Thursday, August 7, 2025
Good morning to you all. Housekeeping item Iâve heard from people that have subscribed to the blog, that the notification emails when I post an entry donât always get sent. This leads people to believe I havenât posted anything for the day. I donât know why his happens. Here is my suggestion. If by 8:00 am CST of each morning you havenât received the email notification, please go to the blog and look for the post.
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Good morning, my fabulous family and friends. đ Happy birthday, Joe Stefinsky! đđ August is a month packed with celebrationsâbirthdays, anniversariesâand a few days that call for quiet reflection on lifeâs fragility. August 9 â Our 20th wedding anniversary! 𼳠Woohoo! August 10 â ER visit in Northern Wisconsin to check for stroke or brain cancer. Walking and talking were a problem. Preliminary diagnosis: Parkinsonâs (I wish). August 13 â The shitty diagnosis.
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Good morning, amazing friends and family. A few weeks ago, I had the chance to do an interview with a young man named Dean, whose mother passed away from ALS. Dean is 19 and currently traveling across the country to meet others affected by this brutal diseaseâsharing their stories and raising money to help fight ALS. I was honored to be one of the people he chose to visit, and I truly enjoyed the short time we spent together.
Monday, August 4, 2025
Good morning, itâs Monday. So, Iâve got this feeding tube now to help supplement my nutrition. Still, I enjoy eating real food when I canâand I hope to keep doing so for months to come, until swallowing becomes dangerous or simply no longer possible. But lately, something has changed with my chewing. Over the past week, every time I chew on the right side of my mouth, I end up biting my bottom lip.
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Good morning everyone! Weâre home from vacation. I hated to leaveâespecially knowing a few of my cousins (on the Irish side) are heading up to the lake on Tuesday. But we had other commitments already in place, and I have clinic on Thursday, so we wouldnât have had much time together. Still… Iâm bummed it didnât work out. Sorry, Peter, Jean, and Anne. đ˘ Itâs strangeâwhile I did a little walking up north, I didnât do much else.
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Good morning! Today we leave the tranquility, fresh air, and lazy days of summer in the Northwoods. Itâs been a great weekâand the last full day did not disappoint. Zack found an active fishing hole just a few hundred yards from the lake house, making it easy to take the boys out and teach them how to fish. Itâs always funny to watch kids touch a fish for the first time.
Friday, August 1, 2025
Good morning! It always sneaks up on youâone moment, youâre soaking in a great vacation⌠and the next, you realize itâs almost over. Today is our last full day on Fence Lake, so the plan is to cram a full weekâs worth of fun into these final hours. The East Coast crew has a 9:45 a.m. flight out of Central Wisconsin tomorrow, which means a very early departure from the cabin.
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Good morningâitâs the last day of July. The summer is flying by. Is that something we ever say about winter? Probably not⌠at least not me. Yesterday was a full one, thanks to our pirate-themed adventure. There was quite a bit of walking involved, paired with some well-spaced beveragesâstrictly for hydration, of course. đ We kicked things off with a pirate breakfast to get the kids into character and give them a chance to practice their âArrrghsâ with one eye closed.
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Good morning all. Sometimes we humans know we shouldnât do somethingâbecause thereâs a decent chance it could end badlyâbut we do it anyway. Case in point: Maria and Pete put in their pier this week. You thought this was about meâŚdidnât you? AnywayâŚputting in a pier requires multiple trips in and out of the lake, which stirs up the sandy bottom. And yes⌠you probably guessed it⌠they fell victim to swimmerâs itch.
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Good morning family, friends, and fans! Yesterday was a mixed bagâI logged fall #11. The good news? No injuries. Either Iâm blessed with a layer of protective bubble wrap, or Iâm just on a lucky streak. So far, the damage report includes only scrapes, bruises, and the occasional headache. It was another gorgeous day up here, and most of it was spent on the lake zipping around on the pontoonâtowing paddle boards, water skiers, or just cruising with the kids.
