I’ve taken a long hiatus from the blog while I finished my book of memories, now published for my family. We’ve enjoyed this unusually warm winter because it allowed us to recover from a couple of minor health problems without confronting snowfalls requiring removal.

My nephew Erik found it necessary to ski the Birkebiner in Norway because MN had no snow. Huge sacrifice, a trip to Norway where we have relatives, but he faced it bravely and loved the experience.

George is back to playing tennis 3-4 times a week, and I ride a stationary bike 3-4 miles a day. I’m also catching up on reading The New Yorkers that pile up, and books I’ve wanted to read. I do crossword puzzles and other puzzle brain games, and enjoy being retired.

We’ve seen some entertaining theater performances and concerts by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the MN Orchestra. As often as possible we select Saturday or Sunday 2 p.m. performances. That gives us Sunday evenings to relax at home.

As usual we planted tomato seeds on St. Patrick’s Day (son Mike’s birthday) to be ready for garden planting in late May. Our garden has been fruitful. We eat, share, and can tomatoes at the end of the summer.

Life has been good to us. We keep track of the family with texts and occasional visits. Busy lives make for less frequent contacts. That’s fine so long as the contacts continue.

I just realized this reads like a Christmas letter. It’s fun to be writing again. I’ve missed it.