“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 9:1).
11 October 2025
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). My hope is in the Lord. We went to bed early with the heat on and I woke up well rested to a zip-a-dee-doo-dah autumn day in the upper 60s. I knew I would be watching college football this afternoon so I ate a hearty bowl of oatmeal with raisin toast before going super early out and about in the Joliet area to walk while mama went shopping for what nots and groceries. We stopped by the Prairie Activity & Recreational Center to checkout the facility. I think that the track will be suitable for us at least during winter months. Whoo hoo, Notre Dame 36 NC State 7. The Fighting Irish had a messy first half and played sloppy, but finished the game strong and played like champions. I surprised myself by managing to get in a ten thousand plus steps day still even after just being a college football coach potato this afternoon. Mmm, I made us beef with pea pods over rice for our supper. Thanks be to God for the gifts from his bounty.
8-10 October 2025
We woke up to another cold start of the day in the upper 40s, but it is supposed to warm up into the mid 60s later in the day. I guess autumn has finally arrived. We went out the door early because I had the first dental appointment of the day to have my semi-annual teeth cleaning. We passed a Shell gas station selling their one gas for$2.999 a gallon! It was the first time I saw gas drop below three bucks a gallon in the longest time. Wow, went with Rob to drop off his car around the dealership to be serviced, the power door lock kept locking and unlocking. I heard on the news that ICE is in Lake County, but I didn't see any.
10/9
God is good, I was blessed waking up to a huggy from Isaac. He reminds me so much of Alex waking up everyday so early in the morning. Brr, the overnight temperature is now in the 40s and I have been layering under sweats and several blankets while in bed. We picked up Peyton from preschool because for some reason they only had classes half day today and are closed tomorrow. We asked Peyton what she wanted for lunch. I was expecting her to say something like McDonald's, but she surprisingly replied sausage, so we stopped off at the Jewels. I always thought she liked her eggs scrambled, but she wanted them over, learning something new every day.
10/10
Double ten, this used to be a meaningful Chinese holiday that my parents and relatives celebrated. I often call myself an American born Chinese (ABC), but I wonder what that even means. I used to speak fluent Cantonese, but those days are long gone. Watching Peyton and spending time with family is truly a blessing, God is good. Needless to say that the drive home was horrendous. Road construction was bad enough, but the traffic is even heavy even before the Rush hour. There was no way I was going to cook after we got back home, so we got tacos to go from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana. The first thing I did when we got home was turn the thermostat from cool to heat.
7 October 2025
I woke up in the darkness and tired to the sound of my alarm, wind and the rain beating against the window pane. I wish I didn't have to take a pill so early in the morning. Mmm, mama got up early and made a fresh pot of oatmeal and put raspberries in my bowl. We waited until about the noon hour when the rain finally stopped to go out and about. I is hard to believe that the temp was in the upper 50s that we had to wear light autumn jackets after a long string of unseasonably warm summerlike days on end. We went to Discount Tire to have them place on the Ford logo wheel cap. I’m glad gas dropped to $3.119. I was looking at a Halloween skeleton in a store and was amazed at how I am still alive after a surgeon has opened up my chest and cut my sternum and surgically performed a triple bypass surgery, thanks be to God who heals our wounds and infirmities.
6 October 2025
Praise the Lord, O my soul. Saint John Chrysostom said, “Be ashamed when you sin. Do not be ashamed when you repent. [...] Sin is a wound; repentance is a medicine.” I tend to think that repentance is a sincere change of heart and a true regret for past sinful wrongdoings and committing to stop the harmful behavior. I think a good way to look at repentance is returning to God.
5 October 2025
Feeling blessed, God is good. I got ambitious this morning and mowed the grass in the backyard. It is hard to be that it is October with the temperatures still continually in the 80s. It's quite breezy out and I got the song, Summer Breeze, going on in my mind. Whoo hoo, I just saw that Notre Dame has moved up to #16 in the updated AP college football ranking and the Fighting Irish is back in the CFP conversation. I was skeptical after the first two games and being 0 for 2 with an awful defense team start. By then I was only looking at possibly a bowl game. Looking back, Notre Dame loss to #2 Miami three points and to #5 Texas A&M by one point. Albeit they were still losses they were to two highly ranked teams.
4 October 2025
I woke up in good cheer, rejoicing in the gift of a new day. My heart is filled with joy and gladness that Rob is bringing Andrea and our grandkids down for a visit. I made us breakfast sausage links, scrambled eggs and hash browns. Isaac loves chomping down those sausage links. As this young man gets older and bigger, so does his appetite. It won't be long before we will need to buy a second package. I went with Rob and our grandkids to Gregory Bott Community Park while mama and Andrea went out and about. Rob had a great idea to go inside to check out the Prairie Fitness Center that is always part of the Plainfield Community Park District. It is very similar to Fort Hill. I enjoy watching the kids interacting with their dad in the playground. It is good that Rob is still in good shape and can still run the 40 yard track. Lol, I hope the kids are still fast enough to win a thanksgiving turkey in a turkey trot. They each won a turkey in previous years, so they got some speed. The ladies bought carryout food for our lunch from the Olive Garden. It was good to see Leonard Moore back in the game, Notre Dame 28 Boise State 7. The offense didn't rain points like I expected them to do, but the defense finally stepped up and played a decent game. It was a good day for Notre Dame and an opportunity to move up in the rankings.
3 October 2025
I am grateful for this new day, our Lord’s steadfast love endures forever. Mmm, I tossed in the leftover Panda Express in my oatmeal for a savory bowl of hot porridge. We went out and about early to Joliet and Shorewood area and I did my usual solitary centurion walk along the store fronts while mama did her shopping in the cool. It didn't take long for the temperatures to climb up to a summerlike day in the low 90s. After working up an appetite, we went to Portillo's for lunch. I was thrilled to get a bunch of perk freebies from Portillo's. Yessir, free large fries, free combo sandwich, free Portillo's baseball cap and slice of Portillo's Rally cake with a $1 purchase. I was happy to return back to our air conditioned home. Normally I complain about how cold mama sets the AC, but not today! Slowly but surely, I bumped up my go on the treadmill to 2.3 mph. I also managed to get a thirteen thousand plus steps day in. I am grateful for all the blessings of the day. “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
2 October 2025
I woke up grateful for the gift of another new day. Bless the Lord, O my soul, bless his holy name! The days are truly noticeably shorter now. I rather wake up to the dawn of a new day, but I wake up to a gentle alarm everyday to take my morning meds. It is insane that I have so many alarms set throughout the day for so many different meds since my having my bypass surgery. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy for my meds. I was surprised to see that gas was 20¢ cheaper than what Google Map was showing, we gas from the Shell station across the street from the Sam's Club for $3.189. We went shopping in the Oswego area. The weather was super nice in the upper 60s and low 70s this morning. I was able to take an enjoyable solitary walk in cool. I worked up a huge appetite endlessly walking while mama was shopping, so we went to the Panda Express for lunch. Even with a big appetite, we couldn't finish their 2 entrée plate meal. It's weird that I was able to once upon a time eat that all by myself years ago when the portions were larger. We stopped at the Chinese supermarket on the way home hoping to find fresh Chinese vegetables and fresh rice noodles, but no cigars. Even the pork riblets looked pretty sad. We walked out of the store with only a bottle of oyster sauce and a package of tofu. Sad that a store that big can't routinely keep in stock the things this ABC likes. It warmed up this afternoon into the mid 80s, it's hard to believe that we are still having summerlike weather in October. I'm not a fan of the way the Republican party goes about implementing their policies, but the Democratic party's leadership is totally unhinged with their absurd demands. I'm sorry, but they are going to have to explain their budget demands and elaborate on why it is necessary to shut down the government unless their demands are met. There are a lot of details that need to be elaborated by both sides, because high level speaking points are meaningless. I can hardly wait for this weekend, college football and seeing our grands. The Irish are poised to dish out its third shillelagh beatdown in a row. Please just don't do another Marshall or NIU against Boise State. I was a walking fool and got an easy ten thousand plus steps day in. The day is almost over and I think I'll call it one early and get ready for bed. I am grateful for the blessings of the day, God is good.
1 October 2025
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Thanks be to God for his unwavering love. It is good to be alive. We went to have my blood work done first thing this morning. I decided to change it up on the treadmill today and did a ton of short goes on it. Whoo hoo, I finally finished the puzzle RJ and Jennifer got me for my birthday. I thought it was challenging as well as fun. I was surprised that the new wheel already came in, so we went to have the new wheel and tire installed. Unbelievable, they were missing and had to order a new Ford wheel center cap. We were blessed today with beautiful weather in the mid 70s.
30 September 2025
We woke to another bright sunshiny day.
And yes it remains unseasonably warm, but slightly cooler in the mid 80s. We got a call from Discount Tire that our new replacement tires came in. They ordered us a new tire under warranty and we bought a new spare tire. When we got there they couldn’t find our wheel, so they had to order us a new wheel from Ford, unbelievable. So all we ended up doing was installing the new spare tire on our car, what a wasted trip. The plan was to go up and watch Isaac, but the plan is now scrapped because of the missing wheel fiasco. It is so sad that the congressional Republicans and Democrats are so far apart and that there will once again be a government shutdown is highly likely.
29 September 2025
“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8). Be with me O Lord and teach me your precepts. Insane, we are experiencing summerlike weather again today, with the expected high in the low 90s. I got ambitious and bumped it up to 2.2 mph on the treadmill this morning. IWe weren't planning to go out but ended up going to the grocery store to buy the tomato sauce so that mama could make her infamous pasta sauce. I was looking at the news and two things caught my attention. One was the possibility of the middle east war between Hamma and Israel and the other is the possibility of a government shutdown. Prayers for a peaceful coexistence in the middle east.
28 September 2025
Gladness and joy, God is good, his steadfast love endures forever. We woke up to a sunny and unseasonably warm day. The temperatures are once again in the 80s which is well above the historical temperatures for this time of year. I'm still feeling pretty good about Notre Dame’s performance yesterday and how much their defense has improved. I saw that they went up from being ranked #22 to #21. There is a very slim chance of that happening this season, but you never know.
27 September 2025
I woke up grateful and excited for the new day. Mama had me make the oatmeal this morning. I watched Notre Dame football and can get used to the Irish giving a shillelagh beatdown again. This week they destroyed Arkansas 56 to 13! Notre Dame could have scored a ton of points more, but opted to call off the dogs and played the bench just like last week. After the game we took the car to Discount Tire. The tire had a puncture caused by a screw that wasn't repairable but was under warranty. They swapped out the tire with the spare donut tire and ordered a new tire.
26 September 2025
Hmm, the plan was to spend time with Peyton, but I was all time reserved for grandma. So all I did was chill and watch old black and white episodes of Gunsmoke westerns. Of wow, went it time to leave, one of our tires was low on air pressure. It is a good thing that we have been keeping our tire pressure charger and extension chord in the back of the car. I can't get over leaving at three o'clock and the tollway traffic is already herenious. It took us two hours to get back. We stopped at the House of Emperor for some egg rolls and chicken fried rice for our supper. Prayers for the unemployed and under employed.
25 September 2025
Christ first! I am grateful for this new day. Mmm, Andrea had baked char siu boas! We were out the door early to take Andrea for a doctor’s appointment in Highland Park and then to her workplace. We went to the Gurnee area again because I dropped my glasses and one of the lenses popped from the eyeglass frame. We went to America's Best and they had to replace a missing screw. It is rare that we decide to go and buy big bucks for coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, because we usually make it at home ourselves. Rob went out and got Domino's Pizza for our supper and I stuffed my face. When am I going to limit myself to one and a half slice instead of helping myself?
24 September 2025
We woke up in the darkness of a rather cool brisk day, the expected high for the day is seventy degrees Fahrenheit. We had to put on a light fall jackets before heading out. Mama had an eight o'clock appointment for imagining and I had a dermatology appointment. It was a good thing that we left early, driving in rush hour traffic was intense. Since we were going up today to watch Peyton for a couple of days we based up, I was happy to see gas prices down to $3.049 a gallon. I hope to see prices eventually drop below three dollars a gallon. We went up early and spent time in the Gurnee area walking around. My heart leap for joy seeing our grands, I played UNO! with Peyton. I just held the cards not knowing the rule and of course she beat me twice. Isaac was reading a book about stars and plants. He is a bright young man that already can do multiplication and division. Albeit I didn't get an opportunity to hop on a treadmill today, I still managed to get in a ten thousand plus steps day. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day. There was another earthquake in the San Francisco Bay area today, prayers for divine intervention, protection and comfort for all those affected by these recent seismic events. Lord be with our daughter and her fiancè.
23 September 2025
Getting back to getting ready for bed early again works for me. Yep, nine o'clock is the new midnight for seniors like me. I woke up praising God, evermore grateful for the new day. We were out the door early, mama had an appointment for labs. I love walking outdoors in the cool of the morning on Bay Scott Circle. Whoa, we almost got broadsided big time by a reckless driver. It was a good thing mama swerved the car as much as she did to avoid an accident and that there wasn't any oncoming traffic. The other car didn't even stick around and bolted away. Thanks be to God who keeps watch over us. We had no choice but to clear the debris from our rain gutters today, I'm guessing we will need at least a minimum of two more goes as the autumn leaves continue to fall. We make a good team on all the chores nowadays, there is no way this old man can handle all the outdoor chores anymore. It's tough getting old, as the body becomes less steady and more fragile. We rewarded our hard work with a takeout from Panda Express! It is amazing that I still managed to get in a ten thousand plus steps day even after taking a siestas today. Is it Saturday yet? I am already fired up about playing the Hogs after visiting the Notre Dame campus this week and finally chalking up a win against the Boilermakers.
22 September 2025
I woke up with joy and gladness in my heart, refreshed. Unlike yesterday where I was tire and did a lazy do nothing day. I felt energetic enough to bump up my go on the treadmill to 2.1 mph. Yeah, I know it isn't much, but this super gradual increase is working out fine for me. We went to Edwards for another one of mama’s doctor's appointments. I got in really nice outdoor walk. I guess a loss is a loss. #22 Notre Dame loss to #2 Miami by 3 points and loss to #9 Texas A&M by 1 point. Notre Dame has been known for having a stellar defense in the past, so what gives this year? I hope the defense gets fixed soon. OK, now I got that out of my system. I just barely got in a ten thousand plus steps day.
21 September 2025
It was late last night before we came back from the game because the lighting delayed the game yesterday. It was super tough getting up this morning. We went to Portillo's to get our other half off char-broiled hamburger since the offer expired today for our noontime meal, we also bought their chopped chicken salad to eat later for our dinner. I was pleasantly surprised that gas was $3.099 a gallon. I am pretty sure that was the lowest gas price I paid for gas in years. I watched bits and pieces of the televised Charlie Kirk memorial service at the State Farm Stadium and was struck by the emotional eulogy given by Charlie's wife Erika and for her exemplary strength in following the royal path of forgiveness.
20 September 2025
Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! The ongoing rumbling accompanied by sharp loud thunder claps and a torrential downpour overnight was something. The only thing on my mind was, oh no hope it will not interfere with the Notre Dame Purdue game. I woke up rejoicing in the new day with plenty of sunshine, zip-a-dee-doo-dah! Bob and I went to South Bend to watch the Irish take on the Boilermakers. We got there early enough to enjoy the campus before the game. The Notre Dame owned Purdue and were so far ahead that the second string quarterback and third string players were put into the game by the middle of the 3rd quarter, but there are still a lot of concerns about the defense. The energy level was off the chart in the stadium. I am glad we went to the game to cheer on the Fighting Irish, get some fresh air and exercise. It was an easy ten thousand plus steps day. God is good.
19 September 2025
I was surprised that I woke up sluggishly tired, it is ashamed that I still had to get up at my regular time to take my morning meds. I can't believe that I am still on all this medication since my bypass surgery. We went out and got a couple of egg rolls and chicken fried rice from the House of Emperor. I have to hand it to them, their egg rolls and fried rice are super good.
18 September 2025
I woke up in good cheer, rejoicing in the day that the Lord has made. Yesterday was my brother's birthday. He likes eating at buffets, so we are going to meet up at Golden Corral for lunch to celebrate. I only thought that the food was so-so, only because I was an idiot and foolishly tried to beat the buffet by yapping over food for two hours. The blessings kept flowing, we FaceTime with the kids and my heart overflows with joy. Kids are amazing, it looks like Issac had another growth spurt. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
17 September 2025
Thanks be to God for the gift of another new day. The days are becoming noticeably shorter, when we woke up this morning it was predawn. We went out and about to the Darien area shopping. I have been getting in a decent outdoor walk in the morning hours before the temperature soars up into the mid to upper 80s. It is crazy how unseasonably warm that it has been. We went to Portillo's for lunch for their half off char-broiled hamburger promotion. I suspect that we will split another one of their burgers soon because we both have a Portillo's Perks card. I was surprised to find gas for $3.319 because all the other stations in our area were about 20¢ more per gallon. Whoo hoo, eleven thousand four hundred plus steps day, I love that I have been getting in ten thousand plus steps routinely since getting the treadmill. Thanks be to God, my brother shared some good news, his lab work numbers are stable. Lord, continue to comfort us and heal our infirmities.
16 September 2025
I got a good night's rest and woke up totally refreshed this morning to a bright sunny day. I looked at the weather app and was happy to see that the expected rain on Saturday in South Bend has moved to Sunday, whoo hoo! We went out to Edwards Hospital for mama’s annual testing. I also walk around the grounds there during her appointment. The Healing Garden used to be my favorite area to walk in, but most of it has been turned into a parking lot. They might as well have turned all of it into a parking lot because the area is no longer tranquil. Happy haircut, feelin’ great! I bumped up my go on the treadmill to 2.0 mph! I was a walking fool again today and managed to get in fourteen thousand six hundred steps.
15 September 2025
“My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber” (Psalm 121:2-3). We live in difficult times where people seem to be angry and allow evil thoughts to prevail and put into action. I am making a point to stay away from the social media hate where people seem to like to post joy over Charlie Kirk assignation. I got ambitious and hand trimmed back a small bush with a hand pruner, I haven't done what I call a Mr. Miyagi in quite a while. We got a takeout from the House of Emperor for our dinner, egg rolls, shrimp tofu and chicken fried rice.
14 September 2025
I stayed up late last night watching college football. It was heartbreaking to see this one slip away at the last moment. This morning I came to terms with it is what it is, it's time to cheer on the Fighting Irish against the Boilermakers. I am surprised at myself for playing Pink Floyd’s, The Dark Side of the Moon, album and for bumping up my go on the treadmill to 1.9 mph after bumping it up to 1.8 mph just yesterday, but I felt good and had no issues in doing so. One week on the treadmill and I am loving and making good use of this most wonderful gift. It is hard to believe that we are still having summertime weather. I just looked at the weather app and we will continue to be in the mid to upper 80s for another week. The verse of the day is, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).
13 September 2025
Albeit the days have been getting noticeably shorter, I woke up to the darkness of a gloom and doom looking day and had to turn on the lights. It wasn't long after I heard distant thunder rumbling followed by a loud thunder clap and a torrential downpour. I bumped up my go on the treadmill to 1.8 mph and listened to perhaps to one a of the greatest albums of all time, Tapestry - Carole King. I made stir fried beef with tomatoes over rice for lunch. I got on the treadmill this afternoon and listened to Chicago's debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. We got the Domino's $9.99 any crust, any toppings promo pizza for our game food during the Notre Dame vs Texas A&M game. I think that Notre Dame has the best running back duo in college football. The defence played a lot better than it did during week one, but it still has a long way to go and will keep this team from making the cfp. I do think this is good enough to earn a bowl game appearance. Sad to see Notre Dame lose 41 - 40 under the lights at home. I was surprised that I was still able to get in a ten thousand plus steps day, it goes to show how beneficial the treadmill that Rob gifted me has been.
12 September 2025
Happy Friday! Thanks be to God, good news from the get go, Isaac called this morning in good cheer letting us know that he was fine this morning. Apparently I was oblivious to the news that he was ill last night. I only had time to get in my cardio on the treadmill this morning before we headed out and about to the Fox Valley area. We were tasked to pick up Jennifer's dress. It is so weird being out and about feeling a warm summer breeze and seeing the start of fall colors. The shooting death of Charlie Kirk comes as a shock to me and has been rightfully dominating the news cycle for the past few day. Charlie Kirk is a young man that goes on college campuses and respectfully engages in dialog with young people on topics from a conservative point of view. After watching a few of his videos it becomes clear there are many young people that are supportive and there are also liberal who have opposing views. The problem is more times than not they are not very good at debating and often times are just uttering incoherent emotional talking points without any supporting data to back their position, which just leaves them super frustrated. I think the importance of this national tragedy is that someone is killed for seeking to engage in open dialog. There are claims that Charlie Kirk engages in hateful and divisive rhetoric, but I haven't seen that in any of his videos that I watched. It is sad and outright evil to see some people celebrating the death of another human being. You have to be in some way psychotic and subhuman to do such a thing. I have heard some say that this was a political assassination, that very could be, but I also think this has to do with spiritual warfare. Rest in Glory Charlie Kirk. Our world is broken because of our sins and we need to repent of our own sinful ways. Bob called and told us that he has an appointment next week with a surgeon. Help, comfort and save us Lord. After supper, I hopped on the treadmill and then relaxed by working a little on the puzzle. I got in a eleven thousand plus steps day! The day is almost over and my closing prayer is, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8).
It is good to be alive waking up to the goodness of God. Recognizing his unending mercy and the perfection of his gifts are a blessing in itself. The plan was initially to mow the grass out back in the morning cool, but I felt that it would be better to do weed whacking instead. I couldn't believe that I couldn't find trimmer line, so we had to make a quick run to Ace. I'm betting that I must have bought it over to Alex's. By the time I respooled the weed whacker and did the needed, I was hot, sweaty and too tired to mow the grass. It is hard to believe that we are back to having hot and humid days again. Today is September 11th, and is definitely one of the most historical day of infamy during my lifetime. I got on the treadmill after supper and upped my 15 minute go to 1.7 mph, slowly but surely I am working my way back up to where I was at during my cardio rehab. The verse of the day is, “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14). This prayer acknowledges that God alone is our source of true restoration and help.
10 September 2025
Christ first! I feel great and it is good to be alive and feeling blessed. Yummy, I turned a bowl of oatmeal spicy and savory with the leftover kung pao chicken. I made it a point to increase my time on the treadmill to 15 minutes. It is crazy how the weather changed again. The ten forecast shows we are back up into the 80s the entire time. We went out and about to the Shorewood area. I initially started doing an outdoor walk but I got too warm and I didn't want to be out in the sun too long. I made us beef with pea pods for dinner, so good! I'm glad that I'm getting on the treadmill after supper and becoming a walking fool. I got in a twelve thousand plus steps day. I am sad to learn that a friend has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Lord, say the word and heal our infirmities. The days have been getting noticeably shorter. Lord, stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.
9 September 2025
I woke up this morning feeling amazing and well rested. I am grateful for the gift of another new day. With the addition of the treadmill, I actually look forward to my daily exercise routine in the morning. I bumped up my walking speed to 1.6 mph.
I looked at the weather app before we headed out to the Oswego area early this morning and it promises to be another gorgeous day in the mid 70s. We went to lunch at the Panda Express. Mama always orders the walnut shrimp and I tend to order either the sweetfire chicken or the kung pao chicken. I like the idea of getting on the treadmill twice a day. I was a walking fool, with fourteen thousand plus steps. The verse of the day is, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
8 September 2025
"For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations" (Psalm 100:5). It is amazing how much of a difference that it makes when I get a good night's rest when I am so comfortable between the sheets. I am grateful and rejoice in the start of another new day. I love my morning routine doing resistance training and getting on the treadmill as well as on the elliptical. There are pros and cons, but I like that the treadmill forces me to move at a faster pace for a better cardiovascular workout. We went out and about to run a few errands. It was a gorgeous zip-a-dee-doo-dah day with plenty of sunshine in the low 70s. We stopped for gas and it was $3.349 a gallon. I got ambitious after lunch and mowed the front yard and decided to save the backyard for another day. I am surprised that Domino's Pizza is still having their $9.99 pizza promotion, so I rewarded myself with one of their pies. I did another go on the treadmill and did a little more dumbbell resistance training. Whoo hoo, I got in a ten thousand plus steps day! I am grateful for the blessings of the day.
7 September 2025
Now that's what I'm talking about, mama did indeed take out the blankets and I got a nice comfy night's rest and woke up this morning feeling like a million bucks rejoicing in the gift of a new day. I hopped on the treadmill and turned on Adele 25. I went easy on myself and only did a 15 minute go @ 1.5 mph this morning. Since it was a stay home day, I did several more go on the treadmill and also did resistance training. I worked on the puzzle for a couple of hours and made good progress.
6 September 2025
Glory to you, O Lord, teach me your precepts. I woke up this morning with mixed emotions, there was joy and gladness in my heart knowing that our oldest daughter and her family is coming down and there was sadness knowing that our youngest daughter will be leaving later this afternoon back to California. I didn't do a big breakfast production and only made breakfast sausage links, scrambled eggs and hash browns this morning. I am thankful that Rob gifted me and set up the treadmill in the basement. We also spent a few minutes working on the puzzle. It is amazing seeing how young sharp minds can so readily find where puzzle pieces go. I made Vienna Beef Franks hot dogs for lunch before heading to Midway to drop off Jennifer. Rob drove and I went for the ride, the week went by way too fast. Godspeed and prayers for safe travel. The ladies went out and about with the kids and Rob had some studying to do, so I ended up taking a siesta. Thankfully this is a bye week for Notre Dame. Albeit the Fighting Irish lost to a good football team last week, this team needs to show up to the game from the get go. The defense has always been Notre Dame’s bread and butter, so what happened? Was that good or was the defense playing that bad? My only question was why didn't Notre Dame give the ball more arguably to the best running back in college football? I watched a little bit of the one sided Arkansas vs Arkansas State, but it wasn't much of a game. I am thankful that Jennifer has made it back safely. Abide in us, O Lord, the day is almost over. The nights are getting really cold and it is time to bring out a blanket. Thanks be to God for his provisions.
5 September 2025
“O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (Psalm 5:3). I woke up this morning grateful for the gift of another new day, Christ first! I’ll take nice cool autumn days over hot and humid summer days any day. I pan fried us a couple of ribeye steaks for our noontime meal. I finally stepped out of the house today. Sandy invited us to their home for supper. Naturally, we stepped out a little early because the ladies had to make a few shopping stops on the way. It was a good thing that I bought along a fall jacket because it was a bit breezy and was rather cool out. Jennifer wanted to try out popcorn from the Kernel's Gourmet Popcorn & More, popcorn store and I was glad she did! Dinner was excellent, Sandy made her signature Colombian chicken stew, so good! I am thankful for the blessings of good food, conversation and family. Today was a very good day. I am sad that it has to come to an end, because our little girl will be leaving back home to California tomorrow afternoon. May his holy angels aid us as night falls and shield our soul from all dangers.
4 September 2025
I woke up to a bright cool sunny day. It looks like the start of autumn has arrived. The overnight lows are already in the mid 40s and the highs in the mid 60s. Jennifer went out and about with mama shopping and I didn't get an invite, so I stayed home alone. I made myself summa for my noontime meal. Albeit always different, it's always good. It's always different because it requires cleaning out the refrigerator with all the leftovers and tossing it into a frying pan. I kept myself occupied in the basement working omm vn the puzzle while the ladies were out. Sweet, the treadmill got delivered today, I can hardly wait until Rob comes back down and moves and puts that bad boy together. Strange how I favor the treadmill now over the elliptical since resuming my cardio exercises after my bypass surgery.
3 September 2025
I woke up to a gloomy looking day with rain. Because it rained for most of the day, we had no plans to go out and about. It turned out to be a blessing, because I got open and worked a couple on a new 1000 piece puzzle that Jennifer gifted me. Thanks be to God for the gift of children and the crowning joy of our children's children.
2 September 2025
Glory to God in highest! I opted for a do nothing day and stayed in while mama and Jennifer went out. Just seeing, hearing and or having family around brings me great joy. The verse of the day is, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2-3). I am routinely alternating between doing curls and presses with a ten pound dumbbell as part of my resistance training. I need to get stronger. I learned the other day that Rob and Andrea gifted me a treadmill. I can hardly wait until it is delivered. I made us beef with broccoli stir fry for dinner. It is good to go to bed early and get a good night's rest.
1 September 2025
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118;24).
Happy Labor Day, happy September! I woke up rejoicing and glad knowing that both my daughters will be under the same roof today. Thanks be to God that Rob is bringing his family down for a visit. I did my morning exercises early before preparing for a big breakfast celebration. Mama helped prepping all the cantaloupe, strawberries and other fruit and food. I cooked hash browns, breakfast sausage links, bacon and scrambled eggs. I assembled myself an english muffin, bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, delicious. Rob did a nice job mowing the grass like usual. I made us gon chow ngau ho for lunch before the ladies went out shopping for Jennifer's wedding dress and I went with Rob and our grandkids to Gregory Bott Community Park. Isaac and Peyton love running on the 40 yard dash. The ladies came back with dinner from the Olive Garden. Today was a very good day, God is good, his steadfast love endures forever.
31 August 2025
We work up to a bright sunshi ny day. Joy comes in the morning. My heart is filled with gladness, our youngest flies into town today and the Fighting Irish plays tonight. I'm glad we brought an electric portable air compressor. We seem to be leaking a couple pounds of tire pressure every four to six weeks. I think this will be an interesting week when the federal government will begin moving in to clean up Gotham (Chicago). I never enjoy having to go into the city because crime is off the chart. Thanks be to God for safe travel to and from Midway. First stop back was to Portillo's for a meal and for game food. Miami 27 Notre Dame 24. Unless this defense improves, this team will not make the playoffs. Dang, Notre Dame's pass defense struggled the entire game and was no match against Miami. Thank you Lord for the gift of children and the close of another day and the end of another month. Remind us of the brevity of life and teach us to number our days. Send your holy angels to continue to guard and protect us throughout the darkness of night.
30 August 2025
Despite waking up to a gloom and doom looking day, it is any but. If God wills, I am one day closer to welcoming our youngest daughter home. I watched a kind and edifying YouTube video, Is Eastern Orthodoxy Promoting a Different Gospel? (Refuted), and thought that was a very kind and edifying confutation. We ran a few errands in the Fox Valley area and stopped in the Chinese supermarket to buy some fresh rice noodles to make gon chow ngau ho for our grandkids. I never saw kids who love noodles more than these two kiddos. Since Domino's $9.99 pizza promo was still on, that made for great game food. We watched #1 Texas @ #3 Ohio State. I was a lot more from Arch Manning. The second game I watched was #8 Alabama @ #5 Florida State and the third and final game was #9 LSU @ #4 Clemson. It is a good thing that I am not a betting man because all my picks were incorrect. Thanks be to God for a great day and college football. It is amazing that I managed to get a ten thousand plus steps day in, good for me.
29 August 2025
Happy Friday! I woke up rejoicing in the steadfast love of the Lord. We went out and about early this morning to the strip mall in Joliet and I did my centurion walk along the store fronts while mama shopped. The weather was super nice out and I got close to eight thousand steps before the noon hour. We went to Portillo's for lunch, they had a freebie onion rings promotion to celebrate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement, really? Oh wow, a crazy ran a red light on Route 59 going full speed, what the heck was that all about? Thanks be to God who keeps us from harms way. To even say that I didn't get very many steps yesterday is an understatement, but I made some of that up with a twelve thousand plus steps day today. Lord, grant us strength and heal our infirmities. Grant us saving faith and teach us to walk in your ways.
28 August 2025
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of an early autumn rain. It goes to show how unreliable the weather forecast is, all of a sudden out of nowhere there is a high probability of a thunderstorm later this afternoon. Not good, I woke up this morning and my left knee cap felt tender. I hope I somehow did not severely injure it. Mmm, Domino's had a, Any Crust Any Toppings pizza promotion for $9.99, so we ordered their pan pizza with Italian sausage, spinach, mushrooms and pineapple. That pizza would have cost us over $20. Thanks be to God that my knee felt a lot better by mid afternoon. And of course the sun remained out and there was no rain to be found this afternoon. I made us wonton noodle soup for supper, it was just ok. The verse of the day is, “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you” (Psalm 116:7). Indeed, the Lord has dealt bountiful with me.
27 August 2025
Bless the Lord my soul! I woke up on a beautiful morning yearning for God’s presence. Albeit is a mostly cloudy day, it is destined to be another outstanding one. The water pipes in Alex's house have been making a moaning noise for about a week whenever any one of the faucets is turned on. The plumber came out this morning and determined that the problem was caused by a faulty duel check valve. He had to order one and come back tomorrow morning to do the needed. We went to IKEA to buy some bath towels and to meet up with my brother for lunch. It was great that the entrées were still 50 percent off!. My brother had good news to share with us, his numbers show signs of improvement. He has blood work again in three weeks, prayers for continuing improvement. Our expecting niece is due today, but no news as of yet. My brother-in-law's biopsy went well, prayers for good test results. May the Lord heal our infirmities. The verse of the day is, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Lord, teach me your precepts that I may walk in the fullness of all your blessings. It is good that I got another twelve thousand plus steps a day in, but I think I get a better cardio workout from my daily goes on the elliptical. I've been looking into buying an inexpensive treadmill, because I need a way to force myself to walk at a brisk pace. Thanks be to God who keeps watch over me and fills me with joy and peace in the hope of believing.
26 August 2025
I woke up glad and rejoicing in the day the Lord has made. Mama was first out of bed and had a fresh hot pot of oatmeal waiting! We were out of the house by eight o'clock to run a few errands before heading to my doctor’s appointment. It's crazy how cool it has gotten. I had to wear a light jacket, it was only in the upper 50s. It was a good thing that we were out the door early because there was road construction all along Route 53 as all along Route 56. We were taken by surprise because the backup didn't show up on Google Map. The 25 minute drive turned out to be a 45 minute one. Hmm, albeit there were no red flags, I didn't like the idea of considering doing another angiogram. We decided to take a different way home and took Route 83, much better. We stopped for lunch at the Portillo's in the Willowbrook Town Center. It warmed up into the low 70s and the sky was as blue as can be. How can I not do an outdoor walk while mama went to a couple of the stores? Wow, I got in a twelve thousand plus steps day, good for me.
25 August 2025
Thanks be to God who awakens me morning by morning, the gift of him is a remarkable blessing. We went over and updated my calendar, what would I do without my wife? It is crazy the number of engagements and different appointments that need to be tracked. It is crazy how we are in the month of August and all of a sudden it feels like a cool autumn day temperaturewise. We were out and about for most of the running errands and what not enjoying the good weather, that made for an easy ten thousand plus steps day. On the way back, we stopped at Burrito Parrilla Mexicana to pick up tacos for our supper. We ended the day in a super nice way on FaceTime with the family celebrating Rob's birthday. We are so blessed to have this fine young man as part of our family. Prayers of thanksgiving that Isaac has recovered from his hand injury. I think RJ is set for tomorrow, prayers for health and recovery. I have a doctor’s appointment with my cardiologist tomorrow, prayers for good test results and no red flags.
24 August 2025
I woke up to an unseasonably beautiful cool morning, the dog days of summer are almost over. A quick look at the weather app forecasts 70 degrees forecast for the next ten days! Oh wow, what a beautiful blue sky! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to finish mowing the grass in the cool. It was a huge undertaking to whack and pull the weeds that mama eventually came out to help this old man do the needed, we ended up completely filling up a lawn waste bag. Nice, the reward was fried chicken from the Jewels for our noontime meal. 7 more days, I'm all fired up. Here Comes the Irish, arguably has to be the greatest college football kickoff song ever! Notre Dame got spanked big time the last these two teams met, not gonna happen this time. I expect Notre Dame to be in the playoffs again this year and if CJ Carr can throw the ball this team can take all the marbles. I thank God for the day's blessings, it is good to be alive. May we bring glory to God's holy name.
23 August 2025
What a nice surprise, mama bought me a Notre Dame tee shirt. I'm guessing that it was marked down at Marshall's because it had the old logo, works for me. I made stir fry beef with green beans for our noontime meal. Today was an unusual home alone day for me, mama went out and about and spent the day shopping with her sister at the outlet mall.
22 August 2025
I went to bed super early last night and woke up this morning totally refreshed and evermore grateful for this new day the Lord has made. I couldn't ask for better weather to mow the grass, it was in the low 70s with low humidity this morning. The plan was to mow both the front and back, but I was shocked that the 80V battery wasn't up to the task. I guess that I’ll need to tend to the remainder of the lawn when I weed whack in a couple of days. Happy haircut! I'm feeling pretty good, mama did a great job like she usually does.
21 August 2025
I woke up a little tire, but am happy to be alive, God is good. I stayed up late last night determined to charge up all the electric lawn mower batteries before going to bed. I only exercised using the five pound dumbbells this morning. We went out early to the Sam's Club to pick up my meds and to do some walking. Between that and Walmart, I got in over seven thousand steps this morning. After lunch I was energetic enough to do the usual arm curls and dumbbell bench press. I relaxed a little bit before going out to prune an out of control bush from all the rain we have been getting. We went next door to celebrate Mary's 26th birthday. We have known our neighbors well over 30 years and they are just like family. We are truly blessed. Poor Isaac fell and sprang his hand. Prayers for comfort and healing. We also learned that RJ injured his hand and he will require surgery. Our Lord, Christ Jesus is the Great Physician who heals not only our physical ailments but also spiritual and emotional wounds, there is much to be grateful for.
17-20 August 2025
I woke up twice last night to the continuous rumbling of thunder overnight. It is a good thing that I am able to fall back asleep in a very short time. I split my morning exercises this morning hopping on the elliptical for a short ten and doing two sets of ten pound arm curls. I know it was much, but I had to fry up two bone-in ribeye steaks and seared spicy tofu to take up Andrea and Rob's. Albeit traffic was moderate and moving well, there were more than a few crazy people weaving in and out of traffic. Thanks be to God for safe travel. I was prepared today with warm clothing. Brr, Andrea and Rob had a new air conditioner installed in their house early this year and their house is like a refrigerator. Funny how I used to think that my mother-in-law was crazy wearing a sweater indoors during the summer months, now I have become her. Mmm, did I ever say that I really enjoy gnawing on bones? I think that the meat nearest to the bone is so tender and flavorful. The good thing is I still have the other ribeye steak bone to enjoy eating tomorrow!
8/18
Thanks be to God for the gift of a new day. I love waking to the sound of children's noise, they are like Alex was, up wide awake crazy early. Watching Peyton this morning was super easy and entertaining. She put on her Buzz Lightyear costume and played with a medieval castle and had about two dozen little characters. I can see why she likes watching Paw Patrol Puppets on YouTube, because she rambled on and on like the show for quite a while. I made it a point to get up about every 30 minutes or so to stretch my legs and walk around the house a little and managed to get in a five thousand steps in by noon, it will be nice if I can get in a ten thousand plus steps day in because I think there is no plan to go out today. Peyton wanted to play in the basement playroom which worked out great for me because I got to use the treadmill. I ended up easily getting a ten thousand plus steps day in.
8/19
I went to bed early enough that I woke up refreshed and rejoicing in the new day the Lord has made despite all the overnight thunderous rumbling noise. Watching Peyton was interesting today, it began with playing with radio control cars. It turns out that I'm not very good at it and eventually Peyton became frustrated and gave up on me. She wanted some screen time, so I gave her an opportunity to earn it again by answering addition math problems. She clearly has mastered addition sums within 10. We went down to the basement playroom and I walked on the treadmill while she played. I was surprised that she was able to run for 3.2 mph for five minutes on the treadmill and wanted to go a little more faster, but I was too nervous to let her push it more. Mmm, Rob bought a couple of Domino's Pizza for dinner. I foolishly ate more than I should have. What can I say, the the spinach and mushrooms pizza was that good!
8/20
I woke up and went downstairs early so that I could spend a little time with Isaac before he went to school because we will be heading home before he will be back. We went to basement and played grocery
shopping, I was the customer and Peyton was the shop keeper. I was surprised at her customer service and entrepreneurship skills. We hopped on the treadmill again and Peyton was more comfortable on it today than yesterday and was able to run 3.5 mph for five minutes while I walked 2.7 mph for ten minutes. I rejoice and am thankful for the opportunity for us to spend four days with our grandkids. Truly, children are a gift from God and a source of blessing for families. Silly me, I thought we were going to have a nice smooth drive back home since we left to head back home during the noontime hour, but noooo, there is always an idiot on the road that one way or another causes a highway accident and we ended up sitting in a 25 minute horrendous traffic delay. Anyway, thanks be to God we made it back home safely. We have been exceptionally blessed these past two weeks, God is good.
16 August 2025
Oh no, I got a text message from my sister late last night that our cousin isn't doing well and there isn't anything more that the medical team in the hospital can do for him. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. I still can't believe that someone can intentionally harm an old man. I don't really know all the circumstances that led up to this altercation and violent encounter. I don't understand why people opt to live in or visit the city. Four years ago another one of my cousin's husband was gunned down just walking down the street. The murder trial will finally begin this month. Good riddance, I am glad Kim Foxx is no longer the Cook County State's Attorney. I increased my pace on the elliptical today, but ended up needing to shorten my time on the machine. I also did my resistance training using a ten pound dumbbell. Lol, Isaac told me that it wasn't very heavy. I just took a peek at the weather app and saw that today is supposed to be another hot and humid day with the high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. We went out to the Jewels for a few items, and talked about being out in a sauna, not good. I can't believe that Rob was willing to mow the grass in this heat, I personally think it bad for both him and the grass. Oh wow, the sky suddenly darken and lightning started flashing, it was followed by a torrential downpour. The next thing you know, we got a power outage. Lord, be with us and keep us through the darkness of night.
15 August 2025
Happy joyous Friday! I was surprised that mama had me make the oatmeal this morning because she was before me and had everything out ready to make it. I did some light weight resistance training with a five pound dumbbell. I know that isn't very much, but at least it is better than nothing. I think that I am finally ready to go up to a few reps lifting a ten pound dumbbell. We went out and about to the Oswego area first thing this morning and it was already hot and humid with the expected high to be in the low 90sp. I’m pretty sure that once upon a time that as a youth, I actually looked forward for summer days to come about, but them day are long gone. Dang we stopped for gas and it was $3.499 a gallon, agrr. I did all my walking inside the big box stores i14the cool this morning and managed to get in seven thousand three hundred steps in before heading back during the noontime hour. We stopped on the way back and picked up a Chinese takeout from Lucky Panda.
14 August 2025
I woke up rejoicing in God’s goodness, energized and had aspirations of attending to all the weed whacking this morning. But the only problem was that the cool of the day temperature was already in 80s with high humidity. I was only able to do the weed whacking out front, it was the first time I did the edging this year. The front yard always looks smart after a manicure. Most men take pride in the upkeep of their yard. Sadly, much of that pride diminishes as one's strength diminishes though aging. Dang, I feel like plucking out my eyes. And my sinuses, achoo, achoo, achoo. We got tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana for our dinner
11-13 August 2025
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 118:1). God is good, gifts and blessings await. Much like yesterday, the weather remains very warm and humid. We went up to the northern burbs to see our grandkids and to the Gurnee Mills and did a big time mall walk. I had close to twelve thousand steps in before leaving to snack on a burger and getting a freebie milkshake perk. When supper rolled around, I thought for sure that our grandkids were going to ask for garlic buttered bow tie noodles for dinner, but they ended up asking me to make them stir fried gon chow ngau ho. The best I could do was whip up a little soy sauce stir fried rice noodles. Today was a very good day that the Lord blessed us with, his steadfast love endures forever.
8/12
Blessed from the get go this morning,God is good. I woke up this morning and the first thing I saw was our grandkids' smiling faces, life doesn't get much better than that. Boy O boy these kids wake up early. Good eats at the top of the morning, breakfast sausage links, strawberries and a spicy jalapeño bagel. The first activity of the day was watching Isaac and Peyton building with a huge Lego classic. It is an easy task as well as a blessing to watch these two well behaved kids. Next I set up Paw Patrol Puppets on YouTube for Peyton to watch while Isaac and I played the board game, Pokémon Labyrinth. I think trying to navigate your way around the board is interestingly full of unexpected surprises. I made us beef with pea pods over Cantonese pan fried noodles for supper. I thank God for the blessings of the day.
8/13
I am thankful for the gift of this special new day. Today is Isaac's first day of his 3rd grade school year. It is an amazing thing to watch your child send our grandchild off to school at the bus stop. Mama took on the first watch with Peyton in the basement playroom while I played couch potato in the family room. My first activity with Peyton was playing, Spot It Marvel. It's a speedy observation card game where this child can easily beat grandpa. I'm not A very good story teller, but am an ok one with very young children. I was surprised Peyton knew what a power ranger was, I entertained her with a few stories I came up with when her mama was a little girl. Peyton wanted some screen time, so I created some opportunities for her by doing math. I saw her counting up to forty last night so I wanted to see if she knew any addition. She said that she knew a little, so I told her that she could earn some screen time with each correct answer. It turns out that she knew more than a little. She was proficient with the sum of two numbers equal to ten or less. It was a joy for us to have so much alone time with our grandkids, but I'm not sure if Andrea and Rob appreciate us spoiling the kids. Traffic congestion is absurd in the Chicagoland area, albeit we left the northern burbs early afternoon, it still took us an hour and a half to get back home, that is insane. I thank God for the blessings he has showered us with over the past three days.
10 August 2025
Praise the Lord, it is good to be alive in him. Albeit is a much cooler day in the mid 80s, it remains very humid. The dehumidifier has been running on overtime. Mmm, mama took out a small container of her pasta sauce from the freezer and I boiled some bow tie noodles for our lunch. I really like to eat mama’s pasta sauce, but I have to watch the carbs, so I always have to fight off the urge and eat only smaller portions. I finally finished the two thousand piece jigsaw puzzle mama got me for my birthday. We went out in the evening to celebrate Zachary's 14th birthday, it's hard to believe that he will be starting his freshman year in high school. Mmm, I fixed myself a handsome plate, beef brisket, smoked chicken, pulled pork, mac and cheese, potato salad and beans. Great company and food, thanks be to God for the gift of family and friends. God is the source of my strength, hope, victory, and joy. His steadfast love endures forever.
9 August 2025
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Bless us and keep us O Lord. We went to bed early last night and I woke up well rested and in good cheer. We went out and about early to the Sam's Club and to the Jewels to beat the weekend grocery shopping madness. Ugh, it was already hot and muggy, the word sauna comes to mind. Thanks be to God that the pain in my arm from the tetanus shot has finally subsided. I looked at the Medicare summary and am grateful for the previous generation for the foresight of Medicare, it is hard believe that its inception came to being only in 1965. May the Lord watch over us and heal our infirmities.
8 August 2025
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14). I woke up with prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of life. Lord, teach us to number our days. We stepped out to a hot and humid day in the 90s and went to the Fox Valley mall to do a mall walk before going to the Chinese supermarket. Thanks be to God, I was happy to see an old friend that was doing well. The last time we crossed paths, he wasn't fairing very well. Sometimes I wonder about the Chinese supermarket, well at least this time we were able to buy rice noodles, bitter gourd and tofu. Sweet, I got in eight thousand six hundred steps in before heading back. I was surprised and stopped for gas on the way back, it was 14¢ a gallon cheaper than it was earlier this morning. We ended up getting gas for $3.319 a gallon. Yum, we also stopped for a Panda Express takeout for our noontime meal. After lunch I took a much needed senior siesta. I got in an easy peasy ten thousand plus steps day in.
7 August 2025
The Lord is my strength and salvation. I knew it was coming, I got a tetanus shot yesterday and didn't feel a thing, my shoulder is sore and tender as heck this morning. This is where I would pen a simile, but I pass. We went to IKEA and did lunch with my siblings. I love it when IKEA has weekday half price meal promotions! My brother bought two small storage shelving units for his bedroom and we went to help him assemble them. I think it is humorous how slow we are at getting things put together in the latter days, but we gordun. I am glad that we had the opportunity to break bread twice in one day, God is good. Thanks be to God for the gift of family. I am happy that the kids called and FaceTime with us. I thank God who watches over us and protects us, each day is a true blessing.
6 August 2025
We went to bed early last night and I woke up feeling very refreshed and energetic. I'm thinking it is because we both had to fast for our doctor's appointment this morning. Thanks be to God that there were no concerns. I was due for and got a tetanus shot and am good ten years. We went out in the evening to a dinner party at Mesón Sabika to celebrate Jean's birthday. I was impressed that the food was super good. I especially enjoyed their cazuela de Pollo and the pipirrana de buey. I foolishly ate myself to a near food coma. It was our first night out on the town in the longest while. Albeit I did enjoy the party, I am no longer a late night person. Nine o'clock has become the new midnight for me.
5 August 2025
I woke up grateful for the blessings of another new day. I love it when I wake up to a sunny day and can see blue skies. We went out and about to the Fox Valley area this morning and got in another outdoor walk. It was a tad warmer this morning than yesterday, but it was still nice just the same. Sweet, I got in close to eight thousand steps before the noon hour. We went to the Patio's for lunch. Needless to that I easily got in another ten thousand plus steps day in.
