Good morning, everyone, and welcome to a new week!
We are officially living in a construction zone. In my head, this was going to be a simple project. A little plumbing here, a couple of electrical circuits thereāhow complicated could it be? Well it turns out: VERY!
Saturday, the plumber showed up and went to town cutting, removing, and reinstalling things I didnāt even know existed. Then Sunday rolls around, and two electricians arrive, ready to tackle what I thought was a straightforward jobājust adding two dedicated circuits to the bathroom.
Good morning, and welcome to Sunday!
The weekend didnāt get off to a great start yesterday. The plumbers were here most of the day, making more noise than the demo crew. Honestly, I thought I was being pranked and the guys were actually destroying the house. Cindy was smartāshe left for the day. Meanwhile, I picked up a nasty head cold, and Iām still dealing with it this morning. Ugh. Iām officially on SICK LEAVE!
Good morning, everybody! Welcome to a new monthāIām already thinking spring.
Iāve been mulling over the idea of creating a blog. Currently, 23 people are on the daily journal list I started on August 21, 2024ājust eight days after my diagnosis. Iām genuinely humbled that so many of you still read my morning ramblings. Iāve even had some tell me Iām a good writer, which must make my high school English teacher, Mrs.
Good morning, yāall, and welcome to the end of the week and the end of January.
Last night, we met up with high school friends at Lindyās Landing in Wauconda. This is a cozy restaurant where ten of us were able to sit comfortably together in a living room setting and have some beverages before dinner.
Wauconda is a reasonable halfway point for most of us, taking 30ā45 minutes to drive, except for Tom C.
Good morning, everyone.
It is a heartbreaking morning as I learn of the collision, last night, between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane at DCA. Iām deeply relieved that Nicoleāand, to my knowledge, no other family membersāwere involved. Nicole reached out last night to let us know she had landed a couple of hours earlier. That was far too close. Still, my heart aches for those affected.
Good morning, everyone!
The word of the day for me is āefficiencyā.
Hereās my challenge I need to figure out: when I move from room to room (or, even more ambitiously, upstairs or downstairs), I really need to gather everything Iāll need in one go. Youād think Iād have mastered this by now, but nope. Yesterday, it was my water bottle. Sure, staying hydrated is great, but the multiple retrieval missions?
Happy Birthday, Nicole!!! šššš„³ Can’t wait to celebrate with you and the family in a couple of weeks, especially Wyatt and Coco. I watch them every morning on the Aura frameāitās a great way to start the day. Love seeing their sweet faces, even the ones that say, āIām having a bad moment.ā
Day 1 of tax season prep! The real deal begins. Weāve got 22 days mapped out, 11 volunteers, and 700 tax returns as our target.
Good morning, family! Welcome to a brand-new week. Letās dive in:
For the past few months, Iāve been ignoring the use of my cane indoors because I wanted to feel the freedom of movement, at least while Iām home. At the same time, I seem to set the cane down and move on without it and then canāt locate it. Itās going to be like needing cheaters to read, Iām going to need a cane in every room of the house so the odds of having one close by is improved.
Welcome to a Peaceful Sunday!
Yesterday was…exactly as expected. A deafening orchestra of hammering, vibrating saws, pry bars, and whatever other power tools that could conjured up. If it had a motor, it was singing (or screeching) in the key of demolition.
The crew was fantastic ā despite the noise ā friendly, personable, and surprisingly considerate. They did their best to protect the house from dirty winter foot traffic and demolition dustā¦as much as anyone can, given the circumstances.
Good morning, everybody! Itās the last weekend in January, and Iām already daydreaming about warmer weather. Hopefully, I didnāt just jinx usāI really donāt need a blizzard to round out the month.
Mornings are my time to sit by the fire with a soft blanket over my legs, play a little backgammon, and sip on hot coffee while I wait for my brain to reboot. Itās my quiet time, or as I like to think of it, my donāt-talk-to-me-until-Iām-humanphase.
