Good morning, everyone! Let’s talk about pets.
We have a mini goldendoodle named Bear, and he came into our lives during peak Covid. We originally looked at rescue dogs—so was the entire world—so we turned to a breeder recommended by a friend. We put down a deposit and were told it might be a year before our name came up. As it turned out, it was half that. In December 2020, we drove up to northern Michigan and came home with an armful of curls, paws, and pure joy.
Good morning, everyone.
Wow! Even though I didn’t personally see the northern lights the last two nights, the photos have been incredible. Truly stunning stuff.
This morning I get to sit here in the quiet of the house, listening to the owls talk to each other. They’ve been around for years, and I’m glad they like our little wildlife buffet of rabbits, squirrels, mice, and whatever else wanders through. Cindy however, would prefer they wouldn’t leave their kill on the sidewalk to the house.
Good morning,
I bit the bullet yesterday and got my vaccines, two of them anyways, for the upcoming winter season of sniffles, sneezes, and soup. I got the flu shot in my left arm and the pneumonia shot in my right—trying to share the pain equally.
Well… there’s nothing “equal” about it. The pneumonia shot felt like getting jabbed by a rusty nail, while the flu shot was like a polite tap on the shoulder.
Good morning, everyone!
Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, MJ! 🎊🎈🥳
Sorry about the confusion on yesterday’s blog post—where I accidentally titled it “Sunday.” Amazingly, only one person caught it!
My brother-in-law Mark came over and installed the new Nest thermostat. The hardware swap was simple enough, but the software side gave us some headaches… thanks mostly to me.
I’ve been using the old Nest app to adjust our thermostat for more than ten years.
Good morning! Welcome to a new week. Hope it’s a great one for everyone.
Cindy went solo to the HOA board meeting yesterday. She gave me an out, and I took it. No need for me to labor through the financials and everything that goes with it. I stayed upstairs, and since I didn’t hear any angry voices, I assumed all was well. The meeting wrapped up in just over an hour, and they even identified a possible replacement for me.
Good morning! Welcome to winter. Brrr 🥶
I had to crank the fan on the fireplace this morning. Hard to believe that on Friday I was outside peeling off layers because I was too hot. Now I’m shivering…the heat didn’t kick on overnight.
Which brings me to my complaint with Google. We have a Nest thermostat that can no longer connect to my phone… all because it’s “too old.” I was warned this would happen and that I’d need to buy a newer-generation Nest to continue using the app.
Good morning!
Thanks for all the get-well wishes yesterday. I got past the stomach issues early in the morning, but I was tired the rest of the day. I’m pretty sure that was the hangover effect from Thursday’s ALS Clinic visit. Those days are long — physically and mentally exhausting.
We leave home around 11:00 a.m. for the hour-long drive to Glenbrook Hospital, and then we’re squirreled away in an exam room until 5:00 p.
Good morning!
Rough start today.
My mornings usually begin with the same ritual…a handful of pills (which are a struggle onto themselves) a few sips of water, and black coffee while I wait the prescribed hour before eating. But this morning, my stomach decided it had had enough. Within 45 minutes, I felt that awful wave rolling in that is made up of nausea, the rush of saliva, the pounding heart, the sudden warmth that makes you want to back away from the fire.
LGood morning, friends and family.
Four hundred and fifty days since this shitty diagnosis. That’s a lot of days. The number made me think of the Grateful Dead song Truckin’ and these lines:
Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me, Other times, I can barely see. Lately, it occurs to me— What a long, strange trip it’s been. That about sums it up. Most days the light feels warm and steady, shining through all the support and kindness we’ve been shown.
Good morning! And a big happy belated birthday to Jill! 🎉🥳🍾
Continuing with my reflections about my dad…
As Dad’s short-term memory faded, one of the first challenges that popped up was parking lots. We’ve all forgotten where we parked before, wandering up and down aisles pressing the panic button like we’re searching for buried treasure. Then one day up-north he had to call for help.