4 August 2025
I woke up with prayers of thanksgiving for this new day. The older I get, the more I realize that the dawn of every new day is a blessing in itself. We went out and about to the Joliet area this morning and I did a nice outdoors walk while was in the stores. We finally got a day that was cooperating, the sun was out, the temperature was in the 70s and the humidity was low, more importantly there was no air quality alert. I was a walking fool and will definitely get in a lot of steps before the end of the day. Yummy, we went to Portillo's for lunch and then went to a few more stores in the Shorewood area before heading back. Whoo hoo, I already got in a ten thousand plus steps day in by then!
3 August 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. Prayers of thanksgiving, my brother called last night with good news about his recent doctor's visit about his improved lab work numbers. Our niece is expecting sometime towards the end of the month, prayers for a safe and healthy delivery. Truly, little children are a blessing, but the reality is they continue to be a blessing at any age. I got ambitious and mowed the grass out back. I left the weed whacking for another day, because the air quality continues to be unhealthy. Every time I mow the grass now, I say that I wish that I bought an electric lawn mower sooner, because I hated breathing the exhaust from the gas powered lawn mower. I ate the last of the bow tie noodles with the last of mama’s pasta sauce and licked the plate for my noontime meal. Chirp, chirp, I made stir fried beef with bitter melon for our dinner that was really tasty, if I do say so myself. I love it whenever my cooking is spot on.
2 August 2025
Christ first, he is everything. I made the oatmeal this morning and had mine with a little bit of hamburger meat that I had mama set aside for me yesterday. A splash of Cholula hot sauce and I was a happy camper. My chore for the day was to spray the yard with lawn weed and broadleaf killer, gotrdun. I rewarded myself a nice plate of bow tie pasta and mama's pasta sauce. I always have to fight off the urge for a second helping, because it is that good. I foolishly spent way too much time on the jigsaw puzzle today and neglected getting in a reasonable number of steps and daily exercise. Mama made us salad for our supper, I actually enjoy eating her salads and wish she would prepare that more often.
1 August 2025
Déjà vu, I woke another new day, rejoicing in God’s goodness. The weather and air quality is identical to yesterday and the plan is the same as yesterday. Albeit we have a much bigger yard, the good thing today is that we own a higher voltage electric self-propelled lawn mower. Mmm, mama tossed in some blueberries and some strawberries in my oatmeal this morning, good stuff. Ugh, I feel like plucking out my eyes because they are itching so bad. Lord, have mercy. I ended up only mowing the front before I was gasping, there was no way I was able to get to the backyard with the air quality being this bad. Love that the kids FaceTime and all is well. Yummy, mama made a fresh pot of her infamous pasta sauce and I boiled a half box of bow tie noodles. What an outstanding dinner, I had to fight off the urge to help myself for seconds
31 July 2025
We woke up to a beautiful cool day in the 70s with a translucent sky. What a team, mama and I took advantage of the unseasonably good weather to mow the grass and to tend to all the needed yard work. Mama is tough as nails, what would I do without her. She mowed all the grass herself without a self-propelled electric lawnmower while I filled a bag of yard waste. The hedges and thorny weeds shot up big time. It became clear to why the sky was translucent, it was because of the smoke and poor air quality from the Canadian wildfires. No wonder why I needed so many breaks. Mmm, yummy! I made us shrimp with snow peas and water chestnuts, so good. Prayers for my good health and healing as well as for all my loved ones. Lord, heal our soul and body.
30 July 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day, bless the Lord, O my soul. We woke up to a dreary day that rained on and off all day long. We ate the leftover dim sum from yesterday for our noontime meal and we tossed on pineapple chunks to a frozen Home Run Inn pizza and tossed that bad boy in the oven for our dinner. Yeah, all I did was stay indoors all day and worked on the jigsaw puzzle. I did get up often to walk around the house and did light weight exercises with a five pound dumbbell. I am still nervous and uncomfortable about trying to do more and injure myself. Prayers for good health and recovery.
29 July 2025
I woke up early this morning with prayers of thanksgiving and supplication. Albeit my first of four appointments wasn't until 8:30 a.m. we were out the door by 5:30 to beat facing the morning sun and rush hour traffic into the city. I had to fast for today's visit so I am going to be one hungry bear by the time I get done here at the Rush University Medical Center. It was close to two o’clock by the time we finished our last appointment. Prayers for good test results, it is unclear to me when is the next time I'll need to go back into the city. We were foolishly optimistic hoping for reasonable traffic flow for our drive back home, but it was a nightmare. It took about one and a half to get back into town, I was hungry as a bear by then because I have been fasting since dinner yesterday. Mama picked MingHin to dim sum since it was right off the highway. We got shrimp cheung fun, shu mai, wu gok, lo mai gai, lo bak go and sesame balls. Sweet, they have a 20 percent happy hour discount between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Even with the discount, I still think that place was still pretty pricey. Dang, talk about a huge 65 percent spike in our electric bill from our previous electric bill, these 90 plus degrees hot and humid summer days need to come to an end. My trust is in the Lord who saves me, his steadfast love endures forever. Thanks be to God for my good wife.
28 July 2025
I woke up to the rumbling sound of distant thunder and then all of sudden then there was a loud thunder clap that shook the house and it started pouring buckets of water. Prayers for loved ones and safe travel. I think it is crazy the insane amount of rain that we have been getting this year. It's been a long while since I made oatmeal. I think it's the first time since my surgery, I am glad she had everything ready for me already set up. It was another hot and humid day and I had to do my walking inside the TJMAX and Target store. Facetiming with the kids was the highlight of my day. Lord, bless them and keep them under your wings.
27 July 2025
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1). Thanks be to God. Talk about taking a day of rest, but it was not likely as God intended. I was just outright lazy and sat around most of the day watching Facebook reels and working on the puzzle. I did take breaks and tended to my daily exercises.
26 July 2025
I woke up grateful for the gift of life, God is good. I heard rumbling during the wee hours but was able to fall back asleep. Mama said we had heavy rainfall all night long. I had a taste for english muffin again this morning, but when I got down for breakfast, mama had oatmeal and blueberry Eggos ready, that worked! We went out and about early this morning to Whole Foods and to Walmart. I knew that we were supposed to go to celebrate Teddy's 3rd birthday party today, but the party starts at 10:30. The USPS is so sad, mama ordered a toy gift from Amazon at the beginning of the month but it still hasn't arrived yet. It was sent from New Jersey to Indianapolis to Fox Valley to Bedford Park and is now at Chicago this morning. We had to go out to buy a new gift, ridiculous. There is really something special about a house full of kids running around making a lot of noise. Thanks be to God for the gift of children and for our children's children. It was good to see Emma back in town. Sweet, I was wondering then the city was going to cut the $50 sustainability incentive rebate check for my electric lawn mower purchase. I got ambitious and did 5 minute go on the elliptical in addition to my daily 10. The Lord surrounds me with the blessings of good neighbors and friends, his steadfast love endures forever.
25 July 2025
Praise God, his steadfast love endures forever. According to the weather app, it is supposed to be not as warm but will remain humid. Despite waking to a completely overcast sky, we are not expecting any rain until later in the day. We went out and about to the Bolingbrook Promenade. First stop was to the IKEA, mama received their store $10 membership birthday certificate. Next we went to Loft, to spend her $10 Loft birthday reward. Sigh, all of a sudden we got a heavy torrential downpour, so much for a accurate AccuWeather forecast. To be fair, WBBM 780 radio said the same. I am surprised that is was raining so hard and there wasn't any thunder. I'm not sure if Fawn had any other shopping plans, but that certainly went to the wayside now if she did. Mmm, I made us pan fried egg sandwiches for our noontime meal. I haven't done that in a long while, so good. With all the rain, it turned into a rather lazy day that included a senior siesta. I made us stir fried beef with green beans for supper. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day.
24 July 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. Christ is everything, praise and rejoice in him, O my soul. I started the day slightly different this morning, finishing up the last of the hash browns, scrambled eggs and the breakfast sausage link from the other day. I bumped my go on the elliptical from 30 rpm to 33 rpm but still sticking ten minutes. Déjà vu, today is gonna be another hot and humid one. How hot and humid is it? It was not enough for my glasses to fog up when I stepped out into the garage. We went out and about to the Fox Valley area and I did my walk I the Burlington while mama browsed there and at Ross. It was sad at the Chinese supermarket, we walked out of there with only a package of bitter gourd, so we went to the Garden Fresh, but the vegetables there weren't any better there. We did score on frozen char sui boas on sale and bought two packages. I got in a decent walk this morning and got in 7, 900 steps before heading back home, surly today without a doubt is going to be another ten thousand plus steps day. Oh my, and just like that the sky started booming and the torrential rain began pouring big time mid afternoon. The ongoing rumbling accompanied by the occasional loud thunder claps was really something to behold. The verse of the day is,
“God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things that we cannot comprehend”(Job 37:5).
23 July 2025
Praise be to God for this new day and for his steadfast love. I had half a Thomas' english muffin with my oatmeal this morning, so good. I know people always seem to joke about how terrible English food is, but I wouldn't know. I know very little about english food and have only eaten fish and chips and english muffins and both taste pretty good to me. We went out and about, but there was no cool of the day this morning. We went to Sam's Club pharmacy and stopped for gas at the Shell station across the street even though we really didn't need a fill-up because it was $3.199 a gallon. We also went to Walmart and to Meijers . I did my morning walk inside all the stores and got in 7, 500 steps before heading back home. Whew, thank be to God who keeps us from harms way. A car failed to see us and almost darted out a side street in front of us. It was a good thing Fawn hit the car horn, there was no way she could have hit the brakes in time to avoid an accident. It was dinner and a movie, steamed ribs with black bean sauce over steamed rice and watched, Men in Black: International. It is the first time I have watched this movie in entirely, I give it a 7 out of 10. Ataboy Larry, I got in a ten thousand plus steps day in! Thanks be to God for watching over us.
22 July 2025
We bought the groceries to make a big breakfast, but Andrea had an appointment in the morning yesterday. I’m glad we ended up having a sleep over and was able to make us scrambled eggs, hash browns, breakfast sausage links, and english muffins for breakfast. It looked like the kids were having fun playing baseball in the back yard with mom and dad. Albeit Isaac was able to catch the ball with his left hand, he couldn't throw the ball with his right hand. We are going to have to gift him with the proper baseball glove so he can catch with his right hand and throw with his left hand. Our grandkids are the best, they saw me peeling the ends and strings off from the snow peas and helped me with the needed. I made us stir fried beef with snow peas over Cantonese pan fried noodles for our noontime meal. Oh wow, I played 3D stacking tic tac toe with Isaac and Andrea, what a fascinating and challenging game. Today was an outstanding day, we are blessed beyond measure, God is good.
21 July 2025
I woke up this morning energetic, excited, and grateful to be alive, God is good. I am glad that I have no soreness or stiffness whatsoever this morning, so I think it is a go to go about with a daily exercise routine of some sort. I even opened up and checked off everything on my daily exercise routine list, but of course the number of reps were greatly curbed. I know how important it is to exercise and to build it back up gradually. It feels strange not going to cardiac rehab three times a week, but there are trade offs like not having to stuff my face before an hour long workout and having to have my fingers pricked to test my blood sugar. Albeit I walk, I do miss walking at a force fast pace on the treadmill. We went out and about to Jewels to buy doughnuts and to pick up my freebie birthday pastry from Panera and to Chipotle for tortilla chips and guacamole. Joy came in the afternoon, I am so happy that Rob brought our daughter and grandkids down for a visit, best son-in-law ever. Rob is one tough hombre mowing the grass with a push mower in the middle of July. I stir fried beef with bok choy to go over the Cantonese pan fried noodles, delicious! Our family got together on FaceTime to celebrate Alex's birthday, we celebrated with ice cream and tiramisu cake. I thank God for not only the gift of family, but for also dealing bountiful with the likes of us.
20 July 2025
I woke up this morning to the sound of thunder and the pouring rain. It is disappointing that our grandkids aren't coming down today and are postponing their visit until tomorrow. I still haven't decided whether or not if I want to join a gym or not. But for the meantime I think that I need to get into the habits of some type of daily exercise other than just walking, so I hopped on the elliptical and started back at a slow 30 rpm, 10 incline, resistance 1, for 10 minutes. I also did five sets of 10 reps of five dumbbell bicep curls twice. I think it is better not to push things and to be better safe than sorry. We went out to go grocery shopping at Meijers for a few grocery items and to get out to walk. We stopped for gas at the Shell station and got gas for $3.399 a gallon. The highlight of the day is facetiming with the kids, that is a good way to bring a close to the day before evening and bedtime prayers.
19 July 2025
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I thank God for the gift each new day and for his steadfast love. We are having less than ideal weather this morning with loud thunder claps and pouring rain. I made Cantonese style pan fried noodles and steamed dim sum style ribs with black bean sauce for Andrea to take home. Theolan is to stir fry beef with bok choy to go with the noodles tomorrow. I am thankful and can hardly wait for Rob to bring our grandkids down for a visit. I am thankful for the blessings of the day, God is good.
18 July 2025
I woke up this morning in good cheer, rejoicing in the new day that God has made. I looked at the weather app for the day because I need to mow the grass. Nice, albeit the high temperature for the day will eventually be slightly warmer than yesterday, it started out slightly cooler in the morning. I think that it is good that we are half way through the summer, summer and winter are my least favorite time of the year because I am not a fan of heat and cold. The weather cooperated and was ideal for mowing the grass, I was able to do the front and back without taking a break! Sweet, mama surprised me by rewarding me with fried chicken wings from Jewels, they have a bucket of wings for $9.99 on Fridays. We went to the Chinese supermarket to buy groceries for this weekend gathering,but sadly there wasn't any rice noodles. However, we did manage not to leave empty handed and will have something to put on the table.
17 July 2025
Thanks be to God for the gift of life. The overnight rain provided succor from the heat but the wetness has ruined my plans to mow the grass this morning. I worked on the puzzle out of boredom. I made us stir fried beef with green beans for supper and I thought it was one of my better goes at this dish. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness.
16 July 2025
God is good, his steadfast love endures forever. I woke up excited for the day; I will be graduating from the cardiac rehab program. I ate oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa before heading out to my final cardiac rehab session. I suspect that I will slowly lose the three pounds that I have gained during the past three months from eating more before going to rehab to prevent low blood sugar levels during and after rehab. I felt the heat and high humidity as soon as I stepped out into the garage. According to the weather app today's high will be in the low 90s. My pre session blood sugar level was 212 and my post session blood sugar level was 130. I began my session with a five minute warm up on the NuStep before doing a scoring six minute walk. I increased my initial walking speed by 27%! I went on the treadmill 3@2%. My max heart rate was 91. I really enjoyed exercising with the group and thought the staff was fantastic. I'm not sure how I will be maintaining my post program exercises moving forward yet. Portillo's is celebrating National Hot Dog Day today; mama got me their Chicago style hot dog for $1 for my lunch. I love eating hot dogs, but mama won’t allow me to eat them very often, but today she allow me to eat one to celebrate graduating my phase 2 cardiac rehab. Lord, bless my family and friends with your loving care; put aside every malady and infirmity.
15 July 2025
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Only God’s presence and steadfast love can bring us joy. I woke up this morning with great anticipation and rejoicing in the day. We went out the door early, mama had an early haircut appointment. We stepped out to a hot and humid day, it was already muggy at the start of the day. I looked at Google Map and I was happy to see it showed the cheapest tier one day in the area was at the Shell station by our house, we got gas for $3.269, that is a huge drop from last week's price. We dropped off our car at the dealership for a oil change and had them look at the brakes. I'll be stunned if it doesn't need a break job. My brother picked us up and we went out to eat. I am surprised that he wanted to go to Denny's because none of have eaten there for many years for no particular reason other than in is no longer conveniently located. I ordered their super slam and thought that it was just so-so. We went to do a mall walk; I am surprised that the mall hasn't closed down yet. I was prepared to pay just under a thousand dollars but the bill ended up to be twelve hundred because I had a few other maintenance things done to our car. I was looking at the latest college football ranking and was happy to see that Notre Dame was not only ranked but is a top ten team. I was looking at the Notre Dame schedule, if they can get pass Miami and Texas A&M without getting too banged up it can possibly be 12-0 season and a favorable playoff bracket. I am excited that the fighting Irish is going to play two SEC teams this season. If they can come on top in both the game, people may stop talking about Notre Dame having easy schedules. I easily got a ten thousand plus steps day in today. It has been a while since I've done that on a non rehab day. Thanks be to God for my big brother, he has always been there for me and my family, my day is complete, God is good.
14 July 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. Albeit the sun is out the sky is hazy again for the wildfire. It is hard to believe that we have been getting rain at least two or more times a week that there are areas were we still having wildfires. Unlike yesterday, today is supposed to be a hot and humid day in the 90s. This is the last full week of cardiac rehab. I ate yogurt, oatmeal, and a steak and egg sandwich before going to session 35 of 36. My pre blood sugar level was 172 and my post blood sugar level was 107. My max heart rate was 95. I started off my session on the NuStep 48Watts @6. To my surprise, they had me hop on the Elliptical 30Load@1 but I was only 5 minutes on the Elliptical before I was huffing and puffing. Normal I do start off with a five minute warm up and do ten minutes on all the exercises. After taking a couple of minutes to catch my breath, I got on the treadmill 3@2% and then finished the session on the Arm Ergometer 22Watts @2.5. It's looking good for the Irish to be strong playoff contenders again this year. Albeit the team seem to get pretty beat up pretty bad during the course of the season, I hope the Notre Dame talent depth like in past years, remains. I can hardly wait until the start of the season.
13 July 2025
O happy day! I woke up in good cheer grateful for the new day and knowing that I get to see and spend time with family, my family brings me the greatest joy. Albeit the sun is out this morning, the sky is hazy from the wildfires. Sigh, huge wildfires in Canada, California and now in Colorado. Mama went out to the Jewels early this morning to buy groceries with our grandkids in mind; she came back with fresh fruit, pastries and a couple of ribeye steaks. I started off the day making our brunch with the usual breakfast sausage links, hash browns and scrambled eggs. I think Isaac and Peyton were happy to see me pan fry up two bone-in ribeye steaks. It's been a long while since I eaten steak and eggs with hash browns and toast, now that's meal fit for a king! Nice, I had lone time with both our grandkids while mama and Andrea went out and about and Rob did yard work. We watched a Peppa Pig cartoon. I find it interesting how transfixed Isaac and Peyton become when they are watching a cartoon. Afterward Rob and I took the kids out to the park. Peyton wanted to go to the Village Green Park and I Isaac wanted to go to the Gregory B. Bott Park, so super dad took them to spend a little time at both parks. First we stopped on the way Village Green Park since it was closer and on the way. They went on the swings, splash pad and climbed the fort. Then we went to Gregory B. Bott Park mainly to run on the 40 yards track with a timer and doing the ninja warrior obstacle course. It was a super nice day to be at park with a nice summer breeze in the low 80s. I was surprised when we got back a couple hours later from the park, the ladies bought takeout from the Olive Garden. The verse of the day is, “When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord" (Proverbs 19:3). The wisdom in proverb is to remind us that we are responsible for our own foolish actions and not to shift the blame to others and to God. I feel so very blessed, today was a very good day, God is good.
12 July 2025
I am grateful for this new day, it looks like we had overnight rain again. Yummy, mama made us a super salad for our noontime meal. Mama took everything that was in the refrigerator and tossed it into the salad. Today was a lazy doing nothing day that I stayed indoors because of the drizzling rain. I worked on the jigsaw puzzle for a couple hours. The sun did eventually come out late afternoon. I made us stir fried beef with bitter gourd, albeit I think bitter gourd is one of that is either an acquired taste or one of those love it or hate it tasting vegetable that is good for you. Our grandson called to see if they could come for a visit tomorrow, I wish he would have called earlier so that we could have went grocery shopping at the Chinese supermarket and I could have cook them a homemade meal. Regardless I’m so thrilled they want to come and visit us. Our children and grandchildren are greatest joy. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
11 July 2025
I woke up in the middle of the night to the thunderous sound of heavy rain beating on the roof and against the window pane, it is good that I can instantly fall back asleep within a matter of minutes. Albeit it was still drizzling when I woke up, I was in good cheer and ready to face the day with God’s blessings. I ate yogurt, oatmeal with blueberries and a char sui boa before heading out to session 34 of 36 of my cardiac rehab. It is hard to believe that my three months of phase 2 cardiac rehab has gone by so quickly and is nearly complete. My pre blood sugar level was 213 and my post blood sugar level was 115. I started my session on the treadmill 3@2%, that seemed so easy because that the first exercise. I then did the arm Ergometer, I'm not sure if the bumped it up this time or last, but I did 36Watts @3. I ended the session on the PhysioStep 36Load @4. My max heart rate was 94. Agrr, we stopped and got gas for $3.659 a gallon. Clearly, this POTUS isn't doing any better in curbing the high gas price at the pump. I don't know why the melody, How Deep is Your Love, came to mind last night. I just played the song on YouTube. I thought that most people who made a cover on the song were better than the original. Mama made me a really nice salad for dinner; it's the third time that I had a salad for a meal this week!
10 July 2025
I woke up to morning joy evermore grateful for the gift of life. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love. I loved at the weather app early this morning like I do most days, it look like it will warm up again into the upper 80s. I am especially cheerful whenever I wake up to a bright sunshiny day. The verse of the day is, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content" (Philippians 4:11). Prayers for contentment in our Lord’s presence. Talk about a downpour, I can’t believe how hard the rain came down this evening. I took the time to registered our new laptop and of course nothing was intuitive, but I gotrdun. I spent some more time exploring the features our new laptop and think that our new laptop is more than adequate for home use, our previous laptop was definitely an overkill. I give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus.
9 July 2025
We woke up to grey overcast sky, but it didn't take long before the skies cleared up and it turned into another beautiful morning that seems to be very much like yesterday. I was hoping that today would be a tad cooler from the torrential overnight downpour. Happy birthday to my darling wife! The verse of the day is, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22). Thanks be to God who bless me with not just any wife, but with a beautiful good wife. It is most certainly true, good wife good life. I ate oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa before heading out to my cardiac rehab session 33 of 36. My pre session blood sugar level was 209 and my post blood level was 124. I started my cardiac rehab session on the PhysioStep and they bumped up load and I pushed hard 50Watts @5. Next I got on the treadmill 3@2% and finished my session on the NuStep Arms 48Watts @5. We went to the Mission BBQ to celebrate mama's birthday. This was the first time we ever visited this restaurant chain. We ordered their three meat sampler, doubling up on the brisket and getting pulled chicken and opted for the baked beans, corn bread and french fries sides. It was way more than we could eat and had to box a ton of leftovers. Now I know why it was $$$, you need to go there with a big appetite. When noontime came about, everyone in the restaurant stopped and rose, faced the flag and sung our national anthem with great pride. I always assumed that the restaurant theme would be a like a southwest church like mission, now I know it has to do with the military. I thank God for the men and women servicing and have served in our armed services.
8 July 2025
We woke up to another beautiful morning that seems to be very much like yesterday, but a tad warmer with the highs in the mid 80s. That's still a lot better than being in the 90s. We went out and about shopping in the Joliet area and I was able to walk around comfortably outdoors. We have been looking into buying a new laptop for several months, today we went to Best Buy and pulled the trigger and took advantage of their Black Friday Sale. We stopped at Domino's on the way back, I had two Domino's gift card from a Andrea and Rob, I think one was for my birthday and the other was for Father’s Day. I had a taste for their honey barbecue chicken wings and we wanted to try out their Philly cheesesteak sandwich for my noontime meal... it was just OK, I think a Portillo's Italian beef sandwich is way better. Needless to say, I spent the much of the day updating and familiarizing myself to our new laptop. I also exercised my brain coding the framework for new html home page. The verse of the day is, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:16). Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner. Heal our bodies and soul. Truly, if we confess our sins and repent, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
7 July 2025
I thank God for this new day. It was quite last night, no fireworks! So we only had to endure the noise on the 3rd and 4th. Years past we had the sound of fireworks for an entire week. Today is a cardiac rehab day, so I began bulking up with a slice of toast and watched the morning news and sighed at the traffic update reporting on all the congested traffic being caused by all the new road construction, because we will need to drive to city to the Rush Medical Center at the end of the month. I ate big bowl of oatmeal and a char sui boa before heading to session 32 of 36. My pre blood sugar was 201 and post session blood sugar dropped all the way down to 93. I started my session on the recumbent bike 52Watts @4, then I got on the the arm Ergometer 24 Watts @2.5 and finished my session on the treadmill 3@2%. My max heart rate was 99. Today was a really nice day weatherwise, as far a summer days goes. The high temperature of the day was in the low 80s. That is as good as it gets for the month of July. Happy haircut! Yessir, mama did a great job and I'm feeling pretty good. I have to pause from penning because our grands just FaceTime up! … Music to my ears, “You’re the best grandpa ever, grandpa!” I think it had something to do with saying that they like the gon chow ngau ho I made them. The verse of the day is, "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers” (Proverbs 17:6). Sweet, Andrea and Rob are on cloud nine, they both were notified that a remarkably high number of their AP student passed their AP exam! That must be such a rewarding feeling sense of accomplishment. God continues to deal bountifully with me.
6 July 2025
Beautiful morning God, Christ first! What an awesome start, I made us scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage links and hash browns. After breakfast, Rob went out to do some yard work in the cool of the morning while I started on my big cook; I made a bunch of food for Andrea to take home. I started off making Cantonese pan fried noodles. To go with the noodles, I made beef with pea pods for Andrea and I made Chinese broccoli for Rob. I also made Rob his usual spicy tofu, but Peyton like that now too. I then I made up gon chow ngau ho for our noontime meal and there was plenty left over for the grandkid to eat at home later in the week. Andrea and Rob went to pick up Isaac from his cousin's and bring back Chinese takeout as a celebratory birthday dinner from the House of Emperor. Yummy, nothing beats a tiramisu birthday cake and our grandkids cheerfully leading the happy birthday song. Love it that FaceTime works well at time like today. The verse of the day is a beautiful evening prayer, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2). Thanks be to God for his steadfast love and protection, he is our refuge and strength, and we can most certainly find security in him.
5 July 2025
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). I woke up thankful for God's gift of life. It is destined to be filled with opportunities for joy, strength and peace. Silly me, I was totally wrong about the curbing of fireworks this year. The setting off celebratory 4th of July fireworks went on last night into the wee hours. Albeit I knew it was going to be another hot and humid day ahead of us, I checked the weather app to see if we can expect any chance of rain for the day. It is weird to see a grayish translucent sunshiny early this morning, but it did eventually turn into somewhat bluish gray day. When stopped by Jewels to buy some fried chicken wings and some cupcakes to bring to my sister's holiday weekend family gathering. I thank God for our joyful family gatherings. You got to love fusion food and the sound of Chinese mahjong. It was first time sat in on a game in the longest while. They were desperate for a fourth player to ask me to sit in. Clearly this was a fast pace game that I am not very good at. Isaac is staying overnight at his cousin's and Peyton and her parents are staying overnight with us. I was blown away when Peyton offered to share a piece of her Chunky candy. Some may think that this small gesture maybe seemingly insignificant is actually huge and it lit up my heart with joy. When Andrea was a little girl, I use routinely buy a Chunky candy bar to share with her as our special treat, now it seems she is doing likewise with her baby girl. The blessings didn't end there, I got to battle with Peyton playing with lightsabers as well as playing Hungry Frog before getting ready for bed. Today was a very good day, God is good.
4 July 2025
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!" (Psalm 33:12). Happy Independence Day! I give thanks for God’s goodness to us as a nation. America, America, God shed hid grace on thee. Lord, I pray that this nation returns to you. I'm not a fan of fireworks. I am so grateful and proud to be and American and am bewildered by those who don't feel the same way that I do. Albeit there were fireworks set off by local municipalities, it was brief and we didn't get the usual few neighborhoods that seem to enjoy setting off their own fireworks. I'm guessing that the tariff on China and supply chain issues is curbing the use of fireworks. Mmm, mama out done herself making us one of her outstanding signature salads for our noontime meal, so good! Bob and Jean stopped by for short visit this afternoon with their grandkids and gifted Fawn with a batch of chocolate chip cookies that Bob makes from scratch to her to celebrate her upcoming birthday, his cookies are delicious. Mama took out a small container of her pasta sauce from the freezer and I boiled half a box of farfalle noodles to go with it for our dinner. My taste buds were doing the happy dance, because mama's pasta sauce is exceptionally good.
3 July 2025
Bless the Lord my soul. I woke up this morning rejoicing in day and for the gift of life. Omelet of the first thing mama said this morning was that we need to go to the Chinese supermarket. I rhetorically ask what for. She told me that our daughter called last night and placed a food request. She knows that I am more than happy to oblige. I am glad that our children enjoy and find comfort in my cooking. I look at weather app and it looks like it's going to be a long hot summer, especially for this 4th of July weekend. It's tough being old; I can't stand the hot summers or the cold winter's. I got ambitious and mowed the grass out front this morning; the cool of the day was anything but. I had to peel my t-shirt off after I was done. Since we out to Park To Shop for Chinese groceries, I decided to reward myself by going to Patio's to do lunch. I had taste for their fish and chip. Albeit we think their food really good, we always split a meal and wonder how people are able to eat their huge portions in a single sitting. We went to Marshall's after our noontime meal and got a little walking in while mama did some shopping. Next, we went to Best Buy, mama wanted a shorter phone charging cable while I looked at all their different laptops. Needless to say, I was sticker shocked. Albeit the sky wasn't the bluest of blue, it was noticeably blue and more beautiful than it has been in the longest while because of stupid wildfires. I'm glad we found all the needed and then some. Our grandkids will most certainly I'll be doing the happy dance. I still don't get what is behind the naming of that Chinese supermarket. It’s funny how the mind wanders from one thing to another. I gave muse to the 4th of July and the Revolutionary War and somehow ended up thinking about Charles Dickens dichotomy between London and Paris during the French Revolution. I think it applies to what we are going through in our own nation now as I continue to hear negative spins, even when the circumstances are favorable. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only". Mmm, I made us pan fried bone-in pork chops for dinner. I say that today was very good eating day. Thanks be to God for the gift of food.
2 July 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Thanks be to God. I love bright sunshiny days. Today will be session 31 of 36 of my phase 2 cardiac rehab. I wonder what I will do after I graduate mid month for exercise. I ate yogurt, oatmeal and a bagel to bulk up. My pre blood sugar was 206 and my post session was 142. I started my session on the NuStep 80Watts @6. Next, I went to the Arm Ergometer 24Watts @2.52 I really appreciate the only upper body workout that improves my cardiovascular fitness, strength, and endurance especially after working out the NuStep. I finished on my session on the treadmill 3@2% and got my max heartbeat up to We stopped for gas and was met with a modest gasoline tax increase, but I don't care for Illinois having the 3rd highest excise tax on gasoline. What is a 1.3¢ increase compared to the high gas price $3.439? After lunch we went to Comcast Xfinity store to return their TV box and reduce their internet speed. I think that we should have did that years ago. Yum, mama made us one of her signature salads for our dinner. I am glad she us doing that more often again, not only is it is healthy, it is delicious. Thanks be to God for his bountiful gifts.
1 July 2025
Morning joy on the start of another new day and month. My foolishness seems to never cease, I wake up at the same time every day to take my meds, so why did I stay up past my bed time? Dumb... I surprised myself and pruned back one of the bushes in the morning shade and cool. I only did a so-so good enough job and want to do a first pass on all the shrubbery for going back. Yard work becomes a little more challenging each pasting year for sure. We went grocery shopping at Meijers and Jewels where I did my morning walk. I don't get to eat hot dogs that often, but we're feeling the 4th of July vibes today. I pan fried us hot dogs for lunch and even had a slice of apple pie and watermelon! I finally got around to updating Alex’s I-PASS license plate information. I swear nothing is ever well thought out or intuitive, the steps involved to update the information is… I made us beef with pea pods over steamed rice for dinner.
30 June 2025
Happy Friday, God is good! Albeit there is a mix of clouds and sunshine this morning, according to the weather app, we can expect a hot and humid day with the possibility of severe thunderstorms to move in later in the day. Today is cardio rehab day and I am nearing the end of by phase 2 cardiac rehab. Today's session will be session 30 of 36. Lol, it is Ike waiting for graduation. I ate yogurt, oatmeal, char sui boa, cantaloupe and blueberries. It was a good thing mama had me before heading out because my pre blood sugar level was 207 and my post blood sugar level dropped down to 119. I started out my session on treadmill and was comfortable walking a 3@2% pace. Then I got on the PhysioStep 36Watts @4 and finished my cardio rehab session bumping up the workload on the Arm Ergometer 20Watts@2.5. It is God who gives me strength. Mmm, mama made up salad for supper. It's been a while since we ate one of mama’s magnificent salad. Thanks be to God for the blessing of the day.
29 June 2025
Christ first! Praise God, his steadfast love endures forever. Today was too hot of a day for me to go and about even for a short while. It became quite a boring day, so I broke apart the China jigsaw puzzle and put all the pieces back into it's original box. I finally broke open and sorted out the border tabs of the two thousand piece Main Street Bakery puzzle mama gifted for my birthday. I helped out a little with the vacuuming; the operative words were 'helped' and 'little'.
28 June 2025
I woke up energized thanking God for this new day. I went out back and mow the grass in the back yard first thing in the morning in the cool of the day. I can't say enough good things about our Kobalt 80-volt self propelled electric lawn mower. It is every good and powerful as a Briggs and Stratton gas powered lawn mower without me breathing the exhaust. The mulching works really good for me because I do a Slowskey walk behind anyway. The variable speed control is a great feature. The hvac technician came this morning and did the ac tune-up and we are good to go for the summer season! I spoke with my brother and my sister this week and rejoice in that all is well considering our season in life. The 4th of July weekend is coming and there will be a family gathering, I can hardly wait. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
27 June 2025
Thanks be to God for the gift of life. Today is cardio rehab day so bulked up on cold cereal, yogurt and a char sui boa and a couple of belVita breakfast cookies before heading out to cardio rehab. My pre session blood sugar was 165 and my post session blood sugar level was 98. I started my cardio rehab session on the treadmill and they bumped me up 3@2%. I was able to meet the challenge without any difficulty. I'm guessing that was because it was the first machine I started on. Then I did the PhysioStep 36Watts @4 and finished the session on the NuStep 54Watts @6. My max heart beat was 92. Thanks be to God who gives me strength. Mmm, good eats mama surprised me and picked us a couple of char-broiled hamburgers from Portillo's, I ate half of that bad boy for lunch and the other half for dinner. Thanks be to God for all his benefits that he affords to me and my family, this steadfast love endures forever and ever.
26 June 2025
These hot days of summer is something, but waking up to them is better than not. I am grateful for each and every day. The gas price spike from middle east tensions finally made it's way to the gas pumps in our area, gas was $3.699 a gallon, agrr. Yessir, 2026 Recruiting Class keep getting better and better, 5 Star Joey O'brien. This upcoming and the next season looks like it shaping up nicely for Fighting Irish. We went to my followup doctor's appointment with my Nephrologist. It's tough being old and seeing so many different doctors and having so many things ailing you. Thanks be to God that things are stable and that I my next appointment is in six months with blood monitoring every two months. "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14).
25 June 2025
Albeit waking gray skies and a warm dreary ahead of us, I am grateful for the gift of this new day. One would think that that the overnight rain would have brought us some succor from the heat and humidity. Funny how I need to pen what I eat on cardio rehab days to try to ensure that I bulk up enough to raise my blood sugar level high enough to avoid having low blood sugar during and after my cardio rehab session. I ate yogurt, oatmeal and half a jalapeño bagel. It is interesting that my pre cardio rehab session blood sugar level was 192 and that my post session blood sugar level dropped all the way down to 98. I started my session on the Recumbent Bike and then the NuStep Arms only and finished off my session on the treadmill. I was surprised to see that my max heart rate was 80. Mmm, I made us frozen store brought pot stickers for lunch. I think that they taste far better than any restaurant made that I have ever come across. Prayers for all my love ones for good health and healing.
24 June 2025
Oh wow, it just dawned on me that we are four days past the longest day of the year. Despite the day apparently will once again be a scorcher, I will rejoice in it and praise the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever and ever. We went out and about and stopped at a few stores on the way to the doctor's office in Oakbrook and I was able to do an indoor morning walk. Albeit is a little far, it sure beats the heck of driving all the way into the city. It was really nice walking in the Target store, but it was like a refrigerator inside the TJ Maxx, so I walked in the shaded area alone the storefronts. Albeit the sky wasn't the bluest of blue, it was bluer than it has been since the start of the Canadian wildfires several months ago. While in the waiting room waiting to see my cardiologist, I prayed the following psalm: "Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:23-26). God is truly my glory and portion, his ever presence and love surpasses every fleeting earthly things. My cardiologist was ok with my rehab and saw no red flags and that he will reevaluate me again in August after my stress test at the end of July. "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14). When we got back home mama had fry up some mini Italian sausage links, they went so well with her spaghetti. We went out for tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana for our supper; I love it whenever suggests that we go out to takeout tacos from there. It was nice to FaceTime with the kids at the end of the day, even though it was for a brief time. I learned today that Peyton tried some of the spicy tofu that I made for Rob and liked it. I was surprised that she think that is was very spicy at all.
23 June 2025
Happy Monday! Praise God for start of another new day. May the peace of the Lord be with us. Today is cardio rehab day; it is hard to believe that I am three quarters away into phase 2. I am so thrilled that I made 3 mph on the treadmill a reality during my last session. Mmm, yogurt with fresh blueberries was a good way to start the day, I continued to bulking up this morning with oatmeal and half a steak and egg sandwich. I was surprised and a little concerned that my pre session blood sugar was only 167, but that turned out to be alright because my session’s post blood sugar level was 102. I started my cardio rehab session on the NuStep and then hopped on the treadmill. I struggled a little on the treadmill and was surprised that my max heart beat rose up to 102. I finished up my cardio rehab session n the Arms Ergometer. We were surprised to see that Shell station by our house was still selling gas for $3.259 a gallon, because of the escalated military unrest in middle east. We are anticipating gasoline prices to sharply rise, so we pulled in and got a whopping 3.3 gallon fill up, funny how the mind works. I started to say the word of the day is 'sauna', but it has well in the 90, hot and humid, for the past four days. I boiled linguine noodles to go with mama's pasta sauce for lunch. I can't rave enough about just how good her sauce is. LOL, I just got a video from our our grandkids making their food request. Apparently Isaac and Peyton ate up all the gon chow ngau ho and steak for their noontime meal in a single sitting and is asking for more. It brings me great joy to see my love ones appreciate the love that I put into the food that I prepared for them. I have an appointment with my cardiologist tomorrow, prayers that my meeting will reveal recovery and good health. Lord, only say the word, and I shall be healed.
22 June 2025
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:1-5). Thanks be to God for all his benefits to me, his steadfast love endures forever. I love the morning's light and am grateful for each new day. The morning's light always brings to mind, Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Praise the one who breaks the darkness with his liberating light. Mama went to the Jewels to get pastries, I know she always has Peyton in mind. I saw that that we are under a heat advisory, it is supposed to be crazy hot again today in the upper 90s. I had a lot going on this morning from the get go prep cutting up the rice noodle sheets for our noontime meal and frying up a really nice porterhouse steak for Isaac to take home for later in the week. I only made breakfast sausage links and scrambled eggs to go with the doughnuts. It was nice seeing Uncle Bob going on their local annual fishing outing with the grandkids. Looks like the fish were biting and everyone had a good time. Peyton ended catch the biggest fish. It was nice having Bob and Jean join us for lunch, I stir fried us gon chow ngau ho our noontime meal. For some reason, I was talking to Uncle Bob about a Notre Dame Football's 2026 Shamrock Series game when they will face Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, now I'm all fired up and we're still 70 days away from their first game of the season against Miami. Rob is one tough cookie; I was surprised that he was able to mow Alex's entire lawn in a single go in the high heat and humidity. And of course the job he did was spectacular as usual. Dang, it's almost seven o'clock in the evening and it's still 91 °F. The day is almost over and I thank God for the blessings of the day and for world peace.
21 June 2025
We woke up to a bright sunshiny day and went for lab work at the Edwards Outpatient Center in Plainfield first thing in the morning, it is by far the best place to have that done. It looks like we are going to be in for an extreme heat wave. I looked at ten day forecast on the weather app and saw no relief whatsoever. Lord, have mercy. It is kind of sad that we haven't seen a blue sky since the outbreak of the Canadian wildfires. I was only able to mow the grass in the front and sides of the house this morning because it was too hot and humid even during the cool of the day. I can tell that will take me two goes to mow the backyard. How hot and humid was it? I had to peel off my t-shirt because it was completely soaked. After lunch we prep all the fresh fruit and vegetables and cut the sheets of rice noodles for tomorrow. I cooked a bunch of food for Andrea, Rob, and our grandkids to take home to enjoy. I made them spicy tofu, stir fried the beef with Chinese broccoli and Cantonese style pan fried noodles. We went across the street to celebrate Devin's high school graduation party, crazy how quickly time flashes by seemingly like a moment. It was good to gather and bond with all our neighbors. The news of the, U.S. attacks three nuclear sites in Iran, is dominating the news cycle. I believe that the world has become a little bit safer now that Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan have been totally obliterated. Enriching uranium close to weapon grade level and in large quantities by a rogue state that support militant groups is problematic. One has to take people who chant, “Death to America” has to be taken seriously. Lord be with us in the broken and troubled world.
20 June 2025
"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). Indeed it is good to continually acknowledge God's steadfast love and faithfulness throughout the day. It looks like it wants to rain at anytime, but things are supposed to clear up later in the day. I bulked up this morning with yogurt, cold cereal with raspberries, and char sui boa before heading out to my cardio rehab session. I initially thought that my pre blood sugar 205 was pretty good, but my post blood sugar level ended up 92. I'm guessing that was because I had a pretty good workout. I started my session out on the recumbent bike 52 Watts @4, and then got on the NuStep machine 76Watts @6 and the ambitiously finished my cardio rehab session on the treadmill and bumped it up to 3@1.5%! Albeit three miles per hour is considered a brisk pace, it was very doable because I was only on the treadmill for ten minutes and my max heart beat was 96 bpm. We got a takeout from the House of Emperor for our noontime meal, egg rolls, sesame chicken and chicken fried rice. I think that their food has gotten better and consistent, but has gotten pretty pricey. The sun came out and it got hot and muggy really quick. Andrea called asked mama if she can make her infamous pasta sauce for her, so we went to Jewels to buy all the needed. She also found a nice ribeye steak for Isaac. He kind of reminds me of my brother, is it a coincidence that they are both left-handed and that they both love to eat steak. when we got back home, mama had me brown the grounded beef so that she could make her sauce, mmm, the house smells so good. I can hardly wait until this weekend to see our grandkids. Be with us Lord.
19 June 2025
How great is your goodness, O Lord, I am grateful for this new day. It was hard to believe that it was still raining this morning, but just like that, the sky cleared up and we ended up having a hot and humid day. We went out and about to the Fox Valley area and I did my morning walk in the Burlington store. We gas up and we were surprised to see the Shell gas station by our house still selling gas for $3.259 a gallon, because every place else was selling for gas for about 40¢ a gallon more. We split a burger from Portillo's for lunch. It's been a while since we did that, so good. Lol, I was so excited about the hamburger that I almost forgot to ask for my slice of birthday cake freebie. After lunch we went to the Chinese supermarket and found scored on rice noodles and Cantonese style chow mein noodles. We also found some decent gai lan. Then I did a little more walking at Walmart. The good eats didn't stop there; I pan fried bone-in pork chops for our supper. Since I was so close to doing a ten thousand plus steps day, I made it a point to make that happen. Joy came in the evening when the kids called to FaceTime. I wore the Apple EarPods that Jennifer gifted me a while back and had forgotten how exceptionally good the headphone plug is.
18 June 2025
Kaboom! The intense thunder claps, rumbling and torrential rain rolled in around midnight, thanks be to God that it only stayed around for about an hour and we are safe. I ate yogurt, oatmeal, and pancake with fresh blueberries before heading out to my cardio rehab session. Albeit I only have gained a couple of pounds in two months, I hate eating so much food at one sitting. I feel so uncomfortably full. My pre session blood sugar was 216 and post session blood sugar was 149. I started my cardio rehab session on the PhysioStep then worked on my arms on the Arm Ergometer and then finished my cardio rehab session on the treadmill. I'm glad that we got back before the rain moved in. It is hard to believe how quickly the sky turned so dark and how hard it started to rain. Once again there was a lot of thunderous claps and rumbling. I made us fried egg sandwiches. I don't really like fully cooked eggs but every time there is news about recalls for salmonella puts me on edge. I have been musing about the growing tension not only in our country but also globally, especially the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, rising tensions between China and Taiwan, and now the evermore on the Middle East instability, Prayers for world peace. Lord, teach us your precepts.
17 June 2025
Bless the Lord, O my soul, open my heart and mind to know thee. I am grateful for this new day. B It looks like it's going to be a warm one in the upper 80s. I actually think it will get much warmer than that because it was already in the low 80s when we stepped out the door early this morning. Initially we were planning to do lunch with my brother on Wednesday, but since the weather forecast is now calling for a thunderstorm tomorrow, we decided to meet up this afternoon instead. Nice, mama bought me a new adjustable cap. I did my morning walk inside the Kohls before heading to the IHOP. I ordered their country fried steak and was only able to about half the meal. I always enjoy breaking bread with family. After our noontime meal, we went to IKEA and got in a few more steps and bought a few items with my $10 IKEA birthday freebie gift certificate. We FaceTime with the kids and all is well. Thanks be to God for safe travel, God is good.
16 June 2025
I went to bed early last night so that I could get a full night's rest. Thanks be to God for this new and refreshing day. I woke up early to roll out the garbage and recycling bin to the curbside. Achoo! Sigh; here we go again, my poor sinuses. The low pressure light came on, so we took the car to Discount Tire, both the rear tires were a few pounds under pressure. Thankfully there were no tire puncture issues. I bulked up this morning with yogurt, oatmeal, half a jalapeño bagel and a char sui boa for breakfast before going to my cardio rehab session. My pre session blood sugar was 191 and post blood sugar was 124. I felt really pretty good this morning and started my session on the NuStep and thet increased the load 76Watts @6, I stayed on on the NuStep and did Arms only 52Watts @4 and the finish the session on the treadmill. Since I was still feeling energetic, I walked 2.8@1.5%! Initially, I thought that I was setting a high bar on one of my cardio rehabilitation goals high of walking 3.0 mph on the treadmill, now at two-thirds of the way in phase 2, I think that I should be able to achieve that goal. Thanks be to God who gives me strength. I hid indoors from the hot humid weather all afternoon. Happy haircut! I don't know what it is about getting a awesome haircut from mama that always makes me super good, but it definitely does. Yummy, I made us stir fried beef with green beans for dinner. God is good, life is good. May we look for the good path and walk in the light back to Eden.
15 June 2025
Happy Father's Day! "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him" (Psalm 103:13). God is a loving and compassionate caring father, God is good! It doesn't take much to satisfy my taste buds; I tossed in a frozen Home Run Inn sausage and pepperoni pizza. Adding pineapple chunks to the pizza made that bad boy even tastier. I am happy that all my kids called to wish me a happy father's day. I am like most fathers; all I want is for my children to love each other and to love God. The verse of the day is, "The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him" (Proverbs 23:24). Thanks be to God for all my righteous children.
14 June 2025
Thanks be to God, I am grateful for the gift of another new day. I never seem to be energetic in the morning whenever there is a complete overcast and the sun is nowhere to be found. I made the mistake of turning on the morning news and it was all bad, the top stories was the ongoing riots in Los Angeles, something about Trump and a nationwide "No Kings" protest rallies, shootings in Minnesota, and Iran and Israel war. I watched the Indiana Fever New York Liberty game. Catlin Clark was on fire and the Fever managed to hand Liberty their first defeat for the season, 102 - 88. Watching the U.S. Army 250 Year of Service Celebration Parade on TV was uplifting. What a contrast of patriotic national pride to the negative gloom and doom rebels without a cause making noise. It is amazing how different people see this world. The level of violence doesn’t lend to notion the most of the protester are peacefully protesting. Help us, Lord.
