Friday, June 6, 2025 – Day 297

Friday, June 6, 2025

Good morning! A new day to be thankful for—I am.

Today marks the 81st anniversary of D-Day. Let’s take a moment to honor the courage and selfless sacrifices made that day. We owe them more than we can ever repay.

My own fight is currently happening when I sleep…night two with the respirator.

It didn’t go quite as smoothly as night one. I was all hooked up, mask secured, tubing in place, and laying there listening to the rhythmic sounds of air being gently forced in and out of my lungs—an odd mix of Darth Vader and a white noise machine. Then it hit me: I forgot to take the CBD mints!

I debated whether it was worth the hassle to unhook everything and start over. I’d just brushed my teeth, and honestly, it felt like too much trouble. So I rolled the dice and skipped them.

Bad call.

I tossed and turned all night. The mask felt like it was glued to my face, the tubing got tangled every time I rolled over, and while I’m pretty sure you can’t suffocate yourself by lying on the hose… it certainly felt like I was giving it a go.

Lesson learned. Tonight, we mint. And before I run out, I’m heading over to Rise—the CBD dispensary I mistakenly thought was a church for over a year—to see what else might help. If you have any recommendations, I’m all ears (and lungs).

Yesterday, we had a great lunch with our friends Deb and Dave from Lake Bluff. We met at Lindy’s Landing in Wauconda. Often, Wauconda has become our go-to middle ground between here and our Lake County pals.

A little history: when we sold the Lake Forest house in 2005, I still needed an address to keep Nicole enrolled in school, so I rented a place next to Deb and Dave. We were neighbors for just two years, but the friendship stuck. They’ve been part of our extended circle ever since.

Deb is a retired art teacher from Lake Forest—and extremely talented. About 15 years ago, she painted a gorgeous 30x40 canvas of poppies that still hangs between our dining room and living room. It hasn’t moved, and nothing else has challenged it. It’s that good.

I’ve always admired artists—how they can look at a blank canvas and envision something beautiful. Me? I can barely manage a stick figure. Just ask Barb B. She’s seen my tragic attempts at drawing.

My “art career” was cut short in grade school, when an art teacher gently (or not so gently) suggested I explore fields outside the arts.This was later confirmed by my fifth-grade music teacher (Mr. Favero). It’s not his fault I didn’t have an ear for music, he was just giving me the cold-truth. We didn’t have participation awards back then to keep my dreams of playing in band alive. Good thing…a bad trumpet player is hard on the ears.

Years ago, Deb created a shadow box with rocks, and we were at their house for wine and dinner prior to a John Prine concert at the Genesee Theater in Waukegan. Before we left for the concert, I spent time with her helping to arrange the rocks. We laughed so hard as we gave personalities to the rocks. It was a blast.

Yesterday, she surprised me with my own shadow box and a fresh batch of rocks to create my own piece. I was touched… and mildly panicked.

My first thought: She’s going to grade me.
Cue the traumatic flashback to grade school art class.

But I’m going to give it a go—sink or swim. Maybe my rocks will speak to me. Thanks, Deb, for the box, the encouragement, and the laugh.

And finally, a quick book update: Prey series, book #8—Sudden Prey—arrived Wednesday. I cracked it open yesterday morning and by bedtime, I had just 50 pages left. So, if anyone out there is listening… I’m ready for book #9: Secret Prey. Just sayin’. This will get me 25% of the way toward completing the series.

Have a great Friday.

Love you guys!❤️

Found a photo where Bill B. didn’t miss being in the photo (nor unusual) but I didn’t notice until after I posted. Not to be outdone, his girlfriend, Monica was always being followed by the photographer. So they both are featured today…unintended. Great to see them having so much fun.