Welcome May of 2019--Day 121 of the year! How many shopping days???

Day 183, Every picture has a story"

A few years ago I started making cards for birthdays and anniversaries.  It has come to the point now where Terry and I do not buy any cards.  I usually find a picture to put on the card.  Now, the reality is much of the time a birthday is maybe on a Thursday and on Monday I scramble to find a picture, get my card program up and running and then print it out in time to put it in the mail.  This happens like 38 times a year BUT not this year.  We have sent out 7 cards so far this year BUT have 31 left and guess what--ALL the cards are made and ready to go.  It is a first and maybe a last as well, we will see.  So as you see below there is a box of 28 cards ready to go and they are packed for our trip up north.  The three at the top of the list are by the front door and they will be mailed before we leave in late May.  In addition to being personal the cards save money.  What does a card cost, $3 or $4 or $5?  I would say the paper ink and envelopes cost south of $1 so 38X1 vs 38X4 sounds good to me.
Now I do think there is a LOT to do before we leave so, Carmen, put the card experience behind you and get busy.

the cards are box, labeled and in the items packed for Minnesota

I have written about my siblings but I need not forget the in-laws.  There is Glorine, Charlie, John, Judi, Ron, Marlys and Mike.  They have added so so much to family and I would say if Mom and Dad were here today they would say they were proud of each one.  I know, we need to be a bit tolerant of some of Dad's ways!!  So as I finish my sibling writings I say you all were welcomed into the family and each added much to the LEE family.  I should add that Joan/Ron will celebrate anniversary #58 this year, Marlys/Dave # 54 and Judi/John  49 or 50 (I may be wrong but for sure I am close).  I would say that says a lot about family, Mom/Dad and the life on the farm.  Could we say  "the family that prays together stays together"?  I think proof of what family is took place last summer in Jamestown.  Judi, John, Joan, Ron, Marlys, Dave, Helen, Terry and I had a great time over 2 nights and one day as we gathered to remember "the good old days".  We missed Glorine.  As we all know time marches on and this year our ages will range from 69-83 so I, and all of us, need to be thankful for life and live it to the fullest.  I thought about listing the tremendous gifts/talents our family has but decided it would be too long and then I may forget something that was important so all I need to say is "every single family member is special and has an abundance of gifts/talents.

As I jumped in our pool for the third time yesterday I wondered if I was ready to trade the pool in Naples for the house projects in St. Paul?  Maybe going up and down the stairs in St. Paul will take the place of tennis here in terms of exercise.  Can the projects provide fun in the same light as tennis?

I ate the last of 2 homemade sausages with eggs this morning.  Darn, it is so difficult to gauge how much food to buy in 7+ months and then have it at or near zero when one leaves.  BUT the 2 sausages did empty a container from the freezer so there is progress.  How will things stand when we leave in late May?   Only time will tell.

It, again, is difficult to believe that another month is history.  We will see what May has for us.  No doubt my life will be very different as pool and tennis are left in Naples and yard and house work are waiting in St. Paul.  The first thing we need to do in St. Paul is get a garden in so that by mid summer I can pluck a cherry tomato off the vine as I hurry to my wood shop!

No, the WSJ is read, the FP is almost gone and I may get to the courts a bit early.  I made a card for one of our pros Myke.  I showed her a picture of the cards I made and as she looked at the picture she tried to find the card for her!!!  She said her birthday is June 8.  I made a card yesterday and will give it to her this morning with a note that says "the early bird gets the worm"!  Now that I continued to ramble on the FP is history.