13 June 2025
Albeit a gloom and doom looking day destined to have rain, it is good to be alive! Under pressure from mama to look into how I can fix the damaged phone, I turned to YouTube and was able to restore most of the main functions on my phone to a usable device. I was thrilled that the only noticeable thing not working so far is the fingerprint recognition sensor. I stuffed my face this morning with yogurt, oatmeal, Eggos with fresh blueberries and char sui boa. I ate a couple of peanut butter crackers in the car on the way to my cardio rehab just in case. My blood sugar was good, my pre blood sugar level was 227 and post blood sugar level was 141. I started my cardio rehab session on the treadmill and comfortably walked 2.7@1.5, then did the NuStep 88Watts @5. I think that is a new average high on that machine for me. I finished my session on the NuStep Arms 48Watts @4. I like finishing my session with a upper body workout to build up my strength. We stopped at Lucky Panda for Chinese takeout on the way home. I at curry chicken for lunch and shrimp egg foo young for supper. Mmm, both entrée were delicious. My brother called and be made plans to go out and do lunch next week. He had arterial leg ultrasound on the leg that the veins for his bypass surgery were taken from, prayers for good test results. The kids FaceTime us and it looks like they are enjoying their time in the sun. It looks way too warm for me. Prayers for safe summer travel, "The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore" (Psalm 121:7-8). I think there are a lot of crazy things going on our country, especially in our blue state cities. It makes me wonder if there is such a thing as peaceful protest. Sub humans that are looting, burning, provoking and throwing things are not protesting and need to be incarcerated. Looking outside our nation there are going armed conflicts between nations with new conflicts that may open the gates of hell once again. I think this because I believe that wars are inherently evil. Lord, have mercy.
12 June 2025
Praise the Lord for his steadfast love. I like listening to the sound, A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum. I have no idea what this song is even about, even after looking up the lyrics, guess I just like the tune and sound of the organ. Albeit the high temps were only in the mid 80s, it was so uncomfortably humid. Good eats, I pan fried a bone-in ribeye steak for our supper. Oh rats, I dropped my phone and now the phone has multiple big time issues. The verse of the day is, "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). Thanks be to God for his unfathomable forgiveness.
11 June 2025
I woke up another hazy day and looked at the weather app, it is supposed to a scorcher in the 90s. I just might be hiding all day indoors from the heat and humidity. OK there's no messing around this morning bulking up to get my blood sugar up high enough for my cardio rehab session. I ate yogurt, oatmeal, char sui boa. To insure things, I ate an Eggo with some fresh blueberries just before we stepped out the door. Clearly it was a good thing that I made it a point to eat even more this morning because my pre blood sugar was 204 and my pre blood sugar dropped down to 95. I started out my session on the treadmill and did 2.7 @1.5% and improved on the PhysioStep doing 36Load @4. The arm Ergometer 8Watts @2 was challenging this morning. Sad, we stopped for gas and the price rose to $3.279 a gallon, but I guess that's good compared to most other filling station skyrocketing up to $3.699. Why the sudden price hike? Sweet, literally, we picked up my birthday freebie bundt cake at Nothing Bundt Cakes. I have been musing about the Notre Dame football schedule and think this season will be a more challenging one than in past years with matchups against Miami, Texas A&M and Arkansas and USC, but I think the Fighting Irish is up to the task to make the playoffs again. Anyway, there is going to be a lot of good football to be played with all the playoffs changes.
10 June 2025
Praise God, his steadfast love endures forever. Mmm, Eggos with fresh blueberries, delicious! I got ambitious this morning and untangled the weed whacker spool and finally tended to the way overdue needed. I had to wait until I felt strong enough not to strain my sternum. I am amazed how exhausting this simple chore is, it was good that I gotrdun during the cool of the day.
9 June 2025
Happy anniversary, we have been married for forty-one years! God have been abundantly good to us over all these years. I bulked up this morning with a big bowl of oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui sandwich before heading out to cardio rehab this morning. I was shocked to see that my pre blood was only 153. I am glad that that my post blood sugar level only dropped to 9. I started my session on the recumbent bike and then moved on to the treadmill and finished off my session working on my upper body strength. My physical therapy exercises consisted of lat pull downs and lat curls with a very light load, I thought it was still beneficial. The bands proved to be challenging doing arm even though the yellow band is supposed to be light for arm raises. I think yellow is only equivalent to three pounds of resistance, sad. I made us ham omelettes for lunch; it is so good with steamed rice. I can see through the patio door the strawberry full moon, too bad the sky is hazy.
8 June 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). God is great, his mercies never come to an end. Mmm, it has been a long time since I ate an Eggo toaster waffle for breakfast. We went to the Vernon Hills area in the cool of the morning before Nicole's 8th grade graduation party in Northbrook, mama went shopping in the area while I took a nice long slow solitary leisurely walk. I enjoyed the party a lot, great food and company the entire time. Thanks be to God for the gift of a large family. Truly, God's mercy and faithfulness extends from generation to generation. I was surprised that I got in a ten thousand plus steps day in today, more than anything was the opportunity to go for a walk with my brother. Our days are numbered, so it was blessing for us to spend time together. It was also a joy to spend time with my sister at the party.
7 June 2025
Christ first! I am thankful for the gift of life; it is good to be alive. I have been musing on the brevity of life and on how it seemed like a short while ago we were playing in the sandbox. It took a while, but I was finally able to clear my sinuses and all the drainage from my throat and chest congestion this morning. I finished all the mowing and then went on to trim back the hedge. I really need to weed whack, but I don't feel like I am strong enough. I think that I'll try to do of the needed manually with a hand shear. Mmm, the steak taco from yesterday’s party was pretty tasty. Lol, mama has the Fever Sky game on while I’m here penning this journal entry and I’m finding myself stopping g every now and then glancing over to watch the game. I still maintain the game is nowhere as exciting of a game without Caitlin Clark on the court.
6 June 2025
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8). Thanks be to God for this new day, his steadfast love endures forever. Today is of course cardio rehab day, I ate oatmeal, hash brown potatoes and half a char sui boa. Clearly that wasn't enough, because my pre blood sugar level was 164 and post session blood sugar was 84. They gave me 8 ounces of orange juice to make sure that my blood didn't continue to drop. I start my session on the treadmill the NeStep and finished on the Arm Ergometer. I spoke a little too early; gas was $3.049 a gallon, so we pulled in and bought a whopping 3.7 gallons for a fill-up. We ate leftover chicken with broccoli for lunch. After our noontime meal, I fired up the electric lawn mower and managed to mow about three forth on the backyard. The heat, humidity and poor air quality proved to be too much for me. I thought about going back out and finishing the job but saw no reason not to wait until tomorrow and doing the needed during the cool of the day. We went next door in the evening to celebrate Xavier's 2nd birthday.
5 June 2025
Happy birthday to me! Thanks be to God for the gift of life. Ugh, we are under an unhealthy air alert. I am blessed to have the greatest big brother in the whole world; he invited us to IHOP for breakfast, what a great way to start off the day. I ordered the 55+ Breakfast Sampler. We got gas for $3.099 a gallon. I doubt the price of gas will go up next month when the Illinois gas tax is set to automatically increase annually by law. Afterwards, we went to do a indoor walk at Meijers. Mama got a tw0 thousand piece puzzle for my birthday, it is unclear to me when I will find the time to start on and work on it. I stir fried us chicken with broccoli for supper. I am thankful for the blessings of the day.
4 June 2025
I watch the Fever 85 vs Mystics 76 game last night. I thought the game was just OK to watch. Albeit the Fever won the game, the team is nowhere as energetic and exciting to watch without Catlin Clark. I am actually surprised at myself for watching the game. We went to bed early last night and I am feeling much better this morning than I felt all day yesterday. I woke up to dark skies and pouring rain. "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3). May the Lord refresh and renew us. Yeah, its cardio rehab day again today and I ate toast, oatmeal, char sui boa, and yogurt before heading for my cardio rehab session. My blood sugar was slightly lower than I needed it to be, my pre blood sugar was 193 and post blood sugar was 95. I started out my session on the NuStep. It is clear to me that each NuStep machine is different because my legs were feeling it, I did 36 Watts @5, then I got on the treadmill 2.6@1.5% and end the session on the PhysioStep 33Load @4. Achoo, achoo, achoo, déjà vu, here we go again. Lord, have mercy. We went to Culver's for our noontime meal, mama ordered her usual Rueben sandwich and I ordered the usual pork tenderloin. We ate half our sandwiches and wrapped up other half to take home. Oh wow, thanks be to God two Chinese nationals plan to smuggle toxic fungus into the United States from China was fouled, that is scary stuff. The level of evil in our broken world never ceases to amaze me. It is tough getting old; it looks like it would be best to go down to the basement and empty the water from the dehumidifier twice a day instead of once a day when the bucket is full and so heavy. My day is complete, we FaceTime with the kids and our grandkids. I can't of a better way to end the day, God is good.
3 June 2025
Thanks be to God for my soul, bless the Lord, O my soul. We woke up to another day of hazy skies and fair air quality. I personally think our air quality is poor. I have been hacking away all morning try to get the cough up the phlegm from my respiratory tract. Although we went out and about this morning, I took my morning walk in the Target because of the poor air quality. I just walked the inside perimeter at a slow leisurely pace. Achoo, achoo, achoo, man o man, achoo? not good. Lord, have mercy.
2 June 2025
We woke up to another day where the sun is being obscured by the Canadian wildfires. I propping my head up with an extra pillow seemed to help with my sinus issues. I personally believe that our poor air quality is mainly caused wildfire and is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. We are expecting warm temperatures today and tomorrow to be in the mid to upper 80s. Today is cardio rehab day and I am half way through phase 2. I bulk up eating oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa before going to my cardio rehab session. My pre blood sugar was 225 and my post blood sugar was 137. I started my session the NuStep and did a whopping 76Watts @5. next I pick up my walking pace on the treadmill to 2.6 @1.5% and finished up the session on the recumbent bike 44Watts @4. Oh wow, an adult bicyclist shot out a side street full speed; I thought for sure we were going to it for sure. What was that guy thinking? I made up beef with pea pods for dinner. I am thankful for this day and for God who look over us, his steadfast love endures forever.
1 June 2025
"But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you" (Psalm 5:11). We woke up to another day of hazy sunshine; smoke from the Canadian wildfires is obscuring the sun. It is ridiculous how my sinuses are acting up big time again. We got gas this morning for $3.099 a gallon that is the lowest gas price that I have seen a long while. I believe that that the oil companies are making a huge profit because a barrel of crude oil is still relatively low. Today was a total bust, I didn't have an appetite and I ended up sleeping most of the day away.
31 May 2025
Lord, have mercy. Despite nose drainage continues to be problematic this morning, it is good to be alive. The gift of another new day is always welcome. Mama was up super early to clean and preparing a variety of fresh fruit and melons, our grandkids really enjoy eating them. I remember Jennifer being the same way. I made breakfast sausage links, scrambled eggs and hash browns to start out family gathering to celebrate me; I'll be 74 years old later this week. Albeit the sun was out, it was still a weird looking day because of the hazy that completely covered the sky from the Canadian wildfires. I played a card game called, Take 4, with Rob, Andrea, Isaac and Peyton. Although the game is designed for ages 8+, with only a few rules, there are strategies that require the players to stay on top of. I made us Cantonese style beef chow mein for our noontime meal. It is a blessing having Rob help with mowing the grass at Alex's. He even took out the weed whacker and did the needed while Andrea helped pull the weeds. Wow, the yard looks so good. Rob also climbed up the ladder to replace another burnt out light bulb. I suspect that all the kitchen ceiling recessed light bulbs are original ones. I am reluctant to climb up high on a ladder and when I walk up and down stairs, it is best to do so slowly and focused. Slips, trips, and falls are not a good thing during our latter years. Sweet, we celebrated my birthday with two cakes, German chocolate and tiramisu, I feel so special. Spending the day with family bring me great joy. Prayers for good health and our Lord’s guidance and protection for all my love ones.
30 May 2025
"From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised" (Psalm 13:3). The Lord's name is worthy of praise, his steadfast love endures forever. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah always comes to mind whenever I wake up to a new bright sunshiny day. Thanks be to God for the gift of life. Here we go again with Canadian wildfires again polluting our Midwest air quality. Albeit the air quality is fair today, my nose won't stop running. We can talk about clean air until we are blue in the face, but until we can do something about Canada and California, it is futile. We are nearing the end of this month of May, so it was time to sync up our calendars for next month and beyond this morning. Today is cardio rehab and time to stuff my face in the morning before heading out to keep from have low blood sugar, I ate abig bowl of oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa. I was surprised that my blood sugar was a tad higher than I wanted it to be, my pre blood was 227 and my post blood sugar was 132. I began the session on the treadmill 2.5 @1.5% and then went on the NuStep 54Watts @5 and then finished the session on the new machine PhsioStep which is basically a sit down elliptical. I did 33Watts @4. I think that I can do better after I get use to this machine. I was surprised to hear classical musical blasting from a car sound system; I was even more surprising that it didn't annoy me. I stir fried pork riblets with garlic and black bean sauce and spicy tofu for Andrea to take home to have. I like making what I can make ahead of time that take a lot of time to prepare so that I enjoy as much time as I can with our grandkids down. Hats off to Elon Musk as he exit his role as "special government employee". I'm sure that there are things that I may not approve of that the Department of Government Efficiency have eliminated or will end up doing, but I would venture to say that it is even good idea. I was listening to Willie Nelson songs, "On the Road Again" and "Always on My Mind" are two of my favorite Willie Nelson songs. Oh my, just like that the wind picked up and the sky turned dark this afternoon from the rain cloud and the wildfire smoke. The verse of the day is, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). We are called to embrace a new identity in Christ, where we identify with His death and resurrection, and to live not by our own strength, but through the power of Christ dwelling within us. Today was a very good day, I woke up, I am alive, I am blessed and I am thankful, God is good.
29 May 2025
Albeit we woke up to a cool and mostly cloudy morning, the sun is supposed to make it's appearance nd warm up into the low 70s, which is most welcomed. We were out the door super early to go to Aurora for Fawn's dental cleaning appointment. I was thinking about 7 Brew Coffee and wondering what makes their coffee that good that makes people willing to wait in long lines for drive thru coffee. It is my understanding that they opened up last fall and the have long lines backed up all day long, that's crazy. We went to the Chinese supermarket to pork riblets. Andrea and Peyton will be campers. It's ashamed that they didn't rice noodles, but they did have chow mein noodles. The verse of the day is, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Thanks be to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit guide and intercede on my behalf.
28 May 2025
We woke up this morning to steady ongoing rain. Today is cardio rehab day so I bulked up and record what I eat to get an idea of how much I need eat before going for my session, toast, oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa. My session #16 pre blood sugar was 221, it was a good thing that I ate as much as I did because my post blood sugar was 122. I started my session on recumbent bike and gave me bump 56Watts @4, arm ergometer 34Watts @3 and finished up on the treadmill 2.5 @1.5%. After cardio rehab, we went to the cardiac rehab nutrition class. There was quite a bit of information and the instructor was quite knowledgeable. I made us beef with bitter melon for dinner and served it with rice, I don’t make this often enough. I’m keeping my fingers cross. it looks like we are going to have a nice weekend for now. I thank God for the blessings of the day and am looking forward to beginning of summer and good weather.
27 May 2025
"Hoo! Hoo!" a darn owl woke me up in the middle. I'm guessing it was passing by since it was just hooting only that time. I am grateful that I don't have any issues falling back asleep. "He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills" (Psalm 147:8). It is sad how I moan and groan at whenever we have grey skies or whenever it rains. God is active in preparing rain to sustain life. Looks like there is rain in the forecast for the next three days. Mama went grocery shopping at Jewels and surprised me with their fried chicken for our lunch. I ate both the wings a broke off one of the rib cage and gnawing on them bad boys until the bones were clean as a whistle. We went out to meet up with our friend Randy to talk about medicare supplement insurance.
26 May 2025
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens" (Psalm 8:1). O Holy Lord, I praise and worship your holy name. Thanks be to God for this new day and a bright beautiful day it promises to be. I was looking out the rear patio door this morning enjoying the picturesque view of clear blue sky and a well manicured lawn. We thought it was funny to see Zachary hitting puberty, we could hear his voice cracking at times and his voice dropping several octaves lower. Today I opted to call it a lazy day and kicked back doing absolutely nothing.
25 May 2025
Hmm, so much for rain to stay to the south of us this holiday weekend. Albeit, the rain will surely be dampening some of our plans for the day, there remains much to be happy and joyful for, God is good. Mama went out to the Jewels and picked up doughnuts. We can't disappoint Peyton, we're pretty sure she loves her morning pastry fix. I kept it simple this morning and just made us scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage links, Isaac loves sausage, and can put those bad boys away. We can get away with one package because Alex isn't around. It saddens me that two of our three children moved out of state. Funny how Peyton enjoys walking around talking pictures using a smartphone. Mama's pasta made for a great noontime meal. Mama had me make us some pan fried toasted garlic bread to go with it, who doesn't love garlic bread? I was surprised that that the sun came out and things began to warm up into the upper 60s. We are so blessed to have Rob as our son-in-law, he selflessly help with the needed. He lubricated the squeaky garage door, changed out the burnt out kitchen recessed light bulb and molded the grass at Alex's house. Peyton tired me out sword fighting, that girl whacks away way too hard. I like how Isaac and Peyton colored their sword that that grandma save the tubes from Christmas and gift wrapping paper. We all went to Zachary's 8th grade graduation party; it is hard to believe that he will be going to high school in the fall. Time moves by like a fleeting moment and is a reminder of the brevity of our time is on earth is and that our days are numbered, our hope is in the lord. The party food was awesome. Since this holiday weekend is the unofficial start of summer, Carl fired up the grill and made tasty hamburgers and chicken. Blessings abound, today was a very good day, God is good.
24 May 2025
Déjà vu, we woke up another bright sunshiny day that looks and feels identical to yesterday, but the pollen level is high and my sinus is acting up. That's not a good thing since the plan to mow the grass some time later this morning... It was cool enough for me to easily mow the grass in both the front and back without even taking a break, I set the variable speed to the turtle setting and did a Slowskey walk behind. I also did a do over with the Ortho Home Defense spray; we can't stand creepy crawling ants finding their way in the house. We got egg rolls, pot stickers and chicken fried rice from the House of Emperor for our noontime meal. I still think the frozen store brought gyozas are far better; I don't care for thick dumpling wrappers. I have been musing these past few days thinking about father when he was drafted in his early 30s into World War II. I am thankful that I had a high draft lottery number during the Viet Nam War. I learned from my father the importance of remembering and honoring the lives that have been lost and the sacrifices given and how the freedom we enjoy is tied to it. Lord, watch over those who serve in our armed forces as they uphold righteousness, order and peace. My heart is bursting at the seams in anticipation of spending time with our grandkids this weekend. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
23 May 2025
"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!" (Psalm 113:3). Praise the Lord, all glory be to him, his steadfast love endures forever! What a difference a day makes zip-a-dee-doo-dah. It is so good to be able to wake up to the morning sun. Just seeing some sunshine at the start of the unofficial start of summer is encouraging. Albeit we remain below the norm, I'll gladly take 65 for the high, because that is much warmer than it has been lately. Today is cadio rehab day, I got my morning food intake right last time and hopefully I can do that again today. I ate oatmeal, yogurt, peanut and jelly toast, and a char sui. We stopped on the way to my cardio rehab for gas. Sigh, $3.499, ridiculous, especially when the price for a barrel of oil has been low for some time, the oil companies are most definitely raking in huge profits. My pre session blood sugar was 151 lower than I wanted it to be because I am a huge dropper. I started my session on the treadmill and they increased the incline, 2.5 @1.5. Whoo hoo, I greatly improved the NuStep 54Watts @5. I'm glad they finished my session having me work on my upper body strength with bands and weights. My post blood sugar was 109! I think if I did another cadio, I would have most certainly dropped below 100. Mmm, mama made several pots of pasta sauce, one ragù and the other meatless. I was given the task of boiling the noodles, so I boiled a pound of rigatoni and a pound of fettuccine and thought I was done, lol, mama took out another pound of fettuccine for me to boil and said, "Clearly you don't know how much Andrea like noodles." Yes, I was happy that the kids FaceTime and we got a chance to have family time. Isaac is doing very good at reading out loud now with expression. I think that comes from his parents prosody reading to our grands from the get go. My brother gave us a wellness call and we started yapping about this and that. We were hoping to get together, but I had too much going on. I thank God for the blessings of telecommunications.
22 May 2025
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Albeit I woke up grateful and rejoicing in the gift of this new day, I can't help but to wonder when will we begin to warm up and when will we be able to see the sun again. We have been on a very long string of below normal cloudy damp days and it's getting old. I got message on myChart from my nephrologist that I was stable and no changes are necessary. I suppose that is a good thing. I opted to stay indoors at home while mama went out grocery shopping , because I preferred the staying warm and comfortable. I plan to just get up off my butt every so often and just walk around the house. Mama came home with a couple good looking stalks of broccoli crowns. I stir fried us a chicken with broccoli dish. Sweet, our application for a $50 city of Naperville electric lawn equipment rebate was approved! We were wondering if there were still funds in that incentive program. It was only a matter of time before we start seeing ants coming into to the house. Mama sprayed the Ortho Home Defense outside the house and placed Terro Liquid Ant Baits inside the house. I am surprised that I managed to get in a seven thousand plus steps day in. I am hoping for a dry Memorial Day weekend.
21 May 2025
Despite the insanely ongoing cold, windy and damp days, I rejoice in the gift of yet another day. Today is cardio rehab day, so I stuffed my face this morning with a hard boiled egg, oatmeal, yogurt, and a char sui boa this morning. It will be interesting to see what my pre session glucose reading will be. Sweet, my pre blood sugar was 189 and 103 post, right where it needed to be. They started me out on NuStep and bumped me up to level 5 and I was able to manage 34Watts @5, 56Watts @3 on the recumbent bike and finished off on the treadmill 2.5 @1%. On the way home we stopped at Patio's for lunch and we split their chicken and rib combo meal. I got back the results of my lab work last night and albeit my potassium number only was up slightly, it was disappointing because the goal was to lower it, so I didn't eat any of the baked potato. After lunch we did the usual and went across the street to Burlington and I walked around the inside parameter of the store while mama went shopping. On cardio rehab days and a intention walk ten thousand plus steps days are a piece of cake. Prayer for strength and good health. Mmm, mama took out a small container of her pasta sauce from the freezer and I had that over fettuccine noodles for my supper, but not before a couple of leftover barbecue ribs from our noontime meal. We spent some time doing some paperwork that I failed to tend to in a timely manner, with mama’s help, we gotrdun. What would I do without my ezer kenegdo? God has dealt abundantly with me.
20 May 2025
"Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3). This verse of the day encourages us to know and follow the Lord. I woke up this morning to the sound of the hollowing wing and the pouring rain. It was just as well, because I had an early appointment for blood work anyway. Dang, it was windy and cold. Despite the dreariness look of the start of day there is is reason to rejoice, it is good to be alive! "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for You are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14).
19 May 2025
I was surprised how cool it got over night, I had to switch the thermostat back to heat from cool. This temperature rollercoaster is getting old. It is kind of sad that we will be having well below normal temperatures for the remainder of the week. I thought that I ate enough this morning but clearly that wasn't the case because my post session blood sugar dropped down to 78 and they gave me apple juice to bring it up. I started today on the treadmill and they bumped me up to 2.5 mph @1%, Arm Ergometer 40Watts @3 and finished up on the recumbent bike 56Watts @3. Thanks be to God that I continue to progress and improve with each time at cardio rehab. May the Lord heal my infirmities and give me the strength to carry on. Time to stop penning and watch, The Voice.
18 May 2025
I am grateful and glad for and rejoice in the creation of this new day that the Lord has made. It was nice enough of a day to be out about for a few hours and leisurely walk around and enjoy the sunlight and fresh air. I made us fried eggs for dinner. Albeit a simple meal, put oyster sauce on eggs along with a side of rice and they transform into a traditional canto comfort food. FaceTime was a joy today, be got to spend more time with Isaac than usual. Normally Peyton is on more with mama.
17 May 2025
"The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore" (Psalm 121:8). Thanks be to God who watches over us and saves us. The wind started hollowing again just before midnight and kept gusting most of the night. I am thankful for the joy of this new day. I made us beef with pea pods for our noontime meal and ate it along with the leftovers from Panda Express. I opted to stay indoors the entire day. We watched WNBA, Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky. Caitlin Clack and Aliyah Boston simply had their way routing the Sky 93-58. I tossed a frozen classic Homerun Inn sausage and pepperoni pizza in the oven for our dinner, but not before opening up a small can of pineapple chunks. Mmm, the pizza made for a fine meal. I use to like Digiorno pizza but they went and changed and ruin their recipe.
16 May 2025
We woke up to bright sunshiny day in the mid 60s, it just kept screaming, "it's a beautiful morning!" How could we not open up the patio sliding door wide open and let in the fresh air? Its days like this where it is easy for me to see God’s goodness. My sister called this morning and told us about her recent lab blood work results, thanks be to God improved signs of some encouraging improvements. Today is cardio rehab day; hopefully I bulked up enough to be in the optimal glucose range for today's session. I know that the price for a barrel of oil has been down for quite some time now, so I guess the oil companies are set on making huge profits because when we stopped for gas this morning, the price of gas was $3.249 a gallon. Clearly it is difficult for me to get my pre session blood sugar where I want it to be, this time it was higher than I liked it to begin with. Well, now I'm a third of the way though cardio rehab and feeling pretty good. I initially think to highly of phase II cardio rehab, but have since reconsidered and find it helpful. Today was a no cook day getting food Culver's for lunch and supper from Panda Express. It has been a long while since we gotten a takeout from Panda. Boy, do I love Chinese American food. O my, we just a dust storm warning and within minutes, the sky darken and the wind picked up and visibility became very limited… Thanks be to God the storm blew pass within a couple of hours toward the east and we are safe. It was weird to the darkness now at a distance contrasting against a blue sky.
15 May 2025
Thank you Lord for this new day! Today and tomorrow are suppose to very warm before a cool down over the weekend. We got a text message from Lowes that our Kobalt electric lawn mower is ready for pickup, so we left the house as soon as possible in hopes of getting everything set up before it get too warm to cut the grass today, but reality of that was there was actually no hope of that because it was already in the low 80s when we stepped out the door. It took about 90 minutes to fully charge the huge 80V 6.0 Ah battery. I was really happy with the overall performance of our mew lawn mower and was glad that I was able to get the grass cut before the temperature soared up into the low 90s. Whoo hoo, Jonas Walton is ranked as #7 running back in the 2026 class just committed to Notre Dame. Believe it or not Javian Osborne is ranked #6 running back committed earlier this month to Notre Dame. That's two elite running backs recruited by Notre Dame in the same class! Hopefully they don't decommit. I made us stir fried beef with broccoli for dinner, mmm plenty of wok hei. Albeit brief, it was still to FaceTime with the kids. Happy haircut, I'm glad mama gave me a haircut and that I was able to shower before the torrential thunderstorm move it.
14 May 2025
"And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3). Lord grant that we may examine our own spiritual perception and discernment. Thanks be to God who gives me my days of gladness. We woke to a completely overcast sky; I am surprised that we didn't get overnight rain. The sun is supposed to eventually come out with the temperature climbing into to 80s. Sue called us yesterday and wanted to drop by and gift us with some lo bak go and some Chinese almond jello, but we weren't home, so we stopped by her house on the way to my cardio rehab session this morning. It was beautiful out this morning after the clouds cleared out to the east. I'm glad that I snacked on a few peanut butter crackers before going into cardio rehab and got my blood sugar up to 172 because it was 100 post. They started me out on the treadmill and increase the incline, 2.4Watts @1%, Arm Ergometer 38Watts @3, NuStep Arms 24Watts @5. Thanks be to God for my continual Cardio rehab progress. The Lord is my strength. Our new lawnmower is estimated to be delivered to the Bolingbrook Lowes store tomorrow and I was planning to cut the grass then, but it is clear to me that unkept grass is bothersome to mama, she said that she was going to cut the grass out front, but I went out and did the needed. I did a Rob and overlapped, it looks pretty darn good if I say so myself. I don’t get why my body is always so cold, mama is wearing shorts and a sleeveless top with the ac on while I’m shivering with my sweats on. Anyway, I am thankful for the blessing of the day.
13 May 2025
Thank you Lord for this day, be with me. I really didn't want to do it quite yet, but mama had me flip the thermostat over from "heat" to "cool". I binge watched the last two episodes of, NCIS: Origins, episodes 17 and 18 of season one. The season finale took me by total surprise. I can hardly wait until season two comes around. The day went by quickly and was uneventful. Joy can toward the end of the day when the kid call us on FaceTime, my day is complete, God is good.
12 May 2025
I am loving this string of zip-a-dee-doo-dah days, it is good to see the morning sun, God is good. We changed it up this morning binge watching episodes of John Foster performances on American Idol. We're clueless how good the other "singing contestants" are but we think this young man is pretty talented and carries himself very well. Yes, this show will ultimately pick a winner, but there are no losers, just a stage to showcase their talent. I agree with the judges that his performance improves a lot week after week. I'm like most folks and rather watch, The Voice instead of American Idol. They gave me a pretty good workout today at my cardio rehab session by starting me out the recumbent bike which has me achieving my peak Mets, then I went on the NuStep and ooh-wee they changed it up and had me do up body strength training. They started me out with different 3 sets 10 rep ls resistance band exercises and finish up with 3 sets of 10 reps arm curls with a 5 lb pair of dumbbells. The session really took down post blood sugar level; I definitely will need to eat even more before my cardio rehab session. What another drop dead awesome day it turned out to be in the low 80s, it is good to be able to be out an about just wearing a tee shirt and putting on a baseball cap.
11 May 2025
It is amazing that I had no problem sleeping for so many hours. I woke up this morning to bright sunshiny day totally refreshed. Happy Mother's Day, especially to my darling wife, God is good. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:13-14). Thanks be to God for the gift of motherhood. We have so much leftovers from yesterday's celebration, I simply nuked myself a sausage egg croissant breakfast sandwich to start off the day. It was an absolute drop dead gorgeous day to go out and walk about having me humming the tune, It's A Beautiful Morning - The Rascals. My honey do for the day was fixing the pocket zipper on Fawn's light spring jacket. Believe it or not, it wasn't a simple undertaking, but I gotrdun. Dang, there is no doubt that pollen count remains high, because my nose is running big time.
10 May 2025
I was up late last night and mused on blessings of moms. The selfless care and devotion mothers provide to their children is a reflection of God’s love. Wow wow wow, this morning was awesome, but it was crazy to see the temperature is in the afternoon rather than get warmer. God is good; we gathered and celebrated Fawn and Andrea, two awesome mamas. I made breakfast sausage links and hash brown potatoes. Fawn had me make crêpes and we ate them with croissants. I was so surprised again this week when both Isaac and Peyton opted to stay with grandpa instead of go shopping with grandma and mama. Needless to say that Rob did an awesome job cutting the grass again. It always looks like it could be used on an ad. What a joy it was making origami with them. After Rob finished cutting the grass, we went to the Gregory B. Bott Community Park. It was our first parking for the year. I was good with watching Isaac doing the obstacle course, but it was nerve racking for me to watch Peyton. That girl is fearless and loves to climb. It is amazing how agile and strong she is. Our celebratory lunch was all the food that we got from the House of Emperor yesterday. I took one for the Gipper today again and got down on the floor to play, Hover Ball Blitz. Oh wow, after everyone left, I nodded off for more than a few hours. I woke up and had a light supper before calling it a day.
9 May 2025
"Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 11:7-8). This is one of favorite bible verses to reflect on at the beginning of the day whenever the sun is shining full blast at the start of a new day as I enjoy one of many simple pleasures of life. Strange how the sunlight brings me great joy and how dark cloudy days not do much. In these latter years, I have learned embrace the joy of living and ever knowing the brevity of life and that death is inevitable. Achoo, I looked at the 15 day allergy forecast on the Weather Channel app and the tree pollen and grass pollen is "very high", not good. Cardio rehab was very good today, it was my ninth session, so I guess I'm a quarter way through the 36 session program. I warmed up for 5 minutes on the treadmill before kicking it up to 2.4 mph @0.5% for 10 minutes. Next I did ten minutes on the Arm Ergometer 34W @2.5 and end my session on the NuStep 32W @4. Today was a very nice day in the low 70s and I did a lot of walking when we were out and about and easily got in a ten thousand plus steps day in. It is difficult to say whether or not if I am as sound as I was cardio wise as before without eating on the elliptical, but I am certainly a far cry from where I was and need to be physically strength wise. May the Lord strength to endure this season of recovery and heal my body and soul. God is good, his love endures from generation to generation.
8 May 2025
It's a beautiful morning, albeit cooler than I would like it to be, it is a beautiful day none the less, as I am grateful for each and every day that the Lord affords me and to all my love ones. The, Men in Black, came out this morning to spray the exterior of our house for bees but didn't, because they couldn't determine where the bee hives were located. They said that they wanted to reschedule in early to mid June to do the need and would be able to guarantee their work. I wish they didn't have to come every year because they charge a lot of money for exterminating bees and wasps. Mmm, albeit the tomato beef and rigatoni were both leftovers, they went deliciously well together for my noontime meal. We went out to a few stores in the Fox Valley area, but it was too windy and cool to do a outdoors walk as much as I wanted to, but I still managed to get in a seven thousand plus steps day. We did all the research on and pulled the trigger on ordering a 80V 6 Ah self propelled electric lawn mower and I really didn’t want to spend so much money on it, but at our age and my physical condition, this expensive work horse is exactly we need. The verse of the day is, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Thanks be to God who prepare a place of glory for us. Lord, grant us saving faith.
7 May 2025
We woke up to day that looked exactly like yesterday, thanks be to God for this new day. Sigh, we were stopped at a light and the car behind up hit us from behind, the lady apologized and said her foot slipped. We didn't see any damage to either vehicles, but took the lady's info anyway in case there was some hidden damage we didn't notice. Mama went and got a haircut, she is beautiful as ever. Today is cardio rehab day, so I needed to eat a second breakfast. I ate my usual oatmeal breakfast earlier and then ate a hard boiled egg, yogurt and a char sui boa before heading out to Rush Copley. I enjoyed session 8 and started out on the NuStep 28W @4 then walked on the treadmill @2.4 mph @0.5 (incline) and then the NuStep Arms 24W @3. It looks like I didn't need eat that much before the going to cardio rehab my pre blood sugar was 193 and post was 159, I prefer post BS just above 100. Mama took out a small container of her pasta sauce from the freezer and boiled us a couple of servings of rigatoni for our lunch, so good. We called Sue and asked about Jimmy and how the family was doing. She gave up a update on his status. He has already went though several operations with more surgery to come. Thanks be to God that he is faring far better than the initial prognosis presented. May our Lord place his hands on our frail bodies and heal our infirmities. It has been so nice out these pass few days, but that is coming to an end as the temps are beginning to drop. Fear not, the nice weather is going to return back this Mother's Day weekend. Dang, the price foe a barrel of oil has been down for some time now, so why did we paid $3.599 a gallon for gas today? We went grocery shopping and it looks like mama is going to have me cook a family big breakfast this weekend, I see breakfast sausage links, eggs and hash brown potatoes. The verse of the day is, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13). Lord, grant us godly character that we our live with generosity and humility.
6 May 2025
I woke up cheerful evermore grateful for the gift of life. Whenever the sun is shining so bright from the get go I have zip-a-dee-doo-dah running in the back of my mind. I just had to peek at the weather app and saw that it promises to be a gorgeous day in the mid 70s. It is definitely a great day to walk outdoors. We went out and about to run a few errands this morning; we had to go to the DMV to get the annual plate sticker and to the bank to pay the dreaded annual property taxes. The road warriors were highly noticeable on the roadways doing the crazies. IKEA extended their restaurant promotion of 50% off Tuesday meals, so we met up with my brother to do lunch there and to walk the maze. I already got in a ten thousand plus steps day in by the time we left there. The afternoon was super nice in the upper 70s, so we spent a couple of hours cleaning the garage. I cranked up the heat on the pan to try a get a little wok hei and made us stir fried tomato beef for our supper. My sister called and updated us on the condition of our cousin Jimmy. They moved him from Cook County Hospital to Hinsdale. Prayer for his health, comfort and healing and for the Lord’s comfort for his family who is experiencing a multifaceted toll from all of this. Thanks be to God who binds up our wounds, we are relieved that Peyton is doing better now that her arm has been tended to by a physician. Today was a very good day for which there is much to be grateful for, our Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.
5 May 2025
Open my mind, O Lord, that I may be aware of your presence. I thank and praise the Lord for his abiding presence within me. May my life reflect the holiness and grace of his presence in all my thoughts, words, and my deeds. Thanks be to God for the gift of another new day. Today is a cardio rehab day, so I made sure that I ate a hearty breakfast and I that I had my pedometer on before heading out the door. I had in a great cardio rehab session and think this is where the tire begins to hit the road as an honest cardio workout. I started today's session with 5 minutes warm up @ level one, then did 5 minutes @2, and then did 5 minutes @3 on the Recumbent Bike. I then did ten minutes on the NuStep @ 4 before walking ten minutes @2.4 mph on the treadmill. After cardio rehab we went and did lunch at the Patio's and split their fried cod fish platter. Then we went across the street to Burlington and I walked around the perimeter inside the store while Fawn shopped. Shortly after the wind died down and the sun came out and I was able to do a little more walking outdoors! I've been waiting several weeks for a day like today to spray the lawn with weed killer, gotrdun! It's clear to me that I can easily get in ten thousand plus steps days in on the days when I do cadio rehab, but I'll keep using the pedometer because I like seeing it when I do that. It is taking me time to pen this journal entry because we are watching, The Voice. I think this is a great show with a lot of talented contestants, but… I am turned off by John Legend, not by what he is doing on the show but his position on defunding the police, anyway time to stop penning and just chill and watch the show. God is good.
4 May 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). My hope is in Lord; bless the Lord, O my soul. Albeit I didn't hear any loud thunder claps, I did heat a lot of distance ongoing rumbling just as was going to bed last night. I'm guessing that and the sound of the overnight rain is why I woke up tire and dragging my feet this morning. The complete overcast wasn't helping either. Nevertheless, I am grateful for this new day. Praise be to God the Creator and Sustainer. We are blessed and honored to viewed as family and went to celebrate Emma's 8th birthday party. Ashley is about the same age as our oldest and we're childhood friends, it is astonishing that in a blink of the eye, they both have mini mes. We have been contemplating between hiring a lawn service or buying a 80V self propelled lawn mower. We have been doing our research on different brands for several week. I and glad that I asked Perry about his Cobalt 80V self propelled lawn mower. He that he owned a Greenworks, a Egro and a Craftmans and didn't cared for anyone one of them and returned them, but has had his Kobalt mower for three years now without any issues and loves it. He was kind enough to show me all the features and fired up that bad boy to let me have a feel for it, I liked it a lot. Thanks be to God, his steadfast love endures forever.
3 May 2025
I woke up with good cheer to a bright new sun shiny day with anticipation for the day, God is good. I am grateful for the best siblings ever; God has dealt bountifully with me in countless ways throughout my entire life. I was happy to teach my sister how to make Chinese stir fired vermicelli and my brother requested that I make Cantonese steamed pork patty for our noontime meal. I always enjoy our time with my siblings breaking bread, whenever we gather; we can go on and on yapping on just about anything and everything all day long. I wish the weather was better and we could go out for a nice leisurely walk. Our FaceTime with the kids was short again today, but it is still a most joyful blessing even it is just to say hello. The papal conclave is underway at Vatican, I started to pen more but stopped and deleted, some things are better left unsaid my this poor ill-formed lay theologian.
2 May 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. I did good again at cardio rehab, treadmill@2.2, Arm and Ergometer@2.5 (28 Watts) and Recumbent Bike@2 (60 Watts). We went and did lunch at Culver’s and split a Ruben sandwich and a small order of fries. We went to the Oswego area to shop for what nots and to get in a outdoors walk ant then went grocery shopping for the needed because I’m cooking lunch for my siblings tomorrow. I was surprised that we went back out after dropping the food off. Mama was still looking for a child birthday gift so I got in another good walk. Fawn loves shopping and always seems to find the perfect gift that lights up children faces. Whoo hoo, I easily got a the thousand plus steps day in. Grr, what is going on with AT&T .net email login? This is the second time this week that they had issues. I am grateful to God who gives me the strength energy to build back up my body. I still can get over that a surgeon can cut open my chest and make repairs and sew my body back up. God has blessed physicians with a remarkable gift/vocation.
1 May 2025
All praise and glory be to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I am grateful for the gift of this new day. I woke this first day of May to the sound of the downpour of torrential rain in the early morning. How can the song of the day not be, First of May - James Taylor? Good eats, I made us stir fried ketchup shrimp and stir fried zucchini for lunch, so good. I somehow lost my pedometer and mama bought me a new one. Albeit stayed cloudy all day, it did stop raining in the afternoon. I inspected the exterior and was surprised to see that one of our downspout elbows came off, how is that possible? We went out and about briefly, so I was able to get in a walk outdoors. On the way back, we stopped to pick up some tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana for our dinner. I have to admit that the pedometer is an incentive to make me get up and walk. Our FaceTime was short because our kid called us later than usual, but am always grateful that the kids are routinely mindful of us and call. It was funny seeing Nala get hold of one of her toys and ripping out all the stuffing, she hasn’t done that a long while.
30 April 2025
Today is the last day of April and it is cardio rehab day, before going to my last cardio rehab session, I ate a hearty breakfast, but the workout still took my blood sugar down slightly below a hundred, so I ate a little more oatmeal and a small yogurt to boot this morning. I initially thought that I may have eaten too much this morning because my pre blood sugar was about 30 points higher than normal but my post blood sugar was just over one hundred, which was where I wanted it to be. I am glad that I am continuing to show some progress, they had me walking 2.0 mph on treadmill that is up 0.2 mph and I am now up to level three on the arm machine.
29 April 2025
Thanks be to God, I am grateful to be blessed with another new day. I was surprised, the sun was shining and it was warmer this morning than I expected it to be. We went to Jean and Bob's to pick up several boxes of stuff for Andrea that they use for high school senior prom. The afternoon was boring so I took a much needed afternoon senior siesta. When I woke we went to Target just to get in a thirty minute walk while mama was at the Ross. The kids FaceTime us and that was the highlight of my day. Isaac showed us the illustrated book he authored titled, All About Jaguars. I thought he did a great job researching the subject. His illustrations were outstanding! I was annoyed listening to Chris Cuomo, he made me think other "political journalist(?)" that are just as bad like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Anderson Cooper and Donna Brazile. I'm sure that there are others, but these guys take the cake. Why do I bother listening to “bias news commentators” when all they do is bug the heck out of me anyway?
28 April 2025
"He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:29-31). It is good to be alive. It is nice to see the light from the sun, let us rejoice ìn the day. All I ever talk about is how crazy the rollercoaster weather has been lately. We will be at the summit temperature in the low 80s later today before sliding back down all week with rain until Friday before it will start to climb back up. Today is cardio rehab day, so I ate a hearty helping of oatmeal with a slice of raisin toast for breakfast. I felt really good after cardio rehab. They started me out on the treadmill from the get go. I did a five minute warm up first at 1.5 mph and followed up at 1.8 mph for ten minutes, that is a 0.3 mph bump. I then did ten minutes on the NuStep@4, that is a bump up one level and then ten minutes on the Arm Ergometer@2, which is also a bump up by one level. We got the usual chicken fried rice and the steamed tofu shrimp takeout for lunch from the House of Emperor. I fired up our gas powered lawn mower after our noontime meal and tender to the grass out front of our house, there was no way that I was going to attempt to do the back even taking a break during this go, so mama grabbed the bull by the horn and mowed the entire backyard ll by herself, she is one tough cookie. It sure must be nice to be young. It seems appropriate to name, Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts, the song of the day.
27 April 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. I am excited that Rob is bringing the kids down and to help with the needed yard work. Once again our cup overflows with blessings. Albeit it started out rather cool in the upper 30s, it is warming up rather quickly. We are expecting the highs to be in the upper 60s and for tomorrow to be in the 80s. These temperature swings are really insane this year. I'm cooking today's meal, so mama went out early to the Jewels and got the need groceries and picked up the kids expected, doughnuts for Peyton and breakfast sausages for Isaac. Mama and I then marinated the meat, boiled the noodles and prep the vegetables ahead of time. Since they came down close to the noon hour, I cooked the breakfast sausage links, beef with broccoli, beef with pea pods and the Cantonese pan fried noodles. It is so nice out that I have the patio door wide open while I was cooking. After lunch, Andrea and mama went out and an out, and I was surprised that the kids stayed behind. I didn't think that it would mattered, but I have to admit that when Rob's obsession with cutting grass with an overlap made a huge difference, the lawn looks beautiful, I'm impressed. Grandkids are the best, I played, Tower Stack, with Peyton. It was tough for this old man to get back up off the floor playing this game. It was getting late so I boiled linguine for hamburger peas. Rob and Fawn went out to the Jewels and came back with the grounded beef and a huge porterhouse steak that was on sale. I got to chew the meat off the bone and I was a happy camper. Tomorrow is garbage / recycling day, so we went in the garage to cut down boxes to fit into the recycling bin. The plan to relax and kick back the rest of the day and watch S1 episode 16 0f NCIS: Origins. Today was a very good day; I especially love days where we are surrounded by the love of the one we love. Thank be to God who watches over our comings and goings.
26 April 2025
I woke up with good cheer grateful for the gift of life. We were out the door by 7:30 to go to northern burbs to spend the day celebrating Isaac's 1st Communion. Brr, what a nifty start. It was only in the mid 40s and will eventually only climb to the high in the mid 50s later in the day near the lake, but at least the big bright beautiful sun was out. I have forgotten how nice is in our daughter's house, I love sitting in a room with so much natural sunlight. It was nice to Isaac and Peyton wearing their Sundays best. I have been musing about the Eucharist for a very long time and how it is view by Christians. I think it is very sad that there are those who view Communion as just a mere memorial. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). What is so hard to understand when Jesus said, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:54-55). I also think it is sad that those who believe in the real presence that have moved away from paedocommunion as practiced by the early church. St. Cyprian and St. Augustine even arguing that infants were ideal recipients of the sacraments. We left St. Gilbert Parish to dine at Maggiano's, it was nice of Rob and Andrea to invite us. I love their Chicken Francese. Actually the Riserva Veal Parmesan caught my attention, but the $$$ kept me from ordering it. I use to order veal parmesan all the time at Olive Garden until they took it off their menu many years ago. Anyway, the food is always top notch at Maggiano's. We got an update that my cousin's tracheotomy went well. I can't even begin to comprehend and imagine being paralyzed from the neck on down. The judge denied bail to the perpetrator because he knew what he was doing to a frail senior. Hopefully a grand jury indictment is in order, since there were eye witnesses and the crime was captured on a security camera video. Our blessings overflow, the kids FaceTime, my day is complete.
25 April 2025
I am glad that we went and got gas on the way to my cardio rehab before the rain moved in. Gas was $3.299 a gallon. Rain, rain, go away, come back another day. Of course rain is a blessing, but we have been getting a lot of it this spring. The therapist had me three different load bearing machines that worked both my arms and legs, I am surprised that I didn't notice how many different types of machines this facility has. After therapy we did lunch at Patio's and shared a fried cod with baked potato and coleslaw. Besides the food being very good, the portions are huge. I like that we can just order a single meal and that we easily split the food by simply asking for an extra plate and silverware. After lunch, it was nice of Fawn to stop at a store to buy me a lock to use during rehab. I know locks are not much of a deterrent against would be thieves, but something is better than nothing. The combination was suppose to be easy to reset, but it was a challenge to push down on the reset button. Once we were able to do that, the process to reset the combination was easy enough. The verse of the day is, "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2). The Lord our God is the creator of all things visible and invisible sees our needs and caringly hears our requests and longs to help us. Thank you for being faithful through the ages to your people and to me. I was reminded today how great it is to be an American, God bless the USA! Time to stop penning this journal entry to get ready for bed, tomorrow is a big day and we will need to be well rested.
24 April 2025
Hoo, hoooo! I'm not sure, but I think that it was a series of owl hoots that I heard that woke me up. I hope that a owl is not going to take up residents nearby. Regardless, I am grateful for this new day that the Lord has made. The sun is just coming up from the horizon and the temperature is already in the low 50s. Awesome, the temperature is expected to reach the upper 70s again today! It was so peaceful softly playing classical music as background music this morning. We invited my brother and sister over and I made us two dishes for lunch, beef with green beans and Cantonese steamed tilapia. Needless to say, I served it with a side of steamed Thai jasmine rice. We wanted to in some small way celebrate Nancy's 72nd birthday, prayers for many years. It was so nice, we had the patio door wide open all day and it was 80 °F @ two o'clock. Albeit was still nice and airy, sitting in the family room, it not quite the same as being outdoors having patio furniture. I am glad that my siblings enjoyed the meal I prepared for them. We were talking about a few of the Cantonese comfort food that we enjoy and it is funny that my siblings sounded like our kids making requests, my brother wants Cantonese style streamed pork patty and my sister wants stir fried vermicelli. Everyone knows I love cooking food for my love ones. After my siblings left we wanted to mow the grass, the plan was to have me do the front and mama do the backyard, but less than five minutes in I was gasping for air. I was surprised to see that the grass grew about three inches. I felt bad that mama ended up doing the needed; apparently she didn't mine and wanted the exercise. It is a good thing that Alex has a small yard about a third the size of ours. I took the time to adjust the alignment to gate to the backyard. I am surprised that it shifted that much over the winter from last year. I am so grateful for days like today when you get spend time with the people you love. May the Lord bless us and keep us, now and forever more.
