Thursday, January 15, 2026 – Day 520

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Good morning, everyone.

Happy Birthday to Geoff B. 🎂🎉🥳🎈 
Geoff is the IT brain behind this blog. If he hadn’t helped get it set up, I’m honestly not sure it ever would’ve gotten off the ground. Thank you, Geoff, for your steady support and for being one of the people quietly making this whole thing possible.

We had a couple of visitors yesterday afternoon. Bill and his girlfriend Monica made the trek from Waukegan to spend some time with us. Bill is one of my oldest friends, and judging by my photo box, we’ve shared more life together than just about anyone else. There are more pictures of Bill than any other person—and it’s not even close.

We didn’t do anything special. We just sat, talked, and caught up. They brought sandwiches and soup, but somehow we never got around to eating. I’m not even sure how that happened—maybe we just lost track of time. There’s something comforting about old souls getting together. No pressure. No small talk. Just being together.

I’m still figuring out how to entertain friends and family now that my voice and stamina are limited. One thing I’ve noticed is that since moving from walkers to being fully in a wheelchair, I don’t tire quite as quickly during visits. That surprised me, in a good way.

Still, having people over on back-to-back days adds up. After celebrating Cindy’s birthday on Tuesday and visiting with Bill and Monica yesterday, I started my bedtime routine not long after they left. It takes about an hour, and by 7:00 p.m. I was under the covers. I try to read every night for as long as I can, but by 8:00 p.m., the lights were out. And when the alarm went off at 4:00 am, I snoozed it until 5:00 am. It felt great to sleep in, even though it puts a little strain on writing the blog and getting it out.

I’m currently reading The Nine by Gwen Strauss—a true story about nine women in the French Resistance during World War II. Captured, tortured, and sent to labor camps, they form a bond that helps them survive and ultimately escape…during a death march inside Germany.

When Bill and Monica were leaving, Cindy was showing Monica her new hat from Nikki and Zack. It speaks for itself and with temps below zero coming into town this weekend it’s going to be very functional. Mike and Beth will have to trouble spotting Cindy when she’s out walking Bear.

Sorry…It turns out I don’t have those photos in my phone. I’ll try tomorrow.

Meanwhile, my sister Lis and her husband Steve are sporting their Andy’s Army shirts in Jordan with the Dead Sea behind them. Love seeing these shirts going around the world.

Have a great Thursday.

Love you guys! ❤️