Monday, July 28, 2025
Good morning all! Iâm comfortably settled into my new writing corner overlooking Fence Lake. Itâs peaceful hereâjust me, a quiet view, and no one stepping over me or each other. The main house has enough space for everyone to spread out. The bungalow, on the other hand, is a little cozier Four adults and three young kiddos packed in with stray shoes, forgotten clothes, and toys littering the floor throughout. I have no idea whatâs going on over there, and frankly, I think thatâs for the best.
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Good morning. Yesterday was a wonderful day. Thereâs just something about having the kids running in and out of the house, filling the air with joy (and the occasional chaos). Their energy is infectiousâmost of the timeâand their curiosity cracks me up. I love their endless stream of questions and their tender instincts. Without even asking, they bring me my walking sticks like itâs part of their job description. I brought three canes on this trip so Iâd always have one nearby, but honestly, with this crew, I couldâve just brought one.
Saturday, July 26, 2025
Good morning from Fence Lake in Northern Wisconsinâwhere the black bear is to be avoided and the white Bear is to be adored. You have to listen carefullyâthey can both sound scary, but only one is all growl and no bite. Choose wisely. Yesterday was a full travel day for everyone heading up to the lake. Maria and Pete arrived in the evening after a very long journeyâMaria from Kyiv (48 hours!
Friday, July 25, 2025
Good morning everyone! Today we leave for Minocqua. Iâm excitedâbut also a little apprehensive. Iâm really looking forward to time with the kids, their friends, my sister Lis and her husband Steve. Most importantly, itâs a chance to make memories with the grandkids. I keep looking out toward the horizon, and I know my time is short. Wyatt and Coco are still young, and I know their memories of our time together will eventually fade.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Good morning! Masters Tickets Update: If you entered the lottery for a chance to buy tickets to The Masters, this was the week of the big drawing. If you did win, make sure you check your emailâand donât wait too long to claim them. I didnât win this year đ , but I did win two years ago, so I can confirm: real people actually do win. Donât give up hope.
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Good morning! Itâs another scorcher today, so Iâll be staying indoors again. Honestly, this summer might break my all-time record for indoor livingâat least since 1988. That was the infamous summer of 47 days over 90° and a sweltering seven days in the triple digits. Memorable for more than just the weather⌠Nicole was in the oven (literally), and Kim was on bed rest, stuck inside while I, the proud expectant father, probably found a way to complain about having to go to work and face the heat everyday in an air conditioned environment.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Good morning!! Itâs getting busy around hereâalmost like weâre moving to a new home. Weâre heading up to Wisconsin for a family vacation, and depending on how things go, we may be gone for nearly two weeks. Over the past few months, so much medical equipment has been delivered to the houseâand the truth is, I use all of it. So when it comes time to pack the car, itâs going to be a tight fit.
Monday, July 21, 2025
Good morning, everybodyâhope you had a great weekend. Iâve talked about some of my high school friends in the past, but today I want to mention someone I met way back in my sophomore yearâCarrie. We met in geometry class, which I hated. I could never quite wrap my head around theorems. Those early years of high school were awkward for me. I was still trying to find my place and figure out who I was.
Sunday, July 20, 2025
Good morning! Welcome to Sundayâand for all you golf fans out there, itâs the final round of the British Open. For those who donât care about golf⌠donât worry, itâll be over by early afternoon. Meanwhile, back on the home front, my digestive system has staged a full-scale rebellion⌠again. Weâre talking delays, roadblocks, andâletâs be honestâtotal gridlock. I had high hopes that with enough fiber and water, and no other âencouragement,â I could keep things moving naturally.
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Good morning. Itâs the weekend. Iâm always thinking about those of you who are still working and the joy you get from sleeping in or doing something fun after a week of the grind. I had my annual physical yesterdayânow officially called a âwellness checkâ since I joined Medicare. Honestly, itâs a strange exam compared to the physicals Iâve had in the past. Once I was in the exam room and confirmed who I was with name and date of birth, the tech started asking a long list of questions Iâm not used to.