23 April 2025
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of of one heck of a severe thunderstorm. Normally I am able to immediately fall back asleep but the loud rumbling sound went on and on along with the sound of the pouring rain beating down. I must have eventually fallen asleep and the next thing I heard was the morning alarm. We were still seeing light rain when we woke but the clouds did finally give way to the sun shortly. I was excited to head out to the door to go to begin my cardio rehab this morning. I got on three different exercise machines. I began warming up on level 1 on the recumbent elliptical for 5 minutes and then did 10 minutes at level 3. The second machine 10 minutes on the treadmill at 1.5 and the third machine was a arm elliptical at load 3 which was fine. It felt good to finally to be doing a little upper body workout. I can easily increase the intensity of what I was doing on the first two machines, but the therapists insisted on me starting out easy and gradually build up. I think it is a good thing that they check my blood sugar and my blood pressure as well as hook me up an ekg and monitor me. Oh wow, what a beautiful it turned out to be. How nice was it? The sun is shining and the temperature is in the upper 70s! It is my understanding that to tomorrow will be another gorgeous day. I can hardly wait to spend the day with my siblings.
22 April 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day, I especially love waking up to a bright sunshiny day. Albeit we are having a cool brisk start, it is expected to eventually soar up into the 70s with scattered showers throughout the day. I normally just skim though the news headlines, but the WSJ Opinion: Accountability Returns to Student Loans caught my attention. Upon further investigation, 10 million student loan borrowers face imminent wage garnishment, according to Forbes. The death of Pope Francis is dominating the news cycle. My only thoughts about Popes are that I view them as the leader of the Catholic Church. Prayers for my cousin Jimmy, he is having additional surgery tomorrow. He is having a tracheotomy procedure performed. It is hard to comprehend why someone would brutally attack and end up paralyzing a 85 year old man, that's Chicago for you. We went out and about to a busy day ahead of us and went to the Oswego area. It was good to be able to take my walk outdoors. We decided to split a burger quick burger at Portillo's again before heading over my Rush cadio rehab orientation appointment. I'm ready and am all fired up to begin the first of my thirty-six cardio rehab sessions tomorrow. I made us stir fried chicken with celery and mushrooms for dinner. Mmm, it was definitely one of my better goes on this dish. After supper, I read and filled out a stack forms that was given me to take home and to be returned tomorrow. I am glad that I had an opportunity to do more walking outdoors, that has allowed me to get in a ten thousand plus steps day! Today was a very busy day and I wasn’t able to do all the things that wanted to do. The good thing all the urgent was completed and good about being retired is that there is always mañana. We FaceTime with Andrea and our grandkids and Rob was busy fixing a leak in one of their washroom sinks, hopefully he will be successful in that home repair. One thing I relish about family video chats is hearing the I love you term of endearment, music to my ears. Anyway it’s time to get ready for bed, my rehab sessions are all scheduled in the mornings. Thanks be to God for the blessing of the day.
21 April 2025
I woke to the sound of the howling wind. Is it my imagination that it has been exceptionally windy lately and has rained more than usual this year? Happy Easter Monday! The last three months has been an amazing, after having a major surgery, I have been viewing life in a new light and more grateful than ever for the gift of each and every day. The Lord surrounds me with loving family and friends. It was one of those stay cozy indoors at home kind of day. Just looking out the patio and seeing the gray skies and making the tree branches wave made me shiver. I set my sights on getting up to walk around the house every half hour or so throughout the day in hopes of getting in ten thousand plus steps day. Mmm, mama made us tuna salad sandwiches, good stuff. It has been a while since I watched NCIS: Origins. I watched season 1 episode 14 and now I'm two episodes behind. Andrea and Peyton said that they like the teriyaki salmon and the steamed ribs on our FaceTime call, chirp, chirp. Mother’s Day plans were mentions, so it must be around the corner some time soon. Agrr, for some strange reason, robins like to build a nest on our front porch light. It's a constant battle taking it down daily just to see them attempt to build another one again. I made us the frozen store bought pot stickers for our supper. My sister called to invite us to her home on Saturday for a dinner party, but we already had plan to celebrate our grandson’s first communion. The good news is that she and our brother can come and I can make them lunch on Thursday! I love spending time with my siblings. I mused about the anti-Trump protests this weekend and thought how sad that people are that so unhappy that they opted to demonstrate against the Trump administration and its policies rather than observing the Easter weekend. May the hope and joy of Easter flow into our troubled and broken world.
20 April 2025
Blessed Easter joy, He is risen! Alleluia, Christ has triumphant, defeated death and offers us to share in eternal life with him. Clearly it was going to be another cool damp day. I was surprised to find sausage and eggs in the refrigerator; I thought for sure that was going home with the little man on Friday. Mmm, I had that with hot sauce in my oatmeal. Now that's what I'm talking about, mama bought me a stylish Notre Dame Fighting Irish t-shirt! I made rice to go with the steamed ribs for lunch. Mmm, the rice tastes so good with the 'jip', that's the Cantonese word for sauce. What a pleasant surprise that the kids FaceTime us at noon and offered us Easter joy. We went in the evening to briefly celebrate Carl, Victoria and Ken's birthday, I didn't want to be confined to and exposed so many people with my compromised immune system. I'm one of the few people still walking around in public areas still wearing a face mask. Oh wow, the food was exceptional; they catered Mexican food from Fiesta Burrito. The glutinous temptation got the best of me and I always end up regretting helping myself to seconds. I think it is so strange that bunnies and children egg hunts are part of a Easter tradition. I am thankful for all the sincere well wishes for comfort and healing from my mindful family and friends. I felt especially blessed by getting to see and spend time with Rob, Andrea, and our grandkids twice in the same week, God is good.
19 April 2025
Kaboom! The expected thunderstorm and the sound of rumbling moved in late last night and things certainly cooled down. We went to grocery shopping at the Jewels and I did my morning walk there. Albeit it was the cheapest gas price, we got gas for $3.099 a gallon. For some reason, the price of gas was all over the place. Mmm, mama made us spaghetti for our noontime meal, life is good. I swear, I had to fight to keep myself from going back for seconds. I have over indulged on her infamous pasta sauce countless times. I finally got around to steaming the dim sum rib. It was a good way to warm up house and made for a tasty dinner. It was a good eats day for sure. Feed our souls, O Lord, on the bread of life and help us to do our part in kind words and loving deeds.
18 April 2025
Crazy, it was already 62 °F when we woke up this morning. Although the sky was completely overcast, we didn't get any overnight rain. God is good, the plan changed back since the storm is not expected to arrive until later this evening so Andrea decided to bring down our grandkids this morning after all! I made the usual scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage links to start the day. Isaac loves his sausages and Peyton loves her chocolate long John doughnut. What a rear treat, Fawn Andrea and Isaac went out to the Five Below store and I was shocked that Peyton wanted to stay and play, Top Trump Match Frozen 2, with grandpa. Albeit this was the second time I played this game, I still had problems with who the different characters are. We then watched Paw Patrol Puppets on YouTube. Peyton definitely knows her basic shapes and colors. Lol, apparently there is a difference between teal and turquoise. It is so weird to feel a summer breeze with the screened patio door wide open, what an outstanding day. I made us gon chow ngau ho for our noontime meal. Clearly, the little girl tired me out because I dozed off for a couple hours in the afternoon after they left. I woke up for supper and we finished off the leftover taco. Evening joy, facetiming with the kids. Oh wow, Steve Angeli entering the ncaa transfer portal. I was hoping that he would be the start this year. Best wishes for this talented young man. On the positive side, that leaves two extremely talented quarterbacks, CJ Carr and Keny Minchey, to compete for the QB1 position. There is no way Notre Dame is not going to begin the season ranked as a top ten team and not make the playoffs. Days like today are an extra special blessing.
17 April 2025
Praise the Lord, I woke up grateful for this new day, how great art thou, O Lord, how great art thou. Albeit we had overnight rain, temperaturewise we are fairing way better than we did yesterday. We woke up to temperatures in the mid 40s and it was already in the mid 50s shortly after. I was like a doubting Thomas when I saw 80°F forecast for tomorrow, but I changed my mind, because I can see it easily getting into the mid 60s later this afternoon. We talked with Rob and Andrea this morning and were concerned about the possibility of severe storms tomorrow which could change our family plans for tomorrow. We went pit and about to the Fox Valley area, my initial plan was to do a outdoors morning walk, but after a few minutes into it, it was disappointingly clear that it was too windy, so I did all my walking in the big box stores. It was kind of weird wondering what we were going to have for lunch, because I didn't have a taste for anything in particular. Mama pulled into the Burrito Parrilla Mexicana to pick up tacos, there's nothing wrong with doing Mexican. I had a chicken taco with rice and black beans, good stuff. I began raining in the early afternoon. I made us stir fried beef with Chinese pea pods and think that I mastered this dish now, pretty good! We had leftover rice and some hard salami in the refrigerator so I made us some fried rice to boot. We facetimed with Andrea, Peyton and Alex. I'm clueless where everyone else was. This activity remains a joyful highlight of my day. Wow, I surprised myself and got in a ten thousand plus steps day. I was only surprised because I only had a little over five thousand steps when we got back home.
16 April 2025
Brr, it is crazy how cold it gets over night. It was at the freezing mark when I woke up this morning. I was thrilled waking up to a bright sunshiny day and was reminded that waking up each day is the first thing we should be grateful for. Thanks be to God, it is good to be alive. Mmm, mama made mr oatmeal and raisin toast for breakfast, what a wonderful way to start combination to start the day. Achoo, achoo, achoo, dang... I'm glad I got that out of my system. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy and to do some shopping in the Oswego area and did my walking indoors. We went early to Portillo's and split a burger and a order of onion rings. From there, we went to the Chinese supermarket to get the get the needed to make gon chow ngau ho and make Cantonese style steamed dim sum style ribs. It was so nice of Henry to give me a wellness call. It has been a little over eleven weeks since my bypass surgery. The temperature made it into the mid 50s, but it felt fine because there was little to no wind to speak of. Mmm, I made myself an English muffin ham egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, delicious! I was surprised mama wasn't interested in having one for her supper. FaceTime! Facetiming with the kid in the early evening is always a joy and makes my day complete. God is good, his steadfast love endures forever across all generations.
15 April 2025
Whoa, the wind was howling away last night and with it came a huge temperature drop and some overnight rain. The ever changing weather has been crazy from day to day, but I'll take it as it comes. Every day is a blessing and is a gift from God, his steadfast love endures forever. We got up a little earlier than usual, well at least I did, mama is always up before I am, how she gets enough sleep is beyond me. I had an early blood work appointment that required fasting at the Edwards Outpatient Center on 127th Street. What a beautiful well kept facility, we were in and out of there just like that. I mused about the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. It has been on non-stop on the news cycle for some time. I started to penning my thoughts but deleted it because I don't really know too much about the actual facts surrounding what led up to his deportation or why a federal judge is claiming that he was illegally deported to El Salvador and demanded he be expedited back to the United States even though the POTUS and the President of El Salvador both seem to be indicating that isn't going to happen. I called my brother to see if he wanted to meet up and do lunch at IKEA, they have a 50 percent meal discount on Tuesdays for the month of April. We went out and about stopping at few stores on the way. Brr, it's cold out, I definitely didn't layered up enough. We went to the Target and I did an indoor walk around the store perimeter and then went to Burlington to do more walking, by the time we met up with my brother at noon for lunch, I already nearly had seven thousand seven hundred fifty steps in. Wow what a food deal, the three of us ate for the whopping total of 15 dollars. My brother and I got the chicken tenders and Fawn got the Swedish meatballs. I swear, IKEA brews a good cup of coffee. It was nice of my brother to insist on picking up the tab. Of course we shopped a little and walked the maze after afterwards. By the time we left the store, I already got in over a ten thousand plus steps day in, that makes it two in a row! Thanks be to God for the strength and stamina to reach this cardiovascular goal. We enjoyed our family time; my big brother is and has always been the best. I can say without a doubt that all who know him has been truly blessed. It is hard to believe that the strong wind did not let up all day long. Oh wow, mama is one tough cookie. She had me set up electric mower for her so that she could mow the lawn. The electric lawn mower isn't self-propelled so there was no way I was going to attempt to do the needed. She gotrdun and the yard looks great. The verse of the day is, "Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death" (Proverbs 10:2). Rightly or wrongly, as I reflect on this verse, Joel Osteen comes to mind. I don't think that I have ever heard this man preach Christ and him crucified. I tend to associate him with a message of prosperity and never about our sinful nature and the need for Christ. Anyway, getting back to the verse if the day, wealth gotten through wicked means, proves to be of no lasting value, while righteousness comes from God as his gift to us from his grace we received through faith in Christ Jesus which transcends our mortality and saves our souls from death. We logged on MyChart and saw the results of the EKG non evasive stress test that I recently took and was given the nod that I can start with cardio rehabilitation next week. I was surprised that the blood work lab results was looked at already and that my doctor said my numbers were stable... I just paused from penning and joined in on our family FaceTime video chat. Now my day is complete, God has once again dealt bountiful with this poor miserable sinner.
14 April 2025
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Happy Holy Monday! I woke up grateful for the immense love and sacrifice Jesus made in his passion during this sacred time. Holy week afford us time for deep reflection on who Jesus is as we mediate on his journey and what he has accomplished through his death and resurrection. Bless us, O Lord. We took a drive out to the Wheaton area and I did a centurion walk along the store fronts at the Danada Square West strip mall. Achoo! My sinuses began acting up. Mama went to the usual T.J.max and Home Goods, but it was the first time we went in the somewhat recently opened Burlington in the shopping center. I knew that we were going to be out and about for a while, because mama packed us sandwiches for lunch before we headed out. It was kind of iffy when we stepped out this morning, but by the noontime hour, it was a drop dead gorgeous day in the mid 60s! By then, I already had in seven thousand six hundred fifty steps. I rejoiced in the day and was glad in it, today was a very good day. I knew early on that I was going to get on a ten thousand plus steps in before the end of the day. Whoo hoo, good for me!
13 April 2025
It’s not clear to me why I need more sleep some days than others. Albeit I went to be the usual time last night and woke up the usual time this morning, I was low energy and took to the couch. Hmm, we went out and and about to three different Target stores and I am clueless to what that was all about, but I got in a decent indoors walk. Today was one of those, what a difference a day makes, contrasting days, the sky was completely overcast and the wind was blowing big time, the word windchill comes to mind. Mmm, simple comfort food, I made fried egg with oyster sauce for lunch. I think the price of eggs is ridiculously high, even with the sale price of $12 for 24 eggs. Today is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. During this week I tend to reflect on the Passion of Christ and on the Stations of the Cross. It is not clear to me what caused the crowd's shift from waving palm branches with shouts of "Hosanna" to waving a clutched fist angrily shouting "Crucify Him.”
12 April 2025
Albeit the temperature was at the freezing mark when we got up this morning, we woke up to a zip-a-dee-doo-dah looking day where the temperature is expected to soar up thirty degrees into the low 60s! We need more days like this. I say it's about time we saw the price of gas dropped at the pump, we got gas today for $3.179 a gallon. The price of crude oil futures has been hovering for about $60 a barrel. I think it is weird that the industry still uses the 42 gallon barrel as the standardized unit of measurement in the oil industry. I thank God for our good neighbors; we went next door for Marlyn's a noontime birthday celebration. I was nice to be able to sit on the backyard and enjoy the fresh air and warmth from the sun. I thought for sure that we would have to wait until May for some decent weather to come about. The verse of the day is, "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12-13). Thanks be to God for his provisions. His presence and strength in and with us assures that we can cope with everything that comes our way in this broken world.
11 April 2025
I love waking up to bright sunshiny days. It weird waking up and thinking of the Willie Nelson's song lyrics, "I woke up still not dead again today." Thanks be to God that is so. My siblings came over for lunch and I made us Cantonese style steamed tilapia filets, stir fried zucchini and mushrooms and steamed white rice. Today was a very good day; I love the special bond that I have with my siblings. God is good.
10 April 2025
I was surprised that I woke up tire this morning, because I went to bed my usual time last night. Regardless, I layered up to go out and about this morning. Initially the gloom and doom looking grey sky make for a boring car ride. I swear, I'm giving up on hoping for a decent warm springlike day in April and am setting my sights on the month of May. I saw that our neighbor had the dead branches prune off their front yard tree. Every year I have been saying that the tree was on its last leg for at least the last ten years. I did my walk in Ross and Burlington, but both of these stores were very big. Shazam, out of nowhere the sky cleared up to a nice mixture of both sun and clouds. Since we invited my siblings for lunch tomorrow, we stopped at the Jewels on the way back home to back a few groceries items. I saw warm ready made white fish sandwiches for a buck in the deli section that I past up and just had to give it a try. When I opened up the foil, I was surprised that it was a regular size sandwich, I was expecting a slider. It was pretty good to boot, what a deal! the verse of the day is, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19). We are a little more than a week away from Easter and celebrate the hope and joy that comes from knowing that death is not the end and that there is life beyond our earthly existence. Mmm, I stir fried us beef with broccoli for dinner. I thought it one of my best goes at making this dish, chirp, chirp.
9 April 2025
Prayers of thanksgiving for this new day. Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you. April showers we expect, but a string of sub freezing temperatures, I didn't sign up for this in April. Surly, mild temperatures will eventually come our way, right? Today is my cardio walking day and it will be interesting to see how many steps I will get in because there will be plenty of big box store we will be going to while we are out and about this morning. I did my first walk at Kohl’s and from there we went to Target, but my walk there was cut short because there was a ruckus going on and loud shouting from an obnoxious customer and a rather calm employee before the police came, we decided to go to the Walmart to finish my walk. It was raining when we went back to the car so we decided to head back home, by eleven o'clock I got in a little over six thousand two hundred steps. I made us fried egg sandwiches for our dinner, but I regretted having it with half a strawberry flavor Boost Protein Shake that tasted nasty. Whoo hoo, I got in my second ten thousand plus steps day in this week! I thank God for his crucial gifts which allows me to exercise to improve my strength and energy for daily activities. It was interesting to see our grandkids eating their dinner using kid’s training chopsticks on our family FaceTime call, Isaac had a dinosaur and Peyton had a shark. Learning to first use a pair of chopsticks is not a easy undertaking. I never became proficient at it because of my poor manual hand dexterity. “I believe; help my unbelief!” I think that all who believes battle if unbelief. Gracious Heavenly Father, grant us saving faith in your grace found in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus! It’s getting late and I really need to stop penning.
8 April 2025
Crazy weather was the first thing that came out of mouths this morning. It was a good thing mama cranked up the thermostat to 75 degrees because it was 24 °F when we woke up this morning. I am thankful for this new day and for a warm home and warm clothing, his steadfast love endures forever. To call today an unseasonably cold day would be an understatement. I looked out the window while having a bowl of oatmeal along with a English muffin and enjoyed the beautiful sunlight, it is not often that a we get a super blue cloudless day. I layered up as though it was still winter and we went out and about to the Sam's Club pharmacy and to do a little shopping in the Oswego area. Albeit I have my pedometer on, today's goal is to strive to pick up the pace every now and then. I ended up doing a brisk walk twice around the perimeter and took a brief sitting break at the Cafè before repeating it all over again. The shortness of breath wasn't bad, but I didn't want to overdo it, everything in moderation is fine by me, always listen to your body. We got tier one gas at Shell station across the street from the Sam's Club for $3.329 a gallon. We went early to do lunch at Portillo's to beat the noontime crowd; we split a hamburger and got a free large fries for filling out an online survey. It is amazing that we have been sharing a meal or taking home half the portions home for quite a number of years now. The sin of gluttony comes to mind. We video chat with the kids today and saw how dapper Isaac was when he tried on the first communion outfit that is going to wear. Funny how he looked like Rob ‘minime’. Thank you Lord, today was a very good day.
7 April 2025
I woke up thankful for this brisk bright sunshiny new day and somewhat surprised because the weather forecast called for several periods of snow, we'll see. Albeit it very rare, it has been known to have snow in our neck of the woods during the month of April. It is hard to believe that it will be ten weeks since my bypass surgery. It is my understanding that ten weeks post-bypass surgery is a good time to start resuming most normal activities, including exercise, but noting that it is very important to gradually increase activity and listen to your body. It is typically supposed to take eight to twelve for the sternum to heal well. My plan for now is to start walking three times a week in a big box store for a couple of weeks before my cardiac rehabilitation begins. I took this morning's walk inside the Target. It is common to have crazies on the roadways, but there were more than a few reckless drivers out and about this morning with total disregard for the rules to the road and for the safety of other. We then went grocery shopping at Meijers, so I was able to get in a second walk. I think it is kind of sad to see myself walking at a Slowskey pace, but it is what it is. I am hoping that my cardiac rehabilitation sessions will correct that. Funny how the Comcast Slowskeys turtle family (Bill and Karolyn) commercial and the Verizon Wireless "Can you hear me now?" test man commercial still stand out in my mind after all these years. When I put on the pedometer this morning, I initially had a seven thousand step goal in mind, but with the second walk in the grocery store, I was able to get six thousand six hundred steps under my belt. I would have never imagined that I would have gotten in a ten thousand plus steps day in given my current circumstance. Thanks be to God for the gift of life, may he forgive all our sins and heal all our infirmities.
6 April 2025
"In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly" (Psalm 5:3). May the Lord satisfy us with his steadfast love that we sing for joy and be glad all our days. It is a trying time when evildoers perpetrate our love ones. Lord, be with us. We woke us to a breezy and cloudy cold morning in the low 30s that promises to eventually gave way to the sun and warmed up close to 50 degrees by mid afternoon. I keep telling myself that more agreeable weather is just around the corner. We had the usual oatmeal with blueberries this morning but mama also heated up one of those delicious Cantonese egg tarts to boot for our breakfast, what a wonderful surprise! I wonder why I feel so tire and lazy this morning. We'll I actually did dosed off while sitting up for almost a hour and got the extra 40 winks of needed rest. I made us beef with pea pods and we had it over Cantonese pan fried noodles, mmm, yummy. God is good, his steadfast love endures forever.
5 April 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I woke up rejoicing to the gift of another new day. Fawn had me charge up the batteries to the electric lawn mower yesterday and of course it rained overnight, but regardless, I think that the ground would have still been to wet from all the rain we have been getting away. Of course mama went to the grocery store to to buy pastries, especially because Peyton loves her long john doughnuts. I still think is amazing that that little girl always been able to scarf down one of those bad boys. I made the usual breakfast sausage links and scrambled eggs, but I fried egg whites special for Andrea using silicone egg rings. Since we had English muffins, I opted to make myself a sausage egg mcMuffin. Albeit I try to, but sometimes it is difficult to refrain from politics at times, especially when our country went from a president who seemingly had a few loose screws to one that is a seemly a loose cannon that is willing to take on the whole world. In my mind both political parties have extreme leadership, what happened to moderates and the notion of compromise? With that said, I am still convinced that we still live in the greatest country in the world, but sadly need to distance ourselves from blue state cities that seem to be always being crime-ridden. Oh no, Sue called and updated us on our cousin, he is being cared for in a neurocritical ICU because is paralyzed and is need of mechanical ventilation. It is good that the perpetrator was caught on a surveillance camera and was later apprehended by the police and is being held without bail.
4 April 2025
Yes, so much for AccuWeather, initially it was forecasted to be cloudy all day long with rain this evening. I woke up thankful for a bright a bright sunshiny day and for the blessings of the gift of life. I love when the meteorologist to wrong when they predict cloudy days. I hope we don't get the predicted rain for this evening too. The clouds did move in on the early afternoon and form a complete overcast and it began to rain mid afternoon. Oh no, my sister called and told us that our cousin was mugged in the city yesterday and was hospitalized from his injuries. Who attacks an 85 year old elderly man? Prayers for our Lord care. I began my big cook and started off making the Cantonese pan fried noodles. Then I fried spicy tofu for Rob and then pan seared up a nice bone-in ribeye steak for Isaac before steaming Cantonese style tilapia fish for Andrea. Then I did the prep work slicing up two packages of rice noodles and mama help prep the bok choy chop for tomorrow's cook. The song of the day is, Beginnings – Chicago. I still remember how the Chicago Transit Authority literally blew me away when they came out with their debut album on my senior year of high school. the verse of the day is, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). The world gives us plenty of things that can bring us down and lose sight of joy. Our hope and joy is found in our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
3 April 2025
Yes, sunshine! Getting a good night's rest and waking up to the morning sun is the bomb. Thanks be to God for the gift of a new day. I looked at the 45 in day forecast and it looks like we are about two weeks out from what I would consider spring like weather. Albeit breezier and cooler than I still like it to be, how can we not go out and about on a bright sunshiny day? We went to the Fox Valley area and I did my walk inside the Aldis while mama showed for what nots. We also stopped at the Chinese supermarket and bought the needed to make Cantonese comfort food for this weekend. The plan is to make gon chow ngau ho for Isaac and Peyton and hong jong chow mein for Andrea and spicy tofu for Rob. It was so sad to see the sky became completely overcast by the noontime hour. I noticed that there are signs of chlorophyll beginning to show, it won't be long now before the trees begin to bud and flower. We stopped for gas and it dropped a whopping ten whole cents at $3.499 a gallon, so sad. Sweet, the sky cleared again after a couple of hours and there was a nice mix of sun and clouds. I finally got around to trying out the Boost High Protein shake. My brother gave a vanilla and a strawberry flavor 8 oz. bottle. I only tried out half of the vanilla one today because a single bottle is 250 calories. I thought that the taste of the shake was fine. I made us stir fried beef with green beans for our dinner. What is going on? I had a runny nose all day long. I love our evening facetiming family time. God is good, he blesses us with the gift of family and his steadfast love endures forever.
2 April 2025
I woke up premature to the sound of a series of loud thunder claps and ongoing sound of distant rumbling. I am thankful for God's protection and was thankfully able to fall back asleep. This time I woke up at my usual time thankful to the start of another new day. It is quite a contrast to see a creep looking gloom and doom dark grey sky and rain. I have to wonder it there will area flooding. We lucked out this morning at the hospital and got the closest parking spot to the entrance because I have a temporary handicap permit for our car. It would have been a mess to have to walk a distance in the pouring rain that was torrential at times. I had to take an Outpatient non-invasive EKG treadmill stress test. We made plans yesterday to have my brother and sister over for lunch but those plans were scrapped because of the intensity of the ongoing severe weather with the potential of high winds, tornadoes and large hail in our area. With all the rain and nitrates from the thunder, the grass has become so green and looks almost ready to be mowed whenever the weather will permit, it’s not quite 2 to 3 inches long just yet. We are blessed with modern technology be it a simple phone call or video chatting with friends and family. I thought it was interesting how long Pokémon has been around, I still remember when Alex was about the same as Isaac is now when it first came out. And to see these two play and talk about the characters is really fascinating. Looking back, it is hard to believe that I though video calls was a lame idea. Mmm, I made us pan fried bone-in pork chops with peas and rice for our sides for our noontime meal, delicious. Thanks be to God for our safe keeping and prayers for peaceful night’s rest and for a better day weatherwise.
1 April 2025
Glory to God in the highest! I woke up to a beautiful sunrise evermore thankful for the new day and for the gift of life. It is good to see the sun come up over the horizon just as you are waking up next to that special someone in your life, I am so blessed. Mmm, I was surprised to see half a English muffin with my oatmeal this morning, it has been so long since I've tasted and enjoyed the taste and texture and deliciousness of all those nooks and crannies. I finally got around to starting a one thousand piece jigsaw puzzle that my sister-in-law and her husband gifted me for Christmas. I can already tell that this bad boy is going to take me a long while to complete. Got to love working with tiny irregular shaped tabs. Away got to stop penning and get ready for bed, I have an appointment to do a stress test early tomorrow morning at the Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora. Prayers for a good night’s rest.
31 March 2025
Whoa, we heard the howling wind picking up last night while in bed. The news showed images of the destruction across the country from the massive storm that spawned tornadoes, hail and power outages over the weekend. I woke up this morning evermore thankful for God's protection and for the blessings of this new day. Albeit rain is expected this time of year, I'm not much on the sudden below freezing temperature drop, brr. I think that I would have most likely stayed in today if I didn't have a six month follow-up endodontic for appointment this morning. I was surprised that I still needed to make another follow-up a year from now. I just begged to inquire why, apparently the bone in takes time to regrow and fill in and is now about 75 percent filled in. We went to the Oswego area afterwards and I got in a walk inside the Target. Gas prices are still high at $3.599 a gallon and I still blame Biden for the causing the price to sky rocket, but it seems as though Trump can't reign it back in like he claimed he could either. I fail to comprehend what is going on with protest and vandalism to Tesla dealerships, so looked at a few YouTube videos regarding the 'Tesla Takedown' at several different US Tesla dealerships and thought it was sad that the protesters weren't able to articulate what they were protesting. Even more sad were the 'F bomb' this and 'F bomb' that. However, I did see a bunch of obnoxious protesters having a meltdown while encountering the presence of anti-protesters wearing MAGA hats. Albeit it remained a rather cool brisk day, at least the sky cleared up and had a nice mix of sun and clouds for the remainder of the day. I boiled a chicken breast and ate half of it with green peas and rice for dinner. I was surprised that it tasted pretty good with any seasoning whatsoever. Tomorrow is known as April Fool Day, I'm not sure I loathe that day in the year or Halloween more, both are stupid. I love evenings when the kids call to FaceTime. There was a mention of Rob bring Andrea and our grandkids down to visit us this weekend. I can't think of a better way to bring the day to a close. God steadfast love endures forever.
30 March 2025
I woke early this morning as usual, thanking and praising God. Surprisingly, a short while later I dosed off a got in about an hour of extra zzzs. Kaboom, I woke up to the sound of a heavy thunderstorm. I haven't seen it rain cats and dogs like this in a long while. Mmm, mama made us tuna sandwiches on toast and a salad for our lunch. Rainy day truly make for a lazy day. It is very telling how I complain about things that pale in magnitude to the domestic as well as global hardships. Lord, have mercy.
29 March 2025
We woke up to another overcast day and expect it to rain, but I am thankful for this new day and for God our everlasting light. Albert we are transitioning into the rainy season, at least it's won't be cold today and tomorrow mid day. We went to Edwards for Fawn's for one of her annual screening exams. It was slightly cooler this morning than I liked, so did my walk indoor around premise there. My afternoon was very peaceful and relaxing, we had classical music playing in the background. I made us stir fried beef with tomatoes for our supper. Today is Isaac's 8th birthday, bless this child, O Lord, and guide his path... Joy, I was wondering if we were going to gather as a family and FaceTime to sing and celebrate the little man's birthday. What a nice way to bring the day to a close, God is good, he is good indeed.
28 March 2025
God willing, I routinely wake up at 6:30 every morning blessed with the gift of another new day. With sounding too mushy, waking up next to my lovely wife is a true blessing. The song, Love (Can Make You Happy) - Mercy, ran through the back of my mind. I was hoping that the overnight rain would have blown by, but that didn't happen until about eight o'clock. I am looking forward to the temperature climbing up to the mid 70s later in the day. How could we not go out and about and enjoy the unseasonably good weather? Our first stop was to the emissions testing center. Then mama went to a few stores at the strip mall where I got in a decent outdoor walk pacing back and forth like a centurion. I enjoyed my walk but needed a break after about 40 minutes of going at and took a ten minute break before having another go. Initially my walk this morning was a zip-a-dee-doo-dah, plenty of sunshine affair, but just like that the clouds moved in and it began to rain. It was a good thing there is a build-in canopy along all the storefronts. My walk then morphed into a Lenten walk not as penance, but as a time of reflection. I began seeing myself as the depraved wretch that I truly am and my need for Christ. Truly, Christians are poor miserable beggars in need of him. The sky cleared again and sun came back out making in a drop dead afternoon. It was so warm that we went to the backyard to swap out the large perforated sump pump hose that we use during the winter months to the smaller hose we otherwise use and to clean lont off the dryer vent louvers, well Fawn actually did all the work.
27 March 2025
Of course I am grateful and thank God that we are alive but will admit that waking up to the gloom and doom darkness, I had to fight off the sense of lethargy which is kind of surprising because I peacefully enjoyed sleeping under the warmth of the new blanket that my sister gifted me. Mmm, mama bought tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana for our lunch. It was fascinating to read about and muse about the Catholic and the Orthodox teachings of what happens to our souls immediately after our death. Albeit I don't outright reject the notion of 'Purgatory' or 'Aerial Toll House', I don't give much credence to these dogmatic teachings either.
26 March 2025
Thanks be to God for the blessings of this bright sunshiny new day. Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. It is the norm for me now to routinely wake up early in morning to take my meds. It is amazing how much meds I am on now since my bypass surgery. I finally got around to updating the medication list on the emergency info section on my smartphone. I had the first appointment at the dentist office for teeth cleaning and definitely needed to readily have that information for them. We headed out early during rush hour traffic, but that isn't anywhere as bad in the burbs as it is heading into the city. Albeit the mornings are at or about the freezing mark this time of year, it tends to warm up into the mid 50s by mid day. I can deal with that, I still prefer it be late May and early June in the 70s. Unbelievable, shook my head when we stopped for gas, $3.599 a gallon. Grr, she's a goin' the wrong direction. I was reminded today that most states are red and began musing again about all the vandalism being perpetrated on Tesla cars and dealerships. What is wrong with people? Clearly more moral philosophy needs to be taught on the secular level. Surly Christians are following God's precepts. Beyond terrorism and the destruction of property is the evil of hatred to the point of taking a life. My sister told me yesterday that the trial for the senseless and viscous murder of our cousin's husband that was captured on a school security camera in Chicago is coming up soon. Why would someone drive by in a car and shoot someone, stop and get out and shoot them again point blank and then drive away? My mind then went into Lent mode and I then reflected on my own grievous sins. Lord, please take away the iniquity of my foolishness. Teach me, O Lord, your precepts that I may walk in your ways. Talk about literally walking, I put on my cloth mask and walked the inside parameter of Meijer twice. I could tell that I was doing a Slowskys, but it is what it is. I'm counting on improvement over time. I wonder about our physical condition as we age, but would never question God’s dealings with me and rejoice for he has dealt with me bountifully. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love.
25 March 2025
We woke up to a cold brisk morning with overcast skies. It always seems to be below freezing at the Crack of dawn, but thankfully the temperature works it's way up into the low 50s by mid afternoon and the sun came out. My brother and sister came for a visit and mama made us spaghetti for lunch. The time just flew by as we sat yapping for hours on end. It was nice that my sister gifted me with a Bedsure fleece blanket simply because she learned that I am always cold. I have been musing about how some people are going about violently protesting against Trump and Musk. I am totally blown away by the destruction of private property by some of these domestic terrorist. I definitely do not understand the logic behind the 'Tesla Takedown' movement. Sounds like anarchy to me. How is democracy being destroyed? I reached another milestone today, it was my nurse's and my physical therapist's at home visit. I made us beef with pea pods over rice for our dinner. It was a joy to FaceTime with all the kids, I can't think of a better way to close the day. Our grandkids look like they are enjoying their time on the beach. They were all tired out before the call was over and fell fast asleep. My day is complete. God has blessed my comings and goings. I need to go to bed now and wake up early to go for my dental appointment to have my semi-annual teeth cleaning. Prayers for a peaceful night’s rest.
24 March 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. Despite hearing the howling wind blowing throughout the night, I still managed to get a good night's rest. We went out this morning to exercise voting in our consolidated election early at the Mall of India. It is alarming and I think it is important to vote more than ever as some of the candidate’s ideas are so seemingly foreign or misguided to me. Glory to God's province, may his will prevail. We then went to my Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation doctor's appointment at the Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora. It is good to learn that I am continuing to grow stronger and progress. Afterwards, we went to take a peek at the Rush-Copley Cardiac Rehabilitation Center where I plan to do my Phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. We stopped by Portillo's and split a hamburger for our noontime meal. With it being so windy, just like that, the sun came out early afternoon while we were still out and about and that cheered me up a lot. The few white clouds contrasting against the blue sky made for a nice car ride. It finally got out of the 30s and made it into the mid 40s with the sun out. It was nice of my sister to give me a wellness call; we made plans to have her and my brother come visit us tomorrow. I thank God for the blessing of family. Today was a very good day, God’s steadfast love endures forever.
23 March 2025
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!" (Psalm 103:1). I thank God for this new day and for all his benefits. Alex called this morning to say that he and Joann arrived in Dallas safely. I thank God for their safe travel. May the Lord bless this new chapter in his life. We did a FaceTime call with all our kids, how can that not bring joy to one's heart. Alex was just going out the door to walk over to the nearby dog park with Nala. I was envious see him in the sunshine and warm eighty degree Dallas temperature while comparing it to the rain storm in the mid 40s we are experiencing. The weather is really crazy here in the Midwest this past week, you have to be ready for warm spring life weather in the 70s with plenty of sunshine, cold damp days as well as for a hail storm and for snow. The wind has really picked up this evening, we can hear wind hollowing. Prayers for our safe keeping and for those of all my love ones and for a peaceful night's rest.
22 March 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. Bless us, O Lord, and govern our thoughts, words and deeds according to precepts. Albeit today is a much cooler and breezy day, it is at least a bright and sunshiny one as we move closer to the rainy season. We have to endure the March winds and April shower before the weather becomes tame and pleasant. I watched the second round of the NCAA Tournament game between Arkansas and St John and cheered on the Hogs to their 75 to 66 victory. Sweet, we all got on FaceTime to wish Jennifer a happy birthday. It is amazing that God has entrusted three of his little ones to the likes of someone like me.
21 March 2025
Happy Friday! Thanks be to God for this new day. May we not take his grace and salvation for granted. Albeit we are having a bright beautiful mild day temperaturewise, it is quite a windy one. Facing and hearing the howling sound created by the March winds is quite common in our neck of the woods. I'm happy to learn that Isaac is doing better this morning. I ate a char sui boa for breakfast, what a wonderful way to start the day. Of course we went to Alex's today; we stopped at the Jewels and bought a nice porterhouse steak to make for our dinner. I was a happy camper gnawing the meat off the bone. Normally mama buys us a ribeye, but I'm guessing she couldn't find one with a decent size cap. There is nothing wrong with a porterhouse with a decent size tenderloin (filet mignon), both steaks are good in their own right. Truly, food is a gift from God. It not only meant to sustain us, but is to be enjoyed and eaten with gladness. It is a blessing to be able to break bread with family and friends. I know many will be on the road ways, prayers for safe travel.
20 March 2025
So much for looking forward to the first day of spring all winter long. Brr, it did not surprise me to wake to two inches of overnight snow, because the temperature rapidly cooled down in the evening last night. I am glad that the sun is out and the temperature rose enough to melt the snow where needed. We had a peaceful morning playing classical music as background music. Mama made us one of her delicious salads for a light noontime meal. I had my routine scheduled nephrologist doctor's appointment this afternoon. We had a lot of concerning questions given my new health condition and circumstances. We wanted to make sure we had a really nice meal with Alex before he moves, so we order a carryout from Maggiano's to bring to Alex's for a late lunch/early supper. It was in the mid 40s by mid afternoon and all the snow had completely melted. The sky was a beautiful blue with a nice mix of white contrasting white clouds that made for a nice car ride. Mmm, excellent choices, mama ordered the rigatoni d and the chicken francese. Yessir, that there was some really good eatin'. Oh no, Isaac was under the weather today, prayers to ease his discomfort and restore his strength.
19 March 2025
Kaboom! It was a good weather day, we had thunderstorms all day long and a hail storm early evening to boot. It is not uncommon to have rainy and gloomy days in March going into April. I use to find overcast days so depressing but nowadays I use the time to mediate and reflect on God’s word and to seek his guidance and strength. Just as God sends the rain to nourish the earth, he showers us with grace upon grace with love and mercy. Thanks be to God for this day.
18 March 2025
I woke up excited for the new day because of the expected spring like weather, but it was a little disappointing to see completely overcast skies because the forecast called for a mixture of sunshine and clouds. It has been exactly seven weeks since my coronary artery bypass surgery. I have an appointment this with my cardiologist this morning. We are glad that he has an office in Oakbrook, that beats having to drive all the way into the Rush University Medical Center in the city. I was given the order for the phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. We went to Alex's after lunch. It was nice that the sun was out by then and that the temperature was already in the low 70s! Oh wow, so much for hoping the Trump could lower the gas prices. Sigh, gas was $3.599 a gallon. I became a little sadden as the realization that our son will be moving out of state very soon. I am thankful that we have access to modern technology and will be able to at least video chat. I know that all our children are adults, but they are all such a blessing. They are a gift from God and we love them all dearly.
17 March 2025
Top O' the Mornin' Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Thanks be to God for this new day. Brr, it is still super cold this morning. It was in the low 20s this morning when we woke up, but the day promises to be much milder as it will soar up into the mid 50s by mid afternoon. I saw devastating images of the storm that spawned deadly tornadoes that swept across our nation over the weekend. I am thankful the Lord has shielded us from harms way. We went out to meet up with my brother to do lunch early at Baker's Square to avoid the noontime lunch crowd. The restaurant never got crowded, so we justly sat around and ended up yapping for an hour and a half enjoying each other's company. I love that the sun is out; the sunshine makes for a more cheerful day. I must of been pretty tire because I laid down to do a few of the physical therapy exercises on my back and somehow dosed off. Mmm, mama made nice salad for supper. Sweet, the kids facetimed us. I was ahead on the weather app for tomorrow and didn't realize that the expected high for the day will be in the upper 60s. Thank you Lord for your gracious presence. Keep our hearts and our thoughts secure in holy reverence in you. Forgive us of our sins and graciously keep us.
16 March 2025
Brr, it's cold outside and snowing. Dang, winter is definitely putting up a pretty good fight just days before the first day of spring. The temperature is expected to remain in the 30s all day today. Despite the less than ideal weather conditions, it is good to be alive. I thank God for all our winter provisions. Oh wow, good thing we were near the Walmart because one of the windshield wipers flew off the car while we were driving on the road to do a package pickup at the Old Navy before heading out to Alex's. Albeit it wasn't until the noon hour when all met up, we started out the day feasting on streamed shui mai and bean curd, breakfast sausage links, a pastries. I was happy to see that the bump on Isaac's forehead was completely gone and there were no signs of any bruising whatsoever. We sat around and watch, Moana 2, on the Disney Plus channel while Andrea and mama went to the Barnes & Noble Bookstore. We ate again at three o'clock. Alex tossed a package of ten store brought manicotti in the oven and sliced up corned beef. For our sides we had corn, scalloped potatoes and white cheddar parmesan macaroni and cheese. I had to fight off the urge to go back for second helpings. I started to say that it was strange not to contribute to any of the cooking again, but I just remembered that I did breakfast sausage links this morning. Albeit we didn't get to spend much time talking to our grandkids, just having them around brings so much joy to our hearts. Thanks be to God for this day and for the gift of family.
15 March 2025
Despite waking up to a rather windy dreary looking day, I thank God for the gift of a new day and for protection from last night’s major storm. The weather is crazy and I'm not liking the rain. Albeit it is much cooler today than it was yesterday, the temperature today is seasonable. We it drop in temperature today will pale in comparison to tomorrow when we will once again be below freezing, what a difference a day makes. The air pressure light came on yesterday and we filled air in the one tire, but it was low again this morning, so we drove the car in to the Discount Tire store on Route 59 in town. It turns out that there was a nail in the tire and thankfully they were able to repair the tire within a hour on a busy Saturday morning. Albeit Rob was on his way to come pick us, I was glad he didn't need to come all the way down and was able to do a turnabout and go about his day. His selflessness and mindfulness towards us is a blessing. I am definitely a cranky old man, I can't help but to wonder how people can stand blasting loud music. I spent a little time looking at the ballot online for the upcoming election and was mostly interested in the candidates running for our city council. It looks like we are meeting up with the kids tomorrow. Mama did all the cooking today and made a pot of her infamous pasta sauce as well as boiled two one pound boxes of mostaccioli noodles and boiled a 3.8 pound slab of Saint Patrick's Day corned beef! It feels weird not to contribute to any of the cooking. The verse of the day is, "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). My hope and trust is in the Lord who will strengthen and uphold me with his righteous hand. He is our ever-present help in our time of need. It’s time to stop penning and to get ready for bed since we will be getting up early and go to Alex’s early in the morning. Prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude for God’s love and provisions.
14 March 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. I woke up excited for this new day with the expectation of exceptionally nice weather. It was so peaceful and relaxing listening to classical music this morning. Now that's what I'm talking about, it was already in the low 70s by noon! Albeit a tad windy for my liking, what can I say? After all we are in the month of March. We went to Alex's for our noontime meal. Mama made us croissant deli meat sandwiches with potato salad and fruit. I'm still enjoying a simple car ride in the sunshine, but I think the grayish blue sky was a little strange. Oh wow, the high ended up being in the upper 70s during the early evening; I actually could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I it is my understanding that a severe thunderstorm is heading our way and is expected to arrive sometime near midnight tonight, prayer for divine protection and intervention.
13 March 2025
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Thanks be to God for this new day a day the opportunity to be renewed. I must be insane because it got into mid 60s today and I opted to stay indoors at home all day. Mama went out this morning and got a haircut. She is a beautiful as ever. I made myself a healthy but rather bland lunch. I boiled baby carrots and a chicken breast. Since I was in a cooking mood, it was time for a dinner and a movie. I made us beef with pea pods and had it over steamed rice for dinner. Albeit we watch Wicked in the movie theater, we liked it so much that we bought the DVD.
12 March 2025
I am so glad that we went to bed early last night because we got up early to go for my blood work and out and about to the Sam's Club. We were surprised that gas was selling for $3.099 a gallon at the Shell station across from there because gas prices was showing it for twenty cents a gallon more on Google Maps everywhere in our area. Enjoying a car ride on a bright sunshiny never gets old as long as the sun isn't along the horizon. We went out to Alex's mid afternoon and by then it warmed up to around 60 degrees! Now I can see how it could possibly warm up into the mid 70s by Friday. Today was my fifth physical therapy session with my home physical therapist. She has been working with me twice a week. Two and a half pound may not sound like much, but it still feels like a lot of weight while doing my physical therapy leg exercises at this time. Starting next week I will be down to one session a week. I was surprised at my balance on one leg progress. Working on all these exercises daily is really starting to pay off. Oh no, we facetimed and saw that Isaac has a goose egg on his forehead from hitting his head on the school playground. Prayers for healing from his head trauma injury, a possible head concussion isn't to be taken lightly. Thanks be to God for this beautiful day, may there be more to come as spring approaches.
11 March 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. I finally got a took advantage of a day that I could sleep in and rest my weary body. It was good to yap on the phone with my brother this morning about this and that, mostly about health issues, he went through bypass surgery about two years ago. We went to the House of Emperor to pick up a carryout to bring over to Alex's our noontime meal. We want to spend as much time with him as possible before he moves later this month. It looks like we are on temperaturewise rollercoaster with the temperatures in the mid 50s today. But at least we get to enjoy another bright sunshiny day. It is hard to believe that we will I. The mid 70s by Friday. It was nice to get a wellness call from Emma this afternoon and a wellness call Henry. I am so blessed by so many of our friends and family who are so mindful of me. We enjoyed our time with our son; it is so sad that another one of children is moving out of state. May the Lord bless and keep him and may the Lord face shine on him and give him peace. The verse of the day is, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). When we delight in the Lord, our hearts will desire only to honor him. Truly the Lord will never forsake us. Anyway, I've got to stop penning and go to bed early because I have another fasting lab work appointment early tomorrow at the 95th Street Edwards Health Center.
10 March 2025
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Rejoicing in the gift of a new day, it is good to be alive. Albeit I knew that I was going to fast for lab work this morning, I didn't realize that we were getting up early and be out the door to go to Rush Copley at 7:30. I initally thought that I was going to get some extra rest this morning before heading out. Mmm, we split a very tasty croissant sausage and egg breakfast sandwich from Panera before going to the Sam's Club pharmacy. I love being out and about on this string bright sunshiny days with each day being a tad warmer than the day before. The verse of the day is, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). May the Holy Spirit guide, teach and transforms our character to become more Christlike.
9 March 2025
Thank you Lord for the gift of this new day. I can hardly wait, springtime is just around the corner and soon wintertime will be behind us. Of course I have to mention how I can't stand how we change the time twice a year. Getting up early two days in a row is actually taxing on this old body that is trying to recover and heal. After breakfast and taking my meds I surprised myself and fell asleep sitting upright and ended up reclaiming a hour sleep. We went to Alex's to sit Nala because he went to meet up with Andrea, Rob, Isaac, Peyton, as well as Sandy, Carl, Zack and Victoria at the Dave and Busters in Schaumburg. It is good to spend time with family especially before moving out of state for work. Personally, I'm not a fan of arcades because they are so noisy. I must have really been cooped up because I really have been really enjoying car rides on bright sunshiny days. It good to see a hint of green on the ground as the grass is moving away from being dormant. Needless to say, I enjoy spending time in Alex's house; I love all the natural light and the open space. I am beginning to wonder if my chest pain will ever go away. Lord, just say the word and I will be healed.