Yesterday was quite the marathon. I decided to sleep in, which set off a domino effect for the rest of the day.
Day one of Tax-Aide at the bank is always the craziest. Not only do we have to take appointments in person, but thereās a mob of about 40 people lined up at the doors before the bank opens. The bank opens at the exact same time the volunteers arrive.
Good morning family!! Iām trying to get in the groove for taxes and Iām not quite thereā¦yet. It doesnāt help that I slept in this morning. I was trying to catchup on the sleep I missed the night before because of the TV being on. Losing the 2nd bedroom doesnāt give Cindy a place to go and watch TV when she canāt sleep. Somehowā¦the audio puts her to sleep. Last night she was awake and didnāt turn on the TV, so she missed out on her needed white noise.
Hello and good morning everybody.
Yesterday was a quiet day in terms of stuff and thoughts.
Met up for a final session with many of the Tax-Aide counselors for a mandatory training session. I have to say that after 10 years, some of these requirements are not very helpful. Itās time to get into tax preparation and accomplish something. It seems to take so long to get to this point. Anywayā¦all the required training is finished and Iām in for another season.
Good morning, all!
Welcome to my personal kickoff of tax season! Itās that fun time of year where I get to help the senior crowd navigate the jungle of paperwork and numbers. If all goes according to plan, my Tuesdays and Thursdays will be booked solid until April 10. Then, of course, the last five days until April 15 will be the usual tax-season rush to get family returns completed. Today, thereās plenty of time and then all of a sudden, thereās wonāt be, so earlier is always better.
Welcome to Mind-Numbing Monday! Yesā¦ itās just plain cold.
Below is a link from an ALS blogger who goes by the name Gronk. This was suggested by my ALS coordinator, Peggy, who must have been involved in his care. Gronk was a Chicago Southsider and a die-hard Sox fan. I donāt hold that against him. I havenāt read his entire blog, but I paused on this particular entry. The narrative comes from a caregiverās point of viewāhis wife, Michelle.
Good morning, everyone. Whoās planning to leave the house today? Raise your hand.
I think I mightāve overcommitted with this LEGO project. The pieces are getting smaller, and I seem to be dropping more than Iām actually putting together. It might be time to hit Amazon and find some replacement pinchers or maybe borrow a kid (Wyatt) with tiny fingers.
Weāve been busy picking up the big items for the bathroom remodel the last few days.
Hello, family!
Letās start with the LEGO wreathāI’m on bag 7 of 9, and itās been such a blast I went ahead and ordered the Notre Dame Cathedral set. Itās 4,383 pieces, so I should be happily buried in LEGO bricks until Spring.
Last weekend, I recorded 150 phrases on Sunday to create a digital version of my voice. It took overnight for the software to finish doing whatever it does to create my voice.
Good morning, all!
For those of you who made New Yearās vows, itās āNational Ditch New Yearās Resolution Day.ā Everyone except Alexā¦heās just getting started on his marathon training for the Chicago marathon on October 13.
Thereās not too much to ramble on about this morning.
Iām still putting the Lego wreath together. Legos have come a long way since I played with them as a child, or at least what I remember.
Good morning, world (or, more specifically, my family!)
Today was the perfect day to stay inside. With temperatures hovering around 5Ā°, I took one look out the window and said, āNope.ā Letās be honestāwhat and why do I need to be outside?
I spent the day bouncing around on a variety of activities. First, there was Tax-Aide volunteer work (thrilling, I know), then my actual taxes (because apparently, the IRS insists on punctuality), entertaining TV, building Legos, and some serious reading.
Happy Birthday to Geoff!! Cindy and I will do a toast. Who wants glass a Veuve Clicquot? Cheers!!! š„
Yesterdayās summary was a bit of a bummer to write. That one hurt. Now itās time to get back on the horse.
We are getting close to the start of the bathroom remodel. Any day nowā¦the tile and flooring will be available to pick up. 700 lbs of tile and 1200 lbs of wood flooring.