Tuesday, January 27, 2026 – Day 532

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Good morning, everyone.

It’s official—I won’t be doing any volunteer Tax-Aide work this season.

Back in early fall, I was still holding out hope that I could get IRS-certified and take on a limited role for the 2025 tax year. I really thought I might be able to make it work. But my fingers had other plans. They’ve become far too clumsy on a keyboard for the kind of accuracy tax prep demands—and when the requirement is 100%, “close enough” doesn’t cut it.

So yesterday, I threw in the towel and bowed out.

That one hurt.

I’m going to miss the seniors who came in looking for help—many of them nervous, confused, or downright intimidated by the process. Helping them through it was a privilege, and one that warmed my soul. I’ll also miss the friendships I made with the other volunteers. Tax-Aide turned out to be a perfect fit for me, and having to walk away from it is harder than I expected.

To the Huntley and Lake in the Hills tax team: I wish you a great tax season. I’ll miss the camaraderie, the smiles, and the collective tax wisdom. You might miss Tuesday Country Donut day and my background music selections—but you’ll probably be healthier and better able to focus… maybe.

I finished The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb. It’s a heavy novel—addiction, lies, excuses, and the devastating consequences that lead to the death of a child, a prison sentence, and a long road toward forgiveness and rehabilitation. Much of the book takes place inside a low-security prison system, walking the reader through the monotony and emotional grind of daily life behind bars.

At times, it felt like too much time spent there—you could almost feel the urge to escape alongside the characters. And just when the story seemed to be settling into a predictable close, Lamb throws in a twist… followed by a sudden, abrupt ending.

When I closed the book, I honestly couldn’t decide if I liked it—or if I felt short-changed after investing so much time inside that world. The jury’s still out.

Over the weekend, Alex dropped off two books from a friend who works at the Lake Forest Book Store: Head Cases by John McMahon and The Oligarch’s Daughter by Joseph Finder. Thank you, Di, for the thoughtful surprise—and for helping me escape the cold, gray days of winter. I’ll be starting one of them today.

Yesterday also brought a visit from my home health nurse, Bernice. It was a routine check, though she did ask me three or four times if I had diarrhea. Not sure what that was about. These visits are pretty scripted, so I’ve learned to just roll with the questions and answer as calmly as possible.

She did offer some genuinely helpful advice after I showed her the pressure sores developing from my ventilator mask. There’s a protective covering I can use around my nose to reduce the friction. That was new information—and a welcome change from the bandages Cindy’s been carefully placing on either side of my nose before the mask goes on.

Today should be another quiet one. PT comes around noon, and the rest of the day is wide open for stretching, reading, TV, napping, formula, and whatever else fills the hours.

Have a great day.
Love you guys! ❤️

Photos from the kids’ snow day in D.C.

That storm over the weekend packed a punch. Seeing the videos out of Nashville—with trees down everywhere—is just devastating.