8 March 2025
Good morning sunshine! I am thankful for this new day. A look at the weather app revealed a three day climb temperaturewise. Albeit it is only in the mid 20s at this moment, we expect to be above freezing temperatures the remainder for at least this week anyway. Today's high will was supposed in the mid 40s, but it made it up into the low 50s, tomorrow the mid 50s and the day after the mid 60s! We got up early and was out the door by eight o'clock to pick up the cake from the Jewels before heading out to Alex's. I am so forward to seeing the kids. The gift of family is truly our greatest treasure, God is good. I enjoyed the car ride to Alex's, the sun was shining and the sky was a blue as can be. I made us the usual scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage links and heated up some store brought hom sui gok for our breakfast. Andrea was the one who ended up learning to make the beef chow fun. Clearly she not ready for Chinese stir frying because she is afraid of cooking with a high gas flame to get the needed wok hei. Sweet, after our noontime meal, Rob gave a short light shoulder massage because it isn't clear to us if I should be getting one during my healing and recovery period. After the cake we played with Isaac's birthday gift, a pair of radio control vehicle bumper cars. Albeit there is no doubt about my bias, I think our grand kids are the greatest. When I did my physical therapy exercises today, I spent extra time working on the balance standing one leg exercises. There remains a lot of room for improvement. I got a wellness call from my brother and from Peggy. I am blessed by their concerns and their mindfulness of my wellbeing. We stopped for gas on the way home; it was $3.09 a gallon. I'm still waiting and hoping for it to go under three bucks a gallon. Alex and Andrea gave Peyton a haircut and I think they did a great job because is cute as a button. When we got home, mama gave me a haircut, so happy haircut. Mama asked me rhetorically if I feel better now. Lol, of course I do, there is something about getting a haircut that that make one feel on top of the world. The verse of the day is, "the Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made" (Psalm 145:9). Lord help and guild me to live in a way that reflects your goodness and compassion. Thanks be to God, today was a very good day that was filled with joy and countless blessings.
7 March 2025
"Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath" (Matthew 24:20). This verse makes me think of the perilous times in our lives and the harshness of winter. Albeit we woke up to a gloom and doom looking day, waking up is always a good thing. I am most thankful for the gift of life. I was glad that we did not get the predicted overnight snow. We are not out of the woods yet, because the forecast calls for 1 to 2 inches of snow to end at 7 p.m. tonight. So far all we have been getting is a light drizzling rain. As it moved towards the noon hour, the rainfall turned into snowfall. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fond of cold or snow. Since we will be celebrating Isaac's birthday early this weekend, we decided we will make his favorite dish, gon chow ngau ho. I only sliced up the sheets of rice noodles and plan to teach Rob how to make the sauce and how to stir fry the noodles. Andrea last week requested that I make her chili, anything for my baby; we had that for our supper today. I am thrilled that albeit did snow today, there wasn't any accumulation. The verse of the day is. "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster (Joel 2:12-13). This verse is a good verse for the season of lent. Lord, I am a beggar and come with bent knee and render my heart to you in repentance and acknowledge my brokenness and need your forgiveness and restoration. Since I did a verse of the day, why not do a song of the day, Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry. Anyway, I need to get ready for bed because we need to get out the door early tomorrow to pick up the birthday cake we ordered for the birthday celebration. May God keep and bless him always. It is hard to believe that the not so little man is already going to be eight years old this month. Our lives are truly blessed, God is good and his faithfulness and steadfast love endures forever.
6 March 2025
Waking up in the morning is always a good thing, but there is something special about waking up to a bright sunshiny day. Lord, may your light guide my day and you’re your spirit bring me peace. Amen. Mmm, what a great start, mama made a fresh pot oatmeal and even tossed in a small piece of fish fillet in my savory bowl of porridge this morning. We went to my semi-annual primary doctor appointment. It was nice to be out for a car ride in the sunlight. I really am getting pushed hard by my physical therapist, but I think that it is really helping me get stronger and I am also seeing good progress with my balance. Lord, strengthen and heal me. Prayers for all my love ones.
5 March 2025
Albeit I woke up cool dreary day, there was joy in my heart. I am thankful for the gift of life and am fill with anticipation of seeing Alex flying back home some time this morning from Texas. It is hard to believe that he will be moving to Dallas in a couple of weeks. When Alex got back, Nala was super excited, howling and literally leaping for joy. Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent; it is time to reflection on our mortality and sinfulness as well as on faith and renewal. The verse of the day is, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread til you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). We are reminded of consequences of sin and the mortal nature of humanity is not eternal and that we will eventually die and decompose. Albeit death is a reality for everyone, thanks be to God for Christ, the curse of death will be overcome, and for those who trust in him will have eternal life. We went down to the basement and had Alex replaced the circuit breaker to the microwave, but the new replacement breaker tripped as well. We concluded that the microwave itself was the problem. After viewing a few YouTube videos, we took on the task of taking apart and troubleshooting the electrical circuit. Between mama, Alex and myself we narrowed it down to one of three door switches being stuck. We put everything back together and thanks be to God the microwave is working again! Oh wow, it transitioned from raining to snowing late afternoon. I was surprised but glad that mama ordered a fish and a tofu dish from the House of Emperor, it made for a fine supper.
4 March 2025
Thanks be to God for a peaceful night's rest and for the blessings of this new day. Albeit we will be raining on and off the entire day, I have no complaints, it is good to be alive. Am I seeing things, a week from now we are going to have a day in the 70? Really? I did physical therapy with the physical therapist today, these last two times have been really challenging with the strengthening exercises using two and a half pound ankle weights. Half the session was on strengthening exercises and the other half on balancing exercises. After my physical therapy session, I took short nap. I think that I am tire because I have been going to bed a little later at night. I boiled is ziti to have with mama's pasta sauce for our supper, so good. Nice, we facetimed with the kids, it always bring me great joy whenever we do these this video chat. Anyway, I got to stop penning and relax. The plan is to watch Trump address a joint session of congress later this evening. Prayers for our nation.
3 March 2025
I woke up to a gloom and doom looking day. Days like this use to be so depressing, as you get older you begin to count each new day as a blessing. Well at least the temperature is in not only above freezing, the expected high for the day is in the upper 40s. I know it's only the beginning of March, but I can hardly wait until spring is in the air. The verse of the day is, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness" (Psalm 37:3). Thanks be to God for his faithfulness. Truly we are to trust him and obey his precepts. It's not clear to me why I was tire this afternoon and ended up taking a short nap. I was blessed with two wellness calls, one from my sister and the other was from my brother. Hmm, the circuit breaker to the microwave kept tripping so Fawn went to Menards to buy a new one. It's a good thing that she thought it out and realized that we would need to reset all the electronics in the house and questioned how would we reset and reprogram the refrigerator and the thermostat, guess we will have do without the microwave and wait to swap out the circuit breaker when Alex gets back.
2 March 2025
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Rejoicing I am, it is good to be alive. I think the beauty of a new day is that we are renewed each new day; it is an opportunity for us to grow and do better the day before. God is so loving and merciful. I sun is so deceiving today, it is so cold. Hopefully it will warm up during the week. Today was pretty much a quiet and peaceful day and was a opportunity to reflect on how bountiful the Lord has dealt me and my love ones. God has truly showered us with grace upon grace. This journal entry has to be one of my earliest pens because I’m stopping to post and get ready for supper.
1 March 2025
Oh wow, we heard the wind hollowing big time as the temperature plummeted overnight. When we woke up this morning Alex was already on his plane to Texas. It weather was crazy this morning with gray skies and snowing, but within a hour the sun was out. Being so cold is not a good way to start off the month of March. I had mixed feelings about the day, it was sad that Alex flew out to sign a lease live in Dallas for work. That is the second of our three children who moved out of state. There was joy in my heart to Andrea, Rob and our grandkids. I was surprised that I was asked to make breakfast sausage links, our grandkids love eating them. Yummy, mama made her infamous pasta sauce, the house was nice and warm and smelled so good. It was nice to get a shoulder massage for Rob. I never knew how well Isaac can draw; he can draw amazing prehistoric creatures like my brother Bill. I had a great time playing matching mahjong tiles with both our grandkids. It is great how quickly they catch on learning to play new games. I was so glad the spent the entire day with us, often times they leave some time mid afternoon, but today they late and went out and bought dinner from Lucky Panda. Wow, what a feast! Rob bought way too much food. I especially enjoyed the curry tofu, I never ate that before and of course I overindulged. I am grateful for this day and for the gift of family. Being a senior citizen is weird time in life, I just learned that someone that we know is going to have bypass surgery this coming week. Prayers for a good outcome. Lord, heal our infirmities.
28 February 2025
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Thanks be to God for his steadfast love. I feel so much better in the morning when I go to bed early. I believe that resting plays a crucial role in healing and recovering from my surgery. "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14). There is a lot going on between resting my body at night and doing physical therapy during the day while taking all these different medications throughout the day. What another nice bright sunshiny day! It is my understanding that it will be near 60 degrees by mid afternoon! We stopped at Patio's to pick up some good eats on the way to Alex's for our noontime meal. Today was very much like yesterday, it was peaceful as can be as I was able to freely walk around the house and do my PT exercises. It was a joy to FaceTime. Yes, Isaac got another 10 out of 10 on this week's spelling test again. I can hardly wait until we can spend time with our family tomorrow.
27 February 2025
I lift my heart to you, O Lord, with gratitude. May my heart sing praises to your holy name throughout the day. This morning's oatmeal was pretty tasty; mama put some leftover chicken lettuce wrap in it. What a most beautiful day with blue skies and contrasting white clouds. It was good for me to go out for a drive to Alex's house. His home feels like a vacation home to me because I enjoy all the natural light that comes into his house. His house is more spacious than our home and I can walk. Gas was $3.099 a gallon, now I wondering can Trump can get it under three bucks a gallon at the pump. Mama steamed up some frozen dim sum for our lunch, but the taste of it seemed to be off and it wasn't all that, so disappointing. Being at Alex's gave mama an opportunity to go out and about and relax away from me. I am a blessed to have such a good and selfless wife. Today was a very good and peaceful day.
26 February 2025
Albeit I am still getting up a lot at night to use the washroom, I am getting my needed rest. I did the PT exercises that were required to be done while flat on my back before getting out of bed this morning. Looking out the windows, I see a complete overcast and we expect off and on showers for today and tomorrow. I am thankful for this new day and the gift of life. I think it the old Adam in us that keeps us from rejoicing in fullness of as new day without sunshine. I add a little curry chicken to my oatmeal again. Lol, it reminded me of how a friend described Indian food as looking like red, yellow or green gruel. Instead of doing PT sessions today, I am opting to go through the all the PT exercises a few at a time getting up often throughout the day. I thank God for strengthening and keeping me. It was most joyful facetiming with the kids.
25 February 2025
"Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun" (Ecclesiastes 11:7). Thanks be to God for the gift of life. I woke up a beautiful bright sunshiny day. The temperature was already in the low 40s and is forecasted high temperatures to climb into the mid 50s! Mmm, mama made a fresh pot of oatmeal this morning. Normally I have it with fresh blueberries, but I had it with curry chicken this morning for protein and I finished up breakfast with a little peach yogurt. We got a takeout from the House of Emperor to take to Alex's for our lunch. It was a blessing to be out for a car ride. I love the sunshine and seeing all the snow has melted. Initially I personally thought why spend all that money when you can just get good food from Panda Express, but I take that back, their beef tenderloin black pepper sauce and ther fish fillet with ginger was pretty tasty. We had both the home visiting nurse and the home physical therapist come today. Thanks be to God for the blessings of day. Prayers for a peaceful night's rest.
24 February 2025
Thanks be to God for the gift our new day. We got up super early and had oatmeal for breakfast and was out the door for our 9:30 appointment by 5:30. Yes it is worth leaving that early to avoid the sun in your eyes driving during the morning rush into the city. The RUSH University Medical Center is so huge because of all joining buildings. It requires a lot of walking to get around. I got in a PT session before my appointment. May the Lord continue to strengthen and restore my health. Thanks be to God that everything is appearing to be healing just fine. I am Fawn was by side or else it would have been overwhelming to go over all my new meds. We were out of the hospital by the noon hour and was thrilled that traffic back was moving at the speed limit. I had curry chicken with Cantonese pan fried noodles for lunch and then took an afternoon siesta. I got in my second PT session late afternoon. Mama made us one signature salads for supper. It’s not clear how healthy it is to be eating salads often, but it tastes so good. I think that I’ll do a few of my PT exercises before calling it a day. I am grateful for blessing of the day, God is good.
23 February 2025
Glory to God, the Lord is good! I couldn't have asked for a more homecoming than yesterday. Albeit I continued to wake up frequently at night because of the diuretics, I still managed to fall back asleep and get in good night's rest. We got up super early this morning to try to make a shift, because we will need to get up super early tomorrow morning to drive in the city to avoid the morning rush for post-op visit and a hospital follow-up appointment at the RUSH University Medical Center. I did two short PT sessions this morning and it worked out very well for me. Albeit I was indoors the entire day, it was good to see that the temperature was above freezing and the snow began melting. I thank God for the milder weather. I am so looking forward to the start of spring. The initial plan was to do two PT sessions this afternoon, but I ended up do three short ones instead. I thank God that I am able do continue to get stronger and build up more endurance. I feel bad that Fawn is doing everything around the house on top of caring for me. Mmm, mama made us really nice iceberg garden salad with strawberries, blueberries, grapes and hardboiled eggs. My second day at home was just as much of much of a blessing as yesterday. I am man in his element rejoicing in all of God’s gifts. May the Lord bless and keep us, may his face shine on us and give us peace. Anyway, off to bed super early.
22 February 2025
I woke up this morning with joy in my heart, thanking God for his steadfast love. Albeit today is still a breezy and chilly day, apparently it much better and less brutal than the past week. My morning joy was filled with the prospect of getting things together to finally go home. I am so thankful for Fawn helping me with the hospital rehab discharge which would have been overwhelming going over all my new medications. The kids asked if they could come down and welcome me home, albeit would be a great joy, I thought it would be best to slowly settle in. Being out in the sunshine on the ride home was really nice and had me reminiscing about when we were young and cruising in a car. The first thing we did was took a hot shower and that went really well. Mmm, there was Chinese carryout food refrigerator, so had a little of this and little of that. It is good to be back to eating four smaller meals a day than eating three larger ones. I did my first PT session at 2:30. After supper, I decided to login here and do a cut and paste of all my journal entries from my phone as well as post as my stream of consciousness thoughts for today. I can't speak well enough care that I have received for my heart issue from bypass surgery to this point in my rehabilitation, truly God has always and continues to bountifully deal with by entire being. I did my second at 6:30 and think it would good to see it three PT a day would be a good fit for me for the time being starting tomorrow. I'm not sure what I will be doing for the remainder of the evening other than to kick back and relax. Now that’s what I’m talk about, I’ll need pause from penning this journal entry, Andrea just initiated a FaceTime call… now my day is complete. It is always a joy to video chat with Andrea, Rob, Isaac and Peyton. I am grateful for all the blessings of the day. Homecoming is every bit as wonderful as I imaged it would be. I am amazed that I had my chest split open to make repairs on my heart and I am still alive. God showers me with grace upon grace.
27 January – 21 February 2025
1/27
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I am thankful for this new day for God's mercies and faithfulness. Bless the Lord, O my soul. I look at today's forecast and saw that it was a mere 16 °F and will soar into the low 40s. Our Midwest temperature swings on a given day are incredible. Sunny days and days those with above freezing temperatures are especially welcomed during the winter months. I have been penning my journal entries on my phone throughout the day and copy and pasting to Blogger at the end of day for some time, I will not be able to do that tonight because I am scheduled to check in to the Rush Medical Center today for bypass surgery tomorrow and the am expected to stay in hospital six to eight days. God willing, I will continue pen my journal entries beyond tomorrow and will be offering prayers of thanksgiving. My trust is in the Lord and his good plans for me. I was surprised that I haven't received a call for a check-in time this morning yet, so I gave the hospital a call and they said to just continue waiting for a call from them. I made us a spinach mushroom and egg omelet for lunch. Thanks be to God, I learned on the news the the rain doused the LA county wildfire! I suspect that is will be a daunting task to clean up and rebuild. Joy, I learned that niece is carrying their second child! The hospital finally called around 4 o'clock to let us know to come in for admittance. We drove to Alex's and he then drove us into the city. The drive in was nowhere as long as we expected even with the heavy congestion from the airport and beyond, city traffic is so horrendous. The hospital admitted me for a overnight stay and my bypass surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 7:15 a.m. had a view of the United Center and saw the large crowd exiting from the Bulls game. It's no wonder why I was admitted the night before my surgery, there were a ton of questions and a boat load of tests and constant monitoring. It is hard to believe that I will be having a major surgery that will open up my chest to perform heart bypass surgery. I am blessed and am comforted by the well wishes and intercessory prayers on my behalf. I am thankful for the hospitality of my hospital caregivers. A doctor from the cardiology department came by shortly after midnight with the results of the lab work and said that there was nothing prohibiting the surgery set for tomorrow morning. Prayers for safe travel for Alex and Fawn; for God's blessings for all the hospital medical team; for peaceful rest; for a good surgical outcome. My life has been truly bless for the Lord has dealt bountifully with me. My trust is in the Lord, may his will be done. Fawn, know that you are the love of my life. I love you more than anything. I am so blessed that has gifted me with good wife. I am thinking of you and my children, convey my love to Andrea, Rob, Isaac, Peyton, Alex, Jennifer and RJ. I am at peace under God's wings.
1/28
Thanks be to God for this new day. Albeit I was waken up for one thing or another every couple hours throughout the night, I still was able to immediately fall back asleep each time and feel well rested. The last time I was waken was around 5:15 a.m. Since I was expecting a customary visit from one of the assisting surgeons prior to the surgery at 6:15, I decided to pray and meditate on God’s word in the quite. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust" (Psalm 91:1-2). Lord, with me abide.
2/2
Today is the first day I am getting to pen a journal entry. Thank be to God l am alive. The recovery is taking longer to than I like. I am still un the ICU struggling with the breathing exercises and eating. Intercessory prayers for healing and recovery. It was nice of Rob, Andrea, Isaac, Peyton, Alex and Fawn to come visit me yesterday.
2/3
"But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed" (Matthew 8:8). God is my strength, Lord say the word and I will be healed. Bill drove Fawn down again into the city, it is good to have such a mindful brother that is always so mindful of me and my children. Last night because of all my pain, I mused about death and dying. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:6). The Lord is my hope and my salvation.
God is good, his steadfast love endures forever. I woke up excited for the day; I will be graduating from the cardiac rehab program. I ate oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa before heading out to my final cardiac rehab session. I suspect that I will slowly lose the three pounds that I have gained during the past three months from eating more before going to rehab to prevent low blood sugar levels during and after rehab. I felt the heat and high humidity as soon as I stepped out into the garage. According to the weather app today's high will be in the low 90s. My pre session blood sugar level was 212 and my post session blood sugar level was 130. I began my session with a five minute warm up on the NuStep before doing a scoring six minute walk. I increased my initial walking speed by 27%! I went on the treadmill 3@2%. My max heart rate was 91. I really enjoyed exercising with the group and thought the staff was fantastic. I'm not sure how I will be maintaining my post program exercises moving forward yet. Portillo's is celebrating National Hot Dog Day today; mama got me their Chicago style hot dog for $1 for my lunch. I love eating hot dogs, but mama won’t allow me to eat them very often, but today she allow me to eat one to celebrate graduating my phase 2 cardiac rehab. Lord, bless my family and friends with your loving care; put aside every malady and infirmity.
15 July 2025
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Only God’s presence and steadfast love can bring us joy. I woke up this morning with great anticipation and rejoicing in the day. We went out the door early, mama had an early haircut appointment. We stepped out to a hot and humid day, it was already muggy at the start of the day. I looked at Google Map and I was happy to see it showed the cheapest tier one day in the area was at the Shell station by our house, we got gas for $3.269, that is a huge drop from last week's price. We dropped off our car at the dealership for a oil change and had them look at the brakes. I'll be stunned if it doesn't need a break job. My brother picked us up and we went out to eat. I am surprised that he wanted to go to Denny's because none of have eaten there for many years for no particular reason other than in is no longer conveniently located. I ordered their super slam and thought that it was just so-so. We went to do a mall walk; I am surprised that the mall hasn't closed down yet. I was prepared to pay just under a thousand dollars but the bill ended up to be twelve hundred because I had a few other maintenance things done to our car. I was looking at the latest college football ranking and was happy to see that Notre Dame was not only ranked but is a top ten team. I was looking at the Notre Dame schedule, if they can get pass Miami and Texas A&M without getting too banged up it can possibly be 12-0 season and a favorable playoff bracket. I am excited that the fighting Irish is going to play two SEC teams this season. If they can come on top in both the game, people may stop talking about Notre Dame having easy schedules. I easily got a ten thousand plus steps day in today. It has been a while since I've done that on a non rehab day. Thanks be to God for my big brother, he has always been there for me and my family, my day is complete, God is good.
14 July 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. Albeit the sun is out the sky is hazy again for the wildfire. It is hard to believe that we have been getting rain at least two or more times a week that there are areas were we still having wildfires. Unlike yesterday, today is supposed to be a hot and humid day in the 90s. This is the last full week of cardiac rehab. I ate yogurt, oatmeal, and a steak and egg sandwich before going to session 35 of 36. My pre blood sugar level was 172 and my post blood sugar level was 107. My max heart rate was 95. I started off my session on the NuStep 48Watts @6. To my surprise, they had me hop on the Elliptical 30Load@1 but I was only 5 minutes on the Elliptical before I was huffing and puffing. Normal I do start off with a five minute warm up and do ten minutes on all the exercises. After taking a couple of minutes to catch my breath, I got on the treadmill 3@2% and then finished the session on the Arm Ergometer 22Watts @2.5. It's looking good for the Irish to be strong playoff contenders again this year. Albeit the team seem to get pretty beat up pretty bad during the course of the season, I hope the Notre Dame talent depth like in past years, remains. I can hardly wait until the start of the season.
13 July 2025
O happy day! I woke up in good cheer grateful for the new day and knowing that I get to see and spend time with family, my family brings me the greatest joy. Albeit the sun is out this morning, the sky is hazy from the wildfires. Sigh, huge wildfires in Canada, California and now in Colorado. Mama went out to the Jewels early this morning to buy groceries with our grandkids in mind; she came back with fresh fruit, pastries and a couple of ribeye steaks. I started off the day making our brunch with the usual breakfast sausage links, hash browns and scrambled eggs. I think Isaac and Peyton were happy to see me pan fry up two bone-in ribeye steaks. It's been a long while since I eaten steak and eggs with hash browns and toast, now that's meal fit for a king! Nice, I had lone time with both our grandkids while mama and Andrea went out and about and Rob did yard work. We watched a Peppa Pig cartoon. I find it interesting how transfixed Isaac and Peyton become when they are watching a cartoon. Afterward Rob and I took the kids out to the park. Peyton wanted to go to the Village Green Park and I Isaac wanted to go to the Gregory B. Bott Park, so super dad took them to spend a little time at both parks. First we stopped on the way Village Green Park since it was closer and on the way. They went on the swings, splash pad and climbed the fort. Then we went to Gregory B. Bott Park mainly to run on the 40 yards track with a timer and doing the ninja warrior obstacle course. It was a super nice day to be at park with a nice summer breeze in the low 80s. I was surprised when we got back a couple hours later from the park, the ladies bought takeout from the Olive Garden. The verse of the day is, “When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord" (Proverbs 19:3). The wisdom in proverb is to remind us that we are responsible for our own foolish actions and not to shift the blame to others and to God. I feel so very blessed, today was a very good day, God is good.
12 July 2025
I am grateful for this new day, it looks like we had overnight rain again. Yummy, mama made us a super salad for our noontime meal. Mama took everything that was in the refrigerator and tossed it into the salad. Today was a lazy doing nothing day that I stayed indoors because of the drizzling rain. I worked on the jigsaw puzzle for a couple hours. The sun did eventually come out late afternoon. I made us stir fried beef with bitter gourd, albeit I think bitter gourd is one of that is either an acquired taste or one of those love it or hate it tasting vegetable that is good for you. Our grandson called to see if they could come for a visit tomorrow, I wish he would have called earlier so that we could have went grocery shopping at the Chinese supermarket and I could have cook them a homemade meal. Regardless I’m so thrilled they want to come and visit us. Our children and grandchildren are greatest joy. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
11 July 2025
I woke up in the middle of the night to the thunderous sound of heavy rain beating on the roof and against the window pane, it is good that I can instantly fall back asleep within a matter of minutes. Albeit it was still drizzling when I woke up, I was in good cheer and ready to face the day with God’s blessings. I ate yogurt, oatmeal with blueberries and a char sui boa before heading out to session 34 of 36 of my cardiac rehab. It is hard to believe that my three months of phase 2 cardiac rehab has gone by so quickly and is nearly complete. My pre blood sugar level was 213 and my post blood sugar level was 115. I started my session on the treadmill 3@2%, that seemed so easy because that the first exercise. I then did the arm Ergometer, I'm not sure if the bumped it up this time or last, but I did 36Watts @3. I ended the session on the PhysioStep 36Load @4. My max heart rate was 94. Agrr, we stopped and got gas for $3.659 a gallon. Clearly, this POTUS isn't doing any better in curbing the high gas price at the pump. I don't know why the melody, How Deep is Your Love, came to mind last night. I just played the song on YouTube. I thought that most people who made a cover on the song were better than the original. Mama made me a really nice salad for dinner; it's the third time that I had a salad for a meal this week!
10 July 2025
I woke up to morning joy evermore grateful for the gift of life. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love. I loved at the weather app early this morning like I do most days, it look like it will warm up again into the upper 80s. I am especially cheerful whenever I wake up to a bright sunshiny day. The verse of the day is, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content" (Philippians 4:11). Prayers for contentment in our Lord’s presence. Talk about a downpour, I can’t believe how hard the rain came down this evening. I took the time to registered our new laptop and of course nothing was intuitive, but I gotrdun. I spent some more time exploring the features our new laptop and think that our new laptop is more than adequate for home use, our previous laptop was definitely an overkill. I give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus.
9 July 2025
We woke up to grey overcast sky, but it didn't take long before the skies cleared up and it turned into another beautiful morning that seems to be very much like yesterday. I was hoping that today would be a tad cooler from the torrential overnight downpour. Happy birthday to my darling wife! The verse of the day is, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22). Thanks be to God who bless me with not just any wife, but with a beautiful good wife. It is most certainly true, good wife good life. I ate oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa before heading out to my cardiac rehab session 33 of 36. My pre session blood sugar level was 209 and my post blood level was 124. I started my cardiac rehab session on the PhysioStep and they bumped up load and I pushed hard 50Watts @5. Next I got on the treadmill 3@2% and finished my session on the NuStep Arms 48Watts @5. We went to the Mission BBQ to celebrate mama's birthday. This was the first time we ever visited this restaurant chain. We ordered their three meat sampler, doubling up on the brisket and getting pulled chicken and opted for the baked beans, corn bread and french fries sides. It was way more than we could eat and had to box a ton of leftovers. Now I know why it was $$$, you need to go there with a big appetite. When noontime came about, everyone in the restaurant stopped and rose, faced the flag and sung our national anthem with great pride. I always assumed that the restaurant theme would be a like a southwest church like mission, now I know it has to do with the military. I thank God for the men and women servicing and have served in our armed services.
8 July 2025
We woke up to another beautiful morning that seems to be very much like yesterday, but a tad warmer with the highs in the mid 80s. That's still a lot better than being in the 90s. We went out and about shopping in the Joliet area and I was able to walk around comfortably outdoors. We have been looking into buying a new laptop for several months, today we went to Best Buy and pulled the trigger and took advantage of their Black Friday Sale. We stopped at Domino's on the way back, I had two Domino's gift card from a Andrea and Rob, I think one was for my birthday and the other was for Father’s Day. I had a taste for their honey barbecue chicken wings and we wanted to try out their Philly cheesesteak sandwich for my noontime meal... it was just OK, I think a Portillo's Italian beef sandwich is way better. Needless to say, I spent the much of the day updating and familiarizing myself to our new laptop. I also exercised my brain coding the framework for new html home page. The verse of the day is, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:16). Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner. Heal our bodies and soul. Truly, if we confess our sins and repent, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
7 July 2025
I thank God for this new day. It was quite last night, no fireworks! So we only had to endure the noise on the 3rd and 4th. Years past we had the sound of fireworks for an entire week. Today is a cardiac rehab day, so I began bulking up with a slice of toast and watched the morning news and sighed at the traffic update reporting on all the congested traffic being caused by all the new road construction, because we will need to drive to city to the Rush Medical Center at the end of the month. I ate big bowl of oatmeal and a char sui boa before heading to session 32 of 36. My pre blood sugar was 201 and post session blood sugar dropped all the way down to 93. I started my session on the recumbent bike 52Watts @4, then I got on the the arm Ergometer 24 Watts @2.5 and finished my session on the treadmill 3@2%. My max heart rate was 99. Today was a really nice day weatherwise, as far a summer days goes. The high temperature of the day was in the low 80s. That is as good as it gets for the month of July. Happy haircut! Yessir, mama did a great job and I'm feeling pretty good. I have to pause from penning because our grands just FaceTime up! … Music to my ears, “You’re the best grandpa ever, grandpa!” I think it had something to do with saying that they like the gon chow ngau ho I made them. The verse of the day is, "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers” (Proverbs 17:6). Sweet, Andrea and Rob are on cloud nine, they both were notified that a remarkably high number of their AP student passed their AP exam! That must be such a rewarding feeling sense of accomplishment. God continues to deal bountifully with me.
6 July 2025
Beautiful morning God, Christ first! What an awesome start, I made us scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage links and hash browns. After breakfast, Rob went out to do some yard work in the cool of the morning while I started on my big cook; I made a bunch of food for Andrea to take home. I started off making Cantonese pan fried noodles. To go with the noodles, I made beef with pea pods for Andrea and I made Chinese broccoli for Rob. I also made Rob his usual spicy tofu, but Peyton like that now too. I then I made up gon chow ngau ho for our noontime meal and there was plenty left over for the grandkid to eat at home later in the week. Andrea and Rob went to pick up Isaac from his cousin's and bring back Chinese takeout as a celebratory birthday dinner from the House of Emperor. Yummy, nothing beats a tiramisu birthday cake and our grandkids cheerfully leading the happy birthday song. Love it that FaceTime works well at time like today. The verse of the day is a beautiful evening prayer, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2). Thanks be to God for his steadfast love and protection, he is our refuge and strength, and we can most certainly find security in him.
5 July 2025
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). I woke up thankful for God's gift of life. It is destined to be filled with opportunities for joy, strength and peace. Silly me, I was totally wrong about the curbing of fireworks this year. The setting off celebratory 4th of July fireworks went on last night into the wee hours. Albeit I knew it was going to be another hot and humid day ahead of us, I checked the weather app to see if we can expect any chance of rain for the day. It is weird to see a grayish translucent sunshiny early this morning, but it did eventually turn into somewhat bluish gray day. When stopped by Jewels to buy some fried chicken wings and some cupcakes to bring to my sister's holiday weekend family gathering. I thank God for our joyful family gatherings. You got to love fusion food and the sound of Chinese mahjong. It was first time sat in on a game in the longest while. They were desperate for a fourth player to ask me to sit in. Clearly this was a fast pace game that I am not very good at. Isaac is staying overnight at his cousin's and Peyton and her parents are staying overnight with us. I was blown away when Peyton offered to share a piece of her Chunky candy. Some may think that this small gesture maybe seemingly insignificant is actually huge and it lit up my heart with joy. When Andrea was a little girl, I use routinely buy a Chunky candy bar to share with her as our special treat, now it seems she is doing likewise with her baby girl. The blessings didn't end there, I got to battle with Peyton playing with lightsabers as well as playing Hungry Frog before getting ready for bed. Today was a very good day, God is good.
4 July 2025
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!" (Psalm 33:12). Happy Independence Day! I give thanks for God’s goodness to us as a nation. America, America, God shed hid grace on thee. Lord, I pray that this nation returns to you. I'm not a fan of fireworks. I am so grateful and proud to be and American and am bewildered by those who don't feel the same way that I do. Albeit there were fireworks set off by local municipalities, it was brief and we didn't get the usual few neighborhoods that seem to enjoy setting off their own fireworks. I'm guessing that the tariff on China and supply chain issues is curbing the use of fireworks. Mmm, mama out done herself making us one of her outstanding signature salads for our noontime meal, so good! Bob and Jean stopped by for short visit this afternoon with their grandkids and gifted Fawn with a batch of chocolate chip cookies that Bob makes from scratch to her to celebrate her upcoming birthday, his cookies are delicious. Mama took out a small container of her pasta sauce from the freezer and I boiled half a box of farfalle noodles to go with it for our dinner. My taste buds were doing the happy dance, because mama's pasta sauce is exceptionally good.
3 July 2025
Bless the Lord my soul. I woke up this morning rejoicing in day and for the gift of life. Omelet of the first thing mama said this morning was that we need to go to the Chinese supermarket. I rhetorically ask what for. She told me that our daughter called last night and placed a food request. She knows that I am more than happy to oblige. I am glad that our children enjoy and find comfort in my cooking. I look at weather app and it looks like it's going to be a long hot summer, especially for this 4th of July weekend. It's tough being old; I can't stand the hot summers or the cold winter's. I got ambitious and mowed the grass out front this morning; the cool of the day was anything but. I had to peel my t-shirt off after I was done. Since we out to Park To Shop for Chinese groceries, I decided to reward myself by going to Patio's to do lunch. I had taste for their fish and chip. Albeit we think their food really good, we always split a meal and wonder how people are able to eat their huge portions in a single sitting. We went to Marshall's after our noontime meal and got a little walking in while mama did some shopping. Next, we went to Best Buy, mama wanted a shorter phone charging cable while I looked at all their different laptops. Needless to say, I was sticker shocked. Albeit the sky wasn't the bluest of blue, it was noticeably blue and more beautiful than it has been in the longest while because of stupid wildfires. I'm glad we found all the needed and then some. Our grandkids will most certainly I'll be doing the happy dance. I still don't get what is behind the naming of that Chinese supermarket. It’s funny how the mind wanders from one thing to another. I gave muse to the 4th of July and the Revolutionary War and somehow ended up thinking about Charles Dickens dichotomy between London and Paris during the French Revolution. I think it applies to what we are going through in our own nation now as I continue to hear negative spins, even when the circumstances are favorable. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only". Mmm, I made us pan fried bone-in pork chops for dinner. I say that today was very good eating day. Thanks be to God for the gift of food.
2 July 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Thanks be to God. I love bright sunshiny days. Today will be session 31 of 36 of my phase 2 cardiac rehab. I wonder what I will do after I graduate mid month for exercise. I ate yogurt, oatmeal and a bagel to bulk up. My pre blood sugar was 206 and my post session was 142. I started my session on the NuStep 80Watts @6. Next, I went to the Arm Ergometer 24Watts @2.52 I really appreciate the only upper body workout that improves my cardiovascular fitness, strength, and endurance especially after working out the NuStep. I finished on my session on the treadmill 3@2% and got my max heartbeat up to We stopped for gas and was met with a modest gasoline tax increase, but I don't care for Illinois having the 3rd highest excise tax on gasoline. What is a 1.3¢ increase compared to the high gas price $3.439? After lunch we went to Comcast Xfinity store to return their TV box and reduce their internet speed. I think that we should have did that years ago. Yum, mama made us one of her signature salads for our dinner. I am glad she us doing that more often again, not only is it is healthy, it is delicious. Thanks be to God for his bountiful gifts.
1 July 2025
Morning joy on the start of another new day and month. My foolishness seems to never cease, I wake up at the same time every day to take my meds, so why did I stay up past my bed time? Dumb... I surprised myself and pruned back one of the bushes in the morning shade and cool. I only did a so-so good enough job and want to do a first pass on all the shrubbery for going back. Yard work becomes a little more challenging each pasting year for sure. We went grocery shopping at Meijers and Jewels where I did my morning walk. I don't get to eat hot dogs that often, but we're feeling the 4th of July vibes today. I pan fried us hot dogs for lunch and even had a slice of apple pie and watermelon! I finally got around to updating Alex’s I-PASS license plate information. I swear nothing is ever well thought out or intuitive, the steps involved to update the information is… I made us beef with pea pods over steamed rice for dinner.
30 June 2025
Happy Friday, God is good! Albeit there is a mix of clouds and sunshine this morning, according to the weather app, we can expect a hot and humid day with the possibility of severe thunderstorms to move in later in the day. Today is cardio rehab day and I am nearing the end of by phase 2 cardiac rehab. Today's session will be session 30 of 36. Lol, it is Ike waiting for graduation. I ate yogurt, oatmeal, char sui boa, cantaloupe and blueberries. It was a good thing mama had me before heading out because my pre blood sugar level was 207 and my post blood sugar level dropped down to 119. I started out my session on treadmill and was comfortable walking a 3@2% pace. Then I got on the PhysioStep 36Watts @4 and finished my cardio rehab session bumping up the workload on the Arm Ergometer 20Watts@2.5. It is God who gives me strength. Mmm, mama made up salad for supper. It's been a while since we ate one of mama’s magnificent salad. Thanks be to God for the blessing of the day.
29 June 2025
Christ first! Praise God, his steadfast love endures forever. Today was too hot of a day for me to go and about even for a short while. It became quite a boring day, so I broke apart the China jigsaw puzzle and put all the pieces back into it's original box. I finally broke open and sorted out the border tabs of the two thousand piece Main Street Bakery puzzle mama gifted for my birthday. I helped out a little with the vacuuming; the operative words were 'helped' and 'little'.
28 June 2025
I woke up energized thanking God for this new day. I went out back and mow the grass in the back yard first thing in the morning in the cool of the day. I can't say enough good things about our Kobalt 80-volt self propelled electric lawn mower. It is every good and powerful as a Briggs and Stratton gas powered lawn mower without me breathing the exhaust. The mulching works really good for me because I do a Slowskey walk behind anyway. The variable speed control is a great feature. The hvac technician came this morning and did the ac tune-up and we are good to go for the summer season! I spoke with my brother and my sister this week and rejoice in that all is well considering our season in life. The 4th of July weekend is coming and there will be a family gathering, I can hardly wait. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
27 June 2025
Thanks be to God for the gift of life. Today is cardio rehab day so bulked up on cold cereal, yogurt and a char sui boa and a couple of belVita breakfast cookies before heading out to cardio rehab. My pre session blood sugar was 165 and my post session blood sugar level was 98. I started my cardio rehab session on the treadmill and they bumped me up 3@2%. I was able to meet the challenge without any difficulty. I'm guessing that was because it was the first machine I started on. Then I did the PhysioStep 36Watts @4 and finished the session on the NuStep 54Watts @6. My max heart beat was 92. Thanks be to God who gives me strength. Mmm, good eats mama surprised me and picked us a couple of char-broiled hamburgers from Portillo's, I ate half of that bad boy for lunch and the other half for dinner. Thanks be to God for all his benefits that he affords to me and my family, this steadfast love endures forever and ever.
26 June 2025
These hot days of summer is something, but waking up to them is better than not. I am grateful for each and every day. The gas price spike from middle east tensions finally made it's way to the gas pumps in our area, gas was $3.699 a gallon, agrr. Yessir, 2026 Recruiting Class keep getting better and better, 5 Star Joey O'brien. This upcoming and the next season looks like it shaping up nicely for Fighting Irish. We went to my followup doctor's appointment with my Nephrologist. It's tough being old and seeing so many different doctors and having so many things ailing you. Thanks be to God that things are stable and that I my next appointment is in six months with blood monitoring every two months. "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14).
25 June 2025
Albeit waking gray skies and a warm dreary ahead of us, I am grateful for the gift of this new day. One would think that that the overnight rain would have brought us some succor from the heat and humidity. Funny how I need to pen what I eat on cardio rehab days to try to ensure that I bulk up enough to raise my blood sugar level high enough to avoid having low blood sugar during and after my cardio rehab session. I ate yogurt, oatmeal and half a jalapeño bagel. It is interesting that my pre cardio rehab session blood sugar level was 192 and that my post session blood sugar level dropped all the way down to 98. I started my session on the Recumbent Bike and then the NuStep Arms only and finished off my session on the treadmill. I was surprised to see that my max heart rate was 80. Mmm, I made us frozen store brought pot stickers for lunch. I think that they taste far better than any restaurant made that I have ever come across. Prayers for all my love ones for good health and healing.
24 June 2025
Oh wow, it just dawned on me that we are four days past the longest day of the year. Despite the day apparently will once again be a scorcher, I will rejoice in it and praise the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever and ever. We went out and about and stopped at a few stores on the way to the doctor's office in Oakbrook and I was able to do an indoor morning walk. Albeit is a little far, it sure beats the heck of driving all the way into the city. It was really nice walking in the Target store, but it was like a refrigerator inside the TJ Maxx, so I walked in the shaded area alone the storefronts. Albeit the sky wasn't the bluest of blue, it was bluer than it has been since the start of the Canadian wildfires several months ago. While in the waiting room waiting to see my cardiologist, I prayed the following psalm: "Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:23-26). God is truly my glory and portion, his ever presence and love surpasses every fleeting earthly things. My cardiologist was ok with my rehab and saw no red flags and that he will reevaluate me again in August after my stress test at the end of July. "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14). When we got back home mama had fry up some mini Italian sausage links, they went so well with her spaghetti. We went out for tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana for our supper; I love it whenever suggests that we go out to takeout tacos from there. It was nice to FaceTime with the kids at the end of the day, even though it was for a brief time. I learned today that Peyton tried some of the spicy tofu that I made for Rob and liked it. I was surprised that she think that is was very spicy at all.
23 June 2025
Happy Monday! Praise God for start of another new day. May the peace of the Lord be with us. Today is cardio rehab day; it is hard to believe that I am three quarters away into phase 2. I am so thrilled that I made 3 mph on the treadmill a reality during my last session. Mmm, yogurt with fresh blueberries was a good way to start the day, I continued to bulking up this morning with oatmeal and half a steak and egg sandwich. I was surprised and a little concerned that my pre session blood sugar was only 167, but that turned out to be alright because my session’s post blood sugar level was 102. I started my cardio rehab session on the NuStep and then hopped on the treadmill. I struggled a little on the treadmill and was surprised that my max heart beat rose up to 102. I finished up my cardio rehab session n the Arms Ergometer. We were surprised to see that Shell station by our house was still selling gas for $3.259 a gallon, because of the escalated military unrest in middle east. We are anticipating gasoline prices to sharply rise, so we pulled in and got a whopping 3.3 gallon fill up, funny how the mind works. I started to say the word of the day is 'sauna', but it has well in the 90, hot and humid, for the past four days. I boiled linguine noodles to go with mama's pasta sauce for lunch. I can't rave enough about just how good her sauce is. LOL, I just got a video from our our grandkids making their food request. Apparently Isaac and Peyton ate up all the gon chow ngau ho and steak for their noontime meal in a single sitting and is asking for more. It brings me great joy to see my love ones appreciate the love that I put into the food that I prepared for them. I have an appointment with my cardiologist tomorrow, prayers that my meeting will reveal recovery and good health. Lord, only say the word, and I shall be healed.
22 June 2025
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:1-5). Thanks be to God for all his benefits to me, his steadfast love endures forever. I love the morning's light and am grateful for each new day. The morning's light always brings to mind, Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Praise the one who breaks the darkness with his liberating light. Mama went to the Jewels to get pastries, I know she always has Peyton in mind. I saw that that we are under a heat advisory, it is supposed to be crazy hot again today in the upper 90s. I had a lot going on this morning from the get go prep cutting up the rice noodle sheets for our noontime meal and frying up a really nice porterhouse steak for Isaac to take home for later in the week. I only made breakfast sausage links and scrambled eggs to go with the doughnuts. It was nice seeing Uncle Bob going on their local annual fishing outing with the grandkids. Looks like the fish were biting and everyone had a good time. Peyton ended catch the biggest fish. It was nice having Bob and Jean join us for lunch, I stir fried us gon chow ngau ho our noontime meal. For some reason, I was talking to Uncle Bob about a Notre Dame Football's 2026 Shamrock Series game when they will face Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, now I'm all fired up and we're still 70 days away from their first game of the season against Miami. Rob is one tough cookie; I was surprised that he was able to mow Alex's entire lawn in a single go in the high heat and humidity. And of course the job he did was spectacular as usual. Dang, it's almost seven o'clock in the evening and it's still 91 °F. The day is almost over and I thank God for the blessings of the day and for world peace.
21 June 2025
We woke up to a bright sunshiny day and went for lab work at the Edwards Outpatient Center in Plainfield first thing in the morning, it is by far the best place to have that done. It looks like we are going to be in for an extreme heat wave. I looked at ten day forecast on the weather app and saw no relief whatsoever. Lord, have mercy. It is kind of sad that we haven't seen a blue sky since the outbreak of the Canadian wildfires. I was only able to mow the grass in the front and sides of the house this morning because it was too hot and humid even during the cool of the day. I can tell that will take me two goes to mow the backyard. How hot and humid was it? I had to peel off my t-shirt because it was completely soaked. After lunch we prep all the fresh fruit and vegetables and cut the sheets of rice noodles for tomorrow. I cooked a bunch of food for Andrea, Rob, and our grandkids to take home to enjoy. I made them spicy tofu, stir fried the beef with Chinese broccoli and Cantonese style pan fried noodles. We went across the street to celebrate Devin's high school graduation party, crazy how quickly time flashes by seemingly like a moment. It was good to gather and bond with all our neighbors. The news of the, U.S. attacks three nuclear sites in Iran, is dominating the news cycle. I believe that the world has become a little bit safer now that Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan have been totally obliterated. Enriching uranium close to weapon grade level and in large quantities by a rogue state that support militant groups is problematic. One has to take people who chant, “Death to America” has to be taken seriously. Lord be with us in the broken and troubled world.
20 June 2025
"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). Indeed it is good to continually acknowledge God's steadfast love and faithfulness throughout the day. It looks like it wants to rain at anytime, but things are supposed to clear up later in the day. I bulked up this morning with yogurt, cold cereal with raspberries, and char sui boa before heading out to my cardio rehab session. I initially thought that my pre blood sugar 205 was pretty good, but my post blood sugar level ended up 92. I'm guessing that was because I had a pretty good workout. I started my session out on the recumbent bike 52 Watts @4, and then got on the NuStep machine 76Watts @6 and the ambitiously finished my cardio rehab session on the treadmill and bumped it up to 3@1.5%! Albeit three miles per hour is considered a brisk pace, it was very doable because I was only on the treadmill for ten minutes and my max heart beat was 96 bpm. We got a takeout from the House of Emperor for our noontime meal, egg rolls, sesame chicken and chicken fried rice. I think that their food has gotten better and consistent, but has gotten pretty pricey. The sun came out and it got hot and muggy really quick. Andrea called asked mama if she can make her infamous pasta sauce for her, so we went to Jewels to buy all the needed. She also found a nice ribeye steak for Isaac. He kind of reminds me of my brother, is it a coincidence that they are both left-handed and that they both love to eat steak. when we got back home, mama had me brown the grounded beef so that she could make her sauce, mmm, the house smells so good. I can hardly wait until this weekend to see our grandkids. Be with us Lord.
19 June 2025
How great is your goodness, O Lord, I am grateful for this new day. It was hard to believe that it was still raining this morning, but just like that, the sky cleared up and we ended up having a hot and humid day. We went out and about to the Fox Valley area and I did my morning walk in the Burlington store. We gas up and we were surprised to see the Shell gas station by our house still selling gas for $3.259 a gallon, because every place else was selling for gas for about 40¢ a gallon more. We split a burger from Portillo's for lunch. It's been a while since we did that, so good. Lol, I was so excited about the hamburger that I almost forgot to ask for my slice of birthday cake freebie. After lunch we went to the Chinese supermarket and found scored on rice noodles and Cantonese style chow mein noodles. We also found some decent gai lan. Then I did a little more walking at Walmart. The good eats didn't stop there; I pan fried bone-in pork chops for our supper. Since I was so close to doing a ten thousand plus steps day, I made it a point to make that happen. Joy came in the evening when the kids called to FaceTime. I wore the Apple EarPods that Jennifer gifted me a while back and had forgotten how exceptionally good the headphone plug is.
