Tuesday, January 18, 2026 – Day 525

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Good morning, everyone.

I finished Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. It’s a work of historical fiction centered on Martha Ballard, a midwife who delivered more than a thousand babies in the second half of the 1700s. Lawhon takes a narrow slice of time and builds a murder mystery around it, using Martha’s detailed journals as the backbone of the story.

Martha is observant, deeply involved in everyone’s business, and openly scornful of most men—including, at times, her husband, who comes across as nothing short of a saint. She reads like a 21st-century feminist dropped into an era when women were routinely dismissed and subjugated. That tension is compelling, but by the end of the book, I found her a difficult character to like. I found the story believable and did side with Martha on many points during the story. She just wasn’t likable. Good book overall.

We’re off to Evanston hospital this morning for a CT scan of my chest. I have been experiencing shortness of breath for the last couple of weeks and my pulmonologist wants to rule out pneumonia or an infection. Part of me wants them to find something so they can treat it and resolve my breathing issue. Then there is the other side of me that doesn’t want to get admitted. Hospitals are the Petri dishes of disease and I’d rather not be there. I like being isolated at home during where we have some control over what comes into the house.

Cindy’s sister Barb is coming with us to help me get in and out of the car and to keep Cindy company. It’s a long drive there and back and it could be a long day at the hospital. Barb has been there to help for many of these appointments. It really is nice to have an extra hand and I’m grateful she is willing to do this. And it’s dark and -2°. Thanks Barb.

Last night Barb and Mark came over with Italian Beef for dinner. Which I found almost too spicy to eat. My taste buds have done a 180° turn on me. If I were to try my homemade habanero sauce, I thank it would actually kill me by shutting down my airway. I think I know where my taste buds are headed now that they’ve turned on me. They want a salad and once we get on that slippery slope, they’ll want to go vegetarian. 😱🙈‼️

Time to get ready and out the door by 7:00 am.

Have a great day. Love you guys!❤️

Photo:. Cindy and Barb were trying to buy tickets for a play. It was a contest to see who could get them first.