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Hello to all,
The year rolls on. It does seem as if time passes much faster than when we were younger. Perhaps it’s just a new high tech trick to make us feel older or something like that. |
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Wedding:
Last month we promised to include more details about Brian and Kristi’s wedding because we were all out of space for that issue. The wedding was April 26th in church not very far from where we live. The service was very traditional and the chapel, while small, did easily accommodate all the invited guests. The guest list consisted of close family and a few friends of theirs. The service began on schedule and was fairly brief. Afterward everyone drove the very short distance to the clubhouse at Little Turtle (golf community), about three miles from the church.
Not long after everyone arrived we ushered the entire group outside for some photos. The weather was just beautiful and the temperatures pleasant. The very bright sky did create some photo challenges for Mr. Jerry in trying to get good photos but things turned out very well in the end. The affair was a sit down dinner for all which consisted of various salads and pastas and other dishes that were just yummy. Of course there was a cake cutting and a Matron of honor who had a few words to say. Then there were more photos before the evening ended with all smiling. We surely wish them well and hope that their melding of two homes goes as planned. They each have a full complement of furniture and things and it’s going to take some doing to get that sorted out. We understand that they will reside in her house and he will sell his. Kristi is studying for her Bachelors in Nursing and is almost finished. Brian is studying for his Bachelors in Business. |
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House planning continues:
I know we have been talking about the house remodel for years and you might be tired of the starts and stops we have reported over a very long time. However, we think we have some ideas that will help us get something done now.
We were ready to sign a contract with this company when we found we would have to add in some additional costs we weren’t aware of. That caused us to rethink the build a new one idea. While talking over our decisions once again, though we might just talk to one of the remodelers we worked with before we started down the new house path. So we’ contacted one of the builders we liked and when he arrived we told him to let his imagination run wild and offer us some suggestions on how to solve the problems we were trying to solve with the existing house. He looked around and before he left we felt we might possibly have something we could work with and for much less money than we were thinking. This builder suggested tearing out several walls, then relocating the kitchen to our current den ad using the vacated space for a new office. He also suggested we move several walls around to make the space we already have more livable. We liked what he was suggesting and before he left we were very excited about the possibility of remodeling rather than building. At this point we still haven’t decided and have signed nothing. ….Gee that seems very close to where we were 10 years back. This builder has promised to come back again soon to work out more details. There are many things yet to be finalized. In the mean time he said he could send over some guys and tear out some of the walls so that we could see how it felt and if the new space would be adequate for what we had in mind. After he left we looked at each other and said…….why don’t we tear out those walls ourselves. Within a few days Mr. Jerry had one of the wall completely torn down and the associated mess exceeded our own expectations. You can see photos of that here. |
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Garden looking good:
This year is promising to be one of the best gardening years ever. So far we are eating peas and lettuce from our early plantings. We’ve already been sharing produce since things are growing so fast we can’t eat it all.
One of the days while working to remove weeds from the plants we noticed one of our usual friends who has taken up residence in the lettuce plants. It’s Mr. Toad. We always find at least one fat fellow hanging around close to the house. This time he has chosen the garden. For those of you who don’t know a toad from a frog, this guy is an American Toad, (Bufo Americana). They bread very close to here on a small pond owned by Mr. Martin, our neighbor to the south. We love hearing their songs in the early spring when they are mating. Perhaps that’s a bit personal to be listening in as we do. However, they don’t seem to mind our eavesdropping. Over the years we have featured many of these in our news. |
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Mother's Day Celebrated:
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Warm days and cool nights:
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Jacob Hedgepath Graduates:
Most of you will know that Jacob Hedgepath is the son of Rick and Paulette Ricks. (Paulette is Mr. Jerry's Neice) That part of our family reside near Lancaster, Ohio, not very far from where we are in New Albany.
Jacob is a fine young man with some very outstanding talents. (not to mention that he is pretty good looking and seems well adjusted) Among his special gifts are a love of composing and playing music, and a natural ability to do graphic design. His design talent has already been recognized by the Marine Corps. For the longest time Jake has wanted to be a Marine and now he gets his chance. He actually enlisted prior to graduation and they have promised him that he will qualify to attend a Graphic Arts school they have in Maryland this September. At this point Jake is waiting until the actual day he is to ship out. If Mr. Jerry's experience is any indication, he will go first to their version of basic training where they put recruits through a routine of physical and mental torture...just to get one thinking like a Marine. That is followed by a short break before he is to show up for the school in Maryland. We will keep you posted on what he is doing as time goes on. We attended his graduation party held at the family home in Lancaster. We were asked to create and present a special multimedia show to honor this milestone is his life. The gathering consisted mostly of family, some from Georgia and others from Florida. The weather turned out to be wonderful and the food went over especially well. We have included some photos from that day below. |
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End of Newsletter:
May has ended and we’re hoping for warmer and more predictable weather to come. Hopefully Summer has already arrived where you are. Drop us a line when you can. We love hearing from family and friends. Our Best to you all, |
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Hugs, Jerry & Gerrie McDonald |
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