18 June 2025
Kaboom! The intense thunder claps, rumbling and torrential rain rolled in around midnight, thanks be to God that it only stayed around for about an hour and we are safe. I ate yogurt, oatmeal, and pancake with fresh blueberries before heading out to my cardio rehab session. Albeit I only have gained a couple of pounds in two months, I hate eating so much food at one sitting. I feel so uncomfortably full. My pre session blood sugar was 216 and post session blood sugar was 149. I started my cardio rehab session on the PhysioStep then worked on my arms on the Arm Ergometer and then finished my cardio rehab session on the treadmill. I'm glad that we got back before the rain moved in. It is hard to believe how quickly the sky turned so dark and how hard it started to rain. Once again there was a lot of thunderous claps and rumbling. I made us fried egg sandwiches. I don't really like fully cooked eggs but every time there is news about recalls for salmonella puts me on edge. I have been musing about the growing tension not only in our country but also globally, especially the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, rising tensions between China and Taiwan, and now the evermore on the Middle East instability, Prayers for world peace. Lord, teach us your precepts.
17 June 2025
Bless the Lord, O my soul, open my heart and mind to know thee. I am grateful for this new day. B It looks like it's going to be a warm one in the upper 80s. I actually think it will get much warmer than that because it was already in the low 80s when we stepped out the door early this morning. Initially we were planning to do lunch with my brother on Wednesday, but since the weather forecast is now calling for a thunderstorm tomorrow, we decided to meet up this afternoon instead. Nice, mama bought me a new adjustable cap. I did my morning walk inside the Kohls before heading to the IHOP. I ordered their country fried steak and was only able to about half the meal. I always enjoy breaking bread with family. After our noontime meal, we went to IKEA and got in a few more steps and bought a few items with my $10 IKEA birthday freebie gift certificate. We FaceTime with the kids and all is well. Thanks be to God for safe travel, God is good.
16 June 2025
I went to bed early last night so that I could get a full night's rest. Thanks be to God for this new and refreshing day. I woke up early to roll out the garbage and recycling bin to the curbside. Achoo! Sigh; here we go again, my poor sinuses. The low pressure light came on, so we took the car to Discount Tire, both the rear tires were a few pounds under pressure. Thankfully there were no tire puncture issues. I bulked up this morning with yogurt, oatmeal, half a jalapeño bagel and a char sui boa for breakfast before going to my cardio rehab session. My pre session blood sugar was 191 and post blood sugar was 124. I felt really pretty good this morning and started my session on the NuStep and thet increased the load 76Watts @6, I stayed on on the NuStep and did Arms only 52Watts @4 and the finish the session on the treadmill. Since I was still feeling energetic, I walked 2.8@1.5%! Initially, I thought that I was setting a high bar on one of my cardio rehabilitation goals high of walking 3.0 mph on the treadmill, now at two-thirds of the way in phase 2, I think that I should be able to achieve that goal. Thanks be to God who gives me strength. I hid indoors from the hot humid weather all afternoon. Happy haircut! I don't know what it is about getting a awesome haircut from mama that always makes me super good, but it definitely does. Yummy, I made us stir fried beef with green beans for dinner. God is good, life is good. May we look for the good path and walk in the light back to Eden.
15 June 2025
Happy Father's Day! "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him" (Psalm 103:13). God is a loving and compassionate caring father, God is good! It doesn't take much to satisfy my taste buds; I tossed in a frozen Home Run Inn sausage and pepperoni pizza. Adding pineapple chunks to the pizza made that bad boy even tastier. I am happy that all my kids called to wish me a happy father's day. I am like most fathers; all I want is for my children to love each other and to love God. The verse of the day is, "The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him" (Proverbs 23:24). Thanks be to God for all my righteous children.
14 June 2025
Thanks be to God, I am grateful for the gift of another new day. I never seem to be energetic in the morning whenever there is a complete overcast and the sun is nowhere to be found. I made the mistake of turning on the morning news and it was all bad, the top stories was the ongoing riots in Los Angeles, something about Trump and a nationwide "No Kings" protest rallies, shootings in Minnesota, and Iran and Israel war. I watched the Indiana Fever New York Liberty game. Catlin Clark was on fire and the Fever managed to hand Liberty their first defeat for the season, 102 - 88. Watching the U.S. Army 250 Year of Service Celebration Parade on TV was uplifting. What a contrast of patriotic national pride to the negative gloom and doom rebels without a cause making noise. It is amazing how different people see this world. The level of violence doesn’t lend to notion the most of the protester are peacefully protesting. Help us, Lord.
13 June 2025
Albeit a gloom and doom looking day destined to have rain, it is good to be alive! Under pressure from mama to look into how I can fix the damaged phone, I turned to YouTube and was able to restore most of the main functions on my phone to a usable device. I was thrilled that the only noticeable thing not working so far is the fingerprint recognition sensor. I stuffed my face this morning with yogurt, oatmeal, Eggos with fresh blueberries and char sui boa. I ate a couple of peanut butter crackers in the car on the way to my cardio rehab just in case. My blood sugar was good, my pre blood sugar level was 227 and post blood sugar level was 141. I started my cardio rehab session on the treadmill and comfortably walked 2.7@1.5, then did the NuStep 88Watts @5. I think that is a new average high on that machine for me. I finished my session on the NuStep Arms 48Watts @4. I like finishing my session with a upper body workout to build up my strength. We stopped at Lucky Panda for Chinese takeout on the way home. I at curry chicken for lunch and shrimp egg foo young for supper. Mmm, both entrée were delicious. My brother called and be made plans to go out and do lunch next week. He had arterial leg ultrasound on the leg that the veins for his bypass surgery were taken from, prayers for good test results. The kids FaceTime us and it looks like they are enjoying their time in the sun. It looks way too warm for me. Prayers for safe summer travel, "The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore" (Psalm 121:7-8). I think there are a lot of crazy things going on our country, especially in our blue state cities. It makes me wonder if there is such a thing as peaceful protest. Sub humans that are looting, burning, provoking and throwing things are not protesting and need to be incarcerated. Looking outside our nation there are going armed conflicts between nations with new conflicts that may open the gates of hell once again. I think this because I believe that wars are inherently evil. Lord, have mercy.
12 June 2025
Praise the Lord for his steadfast love. I like listening to the sound, A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum. I have no idea what this song is even about, even after looking up the lyrics, guess I just like the tune and sound of the organ. Albeit the high temps were only in the mid 80s, it was so uncomfortably humid. Good eats, I pan fried a bone-in ribeye steak for our supper. Oh rats, I dropped my phone and now the phone has multiple big time issues. The verse of the day is, "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). Thanks be to God for his unfathomable forgiveness.
11 June 2025
I woke up another hazy day and looked at the weather app, it is supposed to a scorcher in the 90s. I just might be hiding all day indoors from the heat and humidity. OK there's no messing around this morning bulking up to get my blood sugar up high enough for my cardio rehab session. I ate yogurt, oatmeal, char sui boa. To insure things, I ate an Eggo with some fresh blueberries just before we stepped out the door. Clearly it was a good thing that I made it a point to eat even more this morning because my pre blood sugar was 204 and my pre blood sugar dropped down to 95. I started out my session on the treadmill and did 2.7 @1.5% and improved on the PhysioStep doing 36Load @4. The arm Ergometer 8Watts @2 was challenging this morning. Sad, we stopped for gas and the price rose to $3.279 a gallon, but I guess that's good compared to most other filling station skyrocketing up to $3.699. Why the sudden price hike? Sweet, literally, we picked up my birthday freebie bundt cake at Nothing Bundt Cakes. I have been musing about the Notre Dame football schedule and think this season will be a more challenging one than in past years with matchups against Miami, Texas A&M and Arkansas and USC, but I think the Fighting Irish is up to the task to make the playoffs again. Anyway, there is going to be a lot of good football to be played with all the playoffs changes.
10 June 2025
Praise God, his steadfast love endures forever. Mmm, Eggos with fresh blueberries, delicious! I got ambitious this morning and untangled the weed whacker spool and finally tended to the way overdue needed. I had to wait until I felt strong enough not to strain my sternum. I am amazed how exhausting this simple chore is, it was good that I gotrdun during the cool of the day.
9 June 2025
Happy anniversary, we have been married for forty-one years! God have been abundantly good to us over all these years. I bulked up this morning with a big bowl of oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui sandwich before heading out to cardio rehab this morning. I was shocked to see that my pre blood was only 153. I am glad that that my post blood sugar level only dropped to 9. I started my session on the recumbent bike and then moved on to the treadmill and finished off my session working on my upper body strength. My physical therapy exercises consisted of lat pull downs and lat curls with a very light load, I thought it was still beneficial. The bands proved to be challenging doing arm even though the yellow band is supposed to be light for arm raises. I think yellow is only equivalent to three pounds of resistance, sad. I made us ham omelettes for lunch; it is so good with steamed rice. I can see through the patio door the strawberry full moon, too bad the sky is hazy.
8 June 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). God is great, his mercies never come to an end. Mmm, it has been a long time since I ate an Eggo toaster waffle for breakfast. We went to the Vernon Hills area in the cool of the morning before Nicole's 8th grade graduation party in Northbrook, mama went shopping in the area while I took a nice long slow solitary leisurely walk. I enjoyed the party a lot, great food and company the entire time. Thanks be to God for the gift of a large family. Truly, God's mercy and faithfulness extends from generation to generation. I was surprised that I got in a ten thousand plus steps day in today, more than anything was the opportunity to go for a walk with my brother. Our days are numbered, so it was blessing for us to spend time together. It was also a joy to spend time with my sister at the party.
7 June 2025
Christ first! I am thankful for the gift of life; it is good to be alive. I have been musing on the brevity of life and on how it seemed like a short while ago we were playing in the sandbox. It took a while, but I was finally able to clear my sinuses and all the drainage from my throat and chest congestion this morning. I finished all the mowing and then went on to trim back the hedge. I really need to weed whack, but I don't feel like I am strong enough. I think that I'll try to do of the needed manually with a hand shear. Mmm, the steak taco from yesterday’s party was pretty tasty. Lol, mama has the Fever Sky game on while I’m here penning this journal entry and I’m finding myself stopping g every now and then glancing over to watch the game. I still maintain the game is nowhere as exciting of a game without Caitlin Clark on the court.
6 June 2025
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8). Thanks be to God for this new day, his steadfast love endures forever. Today is of course cardio rehab day, I ate oatmeal, hash brown potatoes and half a char sui boa. Clearly that wasn't enough, because my pre blood sugar level was 164 and post session blood sugar was 84. They gave me 8 ounces of orange juice to make sure that my blood didn't continue to drop. I start my session on the treadmill the NeStep and finished on the Arm Ergometer. I spoke a little too early; gas was $3.049 a gallon, so we pulled in and bought a whopping 3.7 gallons for a fill-up. We ate leftover chicken with broccoli for lunch. After our noontime meal, I fired up the electric lawn mower and managed to mow about three forth on the backyard. The heat, humidity and poor air quality proved to be too much for me. I thought about going back out and finishing the job but saw no reason not to wait until tomorrow and doing the needed during the cool of the day. We went next door in the evening to celebrate Xavier's 2nd birthday.
5 June 2025
Happy birthday to me! Thanks be to God for the gift of life. Ugh, we are under an unhealthy air alert. I am blessed to have the greatest big brother in the whole world; he invited us to IHOP for breakfast, what a great way to start off the day. I ordered the 55+ Breakfast Sampler. We got gas for $3.099 a gallon. I doubt the price of gas will go up next month when the Illinois gas tax is set to automatically increase annually by law. Afterwards, we went to do a indoor walk at Meijers. Mama got a tw0 thousand piece puzzle for my birthday, it is unclear to me when I will find the time to start on and work on it. I stir fried us chicken with broccoli for supper. I am thankful for the blessings of the day.
4 June 2025
I watch the Fever 85 vs Mystics 76 game last night. I thought the game was just OK to watch. Albeit the Fever won the game, the team is nowhere as energetic and exciting to watch without Catlin Clark. I am actually surprised at myself for watching the game. We went to bed early last night and I am feeling much better this morning than I felt all day yesterday. I woke up to dark skies and pouring rain. "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3). May the Lord refresh and renew us. Yeah, its cardio rehab day again today and I ate toast, oatmeal, char sui boa, and yogurt before heading for my cardio rehab session. My blood sugar was slightly lower than I needed it to be, my pre blood sugar was 193 and post blood sugar was 95. I started out my session on the NuStep. It is clear to me that each NuStep machine is different because my legs were feeling it, I did 36 Watts @5, then I got on the treadmill 2.6@1.5% and end the session on the PhysioStep 33Load @4. Achoo, achoo, achoo, déjà vu, here we go again. Lord, have mercy. We went to Culver's for our noontime meal, mama ordered her usual Rueben sandwich and I ordered the usual pork tenderloin. We ate half our sandwiches and wrapped up other half to take home. Oh wow, thanks be to God two Chinese nationals plan to smuggle toxic fungus into the United States from China was fouled, that is scary stuff. The level of evil in our broken world never ceases to amaze me. It is tough getting old; it looks like it would be best to go down to the basement and empty the water from the dehumidifier twice a day instead of once a day when the bucket is full and so heavy. My day is complete, we FaceTime with the kids and our grandkids. I can't of a better way to end the day, God is good.
3 June 2025
Thanks be to God for my soul, bless the Lord, O my soul. We woke up to another day of hazy skies and fair air quality. I personally think our air quality is poor. I have been hacking away all morning try to get the cough up the phlegm from my respiratory tract. Although we went out and about this morning, I took my morning walk in the Target because of the poor air quality. I just walked the inside perimeter at a slow leisurely pace. Achoo, achoo, achoo, man o man, achoo? not good. Lord, have mercy.
2 June 2025
We woke up to another day where the sun is being obscured by the Canadian wildfires. I propping my head up with an extra pillow seemed to help with my sinus issues. I personally believe that our poor air quality is mainly caused wildfire and is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. We are expecting warm temperatures today and tomorrow to be in the mid to upper 80s. Today is cardio rehab day and I am half way through phase 2. I bulk up eating oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa before going to my cardio rehab session. My pre blood sugar was 225 and my post blood sugar was 137. I started my session the NuStep and did a whopping 76Watts @5. next I pick up my walking pace on the treadmill to 2.6 @1.5% and finished up the session on the recumbent bike 44Watts @4. Oh wow, an adult bicyclist shot out a side street full speed; I thought for sure we were going to it for sure. What was that guy thinking? I made up beef with pea pods for dinner. I am thankful for this day and for God who look over us, his steadfast love endures forever.
1 June 2025
"But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you" (Psalm 5:11). We woke up to another day of hazy sunshine; smoke from the Canadian wildfires is obscuring the sun. It is ridiculous how my sinuses are acting up big time again. We got gas this morning for $3.099 a gallon that is the lowest gas price that I have seen a long while. I believe that that the oil companies are making a huge profit because a barrel of crude oil is still relatively low. Today was a total bust, I didn't have an appetite and I ended up sleeping most of the day away.
31 May 2025
Lord, have mercy. Despite nose drainage continues to be problematic this morning, it is good to be alive. The gift of another new day is always welcome. Mama was up super early to clean and preparing a variety of fresh fruit and melons, our grandkids really enjoy eating them. I remember Jennifer being the same way. I made breakfast sausage links, scrambled eggs and hash browns to start out family gathering to celebrate me; I'll be 74 years old later this week. Albeit the sun was out, it was still a weird looking day because of the hazy that completely covered the sky from the Canadian wildfires. I played a card game called, Take 4, with Rob, Andrea, Isaac and Peyton. Although the game is designed for ages 8+, with only a few rules, there are strategies that require the players to stay on top of. I made us Cantonese style beef chow mein for our noontime meal. It is a blessing having Rob help with mowing the grass at Alex's. He even took out the weed whacker and did the needed while Andrea helped pull the weeds. Wow, the yard looks so good. Rob also climbed up the ladder to replace another burnt out light bulb. I suspect that all the kitchen ceiling recessed light bulbs are original ones. I am reluctant to climb up high on a ladder and when I walk up and down stairs, it is best to do so slowly and focused. Slips, trips, and falls are not a good thing during our latter years. Sweet, we celebrated my birthday with two cakes, German chocolate and tiramisu, I feel so special. Spending the day with family bring me great joy. Prayers for good health and our Lord’s guidance and protection for all my love ones.
30 May 2025
"From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised" (Psalm 13:3). The Lord's name is worthy of praise, his steadfast love endures forever. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah always comes to mind whenever I wake up to a new bright sunshiny day. Thanks be to God for the gift of life. Here we go again with Canadian wildfires again polluting our Midwest air quality. Albeit the air quality is fair today, my nose won't stop running. We can talk about clean air until we are blue in the face, but until we can do something about Canada and California, it is futile. We are nearing the end of this month of May, so it was time to sync up our calendars for next month and beyond this morning. Today is cardio rehab and time to stuff my face in the morning before heading out to keep from have low blood sugar, I ate abig bowl of oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa. I was surprised that my blood sugar was a tad higher than I wanted it to be, my pre blood was 227 and my post blood sugar was 132. I began the session on the treadmill 2.5 @1.5% and then went on the NuStep 54Watts @5 and then finished the session on the new machine PhsioStep which is basically a sit down elliptical. I did 33Watts @4. I think that I can do better after I get use to this machine. I was surprised to hear classical musical blasting from a car sound system; I was even more surprising that it didn't annoy me. I stir fried pork riblets with garlic and black bean sauce and spicy tofu for Andrea to take home to have. I like making what I can make ahead of time that take a lot of time to prepare so that I enjoy as much time as I can with our grandkids down. Hats off to Elon Musk as he exit his role as "special government employee". I'm sure that there are things that I may not approve of that the Department of Government Efficiency have eliminated or will end up doing, but I would venture to say that it is even good idea. I was listening to Willie Nelson songs, "On the Road Again" and "Always on My Mind" are two of my favorite Willie Nelson songs. Oh my, just like that the wind picked up and the sky turned dark this afternoon from the rain cloud and the wildfire smoke. The verse of the day is, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). We are called to embrace a new identity in Christ, where we identify with His death and resurrection, and to live not by our own strength, but through the power of Christ dwelling within us. Today was a very good day, I woke up, I am alive, I am blessed and I am thankful, God is good.
29 May 2025
Albeit we woke up to a cool and mostly cloudy morning, the sun is supposed to make it's appearance nd warm up into the low 70s, which is most welcomed. We were out the door super early to go to Aurora for Fawn's dental cleaning appointment. I was thinking about 7 Brew Coffee and wondering what makes their coffee that good that makes people willing to wait in long lines for drive thru coffee. It is my understanding that they opened up last fall and the have long lines backed up all day long, that's crazy. We went to the Chinese supermarket to pork riblets. Andrea and Peyton will be campers. It's ashamed that they didn't rice noodles, but they did have chow mein noodles. The verse of the day is, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Thanks be to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit guide and intercede on my behalf.
28 May 2025
We woke up this morning to steady ongoing rain. Today is cardio rehab day so I bulked up and record what I eat to get an idea of how much I need eat before going for my session, toast, oatmeal, yogurt and a char sui boa. My session #16 pre blood sugar was 221, it was a good thing that I ate as much as I did because my post blood sugar was 122. I started my session on recumbent bike and gave me bump 56Watts @4, arm ergometer 34Watts @3 and finished up on the treadmill 2.5 @1.5%. After cardio rehab, we went to the cardiac rehab nutrition class. There was quite a bit of information and the instructor was quite knowledgeable. I made us beef with bitter melon for dinner and served it with rice, I don’t make this often enough. I’m keeping my fingers cross. it looks like we are going to have a nice weekend for now. I thank God for the blessings of the day and am looking forward to beginning of summer and good weather.
27 May 2025
"Hoo! Hoo!" a darn owl woke me up in the middle. I'm guessing it was passing by since it was just hooting only that time. I am grateful that I don't have any issues falling back asleep. "He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills" (Psalm 147:8). It is sad how I moan and groan at whenever we have grey skies or whenever it rains. God is active in preparing rain to sustain life. Looks like there is rain in the forecast for the next three days. Mama went grocery shopping at Jewels and surprised me with their fried chicken for our lunch. I ate both the wings a broke off one of the rib cage and gnawing on them bad boys until the bones were clean as a whistle. We went out to meet up with our friend Randy to talk about medicare supplement insurance.
26 May 2025
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens" (Psalm 8:1). O Holy Lord, I praise and worship your holy name. Thanks be to God for this new day and a bright beautiful day it promises to be. I was looking out the rear patio door this morning enjoying the picturesque view of clear blue sky and a well manicured lawn. We thought it was funny to see Zachary hitting puberty, we could hear his voice cracking at times and his voice dropping several octaves lower. Today I opted to call it a lazy day and kicked back doing absolutely nothing.
25 May 2025
Hmm, so much for rain to stay to the south of us this holiday weekend. Albeit, the rain will surely be dampening some of our plans for the day, there remains much to be happy and joyful for, God is good. Mama went out to the Jewels and picked up doughnuts. We can't disappoint Peyton, we're pretty sure she loves her morning pastry fix. I kept it simple this morning and just made us scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage links, Isaac loves sausage, and can put those bad boys away. We can get away with one package because Alex isn't around. It saddens me that two of our three children moved out of state. Funny how Peyton enjoys walking around talking pictures using a smartphone. Mama's pasta made for a great noontime meal. Mama had me make us some pan fried toasted garlic bread to go with it, who doesn't love garlic bread? I was surprised that that the sun came out and things began to warm up into the upper 60s. We are so blessed to have Rob as our son-in-law, he selflessly help with the needed. He lubricated the squeaky garage door, changed out the burnt out kitchen recessed light bulb and molded the grass at Alex's house. Peyton tired me out sword fighting, that girl whacks away way too hard. I like how Isaac and Peyton colored their sword that that grandma save the tubes from Christmas and gift wrapping paper. We all went to Zachary's 8th grade graduation party; it is hard to believe that he will be going to high school in the fall. Time moves by like a fleeting moment and is a reminder of the brevity of our time is on earth is and that our days are numbered, our hope is in the lord. The party food was awesome. Since this holiday weekend is the unofficial start of summer, Carl fired up the grill and made tasty hamburgers and chicken. Blessings abound, today was a very good day, God is good.
24 May 2025
Déjà vu, we woke up another bright sunshiny day that looks and feels identical to yesterday, but the pollen level is high and my sinus is acting up. That's not a good thing since the plan to mow the grass some time later this morning... It was cool enough for me to easily mow the grass in both the front and back without even taking a break, I set the variable speed to the turtle setting and did a Slowskey walk behind. I also did a do over with the Ortho Home Defense spray; we can't stand creepy crawling ants finding their way in the house. We got egg rolls, pot stickers and chicken fried rice from the House of Emperor for our noontime meal. I still think the frozen store brought gyozas are far better; I don't care for thick dumpling wrappers. I have been musing these past few days thinking about father when he was drafted in his early 30s into World War II. I am thankful that I had a high draft lottery number during the Viet Nam War. I learned from my father the importance of remembering and honoring the lives that have been lost and the sacrifices given and how the freedom we enjoy is tied to it. Lord, watch over those who serve in our armed forces as they uphold righteousness, order and peace. My heart is bursting at the seams in anticipation of spending time with our grandkids this weekend. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
23 May 2025
"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!" (Psalm 113:3). Praise the Lord, all glory be to him, his steadfast love endures forever! What a difference a day makes zip-a-dee-doo-dah. It is so good to be able to wake up to the morning sun. Just seeing some sunshine at the start of the unofficial start of summer is encouraging. Albeit we remain below the norm, I'll gladly take 65 for the high, because that is much warmer than it has been lately. Today is cadio rehab day, I got my morning food intake right last time and hopefully I can do that again today. I ate oatmeal, yogurt, peanut and jelly toast, and a char sui. We stopped on the way to my cardio rehab for gas. Sigh, $3.499, ridiculous, especially when the price for a barrel of oil has been low for some time, the oil companies are most definitely raking in huge profits. My pre session blood sugar was 151 lower than I wanted it to be because I am a huge dropper. I started my session on the treadmill and they increased the incline, 2.5 @1.5. Whoo hoo, I greatly improved the NuStep 54Watts @5. I'm glad they finished my session having me work on my upper body strength with bands and weights. My post blood sugar was 109! I think if I did another cadio, I would have most certainly dropped below 100. Mmm, mama made several pots of pasta sauce, one ragù and the other meatless. I was given the task of boiling the noodles, so I boiled a pound of rigatoni and a pound of fettuccine and thought I was done, lol, mama took out another pound of fettuccine for me to boil and said, "Clearly you don't know how much Andrea like noodles." Yes, I was happy that the kids FaceTime and we got a chance to have family time. Isaac is doing very good at reading out loud now with expression. I think that comes from his parents prosody reading to our grands from the get go. My brother gave us a wellness call and we started yapping about this and that. We were hoping to get together, but I had too much going on. I thank God for the blessings of telecommunications.
22 May 2025
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Albeit I woke up grateful and rejoicing in the gift of this new day, I can't help but to wonder when will we begin to warm up and when will we be able to see the sun again. We have been on a very long string of below normal cloudy damp days and it's getting old. I got message on myChart from my nephrologist that I was stable and no changes are necessary. I suppose that is a good thing. I opted to stay indoors at home while mama went out grocery shopping , because I preferred the staying warm and comfortable. I plan to just get up off my butt every so often and just walk around the house. Mama came home with a couple good looking stalks of broccoli crowns. I stir fried us a chicken with broccoli dish. Sweet, our application for a $50 city of Naperville electric lawn equipment rebate was approved! We were wondering if there were still funds in that incentive program. It was only a matter of time before we start seeing ants coming into to the house. Mama sprayed the Ortho Home Defense outside the house and placed Terro Liquid Ant Baits inside the house. I am surprised that I managed to get in a seven thousand plus steps day in. I am hoping for a dry Memorial Day weekend.
21 May 2025
Despite the insanely ongoing cold, windy and damp days, I rejoice in the gift of yet another day. Today is cardio rehab day, so I stuffed my face this morning with a hard boiled egg, oatmeal, yogurt, and a char sui boa this morning. It will be interesting to see what my pre session glucose reading will be. Sweet, my pre blood sugar was 189 and 103 post, right where it needed to be. They started me out on NuStep and bumped me up to level 5 and I was able to manage 34Watts @5, 56Watts @3 on the recumbent bike and finished off on the treadmill 2.5 @1%. On the way home we stopped at Patio's for lunch and we split their chicken and rib combo meal. I got back the results of my lab work last night and albeit my potassium number only was up slightly, it was disappointing because the goal was to lower it, so I didn't eat any of the baked potato. After lunch we did the usual and went across the street to Burlington and I walked around the inside parameter of the store while mama went shopping. On cardio rehab days and a intention walk ten thousand plus steps days are a piece of cake. Prayer for strength and good health. Mmm, mama took out a small container of her pasta sauce from the freezer and I had that over fettuccine noodles for my supper, but not before a couple of leftover barbecue ribs from our noontime meal. We spent some time doing some paperwork that I failed to tend to in a timely manner, with mama’s help, we gotrdun. What would I do without my ezer kenegdo? God has dealt abundantly with me.
20 May 2025
"Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3). This verse of the day encourages us to know and follow the Lord. I woke up this morning to the sound of the hollowing wing and the pouring rain. It was just as well, because I had an early appointment for blood work anyway. Dang, it was windy and cold. Despite the dreariness look of the start of day there is is reason to rejoice, it is good to be alive! "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for You are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14).
19 May 2025
I was surprised how cool it got over night, I had to switch the thermostat back to heat from cool. This temperature rollercoaster is getting old. It is kind of sad that we will be having well below normal temperatures for the remainder of the week. I thought that I ate enough this morning but clearly that wasn't the case because my post session blood sugar dropped down to 78 and they gave me apple juice to bring it up. I started today on the treadmill and they bumped me up to 2.5 mph @1%, Arm Ergometer 40Watts @3 and finished up on the recumbent bike 56Watts @3. Thanks be to God that I continue to progress and improve with each time at cardio rehab. May the Lord heal my infirmities and give me the strength to carry on. Time to stop penning and watch, The Voice.
18 May 2025
I am grateful and glad for and rejoice in the creation of this new day that the Lord has made. It was nice enough of a day to be out about for a few hours and leisurely walk around and enjoy the sunlight and fresh air. I made us fried eggs for dinner. Albeit a simple meal, put oyster sauce on eggs along with a side of rice and they transform into a traditional canto comfort food. FaceTime was a joy today, be got to spend more time with Isaac than usual. Normally Peyton is on more with mama.
17 May 2025
"The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore" (Psalm 121:8). Thanks be to God who watches over us and saves us. The wind started hollowing again just before midnight and kept gusting most of the night. I am thankful for the joy of this new day. I made us beef with pea pods for our noontime meal and ate it along with the leftovers from Panda Express. I opted to stay indoors the entire day. We watched WNBA, Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky. Caitlin Clack and Aliyah Boston simply had their way routing the Sky 93-58. I tossed a frozen classic Homerun Inn sausage and pepperoni pizza in the oven for our dinner, but not before opening up a small can of pineapple chunks. Mmm, the pizza made for a fine meal. I use to like Digiorno pizza but they went and changed and ruin their recipe.
16 May 2025
We woke up to bright sunshiny day in the mid 60s, it just kept screaming, "it's a beautiful morning!" How could we not open up the patio sliding door wide open and let in the fresh air? Its days like this where it is easy for me to see God’s goodness. My sister called this morning and told us about her recent lab blood work results, thanks be to God improved signs of some encouraging improvements. Today is cardio rehab day; hopefully I bulked up enough to be in the optimal glucose range for today's session. I know that the price for a barrel of oil has been down for quite some time now, so I guess the oil companies are set on making huge profits because when we stopped for gas this morning, the price of gas was $3.249 a gallon. Clearly it is difficult for me to get my pre session blood sugar where I want it to be, this time it was higher than I liked it to begin with. Well, now I'm a third of the way though cardio rehab and feeling pretty good. I initially think to highly of phase II cardio rehab, but have since reconsidered and find it helpful. Today was a no cook day getting food Culver's for lunch and supper from Panda Express. It has been a long while since we gotten a takeout from Panda. Boy, do I love Chinese American food. O my, we just a dust storm warning and within minutes, the sky darken and the wind picked up and visibility became very limited… Thanks be to God the storm blew pass within a couple of hours toward the east and we are safe. It was weird to the darkness now at a distance contrasting against a blue sky.
15 May 2025
Thank you Lord for this new day! Today and tomorrow are suppose to very warm before a cool down over the weekend. We got a text message from Lowes that our Kobalt electric lawn mower is ready for pickup, so we left the house as soon as possible in hopes of getting everything set up before it get too warm to cut the grass today, but reality of that was there was actually no hope of that because it was already in the low 80s when we stepped out the door. It took about 90 minutes to fully charge the huge 80V 6.0 Ah battery. I was really happy with the overall performance of our mew lawn mower and was glad that I was able to get the grass cut before the temperature soared up into the low 90s. Whoo hoo, Jonas Walton is ranked as #7 running back in the 2026 class just committed to Notre Dame. Believe it or not Javian Osborne is ranked #6 running back committed earlier this month to Notre Dame. That's two elite running backs recruited by Notre Dame in the same class! Hopefully they don't decommit. I made us stir fried beef with broccoli for dinner, mmm plenty of wok hei. Albeit brief, it was still to FaceTime with the kids. Happy haircut, I'm glad mama gave me a haircut and that I was able to shower before the torrential thunderstorm move it.
14 May 2025
"And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3). Lord grant that we may examine our own spiritual perception and discernment. Thanks be to God who gives me my days of gladness. We woke to a completely overcast sky; I am surprised that we didn't get overnight rain. The sun is supposed to eventually come out with the temperature climbing into to 80s. Sue called us yesterday and wanted to drop by and gift us with some lo bak go and some Chinese almond jello, but we weren't home, so we stopped by her house on the way to my cardio rehab session this morning. It was beautiful out this morning after the clouds cleared out to the east. I'm glad that I snacked on a few peanut butter crackers before going into cardio rehab and got my blood sugar up to 172 because it was 100 post. They started me out on the treadmill and increase the incline, 2.4Watts @1%, Arm Ergometer 38Watts @3, NuStep Arms 24Watts @5. Thanks be to God for my continual Cardio rehab progress. The Lord is my strength. Our new lawnmower is estimated to be delivered to the Bolingbrook Lowes store tomorrow and I was planning to cut the grass then, but it is clear to me that unkept grass is bothersome to mama, she said that she was going to cut the grass out front, but I went out and did the needed. I did a Rob and overlapped, it looks pretty darn good if I say so myself. I don’t get why my body is always so cold, mama is wearing shorts and a sleeveless top with the ac on while I’m shivering with my sweats on. Anyway, I am thankful for the blessing of the day.
13 May 2025
Thank you Lord for this day, be with me. I really didn't want to do it quite yet, but mama had me flip the thermostat over from "heat" to "cool". I binge watched the last two episodes of, NCIS: Origins, episodes 17 and 18 of season one. The season finale took me by total surprise. I can hardly wait until season two comes around. The day went by quickly and was uneventful. Joy can toward the end of the day when the kid call us on FaceTime, my day is complete, God is good.
12 May 2025
I am loving this string of zip-a-dee-doo-dah days, it is good to see the morning sun, God is good. We changed it up this morning binge watching episodes of John Foster performances on American Idol. We're clueless how good the other "singing contestants" are but we think this young man is pretty talented and carries himself very well. Yes, this show will ultimately pick a winner, but there are no losers, just a stage to showcase their talent. I agree with the judges that his performance improves a lot week after week. I'm like most folks and rather watch, The Voice instead of American Idol. They gave me a pretty good workout today at my cardio rehab session by starting me out the recumbent bike which has me achieving my peak Mets, then I went on the NuStep and ooh-wee they changed it up and had me do up body strength training. They started me out with different 3 sets 10 rep ls resistance band exercises and finish up with 3 sets of 10 reps arm curls with a 5 lb pair of dumbbells. The session really took down post blood sugar level; I definitely will need to eat even more before my cardio rehab session. What another drop dead awesome day it turned out to be in the low 80s, it is good to be able to be out an about just wearing a tee shirt and putting on a baseball cap.
11 May 2025
It is amazing that I had no problem sleeping for so many hours. I woke up this morning to bright sunshiny day totally refreshed. Happy Mother's Day, especially to my darling wife, God is good. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:13-14). Thanks be to God for the gift of motherhood. We have so much leftovers from yesterday's celebration, I simply nuked myself a sausage egg croissant breakfast sandwich to start off the day. It was an absolute drop dead gorgeous day to go out and walk about having me humming the tune, It's A Beautiful Morning - The Rascals. My honey do for the day was fixing the pocket zipper on Fawn's light spring jacket. Believe it or not, it wasn't a simple undertaking, but I gotrdun. Dang, there is no doubt that pollen count remains high, because my nose is running big time.
10 May 2025
I was up late last night and mused on blessings of moms. The selfless care and devotion mothers provide to their children is a reflection of God’s love. Wow wow wow, this morning was awesome, but it was crazy to see the temperature is in the afternoon rather than get warmer. God is good; we gathered and celebrated Fawn and Andrea, two awesome mamas. I made breakfast sausage links and hash brown potatoes. Fawn had me make crêpes and we ate them with croissants. I was so surprised again this week when both Isaac and Peyton opted to stay with grandpa instead of go shopping with grandma and mama. Needless to say that Rob did an awesome job cutting the grass again. It always looks like it could be used on an ad. What a joy it was making origami with them. After Rob finished cutting the grass, we went to the Gregory B. Bott Community Park. It was our first parking for the year. I was good with watching Isaac doing the obstacle course, but it was nerve racking for me to watch Peyton. That girl is fearless and loves to climb. It is amazing how agile and strong she is. Our celebratory lunch was all the food that we got from the House of Emperor yesterday. I took one for the Gipper today again and got down on the floor to play, Hover Ball Blitz. Oh wow, after everyone left, I nodded off for more than a few hours. I woke up and had a light supper before calling it a day.
9 May 2025
"Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 11:7-8). This is one of favorite bible verses to reflect on at the beginning of the day whenever the sun is shining full blast at the start of a new day as I enjoy one of many simple pleasures of life. Strange how the sunlight brings me great joy and how dark cloudy days not do much. In these latter years, I have learned embrace the joy of living and ever knowing the brevity of life and that death is inevitable. Achoo, I looked at the 15 day allergy forecast on the Weather Channel app and the tree pollen and grass pollen is "very high", not good. Cardio rehab was very good today, it was my ninth session, so I guess I'm a quarter way through the 36 session program. I warmed up for 5 minutes on the treadmill before kicking it up to 2.4 mph @0.5% for 10 minutes. Next I did ten minutes on the Arm Ergometer 34W @2.5 and end my session on the NuStep 32W @4. Today was a very nice day in the low 70s and I did a lot of walking when we were out and about and easily got in a ten thousand plus steps day in. It is difficult to say whether or not if I am as sound as I was cardio wise as before without eating on the elliptical, but I am certainly a far cry from where I was and need to be physically strength wise. May the Lord strength to endure this season of recovery and heal my body and soul. God is good, his love endures from generation to generation.
8 May 2025
It's a beautiful morning, albeit cooler than I would like it to be, it is a beautiful day none the less, as I am grateful for each and every day that the Lord affords me and to all my love ones. The, Men in Black, came out this morning to spray the exterior of our house for bees but didn't, because they couldn't determine where the bee hives were located. They said that they wanted to reschedule in early to mid June to do the need and would be able to guarantee their work. I wish they didn't have to come every year because they charge a lot of money for exterminating bees and wasps. Mmm, albeit the tomato beef and rigatoni were both leftovers, they went deliciously well together for my noontime meal. We went out to a few stores in the Fox Valley area, but it was too windy and cool to do a outdoors walk as much as I wanted to, but I still managed to get in a seven thousand plus steps day. We did all the research on and pulled the trigger on ordering a 80V 6 Ah self propelled electric lawn mower and I really didn’t want to spend so much money on it, but at our age and my physical condition, this expensive work horse is exactly we need. The verse of the day is, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Thanks be to God who prepare a place of glory for us. Lord, grant us saving faith.
7 May 2025
We woke up to day that looked exactly like yesterday, thanks be to God for this new day. Sigh, we were stopped at a light and the car behind up hit us from behind, the lady apologized and said her foot slipped. We didn't see any damage to either vehicles, but took the lady's info anyway in case there was some hidden damage we didn't notice. Mama went and got a haircut, she is beautiful as ever. Today is cardio rehab day, so I needed to eat a second breakfast. I ate my usual oatmeal breakfast earlier and then ate a hard boiled egg, yogurt and a char sui boa before heading out to Rush Copley. I enjoyed session 8 and started out on the NuStep 28W @4 then walked on the treadmill @2.4 mph @0.5 (incline) and then the NuStep Arms 24W @3. It looks like I didn't need eat that much before the going to cardio rehab my pre blood sugar was 193 and post was 159, I prefer post BS just above 100. Mama took out a small container of her pasta sauce from the freezer and boiled us a couple of servings of rigatoni for our lunch, so good. We called Sue and asked about Jimmy and how the family was doing. She gave up a update on his status. He has already went though several operations with more surgery to come. Thanks be to God that he is faring far better than the initial prognosis presented. May our Lord place his hands on our frail bodies and heal our infirmities. It has been so nice out these pass few days, but that is coming to an end as the temps are beginning to drop. Fear not, the nice weather is going to return back this Mother's Day weekend. Dang, the price foe a barrel of oil has been down for some time now, so why did we paid $3.599 a gallon for gas today? We went grocery shopping and it looks like mama is going to have me cook a family big breakfast this weekend, I see breakfast sausage links, eggs and hash brown potatoes. The verse of the day is, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13). Lord, grant us godly character that we our live with generosity and humility.
6 May 2025
I woke up cheerful evermore grateful for the gift of life. Whenever the sun is shining so bright from the get go I have zip-a-dee-doo-dah running in the back of my mind. I just had to peek at the weather app and saw that it promises to be a gorgeous day in the mid 70s. It is definitely a great day to walk outdoors. We went out and about to run a few errands this morning; we had to go to the DMV to get the annual plate sticker and to the bank to pay the dreaded annual property taxes. The road warriors were highly noticeable on the roadways doing the crazies. IKEA extended their restaurant promotion of 50% off Tuesday meals, so we met up with my brother to do lunch there and to walk the maze. I already got in a ten thousand plus steps day in by the time we left there. The afternoon was super nice in the upper 70s, so we spent a couple of hours cleaning the garage. I cranked up the heat on the pan to try a get a little wok hei and made us stir fried tomato beef for our supper. My sister called and updated us on the condition of our cousin Jimmy. They moved him from Cook County Hospital to Hinsdale. Prayer for his health, comfort and healing and for the Lord’s comfort for his family who is experiencing a multifaceted toll from all of this. Thanks be to God who binds up our wounds, we are relieved that Peyton is doing better now that her arm has been tended to by a physician. Today was a very good day for which there is much to be grateful for, our Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.
5 May 2025
Open my mind, O Lord, that I may be aware of your presence. I thank and praise the Lord for his abiding presence within me. May my life reflect the holiness and grace of his presence in all my thoughts, words, and my deeds. Thanks be to God for the gift of another new day. Today is a cardio rehab day, so I made sure that I ate a hearty breakfast and I that I had my pedometer on before heading out the door. I had in a great cardio rehab session and think this is where the tire begins to hit the road as an honest cardio workout. I started today's session with 5 minutes warm up @ level one, then did 5 minutes @2, and then did 5 minutes @3 on the Recumbent Bike. I then did ten minutes on the NuStep @ 4 before walking ten minutes @2.4 mph on the treadmill. After cardio rehab we went and did lunch at the Patio's and split their fried cod fish platter. Then we went across the street to Burlington and I walked around the perimeter inside the store while Fawn shopped. Shortly after the wind died down and the sun came out and I was able to do a little more walking outdoors! I've been waiting several weeks for a day like today to spray the lawn with weed killer, gotrdun! It's clear to me that I can easily get in ten thousand plus steps days in on the days when I do cadio rehab, but I'll keep using the pedometer because I like seeing it when I do that. It is taking me time to pen this journal entry because we are watching, The Voice. I think this is a great show with a lot of talented contestants, but… I am turned off by John Legend, not by what he is doing on the show but his position on defunding the police, anyway time to stop penning and just chill and watch the show. God is good.
4 May 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). My hope is in Lord; bless the Lord, O my soul. Albeit I didn't hear any loud thunder claps, I did heat a lot of distance ongoing rumbling just as was going to bed last night. I'm guessing that and the sound of the overnight rain is why I woke up tire and dragging my feet this morning. The complete overcast wasn't helping either. Nevertheless, I am grateful for this new day. Praise be to God the Creator and Sustainer. We are blessed and honored to viewed as family and went to celebrate Emma's 8th birthday party. Ashley is about the same age as our oldest and we're childhood friends, it is astonishing that in a blink of the eye, they both have mini mes. We have been contemplating between hiring a lawn service or buying a 80V self propelled lawn mower. We have been doing our research on different brands for several week. I and glad that I asked Perry about his Cobalt 80V self propelled lawn mower. He that he owned a Greenworks, a Egro and a Craftmans and didn't cared for anyone one of them and returned them, but has had his Kobalt mower for three years now without any issues and loves it. He was kind enough to show me all the features and fired up that bad boy to let me have a feel for it, I liked it a lot. Thanks be to God, his steadfast love endures forever.
3 May 2025
I woke up with good cheer to a bright new sun shiny day with anticipation for the day, God is good. I am grateful for the best siblings ever; God has dealt bountifully with me in countless ways throughout my entire life. I was happy to teach my sister how to make Chinese stir fired vermicelli and my brother requested that I make Cantonese steamed pork patty for our noontime meal. I always enjoy our time with my siblings breaking bread, whenever we gather; we can go on and on yapping on just about anything and everything all day long. I wish the weather was better and we could go out for a nice leisurely walk. Our FaceTime with the kids was short again today, but it is still a most joyful blessing even it is just to say hello. The papal conclave is underway at Vatican, I started to pen more but stopped and deleted, some things are better left unsaid my this poor ill-formed lay theologian.
2 May 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. I did good again at cardio rehab, treadmill@2.2, Arm and Ergometer@2.5 (28 Watts) and Recumbent Bike@2 (60 Watts). We went and did lunch at Culver’s and split a Ruben sandwich and a small order of fries. We went to the Oswego area to shop for what nots and to get in a outdoors walk ant then went grocery shopping for the needed because I’m cooking lunch for my siblings tomorrow. I was surprised that we went back out after dropping the food off. Mama was still looking for a child birthday gift so I got in another good walk. Fawn loves shopping and always seems to find the perfect gift that lights up children faces. Whoo hoo, I easily got a the thousand plus steps day in. Grr, what is going on with AT&T .net email login? This is the second time this week that they had issues. I am grateful to God who gives me the strength energy to build back up my body. I still can get over that a surgeon can cut open my chest and make repairs and sew my body back up. God has blessed physicians with a remarkable gift/vocation.
1 May 2025
All praise and glory be to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I am grateful for the gift of this new day. I woke this first day of May to the sound of the downpour of torrential rain in the early morning. How can the song of the day not be, First of May - James Taylor? Good eats, I made us stir fried ketchup shrimp and stir fried zucchini for lunch, so good. I somehow lost my pedometer and mama bought me a new one. Albeit stayed cloudy all day, it did stop raining in the afternoon. I inspected the exterior and was surprised to see that one of our downspout elbows came off, how is that possible? We went out and about briefly, so I was able to get in a walk outdoors. On the way back, we stopped to pick up some tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana for our dinner. I have to admit that the pedometer is an incentive to make me get up and walk. Our FaceTime was short because our kid called us later than usual, but am always grateful that the kids are routinely mindful of us and call. It was funny seeing Nala get hold of one of her toys and ripping out all the stuffing, she hasn’t done that a long while.
30 April 2025
Today is the last day of April and it is cardio rehab day, before going to my last cardio rehab session, I ate a hearty breakfast, but the workout still took my blood sugar down slightly below a hundred, so I ate a little more oatmeal and a small yogurt to boot this morning. I initially thought that I may have eaten too much this morning because my pre blood sugar was about 30 points higher than normal but my post blood sugar was just over one hundred, which was where I wanted it to be. I am glad that I am continuing to show some progress, they had me walking 2.0 mph on treadmill that is up 0.2 mph and I am now up to level three on the arm machine.
29 April 2025
Thanks be to God, I am grateful to be blessed with another new day. I was surprised, the sun was shining and it was warmer this morning than I expected it to be. We went to Jean and Bob's to pick up several boxes of stuff for Andrea that they use for high school senior prom. The afternoon was boring so I took a much needed afternoon senior siesta. When I woke we went to Target just to get in a thirty minute walk while mama was at the Ross. The kids FaceTime us and that was the highlight of my day. Isaac showed us the illustrated book he authored titled, All About Jaguars. I thought he did a great job researching the subject. His illustrations were outstanding! I was annoyed listening to Chris Cuomo, he made me think other "political journalist(?)" that are just as bad like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Anderson Cooper and Donna Brazile. I'm sure that there are others, but these guys take the cake. Why do I bother listening to “bias news commentators” when all they do is bug the heck out of me anyway?
28 April 2025
"He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:29-31). It is good to be alive. It is nice to see the light from the sun, let us rejoice ìn the day. All I ever talk about is how crazy the rollercoaster weather has been lately. We will be at the summit temperature in the low 80s later today before sliding back down all week with rain until Friday before it will start to climb back up. Today is cardio rehab day, so I ate a hearty helping of oatmeal with a slice of raisin toast for breakfast. I felt really good after cardio rehab. They started me out on the treadmill from the get go. I did a five minute warm up first at 1.5 mph and followed up at 1.8 mph for ten minutes, that is a 0.3 mph bump. I then did ten minutes on the NuStep@4, that is a bump up one level and then ten minutes on the Arm Ergometer@2, which is also a bump up by one level. We got the usual chicken fried rice and the steamed tofu shrimp takeout for lunch from the House of Emperor. I fired up our gas powered lawn mower after our noontime meal and tender to the grass out front of our house, there was no way that I was going to attempt to do the back even taking a break during this go, so mama grabbed the bull by the horn and mowed the entire backyard ll by herself, she is one tough cookie. It sure must be nice to be young. It seems appropriate to name, Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts, the song of the day.
27 April 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. I am excited that Rob is bringing the kids down and to help with the needed yard work. Once again our cup overflows with blessings. Albeit it started out rather cool in the upper 30s, it is warming up rather quickly. We are expecting the highs to be in the upper 60s and for tomorrow to be in the 80s. These temperature swings are really insane this year. I'm cooking today's meal, so mama went out early to the Jewels and got the need groceries and picked up the kids expected, doughnuts for Peyton and breakfast sausages for Isaac. Mama and I then marinated the meat, boiled the noodles and prep the vegetables ahead of time. Since they came down close to the noon hour, I cooked the breakfast sausage links, beef with broccoli, beef with pea pods and the Cantonese pan fried noodles. It is so nice out that I have the patio door wide open while I was cooking. After lunch, Andrea and mama went out and an out, and I was surprised that the kids stayed behind. I didn't think that it would mattered, but I have to admit that when Rob's obsession with cutting grass with an overlap made a huge difference, the lawn looks beautiful, I'm impressed. Grandkids are the best, I played, Tower Stack, with Peyton. It was tough for this old man to get back up off the floor playing this game. It was getting late so I boiled linguine for hamburger peas. Rob and Fawn went out to the Jewels and came back with the grounded beef and a huge porterhouse steak that was on sale. I got to chew the meat off the bone and I was a happy camper. Tomorrow is garbage / recycling day, so we went in the garage to cut down boxes to fit into the recycling bin. The plan to relax and kick back the rest of the day and watch S1 episode 16 0f NCIS: Origins. Today was a very good day; I especially love days where we are surrounded by the love of the one we love. Thank be to God who watches over our comings and goings.
