Barb and I take our birthday cards to each other quite seriously. They are always delivered first thing the morning of the day, and always to the same spot in the house. I leave my card for Barb on the kitchen island next to her beloved iPad, and I know exactly three weeks later I will find mine hooked on to my briefcase at the back door, ready to delight me before I head to the lab.

Of course, the content of the card needs to be just right as well, striking the right mood for what our lives are going through each year. The typical formula is loving but not overly mushy, emphasizing our closeness and how lucky we are with our wonderful family.

But this year Barb went a bit off script and she hit the jackpot. The card, pictured above, depicts a game of Senior Jeopardy!, and in case you can’t read it clearly, the name of the contestant on the left is Lester.

For those of you who don’t know, I was a Jeopardy contestant in 1988. My opponents weren’t Fern and Earl…they were Linda (the returning champion) and Neil (the winner of my single match.) But I was really there–and I am still campaigning to be the new permanent Jeopardy! host instead of KenJenningsMayimBialik. After all. unlike Aaron Rodgers, in the last year, I’ve been triple-COVID vaxed, double Pneumo-vaxed, and probably anti-anthrax vaxed, too.

But back to the birthday card. Barb didn’t place a special order for it or hand-write my name in that box. She found it on the rack and knew she had to have it for me.

Besides having my name as contestant #1, the categories are perfect for the “mature” me, almost 35 years past my Jeopardy! prime. “Facts I Forgot, ” “Where I Left My Glasses,” “Summer Sweaters,” “Early Bird Specials,” “Aches and Pains,” and “What Did You Say?”– all part of my daily life. The only categories I would add are “Lyrics to Songs from 1964” and “Back In the Day.” I suppose those might show up in the Double Jeopardy round.

That card is so perfect, Barb says she plans to give it to me every year. And why not–she knows I won’t remember!

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