Happy Thursday! There were a few times this week when I thought this day would never get here. Now that it has I have 3 things to share with you: things I’m excited about right now.

1. Plant shopping! We’ve had a super rainy spring and I’m way behind on getting things in the ground and in containers on the deck. BUT! Doreen is coming for the day tomorrow and we will be hitting my favorite local nurseries and planting will happen on Saturday. I think I’m going to go heavy on the coleus this year in the containers but I also need herbs and tomato plants and some other vegetable plants. Oh! And Dale built the raised bed for my cut flower garden last Sunday so I absolutely must get those seedlings in there this weekend. I’m exciting about playing in the dirt.
2. Memorial Day Weekend is (just about) here! Hooray! It’s the true kick off to summer and I couldn’t be happier about that. I am truly excited about the deck and the pergola and driving the Mustang with the top down and just being outside as much as the weather allows. I look forward to these days all year long and I want to make the most of them.
3. Summer Book Bingo! Yes, that’s right. Mary changed her mind and decided to set up Bingo cards and host a summer reading program after all. I printed out my card yesterday (I hit refresh A LOT until I got what I wanted) and I’ll be tracking all the books I finish from now until Labor Day. Will I get a cover all? Will I have to be creative with fitting the books I read into the squares I have? Stay tuned!

And that’s a wrap for this Thursday. If you wrote a post for today please share it so that we can all visit you and read it.

Today I have 3 memes for you, each for a pretty specific reason.

Number One:

To remind me that librarians are cool no matter what anyone thinks.

Number Two:

To remind myself that being vulnerable is okay.

And, finally, Number Three:

Because this Sunday is Mother’s Day.

Have a fabulous Thursday and remember that laughter is always good for you!

If you wrote a post for today please include your link below. Thanks for joining us.

I’m truly enjoying Postcrossing and today I’m going to give you 3 reasons why I think you should give it a try.

But first, a photo of the 3 postcards I received on Tuesday because it’s the perfect segue into reason number 1:

1. You will receive gorgeous postcards. Just look at those! The tulips made me swoon and the note on the back is about Women’s Day in Russia and how tulips are everywhere. The one from Italy is full of fun facts about the country and the one with the embroidery is also from Russia and the sender loves to embroider. I have also received handmade postcards (not my favorite, I will admit), oversized postcards, pictures of scenery from all over the world, and lovely notes.
2. It gives you a good excuse to buy and collect postcards. When I signed up for Postcrossing I bought a pack of Greetings from Massachusetts postcards on Amazon but since then I have visited New York City as well as a few special areas of Massachusetts and I have had so much fun selecting and purchasing postcards with the thought of sending them to another country. Many postcrossers ask for specific types of photos and now that I am amassing a small collection it’s getting easier to match the postcards I have to the interests of the person I am sending them to. I’m also now getting my own collection of cards from other countries. My initial thought was to put them in a journal but then I realized I wouldn’t be able to enjoy both the picture on the front and the words on the back so I gave up on that idea. Right now I just have them in a stack on the bookcase in our den but I need another plan and I’m open to suggestions.
3. Your world view will grow in a quick and easy way. I’m not interested in having a pen pal or sending long letters to anyone but a postcard is so easy! The space is limited and there’s no commitment to extended communication with the person you send it to – it’s a one and done exchange. The return on sending a postcard, though, is that you will then get a postcard back and it will be from somewhere other than your own country. I have only received 8 postcards so far but I have learned about Germany, Russia, Hong Kong, Italy, Canada and the Netherlands. And when I say I have learned about those countries what I really mean is that I have learned a small thing about a person who lives there. I think that’s an incredible way to connect with another culture and to also see how much we truly all have in common. I have heard from crafters and readers, mothers and grandmothers, and I think it’s amazing that we have common interests.

I tried Postcrossing because of Kym and Margene and I’m hoping maybe my experience will inspire you to start, too.

If you wrote a post for today please include your link below and thanks, as always, for joining us.