26 April 2025
I woke up with good cheer grateful for the gift of life. We were out the door by 7:30 to go to northern burbs to spend the day celebrating Isaac's 1st Communion. Brr, what a nifty start. It was only in the mid 40s and will eventually only climb to the high in the mid 50s later in the day near the lake, but at least the big bright beautiful sun was out. I have forgotten how nice is in our daughter's house, I love sitting in a room with so much natural sunlight. It was nice to Isaac and Peyton wearing their Sundays best. I have been musing about the Eucharist for a very long time and how it is view by Christians. I think it is very sad that there are those who view Communion as just a mere memorial. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). What is so hard to understand when Jesus said, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:54-55). I also think it is sad that those who believe in the real presence that have moved away from paedocommunion as practiced by the early church. St. Cyprian and St. Augustine even arguing that infants were ideal recipients of the sacraments. We left St. Gilbert Parish to dine at Maggiano's, it was nice of Rob and Andrea to invite us. I love their Chicken Francese. Actually the Riserva Veal Parmesan caught my attention, but the $$$ kept me from ordering it. I use to order veal parmesan all the time at Olive Garden until they took it off their menu many years ago. Anyway, the food is always top notch at Maggiano's. We got an update that my cousin's tracheotomy went well. I can't even begin to comprehend and imagine being paralyzed from the neck on down. The judge denied bail to the perpetrator because he knew what he was doing to a frail senior. Hopefully a grand jury indictment is in order, since there were eye witnesses and the crime was captured on a security camera video. Our blessings overflow, the kids FaceTime, my day is complete.
25 April 2025
I am glad that we went and got gas on the way to my cardio rehab before the rain moved in. Gas was $3.299 a gallon. Rain, rain, go away, come back another day. Of course rain is a blessing, but we have been getting a lot of it this spring. The therapist had me three different load bearing machines that worked both my arms and legs, I am surprised that I didn't notice how many different types of machines this facility has. After therapy we did lunch at Patio's and shared a fried cod with baked potato and coleslaw. Besides the food being very good, the portions are huge. I like that we can just order a single meal and that we easily split the food by simply asking for an extra plate and silverware. After lunch, it was nice of Fawn to stop at a store to buy me a lock to use during rehab. I know locks are not much of a deterrent against would be thieves, but something is better than nothing. The combination was suppose to be easy to reset, but it was a challenge to push down on the reset button. Once we were able to do that, the process to reset the combination was easy enough. The verse of the day is, "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2). The Lord our God is the creator of all things visible and invisible sees our needs and caringly hears our requests and longs to help us. Thank you for being faithful through the ages to your people and to me. I was reminded today how great it is to be an American, God bless the USA! Time to stop penning this journal entry to get ready for bed, tomorrow is a big day and we will need to be well rested.
24 April 2025
Hoo, hoooo! I'm not sure, but I think that it was a series of owl hoots that I heard that woke me up. I hope that a owl is not going to take up residents nearby. Regardless, I am grateful for this new day that the Lord has made. The sun is just coming up from the horizon and the temperature is already in the low 50s. Awesome, the temperature is expected to reach the upper 70s again today! It was so peaceful softly playing classical music as background music this morning. We invited my brother and sister over and I made us two dishes for lunch, beef with green beans and Cantonese steamed tilapia. Needless to say, I served it with a side of steamed Thai jasmine rice. We wanted to in some small way celebrate Nancy's 72nd birthday, prayers for many years. It was so nice, we had the patio door wide open all day and it was 80 °F @ two o'clock. Albeit was still nice and airy, sitting in the family room, it not quite the same as being outdoors having patio furniture. I am glad that my siblings enjoyed the meal I prepared for them. We were talking about a few of the Cantonese comfort food that we enjoy and it is funny that my siblings sounded like our kids making requests, my brother wants Cantonese style streamed pork patty and my sister wants stir fried vermicelli. Everyone knows I love cooking food for my love ones. After my siblings left we wanted to mow the grass, the plan was to have me do the front and mama do the backyard, but less than five minutes in I was gasping for air. I was surprised to see that the grass grew about three inches. I felt bad that mama ended up doing the needed; apparently she didn't mine and wanted the exercise. It is a good thing that Alex has a small yard about a third the size of ours. I took the time to adjust the alignment to gate to the backyard. I am surprised that it shifted that much over the winter from last year. I am so grateful for days like today when you get spend time with the people you love. May the Lord bless us and keep us, now and forever more.
23 April 2025
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of of one heck of a severe thunderstorm. Normally I am able to immediately fall back asleep but the loud rumbling sound went on and on along with the sound of the pouring rain beating down. I must have eventually fallen asleep and the next thing I heard was the morning alarm. We were still seeing light rain when we woke but the clouds did finally give way to the sun shortly. I was excited to head out to the door to go to begin my cardio rehab this morning. I got on three different exercise machines. I began warming up on level 1 on the recumbent elliptical for 5 minutes and then did 10 minutes at level 3. The second machine 10 minutes on the treadmill at 1.5 and the third machine was a arm elliptical at load 3 which was fine. It felt good to finally to be doing a little upper body workout. I can easily increase the intensity of what I was doing on the first two machines, but the therapists insisted on me starting out easy and gradually build up. I think it is a good thing that they check my blood sugar and my blood pressure as well as hook me up an ekg and monitor me. Oh wow, what a beautiful it turned out to be. How nice was it? The sun is shining and the temperature is in the upper 70s! It is my understanding that to tomorrow will be another gorgeous day. I can hardly wait to spend the day with my siblings.
22 April 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day, I especially love waking up to a bright sunshiny day. Albeit we are having a cool brisk start, it is expected to eventually soar up into the 70s with scattered showers throughout the day. I normally just skim though the news headlines, but the WSJ Opinion: Accountability Returns to Student Loans caught my attention. Upon further investigation, 10 million student loan borrowers face imminent wage garnishment, according to Forbes. The death of Pope Francis is dominating the news cycle. My only thoughts about Popes are that I view them as the leader of the Catholic Church. Prayers for my cousin Jimmy, he is having additional surgery tomorrow. He is having a tracheotomy procedure performed. It is hard to comprehend why someone would brutally attack and end up paralyzing a 85 year old man, that's Chicago for you. We went out and about to a busy day ahead of us and went to the Oswego area. It was good to be able to take my walk outdoors. We decided to split a burger quick burger at Portillo's again before heading over my Rush cadio rehab orientation appointment. I'm ready and am all fired up to begin the first of my thirty-six cardio rehab sessions tomorrow. I made us stir fried chicken with celery and mushrooms for dinner. Mmm, it was definitely one of my better goes on this dish. After supper, I read and filled out a stack forms that was given me to take home and to be returned tomorrow. I am glad that I had an opportunity to do more walking outdoors, that has allowed me to get in a ten thousand plus steps day! Today was a very busy day and I wasn’t able to do all the things that wanted to do. The good thing all the urgent was completed and good about being retired is that there is always mañana. We FaceTime with Andrea and our grandkids and Rob was busy fixing a leak in one of their washroom sinks, hopefully he will be successful in that home repair. One thing I relish about family video chats is hearing the I love you term of endearment, music to my ears. Anyway it’s time to get ready for bed, my rehab sessions are all scheduled in the mornings. Thanks be to God for the blessing of the day.
21 April 2025
I woke to the sound of the howling wind. Is it my imagination that it has been exceptionally windy lately and has rained more than usual this year? Happy Easter Monday! The last three months has been an amazing, after having a major surgery, I have been viewing life in a new light and more grateful than ever for the gift of each and every day. The Lord surrounds me with loving family and friends. It was one of those stay cozy indoors at home kind of day. Just looking out the patio and seeing the gray skies and making the tree branches wave made me shiver. I set my sights on getting up to walk around the house every half hour or so throughout the day in hopes of getting in ten thousand plus steps day. Mmm, mama made us tuna salad sandwiches, good stuff. It has been a while since I watched NCIS: Origins. I watched season 1 episode 14 and now I'm two episodes behind. Andrea and Peyton said that they like the teriyaki salmon and the steamed ribs on our FaceTime call, chirp, chirp. Mother’s Day plans were mentions, so it must be around the corner some time soon. Agrr, for some strange reason, robins like to build a nest on our front porch light. It's a constant battle taking it down daily just to see them attempt to build another one again. I made us the frozen store bought pot stickers for our supper. My sister called to invite us to her home on Saturday for a dinner party, but we already had plan to celebrate our grandson’s first communion. The good news is that she and our brother can come and I can make them lunch on Thursday! I love spending time with my siblings. I mused about the anti-Trump protests this weekend and thought how sad that people are that so unhappy that they opted to demonstrate against the Trump administration and its policies rather than observing the Easter weekend. May the hope and joy of Easter flow into our troubled and broken world.
20 April 2025
Blessed Easter joy, He is risen! Alleluia, Christ has triumphant, defeated death and offers us to share in eternal life with him. Clearly it was going to be another cool damp day. I was surprised to find sausage and eggs in the refrigerator; I thought for sure that was going home with the little man on Friday. Mmm, I had that with hot sauce in my oatmeal. Now that's what I'm talking about, mama bought me a stylish Notre Dame Fighting Irish t-shirt! I made rice to go with the steamed ribs for lunch. Mmm, the rice tastes so good with the 'jip', that's the Cantonese word for sauce. What a pleasant surprise that the kids FaceTime us at noon and offered us Easter joy. We went in the evening to briefly celebrate Carl, Victoria and Ken's birthday, I didn't want to be confined to and exposed so many people with my compromised immune system. I'm one of the few people still walking around in public areas still wearing a face mask. Oh wow, the food was exceptional; they catered Mexican food from Fiesta Burrito. The glutinous temptation got the best of me and I always end up regretting helping myself to seconds. I think it is so strange that bunnies and children egg hunts are part of a Easter tradition. I am thankful for all the sincere well wishes for comfort and healing from my mindful family and friends. I felt especially blessed by getting to see and spend time with Rob, Andrea, and our grandkids twice in the same week, God is good.
19 April 2025
Kaboom! The expected thunderstorm and the sound of rumbling moved in late last night and things certainly cooled down. We went to grocery shopping at the Jewels and I did my morning walk there. Albeit it was the cheapest gas price, we got gas for $3.099 a gallon. For some reason, the price of gas was all over the place. Mmm, mama made us spaghetti for our noontime meal, life is good. I swear, I had to fight to keep myself from going back for seconds. I have over indulged on her infamous pasta sauce countless times. I finally got around to steaming the dim sum rib. It was a good way to warm up house and made for a tasty dinner. It was a good eats day for sure. Feed our souls, O Lord, on the bread of life and help us to do our part in kind words and loving deeds.
18 April 2025
Crazy, it was already 62 °F when we woke up this morning. Although the sky was completely overcast, we didn't get any overnight rain. God is good, the plan changed back since the storm is not expected to arrive until later this evening so Andrea decided to bring down our grandkids this morning after all! I made the usual scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage links to start the day. Isaac loves his sausages and Peyton loves her chocolate long John doughnut. What a rear treat, Fawn Andrea and Isaac went out to the Five Below store and I was shocked that Peyton wanted to stay and play, Top Trump Match Frozen 2, with grandpa. Albeit this was the second time I played this game, I still had problems with who the different characters are. We then watched Paw Patrol Puppets on YouTube. Peyton definitely knows her basic shapes and colors. Lol, apparently there is a difference between teal and turquoise. It is so weird to feel a summer breeze with the screened patio door wide open, what an outstanding day. I made us gon chow ngau ho for our noontime meal. Clearly, the little girl tired me out because I dozed off for a couple hours in the afternoon after they left. I woke up for supper and we finished off the leftover taco. Evening joy, facetiming with the kids. Oh wow, Steve Angeli entering the ncaa transfer portal. I was hoping that he would be the start this year. Best wishes for this talented young man. On the positive side, that leaves two extremely talented quarterbacks, CJ Carr and Keny Minchey, to compete for the QB1 position. There is no way Notre Dame is not going to begin the season ranked as a top ten team and not make the playoffs. Days like today are an extra special blessing.
17 April 2025
Praise the Lord, I woke up grateful for this new day, how great art thou, O Lord, how great art thou. Albeit we had overnight rain, temperaturewise we are fairing way better than we did yesterday. We woke up to temperatures in the mid 40s and it was already in the mid 50s shortly after. I was like a doubting Thomas when I saw 80°F forecast for tomorrow, but I changed my mind, because I can see it easily getting into the mid 60s later this afternoon. We talked with Rob and Andrea this morning and were concerned about the possibility of severe storms tomorrow which could change our family plans for tomorrow. We went pit and about to the Fox Valley area, my initial plan was to do a outdoors morning walk, but after a few minutes into it, it was disappointingly clear that it was too windy, so I did all my walking in the big box stores. It was kind of weird wondering what we were going to have for lunch, because I didn't have a taste for anything in particular. Mama pulled into the Burrito Parrilla Mexicana to pick up tacos, there's nothing wrong with doing Mexican. I had a chicken taco with rice and black beans, good stuff. I began raining in the early afternoon. I made us stir fried beef with Chinese pea pods and think that I mastered this dish now, pretty good! We had leftover rice and some hard salami in the refrigerator so I made us some fried rice to boot. We facetimed with Andrea, Peyton and Alex. I'm clueless where everyone else was. This activity remains a joyful highlight of my day. Wow, I surprised myself and got in a ten thousand plus steps day. I was only surprised because I only had a little over five thousand steps when we got back home.
16 April 2025
Brr, it is crazy how cold it gets over night. It was at the freezing mark when I woke up this morning. I was thrilled waking up to a bright sunshiny day and was reminded that waking up each day is the first thing we should be grateful for. Thanks be to God, it is good to be alive. Mmm, mama made mr oatmeal and raisin toast for breakfast, what a wonderful way to start combination to start the day. Achoo, achoo, achoo, dang... I'm glad I got that out of my system. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy and to do some shopping in the Oswego area and did my walking indoors. We went early to Portillo's and split a burger and a order of onion rings. From there, we went to the Chinese supermarket to get the get the needed to make gon chow ngau ho and make Cantonese style steamed dim sum style ribs. It was so nice of Henry to give me a wellness call. It has been a little over eleven weeks since my bypass surgery. The temperature made it into the mid 50s, but it felt fine because there was little to no wind to speak of. Mmm, I made myself an English muffin ham egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, delicious! I was surprised mama wasn't interested in having one for her supper. FaceTime! Facetiming with the kid in the early evening is always a joy and makes my day complete. God is good, his steadfast love endures forever across all generations.
15 April 2025
Whoa, the wind was howling away last night and with it came a huge temperature drop and some overnight rain. The ever changing weather has been crazy from day to day, but I'll take it as it comes. Every day is a blessing and is a gift from God, his steadfast love endures forever. We got up a little earlier than usual, well at least I did, mama is always up before I am, how she gets enough sleep is beyond me. I had an early blood work appointment that required fasting at the Edwards Outpatient Center on 127th Street. What a beautiful well kept facility, we were in and out of there just like that. I mused about the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. It has been on non-stop on the news cycle for some time. I started to penning my thoughts but deleted it because I don't really know too much about the actual facts surrounding what led up to his deportation or why a federal judge is claiming that he was illegally deported to El Salvador and demanded he be expedited back to the United States even though the POTUS and the President of El Salvador both seem to be indicating that isn't going to happen. I called my brother to see if he wanted to meet up and do lunch at IKEA, they have a 50 percent meal discount on Tuesdays for the month of April. We went out and about stopping at few stores on the way. Brr, it's cold out, I definitely didn't layered up enough. We went to the Target and I did an indoor walk around the store perimeter and then went to Burlington to do more walking, by the time we met up with my brother at noon for lunch, I already nearly had seven thousand seven hundred fifty steps in. Wow what a food deal, the three of us ate for the whopping total of 15 dollars. My brother and I got the chicken tenders and Fawn got the Swedish meatballs. I swear, IKEA brews a good cup of coffee. It was nice of my brother to insist on picking up the tab. Of course we shopped a little and walked the maze after afterwards. By the time we left the store, I already got in over a ten thousand plus steps day in, that makes it two in a row! Thanks be to God for the strength and stamina to reach this cardiovascular goal. We enjoyed our family time; my big brother is and has always been the best. I can say without a doubt that all who know him has been truly blessed. It is hard to believe that the strong wind did not let up all day long. Oh wow, mama is one tough cookie. She had me set up electric mower for her so that she could mow the lawn. The electric lawn mower isn't self-propelled so there was no way I was going to attempt to do the needed. She gotrdun and the yard looks great. The verse of the day is, "Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death" (Proverbs 10:2). Rightly or wrongly, as I reflect on this verse, Joel Osteen comes to mind. I don't think that I have ever heard this man preach Christ and him crucified. I tend to associate him with a message of prosperity and never about our sinful nature and the need for Christ. Anyway, getting back to the verse if the day, wealth gotten through wicked means, proves to be of no lasting value, while righteousness comes from God as his gift to us from his grace we received through faith in Christ Jesus which transcends our mortality and saves our souls from death. We logged on MyChart and saw the results of the EKG non evasive stress test that I recently took and was given the nod that I can start with cardio rehabilitation next week. I was surprised that the blood work lab results was looked at already and that my doctor said my numbers were stable... I just paused from penning and joined in on our family FaceTime video chat. Now my day is complete, God has once again dealt bountiful with this poor miserable sinner.
14 April 2025
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Happy Holy Monday! I woke up grateful for the immense love and sacrifice Jesus made in his passion during this sacred time. Holy week afford us time for deep reflection on who Jesus is as we mediate on his journey and what he has accomplished through his death and resurrection. Bless us, O Lord. We took a drive out to the Wheaton area and I did a centurion walk along the store fronts at the Danada Square West strip mall. Achoo! My sinuses began acting up. Mama went to the usual T.J.max and Home Goods, but it was the first time we went in the somewhat recently opened Burlington in the shopping center. I knew that we were going to be out and about for a while, because mama packed us sandwiches for lunch before we headed out. It was kind of iffy when we stepped out this morning, but by the noontime hour, it was a drop dead gorgeous day in the mid 60s! By then, I already had in seven thousand six hundred fifty steps. I rejoiced in the day and was glad in it, today was a very good day. I knew early on that I was going to get on a ten thousand plus steps in before the end of the day. Whoo hoo, good for me!
13 April 2025
It’s not clear to me why I need more sleep some days than others. Albeit I went to be the usual time last night and woke up the usual time this morning, I was low energy and took to the couch. Hmm, we went out and and about to three different Target stores and I am clueless to what that was all about, but I got in a decent indoors walk. Today was one of those, what a difference a day makes, contrasting days, the sky was completely overcast and the wind was blowing big time, the word windchill comes to mind. Mmm, simple comfort food, I made fried egg with oyster sauce for lunch. I think the price of eggs is ridiculously high, even with the sale price of $12 for 24 eggs. Today is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. During this week I tend to reflect on the Passion of Christ and on the Stations of the Cross. It is not clear to me what caused the crowd's shift from waving palm branches with shouts of "Hosanna" to waving a clutched fist angrily shouting "Crucify Him.”
12 April 2025
Albeit the temperature was at the freezing mark when we got up this morning, we woke up to a zip-a-dee-doo-dah looking day where the temperature is expected to soar up thirty degrees into the low 60s! We need more days like this. I say it's about time we saw the price of gas dropped at the pump, we got gas today for $3.179 a gallon. The price of crude oil futures has been hovering for about $60 a barrel. I think it is weird that the industry still uses the 42 gallon barrel as the standardized unit of measurement in the oil industry. I thank God for our good neighbors; we went next door for Marlyn's a noontime birthday celebration. I was nice to be able to sit on the backyard and enjoy the fresh air and warmth from the sun. I thought for sure that we would have to wait until May for some decent weather to come about. The verse of the day is, "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12-13). Thanks be to God for his provisions. His presence and strength in and with us assures that we can cope with everything that comes our way in this broken world.
11 April 2025
I love waking up to bright sunshiny days. It weird waking up and thinking of the Willie Nelson's song lyrics, "I woke up still not dead again today." Thanks be to God that is so. My siblings came over for lunch and I made us Cantonese style steamed tilapia filets, stir fried zucchini and mushrooms and steamed white rice. Today was a very good day; I love the special bond that I have with my siblings. God is good.
10 April 2025
I was surprised that I woke up tire this morning, because I went to bed my usual time last night. Regardless, I layered up to go out and about this morning. Initially the gloom and doom looking grey sky make for a boring car ride. I swear, I'm giving up on hoping for a decent warm springlike day in April and am setting my sights on the month of May. I saw that our neighbor had the dead branches prune off their front yard tree. Every year I have been saying that the tree was on its last leg for at least the last ten years. I did my walk in Ross and Burlington, but both of these stores were very big. Shazam, out of nowhere the sky cleared up to a nice mixture of both sun and clouds. Since we invited my siblings for lunch tomorrow, we stopped at the Jewels on the way back home to back a few groceries items. I saw warm ready made white fish sandwiches for a buck in the deli section that I past up and just had to give it a try. When I opened up the foil, I was surprised that it was a regular size sandwich, I was expecting a slider. It was pretty good to boot, what a deal! the verse of the day is, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19). We are a little more than a week away from Easter and celebrate the hope and joy that comes from knowing that death is not the end and that there is life beyond our earthly existence. Mmm, I stir fried us beef with broccoli for dinner. I thought it one of my best goes at making this dish, chirp, chirp.
9 April 2025
Prayers of thanksgiving for this new day. Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you. April showers we expect, but a string of sub freezing temperatures, I didn't sign up for this in April. Surly, mild temperatures will eventually come our way, right? Today is my cardio walking day and it will be interesting to see how many steps I will get in because there will be plenty of big box store we will be going to while we are out and about this morning. I did my first walk at Kohl’s and from there we went to Target, but my walk there was cut short because there was a ruckus going on and loud shouting from an obnoxious customer and a rather calm employee before the police came, we decided to go to the Walmart to finish my walk. It was raining when we went back to the car so we decided to head back home, by eleven o'clock I got in a little over six thousand two hundred steps. I made us fried egg sandwiches for our dinner, but I regretted having it with half a strawberry flavor Boost Protein Shake that tasted nasty. Whoo hoo, I got in my second ten thousand plus steps day in this week! I thank God for his crucial gifts which allows me to exercise to improve my strength and energy for daily activities. It was interesting to see our grandkids eating their dinner using kid’s training chopsticks on our family FaceTime call, Isaac had a dinosaur and Peyton had a shark. Learning to first use a pair of chopsticks is not a easy undertaking. I never became proficient at it because of my poor manual hand dexterity. “I believe; help my unbelief!” I think that all who believes battle if unbelief. Gracious Heavenly Father, grant us saving faith in your grace found in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus! It’s getting late and I really need to stop penning.
8 April 2025
Crazy weather was the first thing that came out of mouths this morning. It was a good thing mama cranked up the thermostat to 75 degrees because it was 24 °F when we woke up this morning. I am thankful for this new day and for a warm home and warm clothing, his steadfast love endures forever. To call today an unseasonably cold day would be an understatement. I looked out the window while having a bowl of oatmeal along with a English muffin and enjoyed the beautiful sunlight, it is not often that a we get a super blue cloudless day. I layered up as though it was still winter and we went out and about to the Sam's Club pharmacy and to do a little shopping in the Oswego area. Albeit I have my pedometer on, today's goal is to strive to pick up the pace every now and then. I ended up doing a brisk walk twice around the perimeter and took a brief sitting break at the Cafè before repeating it all over again. The shortness of breath wasn't bad, but I didn't want to overdo it, everything in moderation is fine by me, always listen to your body. We got tier one gas at Shell station across the street from the Sam's Club for $3.329 a gallon. We went early to do lunch at Portillo's to beat the noontime crowd; we split a hamburger and got a free large fries for filling out an online survey. It is amazing that we have been sharing a meal or taking home half the portions home for quite a number of years now. The sin of gluttony comes to mind. We video chat with the kids today and saw how dapper Isaac was when he tried on the first communion outfit that is going to wear. Funny how he looked like Rob ‘minime’. Thank you Lord, today was a very good day.
7 April 2025
I woke up thankful for this brisk bright sunshiny new day and somewhat surprised because the weather forecast called for several periods of snow, we'll see. Albeit it very rare, it has been known to have snow in our neck of the woods during the month of April. It is hard to believe that it will be ten weeks since my bypass surgery. It is my understanding that ten weeks post-bypass surgery is a good time to start resuming most normal activities, including exercise, but noting that it is very important to gradually increase activity and listen to your body. It is typically supposed to take eight to twelve for the sternum to heal well. My plan for now is to start walking three times a week in a big box store for a couple of weeks before my cardiac rehabilitation begins. I took this morning's walk inside the Target. It is common to have crazies on the roadways, but there were more than a few reckless drivers out and about this morning with total disregard for the rules to the road and for the safety of other. We then went grocery shopping at Meijers, so I was able to get in a second walk. I think it is kind of sad to see myself walking at a Slowskey pace, but it is what it is. I am hoping that my cardiac rehabilitation sessions will correct that. Funny how the Comcast Slowskeys turtle family (Bill and Karolyn) commercial and the Verizon Wireless "Can you hear me now?" test man commercial still stand out in my mind after all these years. When I put on the pedometer this morning, I initially had a seven thousand step goal in mind, but with the second walk in the grocery store, I was able to get six thousand six hundred steps under my belt. I would have never imagined that I would have gotten in a ten thousand plus steps day in given my current circumstance. Thanks be to God for the gift of life, may he forgive all our sins and heal all our infirmities.
6 April 2025
"In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly" (Psalm 5:3). May the Lord satisfy us with his steadfast love that we sing for joy and be glad all our days. It is a trying time when evildoers perpetrate our love ones. Lord, be with us. We woke us to a breezy and cloudy cold morning in the low 30s that promises to eventually gave way to the sun and warmed up close to 50 degrees by mid afternoon. I keep telling myself that more agreeable weather is just around the corner. We had the usual oatmeal with blueberries this morning but mama also heated up one of those delicious Cantonese egg tarts to boot for our breakfast, what a wonderful surprise! I wonder why I feel so tire and lazy this morning. We'll I actually did dosed off while sitting up for almost a hour and got the extra 40 winks of needed rest. I made us beef with pea pods and we had it over Cantonese pan fried noodles, mmm, yummy. God is good, his steadfast love endures forever.
5 April 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I woke up rejoicing to the gift of another new day. Fawn had me charge up the batteries to the electric lawn mower yesterday and of course it rained overnight, but regardless, I think that the ground would have still been to wet from all the rain we have been getting away. Of course mama went to the grocery store to to buy pastries, especially because Peyton loves her long john doughnuts. I still think is amazing that that little girl always been able to scarf down one of those bad boys. I made the usual breakfast sausage links and scrambled eggs, but I fried egg whites special for Andrea using silicone egg rings. Since we had English muffins, I opted to make myself a sausage egg mcMuffin. Albeit I try to, but sometimes it is difficult to refrain from politics at times, especially when our country went from a president who seemingly had a few loose screws to one that is a seemly a loose cannon that is willing to take on the whole world. In my mind both political parties have extreme leadership, what happened to moderates and the notion of compromise? With that said, I am still convinced that we still live in the greatest country in the world, but sadly need to distance ourselves from blue state cities that seem to be always being crime-ridden. Oh no, Sue called and updated us on our cousin, he is being cared for in a neurocritical ICU because is paralyzed and is need of mechanical ventilation. It is good that the perpetrator was caught on a surveillance camera and was later apprehended by the police and is being held without bail.
4 April 2025
Yes, so much for AccuWeather, initially it was forecasted to be cloudy all day long with rain this evening. I woke up thankful for a bright a bright sunshiny day and for the blessings of the gift of life. I love when the meteorologist to wrong when they predict cloudy days. I hope we don't get the predicted rain for this evening too. The clouds did move in on the early afternoon and form a complete overcast and it began to rain mid afternoon. Oh no, my sister called and told us that our cousin was mugged in the city yesterday and was hospitalized from his injuries. Who attacks an 85 year old elderly man? Prayers for our Lord care. I began my big cook and started off making the Cantonese pan fried noodles. Then I fried spicy tofu for Rob and then pan seared up a nice bone-in ribeye steak for Isaac before steaming Cantonese style tilapia fish for Andrea. Then I did the prep work slicing up two packages of rice noodles and mama help prep the bok choy chop for tomorrow's cook. The song of the day is, Beginnings – Chicago. I still remember how the Chicago Transit Authority literally blew me away when they came out with their debut album on my senior year of high school. the verse of the day is, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). The world gives us plenty of things that can bring us down and lose sight of joy. Our hope and joy is found in our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
3 April 2025
Yes, sunshine! Getting a good night's rest and waking up to the morning sun is the bomb. Thanks be to God for the gift of a new day. I looked at the 45 in day forecast and it looks like we are about two weeks out from what I would consider spring like weather. Albeit breezier and cooler than I still like it to be, how can we not go out and about on a bright sunshiny day? We went to the Fox Valley area and I did my walk inside the Aldis while mama showed for what nots. We also stopped at the Chinese supermarket and bought the needed to make Cantonese comfort food for this weekend. The plan is to make gon chow ngau ho for Isaac and Peyton and hong jong chow mein for Andrea and spicy tofu for Rob. It was so sad to see the sky became completely overcast by the noontime hour. I noticed that there are signs of chlorophyll beginning to show, it won't be long now before the trees begin to bud and flower. We stopped for gas and it dropped a whopping ten whole cents at $3.499 a gallon, so sad. Sweet, the sky cleared again after a couple of hours and there was a nice mix of sun and clouds. I finally got around to trying out the Boost High Protein shake. My brother gave a vanilla and a strawberry flavor 8 oz. bottle. I only tried out half of the vanilla one today because a single bottle is 250 calories. I thought that the taste of the shake was fine. I made us stir fried beef with green beans for our dinner. What is going on? I had a runny nose all day long. I love our evening facetiming family time. God is good, he blesses us with the gift of family and his steadfast love endures forever.
2 April 2025
I woke up premature to the sound of a series of loud thunder claps and ongoing sound of distant rumbling. I am thankful for God's protection and was thankfully able to fall back asleep. This time I woke up at my usual time thankful to the start of another new day. It is quite a contrast to see a creep looking gloom and doom dark grey sky and rain. I have to wonder it there will area flooding. We lucked out this morning at the hospital and got the closest parking spot to the entrance because I have a temporary handicap permit for our car. It would have been a mess to have to walk a distance in the pouring rain that was torrential at times. I had to take an Outpatient non-invasive EKG treadmill stress test. We made plans yesterday to have my brother and sister over for lunch but those plans were scrapped because of the intensity of the ongoing severe weather with the potential of high winds, tornadoes and large hail in our area. With all the rain and nitrates from the thunder, the grass has become so green and looks almost ready to be mowed whenever the weather will permit, it’s not quite 2 to 3 inches long just yet. We are blessed with modern technology be it a simple phone call or video chatting with friends and family. I thought it was interesting how long Pokémon has been around, I still remember when Alex was about the same as Isaac is now when it first came out. And to see these two play and talk about the characters is really fascinating. Looking back, it is hard to believe that I though video calls was a lame idea. Mmm, I made us pan fried bone-in pork chops with peas and rice for our sides for our noontime meal, delicious. Thanks be to God for our safe keeping and prayers for peaceful night’s rest and for a better day weatherwise.
1 April 2025
Glory to God in the highest! I woke up to a beautiful sunrise evermore thankful for the new day and for the gift of life. It is good to see the sun come up over the horizon just as you are waking up next to that special someone in your life, I am so blessed. Mmm, I was surprised to see half a English muffin with my oatmeal this morning, it has been so long since I've tasted and enjoyed the taste and texture and deliciousness of all those nooks and crannies. I finally got around to starting a one thousand piece jigsaw puzzle that my sister-in-law and her husband gifted me for Christmas. I can already tell that this bad boy is going to take me a long while to complete. Got to love working with tiny irregular shaped tabs. Away got to stop penning and get ready for bed, I have an appointment to do a stress test early tomorrow morning at the Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora. Prayers for a good night’s rest.
31 March 2025
Whoa, we heard the howling wind picking up last night while in bed. The news showed images of the destruction across the country from the massive storm that spawned tornadoes, hail and power outages over the weekend. I woke up this morning evermore thankful for God's protection and for the blessings of this new day. Albeit rain is expected this time of year, I'm not much on the sudden below freezing temperature drop, brr. I think that I would have most likely stayed in today if I didn't have a six month follow-up endodontic for appointment this morning. I was surprised that I still needed to make another follow-up a year from now. I just begged to inquire why, apparently the bone in takes time to regrow and fill in and is now about 75 percent filled in. We went to the Oswego area afterwards and I got in a walk inside the Target. Gas prices are still high at $3.599 a gallon and I still blame Biden for the causing the price to sky rocket, but it seems as though Trump can't reign it back in like he claimed he could either. I fail to comprehend what is going on with protest and vandalism to Tesla dealerships, so looked at a few YouTube videos regarding the 'Tesla Takedown' at several different US Tesla dealerships and thought it was sad that the protesters weren't able to articulate what they were protesting. Even more sad were the 'F bomb' this and 'F bomb' that. However, I did see a bunch of obnoxious protesters having a meltdown while encountering the presence of anti-protesters wearing MAGA hats. Albeit it remained a rather cool brisk day, at least the sky cleared up and had a nice mix of sun and clouds for the remainder of the day. I boiled a chicken breast and ate half of it with green peas and rice for dinner. I was surprised that it tasted pretty good with any seasoning whatsoever. Tomorrow is known as April Fool Day, I'm not sure I loathe that day in the year or Halloween more, both are stupid. I love evenings when the kids call to FaceTime. There was a mention of Rob bring Andrea and our grandkids down to visit us this weekend. I can't think of a better way to bring the day to a close. God steadfast love endures forever.
30 March 2025
I woke early this morning as usual, thanking and praising God. Surprisingly, a short while later I dosed off a got in about an hour of extra zzzs. Kaboom, I woke up to the sound of a heavy thunderstorm. I haven't seen it rain cats and dogs like this in a long while. Mmm, mama made us tuna sandwiches on toast and a salad for our lunch. Rainy day truly make for a lazy day. It is very telling how I complain about things that pale in magnitude to the domestic as well as global hardships. Lord, have mercy.
29 March 2025
We woke up to another overcast day and expect it to rain, but I am thankful for this new day and for God our everlasting light. Albert we are transitioning into the rainy season, at least it's won't be cold today and tomorrow mid day. We went to Edwards for Fawn's for one of her annual screening exams. It was slightly cooler this morning than I liked, so did my walk indoor around premise there. My afternoon was very peaceful and relaxing, we had classical music playing in the background. I made us stir fried beef with tomatoes for our supper. Today is Isaac's 8th birthday, bless this child, O Lord, and guide his path... Joy, I was wondering if we were going to gather as a family and FaceTime to sing and celebrate the little man's birthday. What a nice way to bring the day to a close, God is good, he is good indeed.
28 March 2025
God willing, I routinely wake up at 6:30 every morning blessed with the gift of another new day. With sounding too mushy, waking up next to my lovely wife is a true blessing. The song, Love (Can Make You Happy) - Mercy, ran through the back of my mind. I was hoping that the overnight rain would have blown by, but that didn't happen until about eight o'clock. I am looking forward to the temperature climbing up to the mid 70s later in the day. How could we not go out and about and enjoy the unseasonably good weather? Our first stop was to the emissions testing center. Then mama went to a few stores at the strip mall where I got in a decent outdoor walk pacing back and forth like a centurion. I enjoyed my walk but needed a break after about 40 minutes of going at and took a ten minute break before having another go. Initially my walk this morning was a zip-a-dee-doo-dah, plenty of sunshine affair, but just like that the clouds moved in and it began to rain. It was a good thing there is a build-in canopy along all the storefronts. My walk then morphed into a Lenten walk not as penance, but as a time of reflection. I began seeing myself as the depraved wretch that I truly am and my need for Christ. Truly, Christians are poor miserable beggars in need of him. The sky cleared again and sun came back out making in a drop dead afternoon. It was so warm that we went to the backyard to swap out the large perforated sump pump hose that we use during the winter months to the smaller hose we otherwise use and to clean lont off the dryer vent louvers, well Fawn actually did all the work.
27 March 2025
Of course I am grateful and thank God that we are alive but will admit that waking up to the gloom and doom darkness, I had to fight off the sense of lethargy which is kind of surprising because I peacefully enjoyed sleeping under the warmth of the new blanket that my sister gifted me. Mmm, mama bought tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana for our lunch. It was fascinating to read about and muse about the Catholic and the Orthodox teachings of what happens to our souls immediately after our death. Albeit I don't outright reject the notion of 'Purgatory' or 'Aerial Toll House', I don't give much credence to these dogmatic teachings either.
26 March 2025
Thanks be to God for the blessings of this bright sunshiny new day. Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. It is the norm for me now to routinely wake up early in morning to take my meds. It is amazing how much meds I am on now since my bypass surgery. I finally got around to updating the medication list on the emergency info section on my smartphone. I had the first appointment at the dentist office for teeth cleaning and definitely needed to readily have that information for them. We headed out early during rush hour traffic, but that isn't anywhere as bad in the burbs as it is heading into the city. Albeit the mornings are at or about the freezing mark this time of year, it tends to warm up into the mid 50s by mid day. I can deal with that, I still prefer it be late May and early June in the 70s. Unbelievable, shook my head when we stopped for gas, $3.599 a gallon. Grr, she's a goin' the wrong direction. I was reminded today that most states are red and began musing again about all the vandalism being perpetrated on Tesla cars and dealerships. What is wrong with people? Clearly more moral philosophy needs to be taught on the secular level. Surly Christians are following God's precepts. Beyond terrorism and the destruction of property is the evil of hatred to the point of taking a life. My sister told me yesterday that the trial for the senseless and viscous murder of our cousin's husband that was captured on a school security camera in Chicago is coming up soon. Why would someone drive by in a car and shoot someone, stop and get out and shoot them again point blank and then drive away? My mind then went into Lent mode and I then reflected on my own grievous sins. Lord, please take away the iniquity of my foolishness. Teach me, O Lord, your precepts that I may walk in your ways. Talk about literally walking, I put on my cloth mask and walked the inside parameter of Meijer twice. I could tell that I was doing a Slowskys, but it is what it is. I'm counting on improvement over time. I wonder about our physical condition as we age, but would never question God’s dealings with me and rejoice for he has dealt with me bountifully. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love.
25 March 2025
We woke up to a cold brisk morning with overcast skies. It always seems to be below freezing at the Crack of dawn, but thankfully the temperature works it's way up into the low 50s by mid afternoon and the sun came out. My brother and sister came for a visit and mama made us spaghetti for lunch. The time just flew by as we sat yapping for hours on end. It was nice that my sister gifted me with a Bedsure fleece blanket simply because she learned that I am always cold. I have been musing about how some people are going about violently protesting against Trump and Musk. I am totally blown away by the destruction of private property by some of these domestic terrorist. I definitely do not understand the logic behind the 'Tesla Takedown' movement. Sounds like anarchy to me. How is democracy being destroyed? I reached another milestone today, it was my nurse's and my physical therapist's at home visit. I made us beef with pea pods over rice for our dinner. It was a joy to FaceTime with all the kids, I can't think of a better way to close the day. Our grandkids look like they are enjoying their time on the beach. They were all tired out before the call was over and fell fast asleep. My day is complete. God has blessed my comings and goings. I need to go to bed now and wake up early to go for my dental appointment to have my semi-annual teeth cleaning. Prayers for a peaceful night’s rest.
24 March 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. Despite hearing the howling wind blowing throughout the night, I still managed to get a good night's rest. We went out this morning to exercise voting in our consolidated election early at the Mall of India. It is alarming and I think it is important to vote more than ever as some of the candidate’s ideas are so seemingly foreign or misguided to me. Glory to God's province, may his will prevail. We then went to my Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation doctor's appointment at the Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora. It is good to learn that I am continuing to grow stronger and progress. Afterwards, we went to take a peek at the Rush-Copley Cardiac Rehabilitation Center where I plan to do my Phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. We stopped by Portillo's and split a hamburger for our noontime meal. With it being so windy, just like that, the sun came out early afternoon while we were still out and about and that cheered me up a lot. The few white clouds contrasting against the blue sky made for a nice car ride. It finally got out of the 30s and made it into the mid 40s with the sun out. It was nice of my sister to give me a wellness call; we made plans to have her and my brother come visit us tomorrow. I thank God for the blessing of family. Today was a very good day, God’s steadfast love endures forever.
23 March 2025
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!" (Psalm 103:1). I thank God for this new day and for all his benefits. Alex called this morning to say that he and Joann arrived in Dallas safely. I thank God for their safe travel. May the Lord bless this new chapter in his life. We did a FaceTime call with all our kids, how can that not bring joy to one's heart. Alex was just going out the door to walk over to the nearby dog park with Nala. I was envious see him in the sunshine and warm eighty degree Dallas temperature while comparing it to the rain storm in the mid 40s we are experiencing. The weather is really crazy here in the Midwest this past week, you have to be ready for warm spring life weather in the 70s with plenty of sunshine, cold damp days as well as for a hail storm and for snow. The wind has really picked up this evening, we can hear wind hollowing. Prayers for our safe keeping and for those of all my love ones and for a peaceful night's rest.
22 March 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. Bless us, O Lord, and govern our thoughts, words and deeds according to precepts. Albeit today is a much cooler and breezy day, it is at least a bright and sunshiny one as we move closer to the rainy season. We have to endure the March winds and April shower before the weather becomes tame and pleasant. I watched the second round of the NCAA Tournament game between Arkansas and St John and cheered on the Hogs to their 75 to 66 victory. Sweet, we all got on FaceTime to wish Jennifer a happy birthday. It is amazing that God has entrusted three of his little ones to the likes of someone like me.
21 March 2025
Happy Friday! Thanks be to God for this new day. May we not take his grace and salvation for granted. Albeit we are having a bright beautiful mild day temperaturewise, it is quite a windy one. Facing and hearing the howling sound created by the March winds is quite common in our neck of the woods. I'm happy to learn that Isaac is doing better this morning. I ate a char sui boa for breakfast, what a wonderful way to start the day. Of course we went to Alex's today; we stopped at the Jewels and bought a nice porterhouse steak to make for our dinner. I was a happy camper gnawing the meat off the bone. Normally mama buys us a ribeye, but I'm guessing she couldn't find one with a decent size cap. There is nothing wrong with a porterhouse with a decent size tenderloin (filet mignon), both steaks are good in their own right. Truly, food is a gift from God. It not only meant to sustain us, but is to be enjoyed and eaten with gladness. It is a blessing to be able to break bread with family and friends. I know many will be on the road ways, prayers for safe travel.
20 March 2025
So much for looking forward to the first day of spring all winter long. Brr, it did not surprise me to wake to two inches of overnight snow, because the temperature rapidly cooled down in the evening last night. I am glad that the sun is out and the temperature rose enough to melt the snow where needed. We had a peaceful morning playing classical music as background music. Mama made us one of her delicious salads for a light noontime meal. I had my routine scheduled nephrologist doctor's appointment this afternoon. We had a lot of concerning questions given my new health condition and circumstances. We wanted to make sure we had a really nice meal with Alex before he moves, so we order a carryout from Maggiano's to bring to Alex's for a late lunch/early supper. It was in the mid 40s by mid afternoon and all the snow had completely melted. The sky was a beautiful blue with a nice mix of white contrasting white clouds that made for a nice car ride. Mmm, excellent choices, mama ordered the rigatoni d and the chicken francese. Yessir, that there was some really good eatin'. Oh no, Isaac was under the weather today, prayers to ease his discomfort and restore his strength.
19 March 2025
Kaboom! It was a good weather day, we had thunderstorms all day long and a hail storm early evening to boot. It is not uncommon to have rainy and gloomy days in March going into April. I use to find overcast days so depressing but nowadays I use the time to mediate and reflect on God’s word and to seek his guidance and strength. Just as God sends the rain to nourish the earth, he showers us with grace upon grace with love and mercy. Thanks be to God for this day.
18 March 2025
I woke up excited for the new day because of the expected spring like weather, but it was a little disappointing to see completely overcast skies because the forecast called for a mixture of sunshine and clouds. It has been exactly seven weeks since my coronary artery bypass surgery. I have an appointment this with my cardiologist this morning. We are glad that he has an office in Oakbrook, that beats having to drive all the way into the Rush University Medical Center in the city. I was given the order for the phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. We went to Alex's after lunch. It was nice that the sun was out by then and that the temperature was already in the low 70s! Oh wow, so much for hoping the Trump could lower the gas prices. Sigh, gas was $3.599 a gallon. I became a little sadden as the realization that our son will be moving out of state very soon. I am thankful that we have access to modern technology and will be able to at least video chat. I know that all our children are adults, but they are all such a blessing. They are a gift from God and we love them all dearly.
17 March 2025
Top O' the Mornin' Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Thanks be to God for this new day. Brr, it is still super cold this morning. It was in the low 20s this morning when we woke up, but the day promises to be much milder as it will soar up into the mid 50s by mid afternoon. I saw devastating images of the storm that spawned deadly tornadoes that swept across our nation over the weekend. I am thankful the Lord has shielded us from harms way. We went out to meet up with my brother to do lunch early at Baker's Square to avoid the noontime lunch crowd. The restaurant never got crowded, so we justly sat around and ended up yapping for an hour and a half enjoying each other's company. I love that the sun is out; the sunshine makes for a more cheerful day. I must of been pretty tire because I laid down to do a few of the physical therapy exercises on my back and somehow dosed off. Mmm, mama made nice salad for supper. Sweet, the kids facetimed us. I was ahead on the weather app for tomorrow and didn't realize that the expected high for the day will be in the upper 60s. Thank you Lord for your gracious presence. Keep our hearts and our thoughts secure in holy reverence in you. Forgive us of our sins and graciously keep us.
16 March 2025
Brr, it's cold outside and snowing. Dang, winter is definitely putting up a pretty good fight just days before the first day of spring. The temperature is expected to remain in the 30s all day today. Despite the less than ideal weather conditions, it is good to be alive. I thank God for all our winter provisions. Oh wow, good thing we were near the Walmart because one of the windshield wipers flew off the car while we were driving on the road to do a package pickup at the Old Navy before heading out to Alex's. Albeit it wasn't until the noon hour when all met up, we started out the day feasting on streamed shui mai and bean curd, breakfast sausage links, a pastries. I was happy to see that the bump on Isaac's forehead was completely gone and there were no signs of any bruising whatsoever. We sat around and watch, Moana 2, on the Disney Plus channel while Andrea and mama went to the Barnes & Noble Bookstore. We ate again at three o'clock. Alex tossed a package of ten store brought manicotti in the oven and sliced up corned beef. For our sides we had corn, scalloped potatoes and white cheddar parmesan macaroni and cheese. I had to fight off the urge to go back for second helpings. I started to say that it was strange not to contribute to any of the cooking again, but I just remembered that I did breakfast sausage links this morning. Albeit we didn't get to spend much time talking to our grandkids, just having them around brings so much joy to our hearts. Thanks be to God for this day and for the gift of family.
15 March 2025
Despite waking up to a rather windy dreary looking day, I thank God for the gift of a new day and for protection from last night’s major storm. The weather is crazy and I'm not liking the rain. Albeit it is much cooler today than it was yesterday, the temperature today is seasonable. We it drop in temperature today will pale in comparison to tomorrow when we will once again be below freezing, what a difference a day makes. The air pressure light came on yesterday and we filled air in the one tire, but it was low again this morning, so we drove the car in to the Discount Tire store on Route 59 in town. It turns out that there was a nail in the tire and thankfully they were able to repair the tire within a hour on a busy Saturday morning. Albeit Rob was on his way to come pick us, I was glad he didn't need to come all the way down and was able to do a turnabout and go about his day. His selflessness and mindfulness towards us is a blessing. I am definitely a cranky old man, I can't help but to wonder how people can stand blasting loud music. I spent a little time looking at the ballot online for the upcoming election and was mostly interested in the candidates running for our city council. It looks like we are meeting up with the kids tomorrow. Mama did all the cooking today and made a pot of her infamous pasta sauce as well as boiled two one pound boxes of mostaccioli noodles and boiled a 3.8 pound slab of Saint Patrick's Day corned beef! It feels weird not to contribute to any of the cooking. The verse of the day is, "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). My hope and trust is in the Lord who will strengthen and uphold me with his righteous hand. He is our ever-present help in our time of need. It’s time to stop penning and to get ready for bed since we will be getting up early and go to Alex’s early in the morning. Prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude for God’s love and provisions.
