to sleep comfortably on the couch next week.

Now don't give up hope. You still have time. The guy in line was half right. When you wait too long you have to use originality, but be a little smarter. Take a cruise on the web and look for some historic yet romantic items. You will be a hero and maybe learn something on the way.

Try a Victorian Love Poem or perhaps try your hand at something constructive by copying a Victorian Valentine.


The Corps' resident Cupid, Stinky, would likely recommend you get your buns in the kitchen and create a romantic period style dinner. While it is ok to borrow the candles from your kit, we would, however, suggest you not make anything using the year old piece of hard tack or the salt pork in the bottom of your haversack.

Now if there are some ladies reading this, please note the above does not work on men. While the path to a man's heart is through the stomach, the usual "romantic" gifts do not usually work on the average clueless guy.

One suggestion I can give the ladies comes from a lady friend I knew some years back. She took the occasion of Valentines Day as a good time to buy a new corset for reenactments. She had spent $100 on the custom made corset and charged it to boot, something her husband did not approve of wholeheartedly. However, after modeling her new purchase on Valentine's Day she was free and clear. Ahhh, the versatility of the gift that keeps on giving.

So where will you be when the spring campaigns begin? Will you be on the field with your pards or at home paying penance for not heeding my warning.