Frightening trip to Colusa Market near Kensington Circle to gather snacks in advance of the East Bay Valentine-making party on Saturday afternoon. The purple-gray sky seemed likely to give everybody a drenching at any moment, but that all turned out to be a bluff.
One surprise was the availability of excellent organic cherries (probably flown in from South America, since their season in Northern California at this point in the year is barely at the tree-blossom stage). These were destined to be served up in a notionally heart-shaped basket, alongside a small heart-shaped plate with assorted, pastel-tinted cookies from the famous Virginia Bakery in Berkeley.
Whenever the Valentine-makers might want refreshments, the refreshments would be ready for them.