You’d imagine that Valentine’s Day was over-the-top between my mother and my father. No. Let cheating husbands beguile their wives with heart-shaped truffles on February 14. Instead, my parents winked at Cupid and dedicated the day to family love.

My mother, like many ’50s wives, embraced her household jobs with vigor and pride. Every Friday she “shoveled out the camp.” She tackled the kitchen sink stains with Hilex and scouring powder, scrubbed the worn linoleum floor on her hands and knees with Spic and Span, sterilized the bathroom from floor to ceiling. For a while she continued to dabble in her painting and embroidery . . .

I reminded The Husband that the mayor had suggested that, to prepare for the Storm of the Century, we fill a bathtub full of water to use to flush the toilets when the electricity goes out. Reluctantly he agreed to take on this responsibility.

How about pairing oysters and a really cold martini with cucumber juice? Yes . . . listen for bells!—there is a marriage happening!—voilà! Cucumber martini sorbet with oysters and red pepper balsamic syrup!

From editor/author Pamela Fiori, summer entertaining tips, favorite summer reading, and three TV series she finds more appealing than the current crop of summer movies.

This week’s contributor to our series on Summer Indulgences is Kara Ross, founder of Kara Ross jewelry and winner of the 2012 Fashion Icon Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Her indulgences include ice cream, bottles of bubbles, and a gorgeous stack of gemstone bangles.

What to wear to a summer party, favorite summer entertaining tips, and more from the next stylish contributor to our new Summer Indulgences Series—Liz Lange, whose eponymous maternity line changed the face of fashion forever for those who are expecting.

To swing into July, we asked several accomplished women we admire to come up with 10 suggestions for a sweet summer. Our first fashionable dreamer is Deborah Needleman, editor-in-chief of “WSJ,” the Wall Street Journal magazine, as well as the creator of the “Off Duty” weekend section of “The Wall Street Journal” and the author of “The Perfectly Imperfect Home.”

This week, blogs hailed forgotten writers, advised us to be sharp in the upcoming elections, and cheered a woman-directed film about the discovery of the vibrator.

By Phyllis Fanzo Lombardi

Over 15 years we went from doctor to doctor, therapist to therapist. I don’t know how we made it through—but slowly, Joey has been coming back to us.

By Rabbi Leah Berkowitz

Let me share with you a taste of the seder—the rich, deep, and profound service that commemorates Passover.

By Patricia Yarberry Allen

I’d planned to buy a new coat in the spring. Little did I know that Spring Coats as I knew them no longer seemed to exist.

This is the second Q&A column by B. Elliott, a frequent WVFC commentator, on “doing the right thing” in our quickly evolving culture Feel free to contact Ms. Elliott at WFVC for solutions to your troublesome social problems.

By Ro Howe

It’s here—the evening you’ve been aiming for, the evening of your candlelit dinner with your paramour. Here’s a recipe for the scrumptious dessert.

By Ro Howe

Here’s the main dish for the Valentine’s Day dinner suggested by chef Ro Howe in her two recent posts. – Ed.