Like many seniors, giving up the car keys was not in his playbook.
Good morning!
I received a text yesterday with a memory about my dad, and it pulled me right back to our dinner-table ritual.
Dad was a quiet, thoughtful man—never the loudest voice in the room, but always the one you leaned in to hear. At the dining room table, he could hold court any night of the week, no matter who joined us (and we had plenty of guests). Politics, faith, travel, daily life—his mind traveled widely, and we followed right along.
Good morning, all!
Happy birthday, Larry A.! 🎉 Larry and I worked together at IMC now Mosaic, and was a golf buddy when I worked in Florida. Definitely one of the silver linings of having to work in Florida…especially now, as we stare down the cold weather headed our way.
A few days ago, my cousin Mark emailed me a photo from our dinner together last September. It was from my trip to Baltimore, where I went for a second opinion on my ALS diagnosis at Johns Hopkins.
Good morning, friends and family.
I’ve been bouncing back and forth between the master bedroom and the guest room lately. The master is a bit of a hike to the bathroom, and the guest room route is more reasonably short. In ALS terms, it becomes a tactical mission every trip to the bathroom: slow, careful, deliberate steps…while my bladder counts down like it’s launching a rocket. Two simultaneous goals need to be met, don’t fall and don’t leak.
Good morning!
Welcome to November — the month where we all pretend we’re grateful for the shorter days, losing ~ one hour of sunlight by the end of the month and a sun that will set at 4:20 pm on 11/30. Depressing isn’t it!!
PSA It’s that ridiculous time again — time change weekend. Supposedly we’re all going to get an extra hour of sleep tonight. Sure we are. At 2:00 a.
Good morning, everyone.
Happy birthday, Di G.! 🎉🥳🍾🎃 I met Di back in 2005, when we moved to Lake Bluff so Nikki could finish up high school at Lake Forest.
Di has a son that is the same age as Alex. Peter was a standout swimmer at Lake Forest High School and a fierce rival of Alex’s when he swam for Libertyville. They traded wins back and forth over the years, and that friendly fire eventually turned into a deep friendship.
Good morning, everyone.
I’ve been in a bit of a funk since the marathon. That weekend felt like the big climactic event of the year — or maybe the marathon was the dessert and Alex and Nicole’s wedding was the main course. Either way, both moments were huge for me, and when I look at photos and videos, the emotions still wash over me 🥲. Beautiful, overwhelming, and memorable!
Lately, I feel like I’m canceling more opportunities than I’m saying yes to.
Good morning, everyone!
Happy belated birthday, Lynn M. 🎉
Lynn is a friend we met through Camp Osoha in Boulder Junction, WI — an all-girls camp our daughters attended for many summers. Each summer session was six weeks long, and the camp was truly something special. Sadly, it closed years ago after a tragic accident, but while it was running it shaped generations of young girls into strong, confident women.
Good morning, friends and family.
This ALS progression is really starting to hit hard. No matter what I do, I come out of every activity needing a break. It can be something as simple as brushing my teeth and getting dressed in the morning. Moving from one room to another seems to suck up all the oxygen in the house, and I end up winded, sitting there trying to catch my breath.
Good morning, everyone.
Yesterday was a better day. I’ll admit, I did a little sulking in the morning about missing the Michigan trip. But by the afternoon, the sun was out, and I decided to do the next best thing—get outside and soak up some vitamin D the natural way. I probably should take vitamin D supplements for how little I get outside but honestly, I’m already running a daily pharmaceutical pill dispensary.
Good morning, friends and family.
Yesterday, I was up and moving right along—getting ready for the road trip to Michigan to see the college crew. Keep in mind, my version of “getting ready” means getting myself cleaned up, dressed, and fed—the bare minimum to be road-trip ready. Cindy, on the other hand, handles everything else: packing, hauling suitcases, and gathering all the ALS gear. So yeah, I’ve got the easy part every time we go somewhere.