14 March 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. I woke up excited for this new day with the expectation of exceptionally nice weather. It was so peaceful and relaxing listening to classical music this morning. Now that's what I'm talking about, it was already in the low 70s by noon! Albeit a tad windy for my liking, what can I say? After all we are in the month of March. We went to Alex's for our noontime meal. Mama made us croissant deli meat sandwiches with potato salad and fruit. I'm still enjoying a simple car ride in the sunshine, but I think the grayish blue sky was a little strange. Oh wow, the high ended up being in the upper 70s during the early evening; I actually could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I it is my understanding that a severe thunderstorm is heading our way and is expected to arrive sometime near midnight tonight, prayer for divine protection and intervention.
13 March 2025
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Thanks be to God for this new day a day the opportunity to be renewed. I must be insane because it got into mid 60s today and I opted to stay indoors at home all day. Mama went out this morning and got a haircut. She is a beautiful as ever. I made myself a healthy but rather bland lunch. I boiled baby carrots and a chicken breast. Since I was in a cooking mood, it was time for a dinner and a movie. I made us beef with pea pods and had it over steamed rice for dinner. Albeit we watch Wicked in the movie theater, we liked it so much that we bought the DVD.
12 March 2025
I am so glad that we went to bed early last night because we got up early to go for my blood work and out and about to the Sam's Club. We were surprised that gas was selling for $3.099 a gallon at the Shell station across from there because gas prices was showing it for twenty cents a gallon more on Google Maps everywhere in our area. Enjoying a car ride on a bright sunshiny never gets old as long as the sun isn't along the horizon. We went out to Alex's mid afternoon and by then it warmed up to around 60 degrees! Now I can see how it could possibly warm up into the mid 70s by Friday. Today was my fifth physical therapy session with my home physical therapist. She has been working with me twice a week. Two and a half pound may not sound like much, but it still feels like a lot of weight while doing my physical therapy leg exercises at this time. Starting next week I will be down to one session a week. I was surprised at my balance on one leg progress. Working on all these exercises daily is really starting to pay off. Oh no, we facetimed and saw that Isaac has a goose egg on his forehead from hitting his head on the school playground. Prayers for healing from his head trauma injury, a possible head concussion isn't to be taken lightly. Thanks be to God for this beautiful day, may there be more to come as spring approaches.
11 March 2025
Thanks be to God for this new day. I finally got a took advantage of a day that I could sleep in and rest my weary body. It was good to yap on the phone with my brother this morning about this and that, mostly about health issues, he went through bypass surgery about two years ago. We went to the House of Emperor to pick up a carryout to bring over to Alex's our noontime meal. We want to spend as much time with him as possible before he moves later this month. It looks like we are on temperaturewise rollercoaster with the temperatures in the mid 50s today. But at least we get to enjoy another bright sunshiny day. It is hard to believe that we will I. The mid 70s by Friday. It was nice to get a wellness call from Emma this afternoon and a wellness call Henry. I am so blessed by so many of our friends and family who are so mindful of me. We enjoyed our time with our son; it is so sad that another one of children is moving out of state. May the Lord bless and keep him and may the Lord face shine on him and give him peace. The verse of the day is, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). When we delight in the Lord, our hearts will desire only to honor him. Truly the Lord will never forsake us. Anyway, I've got to stop penning and go to bed early because I have another fasting lab work appointment early tomorrow at the 95th Street Edwards Health Center.
10 March 2025
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Rejoicing in the gift of a new day, it is good to be alive. Albeit I knew that I was going to fast for lab work this morning, I didn't realize that we were getting up early and be out the door to go to Rush Copley at 7:30. I initally thought that I was going to get some extra rest this morning before heading out. Mmm, we split a very tasty croissant sausage and egg breakfast sandwich from Panera before going to the Sam's Club pharmacy. I love being out and about on this string bright sunshiny days with each day being a tad warmer than the day before. The verse of the day is, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). May the Holy Spirit guide, teach and transforms our character to become more Christlike.
9 March 2025
Thank you Lord for the gift of this new day. I can hardly wait, springtime is just around the corner and soon wintertime will be behind us. Of course I have to mention how I can't stand how we change the time twice a year. Getting up early two days in a row is actually taxing on this old body that is trying to recover and heal. After breakfast and taking my meds I surprised myself and fell asleep sitting upright and ended up reclaiming a hour sleep. We went to Alex's to sit Nala because he went to meet up with Andrea, Rob, Isaac, Peyton, as well as Sandy, Carl, Zack and Victoria at the Dave and Busters in Schaumburg. It is good to spend time with family especially before moving out of state for work. Personally, I'm not a fan of arcades because they are so noisy. I must have really been cooped up because I really have been really enjoying car rides on bright sunshiny days. It good to see a hint of green on the ground as the grass is moving away from being dormant. Needless to say, I enjoy spending time in Alex's house; I love all the natural light and the open space. I am beginning to wonder if my chest pain will ever go away. Lord, just say the word and I will be healed.
8 March 2025
Good morning sunshine! I am thankful for this new day. A look at the weather app revealed a three day climb temperaturewise. Albeit it is only in the mid 20s at this moment, we expect to be above freezing temperatures the remainder for at least this week anyway. Today's high will was supposed in the mid 40s, but it made it up into the low 50s, tomorrow the mid 50s and the day after the mid 60s! We got up early and was out the door by eight o'clock to pick up the cake from the Jewels before heading out to Alex's. I am so forward to seeing the kids. The gift of family is truly our greatest treasure, God is good. I enjoyed the car ride to Alex's, the sun was shining and the sky was a blue as can be. I made us the usual scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage links and heated up some store brought hom sui gok for our breakfast. Andrea was the one who ended up learning to make the beef chow fun. Clearly she not ready for Chinese stir frying because she is afraid of cooking with a high gas flame to get the needed wok hei. Sweet, after our noontime meal, Rob gave a short light shoulder massage because it isn't clear to us if I should be getting one during my healing and recovery period. After the cake we played with Isaac's birthday gift, a pair of radio control vehicle bumper cars. Albeit there is no doubt about my bias, I think our grand kids are the greatest. When I did my physical therapy exercises today, I spent extra time working on the balance standing one leg exercises. There remains a lot of room for improvement. I got a wellness call from my brother and from Peggy. I am blessed by their concerns and their mindfulness of my wellbeing. We stopped for gas on the way home; it was $3.09 a gallon. I'm still waiting and hoping for it to go under three bucks a gallon. Alex and Andrea gave Peyton a haircut and I think they did a great job because is cute as a button. When we got home, mama gave me a haircut, so happy haircut. Mama asked me rhetorically if I feel better now. Lol, of course I do, there is something about getting a haircut that that make one feel on top of the world. The verse of the day is, "the Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made" (Psalm 145:9). Lord help and guild me to live in a way that reflects your goodness and compassion. Thanks be to God, today was a very good day that was filled with joy and countless blessings.
7 March 2025
"Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath" (Matthew 24:20). This verse makes me think of the perilous times in our lives and the harshness of winter. Albeit we woke up to a gloom and doom looking day, waking up is always a good thing. I am most thankful for the gift of life. I was glad that we did not get the predicted overnight snow. We are not out of the woods yet, because the forecast calls for 1 to 2 inches of snow to end at 7 p.m. tonight. So far all we have been getting is a light drizzling rain. As it moved towards the noon hour, the rainfall turned into snowfall. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fond of cold or snow. Since we will be celebrating Isaac's birthday early this weekend, we decided we will make his favorite dish, gon chow ngau ho. I only sliced up the sheets of rice noodles and plan to teach Rob how to make the sauce and how to stir fry the noodles. Andrea last week requested that I make her chili, anything for my baby; we had that for our supper today. I am thrilled that albeit did snow today, there wasn't any accumulation. The verse of the day is. "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster (Joel 2:12-13). This verse is a good verse for the season of lent. Lord, I am a beggar and come with bent knee and render my heart to you in repentance and acknowledge my brokenness and need your forgiveness and restoration. Since I did a verse of the day, why not do a song of the day, Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry. Anyway, I need to get ready for bed because we need to get out the door early tomorrow to pick up the birthday cake we ordered for the birthday celebration. May God keep and bless him always. It is hard to believe that the not so little man is already going to be eight years old this month. Our lives are truly blessed, God is good and his faithfulness and steadfast love endures forever.
6 March 2025
Waking up in the morning is always a good thing, but there is something special about waking up to a bright sunshiny day. Lord, may your light guide my day and you’re your spirit bring me peace. Amen. Mmm, what a great start, mama made a fresh pot oatmeal and even tossed in a small piece of fish fillet in my savory bowl of porridge this morning. We went to my semi-annual primary doctor appointment. It was nice to be out for a car ride in the sunlight. I really am getting pushed hard by my physical therapist, but I think that it is really helping me get stronger and I am also seeing good progress with my balance. Lord, strengthen and heal me. Prayers for all my love ones.
5 March 2025
Albeit I woke up cool dreary day, there was joy in my heart. I am thankful for the gift of life and am fill with anticipation of seeing Alex flying back home some time this morning from Texas. It is hard to believe that he will be moving to Dallas in a couple of weeks. When Alex got back, Nala was super excited, howling and literally leaping for joy. Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent; it is time to reflection on our mortality and sinfulness as well as on faith and renewal. The verse of the day is, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread til you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). We are reminded of consequences of sin and the mortal nature of humanity is not eternal and that we will eventually die and decompose. Albeit death is a reality for everyone, thanks be to God for Christ, the curse of death will be overcome, and for those who trust in him will have eternal life. We went down to the basement and had Alex replaced the circuit breaker to the microwave, but the new replacement breaker tripped as well. We concluded that the microwave itself was the problem. After viewing a few YouTube videos, we took on the task of taking apart and troubleshooting the electrical circuit. Between mama, Alex and myself we narrowed it down to one of three door switches being stuck. We put everything back together and thanks be to God the microwave is working again! Oh wow, it transitioned from raining to snowing late afternoon. I was surprised but glad that mama ordered a fish and a tofu dish from the House of Emperor, it made for a fine supper.
4 March 2025
Thanks be to God for a peaceful night's rest and for the blessings of this new day. Albeit we will be raining on and off the entire day, I have no complaints, it is good to be alive. Am I seeing things, a week from now we are going to have a day in the 70? Really? I did physical therapy with the physical therapist today, these last two times have been really challenging with the strengthening exercises using two and a half pound ankle weights. Half the session was on strengthening exercises and the other half on balancing exercises. After my physical therapy session, I took short nap. I think that I am tire because I have been going to bed a little later at night. I boiled is ziti to have with mama's pasta sauce for our supper, so good. Nice, we facetimed with the kids, it always bring me great joy whenever we do these this video chat. Anyway, I got to stop penning and relax. The plan is to watch Trump address a joint session of congress later this evening. Prayers for our nation.
3 March 2025
I woke up to a gloom and doom looking day. Days like this use to be so depressing, as you get older you begin to count each new day as a blessing. Well at least the temperature is in not only above freezing, the expected high for the day is in the upper 40s. I know it's only the beginning of March, but I can hardly wait until spring is in the air. The verse of the day is, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness" (Psalm 37:3). Thanks be to God for his faithfulness. Truly we are to trust him and obey his precepts. It's not clear to me why I was tire this afternoon and ended up taking a short nap. I was blessed with two wellness calls, one from my sister and the other was from my brother. Hmm, the circuit breaker to the microwave kept tripping so Fawn went to Menards to buy a new one. It's a good thing that she thought it out and realized that we would need to reset all the electronics in the house and questioned how would we reset and reprogram the refrigerator and the thermostat, guess we will have do without the microwave and wait to swap out the circuit breaker when Alex gets back.
2 March 2025
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Rejoicing I am, it is good to be alive. I think the beauty of a new day is that we are renewed each new day; it is an opportunity for us to grow and do better the day before. God is so loving and merciful. I sun is so deceiving today, it is so cold. Hopefully it will warm up during the week. Today was pretty much a quiet and peaceful day and was a opportunity to reflect on how bountiful the Lord has dealt me and my love ones. God has truly showered us with grace upon grace. This journal entry has to be one of my earliest pens because I’m stopping to post and get ready for supper.
1 March 2025
Oh wow, we heard the wind hollowing big time as the temperature plummeted overnight. When we woke up this morning Alex was already on his plane to Texas. It weather was crazy this morning with gray skies and snowing, but within a hour the sun was out. Being so cold is not a good way to start off the month of March. I had mixed feelings about the day, it was sad that Alex flew out to sign a lease live in Dallas for work. That is the second of our three children who moved out of state. There was joy in my heart to Andrea, Rob and our grandkids. I was surprised that I was asked to make breakfast sausage links, our grandkids love eating them. Yummy, mama made her infamous pasta sauce, the house was nice and warm and smelled so good. It was nice to get a shoulder massage for Rob. I never knew how well Isaac can draw; he can draw amazing prehistoric creatures like my brother Bill. I had a great time playing matching mahjong tiles with both our grandkids. It is great how quickly they catch on learning to play new games. I was so glad the spent the entire day with us, often times they leave some time mid afternoon, but today they late and went out and bought dinner from Lucky Panda. Wow, what a feast! Rob bought way too much food. I especially enjoyed the curry tofu, I never ate that before and of course I overindulged. I am grateful for this day and for the gift of family. Being a senior citizen is weird time in life, I just learned that someone that we know is going to have bypass surgery this coming week. Prayers for a good outcome. Lord, heal our infirmities.
28 February 2025
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Thanks be to God for his steadfast love. I feel so much better in the morning when I go to bed early. I believe that resting plays a crucial role in healing and recovering from my surgery. "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14). There is a lot going on between resting my body at night and doing physical therapy during the day while taking all these different medications throughout the day. What another nice bright sunshiny day! It is my understanding that it will be near 60 degrees by mid afternoon! We stopped at Patio's to pick up some good eats on the way to Alex's for our noontime meal. Today was very much like yesterday, it was peaceful as can be as I was able to freely walk around the house and do my PT exercises. It was a joy to FaceTime. Yes, Isaac got another 10 out of 10 on this week's spelling test again. I can hardly wait until we can spend time with our family tomorrow.
27 February 2025
I lift my heart to you, O Lord, with gratitude. May my heart sing praises to your holy name throughout the day. This morning's oatmeal was pretty tasty; mama put some leftover chicken lettuce wrap in it. What a most beautiful day with blue skies and contrasting white clouds. It was good for me to go out for a drive to Alex's house. His home feels like a vacation home to me because I enjoy all the natural light that comes into his house. His house is more spacious than our home and I can walk. Gas was $3.099 a gallon, now I wondering can Trump can get it under three bucks a gallon at the pump. Mama steamed up some frozen dim sum for our lunch, but the taste of it seemed to be off and it wasn't all that, so disappointing. Being at Alex's gave mama an opportunity to go out and about and relax away from me. I am a blessed to have such a good and selfless wife. Today was a very good and peaceful day.
26 February 2025
Albeit I am still getting up a lot at night to use the washroom, I am getting my needed rest. I did the PT exercises that were required to be done while flat on my back before getting out of bed this morning. Looking out the windows, I see a complete overcast and we expect off and on showers for today and tomorrow. I am thankful for this new day and the gift of life. I think it the old Adam in us that keeps us from rejoicing in fullness of as new day without sunshine. I add a little curry chicken to my oatmeal again. Lol, it reminded me of how a friend described Indian food as looking like red, yellow or green gruel. Instead of doing PT sessions today, I am opting to go through the all the PT exercises a few at a time getting up often throughout the day. I thank God for strengthening and keeping me. It was most joyful facetiming with the kids.
25 February 2025
"Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun" (Ecclesiastes 11:7). Thanks be to God for the gift of life. I woke up a beautiful bright sunshiny day. The temperature was already in the low 40s and is forecasted high temperatures to climb into the mid 50s! Mmm, mama made a fresh pot of oatmeal this morning. Normally I have it with fresh blueberries, but I had it with curry chicken this morning for protein and I finished up breakfast with a little peach yogurt. We got a takeout from the House of Emperor to take to Alex's for our lunch. It was a blessing to be out for a car ride. I love the sunshine and seeing all the snow has melted. Initially I personally thought why spend all that money when you can just get good food from Panda Express, but I take that back, their beef tenderloin black pepper sauce and ther fish fillet with ginger was pretty tasty. We had both the home visiting nurse and the home physical therapist come today. Thanks be to God for the blessings of day. Prayers for a peaceful night's rest.
24 February 2025
Thanks be to God for the gift our new day. We got up super early and had oatmeal for breakfast and was out the door for our 9:30 appointment by 5:30. Yes it is worth leaving that early to avoid the sun in your eyes driving during the morning rush into the city. The RUSH University Medical Center is so huge because of all joining buildings. It requires a lot of walking to get around. I got in a PT session before my appointment. May the Lord continue to strengthen and restore my health. Thanks be to God that everything is appearing to be healing just fine. I am Fawn was by side or else it would have been overwhelming to go over all my new meds. We were out of the hospital by the noon hour and was thrilled that traffic back was moving at the speed limit. I had curry chicken with Cantonese pan fried noodles for lunch and then took an afternoon siesta. I got in my second PT session late afternoon. Mama made us one signature salads for supper. It’s not clear how healthy it is to be eating salads often, but it tastes so good. I think that I’ll do a few of my PT exercises before calling it a day. I am grateful for blessing of the day, God is good.
23 February 2025
Glory to God, the Lord is good! I couldn't have asked for a more homecoming than yesterday. Albeit I continued to wake up frequently at night because of the diuretics, I still managed to fall back asleep and get in good night's rest. We got up super early this morning to try to make a shift, because we will need to get up super early tomorrow morning to drive in the city to avoid the morning rush for post-op visit and a hospital follow-up appointment at the RUSH University Medical Center. I did two short PT sessions this morning and it worked out very well for me. Albeit I was indoors the entire day, it was good to see that the temperature was above freezing and the snow began melting. I thank God for the milder weather. I am so looking forward to the start of spring. The initial plan was to do two PT sessions this afternoon, but I ended up do three short ones instead. I thank God that I am able do continue to get stronger and build up more endurance. I feel bad that Fawn is doing everything around the house on top of caring for me. Mmm, mama made us really nice iceberg garden salad with strawberries, blueberries, grapes and hardboiled eggs. My second day at home was just as much of much of a blessing as yesterday. I am man in his element rejoicing in all of God’s gifts. May the Lord bless and keep us, may his face shine on us and give us peace. Anyway, off to bed super early.
22 February 2025
I woke up this morning with joy in my heart, thanking God for his steadfast love. Albeit today is still a breezy and chilly day, apparently it much better and less brutal than the past week. My morning joy was filled with the prospect of getting things together to finally go home. I am so thankful for Fawn helping me with the hospital rehab discharge which would have been overwhelming going over all my new medications. The kids asked if they could come down and welcome me home, albeit would be a great joy, I thought it would be best to slowly settle in. Being out in the sunshine on the ride home was really nice and had me reminiscing about when we were young and cruising in a car. The first thing we did was took a hot shower and that went really well. Mmm, there was Chinese carryout food refrigerator, so had a little of this and little of that. It is good to be back to eating four smaller meals a day than eating three larger ones. I did my first PT session at 2:30. After supper, I decided to login here and do a cut and paste of all my journal entries from my phone as well as post as my stream of consciousness thoughts for today. I can't speak well enough care that I have received for my heart issue from bypass surgery to this point in my rehabilitation, truly God has always and continues to bountifully deal with by entire being. I did my second at 6:30 and think it would good to see it three PT a day would be a good fit for me for the time being starting tomorrow. I'm not sure what I will be doing for the remainder of the evening other than to kick back and relax. Now that’s what I’m talk about, I’ll need pause from penning this journal entry, Andrea just initiated a FaceTime call… now my day is complete. It is always a joy to video chat with Andrea, Rob, Isaac and Peyton. I am grateful for all the blessings of the day. Homecoming is every bit as wonderful as I imaged it would be. I am amazed that I had my chest split open to make repairs on my heart and I am still alive. God showers me with grace upon grace.
27 January – 21 February 2025
1/27
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I am thankful for this new day for God's mercies and faithfulness. Bless the Lord, O my soul. I look at today's forecast and saw that it was a mere 16 °F and will soar into the low 40s. Our Midwest temperature swings on a given day are incredible. Sunny days and days those with above freezing temperatures are especially welcomed during the winter months. I have been penning my journal entries on my phone throughout the day and copy and pasting to Blogger at the end of day for some time, I will not be able to do that tonight because I am scheduled to check in to the Rush Medical Center today for bypass surgery tomorrow and the am expected to stay in hospital six to eight days. God willing, I will continue pen my journal entries beyond tomorrow and will be offering prayers of thanksgiving. My trust is in the Lord and his good plans for me. I was surprised that I haven't received a call for a check-in time this morning yet, so I gave the hospital a call and they said to just continue waiting for a call from them. I made us a spinach mushroom and egg omelet for lunch. Thanks be to God, I learned on the news the the rain doused the LA county wildfire! I suspect that is will be a daunting task to clean up and rebuild. Joy, I learned that niece is carrying their second child! The hospital finally called around 4 o'clock to let us know to come in for admittance. We drove to Alex's and he then drove us into the city. The drive in was nowhere as long as we expected even with the heavy congestion from the airport and beyond, city traffic is so horrendous. The hospital admitted me for a overnight stay and my bypass surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 7:15 a.m. had a view of the United Center and saw the large crowd exiting from the Bulls game. It's no wonder why I was admitted the night before my surgery, there were a ton of questions and a boat load of tests and constant monitoring. It is hard to believe that I will be having a major surgery that will open up my chest to perform heart bypass surgery. I am blessed and am comforted by the well wishes and intercessory prayers on my behalf. I am thankful for the hospitality of my hospital caregivers. A doctor from the cardiology department came by shortly after midnight with the results of the lab work and said that there was nothing prohibiting the surgery set for tomorrow morning. Prayers for safe travel for Alex and Fawn; for God's blessings for all the hospital medical team; for peaceful rest; for a good surgical outcome. My life has been truly bless for the Lord has dealt bountifully with me. My trust is in the Lord, may his will be done. Fawn, know that you are the love of my life. I love you more than anything. I am so blessed that has gifted me with good wife. I am thinking of you and my children, convey my love to Andrea, Rob, Isaac, Peyton, Alex, Jennifer and RJ. I am at peace under God's wings.
1/28
Thanks be to God for this new day. Albeit I was waken up for one thing or another every couple hours throughout the night, I still was able to immediately fall back asleep each time and feel well rested. The last time I was waken was around 5:15 a.m. Since I was expecting a customary visit from one of the assisting surgeons prior to the surgery at 6:15, I decided to pray and meditate on God’s word in the quite. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust" (Psalm 91:1-2). Lord, with me abide.
2/2
Today is the first day I am getting to pen a journal entry. Thank be to God l am alive. The recovery is taking longer to than I like. I am still un the ICU struggling with the breathing exercises and eating. Intercessory prayers for healing and recovery. It was nice of Rob, Andrea, Isaac, Peyton, Alex and Fawn to come visit me yesterday.
2/3
"But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed" (Matthew 8:8). God is my strength, Lord say the word and I will be healed. Bill drove Fawn down again into the city, it is good to have such a mindful brother that is always so mindful of me and my children. Last night because of all my pain, I mused about death and dying. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:6). The Lord is my hope and my salvation.
2/4
Thanks be to God for this new day. I think my problem has not been eating. The food tastes terrible with all the medicine I have been taking. I am going to make it a point to just eat the food regardless of the taste to get stronger and really work hard on the breathing exercises. Today is a cold day sit near the windows, but I welcome the sunlight. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and pancakes. Albeit tasted so gross, I forced one egg and one pancake down. Lunch was a barbecue chicken sandwich. I managed to down about a third of the sandwich. I went for four walks today. I'm still struggling with my breathing exercises, albeit I'm not doing as well as I would like, I still have to continue with the process.
2/5
Glory to God in the highest! I think it is interesting that the hospital has been trying to get into rehab. I guess there isn't enough rooms and have kept me in the ICU. Today was the first day I ordered my own food instead of having the daily specials. I'm all fired up and intend to do more walking today and increasing my breathing exercises. I am grateful for the gift of family, but I am especially grateful for my good wife and brother. Last night was blessing to praise God singing sacred music. Dang it's cold sitting by the window today, I can hear the wind hollowing big time, but the big talk of the day is the ice winter storm that is heading our way for early evening. Eww, the food has a gross aftertaste, I can't believe that I force down a little bit more than yesterday with the scrambled eggs and pancakes. Clearly I didn't know what a Mediterranean salad was, it is by far their nastiest dish I had here so far. Albeit still horrible, at least I was able to force down half the chicken pot pie for supper. I thought for sure that it would have tasted a lot better. I thought that it was interesting that they took me for a walk three times today, but doubled the distance. Bless the Lord my soul. I sang sacred music again today, I am surprised that I don't that every night before going to bed. Albeit I missed the love of my life today, it is far better to be safe than be sorry.
2/6
It is good to be alive, less the Lord who saves me. The staff normally wakes me and sits me upright in a chair at 5:30 a.m. this morning I woke up on my own at 4:15 parched and needed to drink some hot water. It's an awful gloom and doom looking day with very little sunlight. I was able to eat about two-thirds of my scrambled eggs and pancakes this morning by masking the taste with ketchup and hot sauce. I'm hearing from everyone including Fawn that it is like an ice skating rink. The physical therapy took me a a disappointing short walk and was forced on personal hygiene. My second walk of the day went much better. I'm trying my best to improve on breathing exercises with little to no progress, so got in my third walk in by the noon hour. Sigh, here I was thinking that I should be eating more only to learn that my numbers are high and was preventing my physical therapy transfer. I went for my fourth walk at 5 p.m. and hope get one more walk in after supper. It is hard to not think about death and dying when your chest has been opened up for bypass surgery. Thanks be to God who promises to stay by my side. I are about a third of my sliced roasted turkey with gravy mashed and green beans for dinner while listening to sacred music on Lutheran Public Radio!
2/8
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). Yesterday was a bad day for me; I was super tire all day long and only got two short walks and slept in bed most to the time. Today was just the opposite; I felt pretty good and got my first full walk in at 10:15. They finally moved me from the ICU, to the 12th floor. By the time I got my lunch it was almost three o'clock, so I didn't get to my get in my second walk for the day until 4 p.m. What is up with this freezing rain and howling wind? I love the video technology, it was the first time I used FaceTime on Facebook and thought it was excellent getting all my family together. When we were young with children, I couldn't imagine a greater joy, but God continues blessed with us grandchildren! Sweet I got had my sutures removed at 4:45 I thought that they either forgot about me or they changed their mind. I swear the food is terrible and the only thing editable are the desserts. I was listening to LPR playing sacred music again this evening, it is truly a blessing to praise God in the form of liturgical music. I cleaned up at 8:30 before going on my last walk and to early bed. The breathing exercises are tough, they tend to make me cough which brings about some chest pain. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love his mercies on this poor miserable sinner are remarkable. Our Lord showers us grace upon grace. Lord teach me your precepts at the dawn of each new day, be with me.
2/9
I woke up to the dawn of a beautiful bright sunshiny day. I was surprised that there was ice and snow on the roadways. I ate oatmeal this morning and think that food that bland food is better than eating food tastes terrible. I watched Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral. It it isn't one thing it is is another. I'm just getting over an infection and now I just learned that I'm taking on fluid around my lungs. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). I got in my first walk at 11:15 I had to force my pasta marinara and only managed to finish half of it. It was a blessing to FaceTime with the the family. My second walk didn't come about until 5 o'clock. I opted to enjoy listening to sacred music on lpr instead of the watching the super bowl. I got up to take my third a final walk before cleaning up and going to bed. Thanks be God and rejoicing in the blessings go the day.
2/10
I woke up rejoicing in the gift of life, thanks be to God. I'm not much on having visitors, but I am excited knowing that my wife and brother will be visiting. I worked with physical therapy this morning and we did my walk without the walker. I felt that I was a little wobbly had difficulty standing upright while walking. It was nice to get in my second and third walk at 11:15 and at 2 o'clock with the nurses. I couldn't believe that he doctors performed a procedure to drain the fluid surrounding my left lung. I was stunned when they told me they drew out one and a half liters. I procedure was so painful.
2/11
I woke up nausea this morning and after a couple spoonfuls of oatmeal, I began vomiting big time. I ended up going back to bed and stayed there for the remainder of the day seeking God’s protection.
2/12
I woke this grateful for the blessings of a new day. I had oatmeal, wheat toast and fresh fruit. I was surprised that everything tasted just fine and was able to finally finish most of my breakfast. Clearly today was going to be a better day, but perhaps not weatherwise with this winter storm bringing us 3 - 6 inches of snow. It is going to be a nightmare for folks needing to use the roadways. The verse of the day is, "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Help me, O Lord to remember your great love for me when I am led to doubt your grace or wonder about my worthiness. May your love to be reflected in my daily life. Thank you for loving me so completely. Christ first! I finished my mini Italian beef. It was a far cry from a Portillo's but at least it was edible. Lol, it's so weird eating it green beans on a plate instead of with french fries and onion rings. I have this "cough bear" that was given to in the ICU that has been by side since the get go. Everyone here think I should give it a name, so I've assigned that task to Isaac and Peyton. Lol, Peyton named it Mr. Banana. Dinner was nasty, the chicken pot pie was nastier then when I tasted last week I had two highlights of the day, first praising God by continuing to sing, Te Deum, until I memorized the ancient song by heat. The other was facetiming with the kids
2/13
O Gladsome Light, I thank thee Lord for this new day. I woke up to the howling wind and the the busyness of the roadway. I looked at the 10 day forecast and all I saw a string of snow filled days with subzero temperatures of the weather app. I am not a city person, so I am not impressed by any city skyline when I look out the window, but I am loving all the sunlight. A busy day is scheduled ahead for me. I am praying that my lungs are good enough that the tube can be removed and that I begin my physical rehabilitation. Lord, help save and comfort me. I called Fawn and feel bad that she out shoveling the snow. Happy, happy, happy, the drain tube and all my staples were removed at 8:30! Glory to God in the highest. Unbelievable, I finished my entire breakfast oatmeal wheat toast, fruit cup and hot tea. I was thrilled that I got my first walk in for the day at 9:30 and was allowed to wall in the hallways alone as long as I was in full view of a nurse's station. I had a hamburger for lunch that albeit tasted like it came out of a vending machine, I ate the entire burger, that just tells you how bad the food is. I'm doing my best to keep up with my breathing exercises with the aid of an incentive spirometer. I got in my second walk of the day at 12:45 and I feeling pretty good, I'm pretty sure the hospital will be transporting for rehab at their Aurora facility tomorrow afternoon. I met with physical therapy and we went on my third walk at 2:30 and my fourth at 4 o'clock. I got in my 5th walk at 6:15. I had a mixed Caesar salad with chicken. I cleaned up at 8 o'clock and then called it a day. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day.
2/14
Happy Valentine's Day! "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). I am so thankful that Lord is blessings me with the gift of another new day. The Lord has truly blessed me Proverbs 31 treasure. 8 ugly It is hard to believe that I have been in this hospital for 16 days already. Albeit I didn't order much for breakfast, I did my entire breakfast. Calling it delicious or even remotely good would be a stretch, but surprisingly the scrambled eggs, wheat toast and chicken sausage didn't have the nasty taste I have been experiencing. I just looked at the weather app and it is forecasting 4 to 8 inches of snow for this weekend and five day string of subzero temperatures during the week. I took my morning walk and feel that I am stronger and steadier than I have been post surgery. Whoo hoo, I got the news that I will be transported to the Rush Copley facility in Aurora for my rehab. It feels weird to be back wearing everyday clothes. I was in the Aurora facility by 3:30 and was greeted there by Fawn and Bill. I was thrilled that the room was warm and without all the noise from the busyness of the city. Things are certainly looking up, the fish and roasted potatoes was much better than the I have been eating. I rehab begin tomorrow and I pray for strength to go strong enough to go home and on with life. My expected stay here is 7 to 10 days. Praise God, his steadfast love endures forever. It is the will of God in Jesus that we rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks is all circumstances. Clearly, I am not best of circumstances health wise, but I rejoice in this time that allows me to listen to sacred music and grow spiritually and pray more. I thank God how well staffed that facility is.
2/15
Thanks be to God for the peaceful night's rest and for the gift of this day. My schedule for the day written on a board at the start of the day. I will have a OT evaluation from 10:30 to 12:00 and a PT evaluation from 1:00 to 2:30. I sat up for breakfast which came at 8:15. I had a biscuit with sausage gravy that was pretty good with a cup of coffee. It was nice to be sitting upright and lounge comfortably in the chair with the wearable blanket that Rob and Andrea got me for Christmas. I met with Dr Keane at 9 o'clock who will be overseeing by rehabilitation. I liked my OT session, I hand washed myself, brush my teeth and did cleaned myself after using the washroom. It was good to get up and walk to the gym and I met the PT before heading back to my room for lunch. I had the chicken quesadilla that was pretty good. Judging from dinner last night along with the breakfast and lunch today, I say the food is pretty good considering how healthy it is being cooked. There was a lot going in PT and I got good glimpse of road to doing things independently. The biggest thing I saw was balance, getting in and out of bed, and going up and down steps. Sundays are quite days so the plan is to have nurses take me on a walk three times tomorrow. It sounds like there will be two OT sessions and two PT sessions each day starting on Monday. Facetiming with the kids was awesome, there is a chance they will visiting this old man tomorrow. I ate up all my linguine with meatballs, so there is no doubt in my mind the food in this facility is much better. This president appears to very active, Lord grant him wisdom. Guide him that we may live quite and peaceful live. I got a nice walk in and am now preparing to call it a day. Prayers for all my love ones, for health and healing, a for a peaceful night's rest.
2/16
It was good thing that I went to bed early because I got up five times to use the bathroom. Today was the latest I got out of bed. Thanks be to God for this new day and for his gifts. I was surprised that the scrambled eggs, hash browns, turkey sausage and wheat toast was only so-so. I didn't have much of an appetite and only ended up eating half the food. After breakfast, I was thrilled to finally get my first shower since being my surgery. I think that doing my rehab being cared for in a hospital like atmosphere is wonderful. I can't say enough good things about the staff and this facility. I went for a nice at 11 o'clock and hope to get in three walks today. I watched Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral. It was a joy to talk with Fawn and Jennifer on the phone. It is strange to have living so far away and it will strange when Alex will move out state in about a month. I ate a tasty flatbread with mushrooms, peppers and onions for lunch, but think that wasn't the best choice for my noontime meal. I had joyous afternoon, Andrea, Rob, Fawn, Alex and our grandkids! God is good. I went for my second of the day at 3:30. Carl dropped by for visit at four o'clock but left at five when my supper came. It was so kind and mindful him to visit. I wasn't able to finish the second chicken taco. They were OK but a far cry from the tacos I am accustom to eating. I went for my third and final walk at 7:30 before getting ready for bed. I am glad getting back to normal with my bowel movements. Today was a very good day that was filled with countless blessings. Prayers for God's presence and safe keeping in my home while I am way. May his holy angels guard over all my love ones.
2/17
Christ first! I woke up thanking God for this new day. Ĺast night was pretty much like the night getting up often to urinate. I was happy to be regular this morning. Albeit I feel stronger and slightly better with each pasting day, I wonder if I can get to a place where I was before my surgery. It was -1 °F I woke up this morning and the forecast is for subzero temperatures during the week. The deep freeze that we have been in that will continue to be in until next week is insane. Everything seems to me on a schedule at this rehab facility. I am waken up around 7:15, my meals are at 8 12 and 5 o'clock. I have a OT and PT sessions in morning as well as both in the afternoon. I finished my oatmeal wheat toast and yogurt and thought that this morning's breakfast is more to what I have at home. I thought that my morning OT session when well and that I was able to hand wash and dress for the fairly readily. I possibly ate the worst fish sandwich ever, talk about dry. My OT and PT for the day was focused on balance, flexibility and building up endurance. I feel that my day in rehab was very beneficial. I watched episode 11 of NCIS: Origin. It is amazing how many different NCIS series there are and how successful they are. I ate meatloaf for dinner and it was just OK. I was hoping to get a walk early before going to bed, but that didn't happen. I went for a walk at 8:15. I listened sacred music on LPR while in bed. It is crazy how early I need to call it a day because between the diuretics that causes me to get up frequent at night and getting woken up for this and that in order to get an adequate amount of slept I thank God for the blessings of the day, his steadfast love endures forever. May the Lord grant his holy angels to watch over me and all my love ones and for a peaceful night's rest.
2/18
God is good. Thanks be to God for a good night's rest. I slept all the way until 8 o'clock when breakfast came. The outside temperature was up to -5 °F by then. I woke up thankful for this bright new sunshiny day. I feel pretty good and stronger with the pasting of each new day as I petition daily for our Lord’s strength and for wisdom. I had an egg omelet for breakfast and only managed to finish about two-thirds of it because it was quite huge. For a healthy omelet, it was pretty good. We get new schedule for the day every morning, the two OT and PT times are not at a daily fixed time. I was surprised to see a recreational therapy session added to the schedule for the day. I took a nice hot shower during my morning OT session. Sweet, I thought that PT was very productive and able to get a pretty good ten minute workout using a seated elliptical machine to wrap up my morning session. I ate a plain hamburger along with a tomato soup. Naturally a healthy hamburger is anything but a juicy one. Albeit I am still learning as well as doing beneficial things during my therapy session, I think I rather be home. I got in my first walk of the day at 4 o'clock. It was a nice long one at that. I am looking forward to doing gradually doing more walking once I am back home. When we got back to my room, I relaxed with a nice cup of hot water and watched NCIS: Origins episode 12. I had the Chef's salad for dinner. I don't think that there is a way to mess that up. I'm clueless to why someone would make a salad so huge. I went for my second walk at 6:30 and then hopped into bed to relax and listen to sacred music on LPR. Praise God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who fills and complete me.
2/19
I woke up to cloudy and bitterly cold day. I've been indoors this entire time so I don't know if I could differentiate 4 °F to a subzero temperature. Praise the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever. I thank God that I am alive and feel like I am continuing to get stronger day by by. I was surprised to therapy sessions starting at 8:45 this morning. That's fine with me, the only thing I like would that the OT and PT sessions weren't always back to back. Whoo hoo, I got a release date to go home on Saturday! My OT session was focused on coordination as well going over a home safety check list doing things at home, while PT was giving a focused on building up my strength and endurance. I didn't come to finishing my roasted turkey with gravy with mashed potatoes and green bean sides, the portions were huge. My afternoon OT session was very good, we simulated my home environment. Be it stepping in and out of a tub shower or going things in the kitchen. It was very kind and mindful of Albert and Helen to bless me with a hospital visit. I got in a nice walk before doing a dinner and a movie. I had the Asian stir fry with beef over rice and watched NCIS: Origins episode 13, now I'm all catch up. I thought the meal OK, but I doubt it was stir fried, it was more like a stew. We had a joyous family call on FaceTime. I is not that often when I am blessed to be on with all my children and grandchildren, God is good. PT pushed me pretty hard today, so I decided to call it a day super early and rest in bed instead of going for another walk. Prayers for all my love ones that our Lord will come their rescue and meet our needs. Prayers for a peaceful night's rest.
2/20
Thanks be to God for the gift of this new day. I am by nature sinful and unclean, renew me, O Lord. I looked at the weather app and it looks like we will remain in the deep freeze for several more days. Today OT and PT schedule looks the same as yesterday for me. Fawn has a family Ed meeting this afternoon, I'm thinking it has to do with caring for me at home once I am released. It is exciting times preparing to go back home. I took a hot shower during OT this morning and worked on balancing activities. They really pushed me big time this morning during PT because my cardio restrictions were lifted. Our Family Ed session with OT, PT, nurse and social worker this afternoon was very good and informative. I thank God for my wife who is so mindful of so many things big and small. I got in a nice walk before diving into a plate of linguine with meatballs again dinner and managed to a big dent in it, I probably ate more of it than I should have. I went for my second walk before hopping into bed early. It was a opportunity to meditate and sing praises to the Lord and reflect on his goodness. The liturgical season of Lent is approaching. Lent is about repentance, humility, asking for forgiveness and forgiving others, being merciful, and being content in our life with Christ. In my mind, we should never ceases examining ourselves as to if we have somehow sinned in thought, words or deeds. Truly his steadfast love endures forever. The highlight of the day was seeing and spending time with my darling wife, she is truly a Proverbs 31 treasure. Intercessory prayers for all my love ones.
2/21
Praise God, Christ first! O let us rejoice in the new day the Lord has made. It is hard to believe that we are still in a deep freeze and waking up to single digit temperatures. I was happy that Fawn came to visit me early and joined my early morning therapy sessions. I was given a PT discharge evaluation that was the same as the one given to me on day one of rehab and my assessment score was leaps and bounds better. It was interesting when Fawn asked me if there was anything in particular that I wanted to eat when I got home tomorrow because I had nothing in particular that I had a taste for. I have eating food that was either just bland or outright nasty just for nourishment. Albeit my afternoon therapy were are short, I still was find them very beneficial. The sessions were both focused on balance. The OT was in the kitchen area picking up cones inside appliances and cabinets while PT I was doing various standing and moving about leg exercises. My brother blessed me with a hospital and my heart was filled with joy. I haven't watched a western for a very long time, so I turned to YouTube and found, Apache Rifles, starring Audie Murphy. Now that's what I'm talking about, I am so proud of my grandson getting a perfect score this week in school. I thank God who watches over me and all my love ones.
26 January 2025
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!" (Psalm 103:1). Truly, we are renewed each and every new day through Christ our Lord. Christ first! Albeit is cooler today than we are expecting it to be in the low 40s tomorrow and beyond into the month of February! Mama was ready for the NFL AFC and NCF championship games and brought an extra large Domino's pizza for game food. Of course I ate too much and dosed off early in the first quarter. The next thing I knew, it was the start of the third quarter. I had no idea who was the better team going into the game, but that became very obvious during the Eagles 55 - 23 blowout dominance over the Commanders. I finished off the last of the fuzzy melon soup and had a garden salad for my dinner. Fawn when on to watch the Chiefs Bills game without me, for some reason I can't get into watching pro football. The day is almost over, Lord, with me abide.
25 January 2025
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life" (Psalm 143:8). Thanks be to God for this new day. Steer my thoughts and deeds, O Lord, that I may walk upright in your precepts. I made us a fresh pot of oatmeal and love how the morning sunlight is shining in while enjoying breakfast. It is my understanding that sunlight increases the production of serotonin in the brain which is helps a person feel calm and focused. I am feeling so blessed by all the support of family and friends, their intercessory prayers on my behalf are most appreciated. Mmm, I made chicken and barbecue pork fried rice for lunch. We had a bid melt as climbed up into the upper 30s. It was quite a breezy day. Since we stayed indoors, I hopped on the elliptical twice to get some exercise. I made us beef with broccoli for dinner and had a bowl of soup to go along with it; that bought back many fond childhood memories were my mom would always make soup to go along with just about every meal. Happy haircut! Fawn always does a great job cutting my hair; I'm surprised I don't ask her to cut it for me more often because I always feel great after getting a haircut. My trust is in the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.
24 January 2025
I woke up grateful to a bright sunshiny day and for the gift of life. I was surprised that we were once again in subzero temperatures because I did see that in the ten day forecast. It is not clear to me how we will get to the expected above freezing temperatures by tomorrow afternoon. How can I not be thankful for the the peaceful night's rest, God's blessings are abundant. Instead of just hiding in the house from the cold, we went out and about and met up with Peggy at the Naperville Fresh Market, she made and gifted us with some char sui that she made. Her kindness, well wishes and prayers or most welcomed. Of course, I was all bundled and just sat in the car enjoying the fresh air and sunlight. It is amazing how we are able to do that when we are properly dressed. There was hope of containing the wildfire in southern California only to have new fire breakout. Clearly, containment of multiple wildfires will prove to be even more challenging to put out. We made a nice big delicious pot of fuzzy melon soup which humidified and warmed up our home quite nicely. We added wontons and slices of char sui as soup toppings, so hearty and good. Albeit pales to God’s word, indeed soup is good for soul in a very different way. The verse of the day is, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Wow, what a amazing and baffling truth of our journey back to Eden in our every day Christian life as we behold the glory of God and are transformed into his image with the help of the Holy Spirit. As we journey through life and are also bound to the changes that comes with aging. Prayers for my friend and family as we seek our Lord’s wisdom and guidance in making the right choices for our health and for strength and endurance to face the difficulties that come with aging with courage and grace.
23 January 2025
I woke grateful for the blessings of a new day, bless the Lord my soul. We got about an inch of overnight snow and our days remains breezy and cold. We are still a couple day away from seeing above freezing temperatures. I am thankful that I didn't have to rush out early to shovel the snow on my sidewalk before the kids had to trek to school because my neighbor blessed me with needed. I tended to snow on the driveway and am thankful that the accumulated snow was only fluff and was able to very quickly getrdun. After lunch, I layered up big time because we went out and about on the way to Alex's. I just sat in the car while Fawn went in a few if the store because I wanted to avoid people and not get sick. I enjoyed the fresh air and being out in the sunlight. Thanks be to God for warm clothing. I didn’t feel like cooking supper so we stopped at the Jewels for their deli fried chicken. I think that their fried chicken pretty much like the franchise fried chicken joints, because they all fried them ahead of time and toss them under a light. It isn’t like the good old days where fried chicken is fried fresh to order. I am grateful for the blessing of the day.
22 January 2025
I was stunned at what time I woke up this morning but it was all relative because I foolishly stayed up late last night for no particular reason. It's not good to put my sleeping habits all out of whack like that. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground and on the rooftops. As cold as it continues to be, I was surprised to see that the forecast is calling the temperatures to be above freezing by this weekend. I made us beef and peapods and did a lunch and movie binge watching NCIS Origins episodes 9 and 10! I really enjoy watching this television series. I thought the dish came out pretty good, but I think I like the taste of shrimp and pea pods more. I had a relaxing afternoon listening to classical music playing in the background. The verse of the day is, "Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!" (Psalm 107:8). This has been a strange week for me and a lot has on my mind. Strange as it has been, there was much rejoicing for the Lord has dealt bountifully with me my entire life. Mmm, I easily myself a nice garden salad add included cantaloupe, pineapple and strawberries mama had all cut up for my dinner. I would have stayed indoors all day if it wasn’t for the need to roll out the trash and recycle bids curbside and to get the mail, so cold. Sweet, we facetimed with the kids and our grands, my day is complete, God.
21 January 2025
Yes I woke up and had to take a peek to see what our outdoor temperature was, -8 °F. How can I not be thankful for a warm home on a cold winter day? Outside the threat of snow, I have to believe that we will be moving on beyond winter's worst. I praise God and rejoice in his gift of every new day. Our Lord showers us with grace upon grace. The Fighting Irish defense was no match for the Buckeyes, they finally showed up to play during the 4th quarter in the Natty. The final score was OSU 34 ND 23. I had to remind myself that it's only a game. Imagine that, we are so blessed that the loss of college football game would be occupying one's mind in a broken world. I watched NCIS Origins episode eight, two more episode and I will be all caught up. I went to whitehouse.gov a saw there was avalanche of executive orders under "presidential actions" many which are recession of Biden’s executive orders. I think between all of Joe Biden's and Donald Trump's executive orders, pardons and preemptive pardon, and commutations, it's enough to turn one's head. Prayers for the future of our nation.
20 January 2025
I was interested in how cold it was early this morning and it was -2 °F when I woke up. In my mind, the only thing good about waking up to subzero temperatures is the blessings of waking up to our Lord’s care, his steadfast love endures forever. We watched the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. It did not come as a surprise that his inaugural speech outlined a robust national agenda, but it was interesting that he doesn't hold back anything and said what is on his mind. A large portion of his is inauguration speech sounded very much like criticism of the 46th president his administration. Clearly he will be building his legacy on the frustration of the American people over the past four years. May our nation yield to God and follow his will. Lord, empower this president and vice president with wisdom to serve in a manner that is pleasing to you. Hmm, the California wildfire started close to two weeks ago and it it only 50 percent contained, that is pretty sad. Mmm, mama made us a really nice salad/fruit platter for our lunch. I never realized that this president has so much energy and can go on and on making one long speech after another. Today is Martin Luther King Day. Dr. King was an American Baptist minister, activist, and political philosopher who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. Saint Augustine once wrote, “... that which is not just seems to be no law at all.” Time to put away the pen and prepare some game food, wrap myself up and get cozy in my wearable blanket to cheer on the Fighting Irish!
19 January 2025
We stayed up way past our normal bedtime last night, so I woke up much later than usual. It is so nice not to routinely wake up to the sound of an alarm clock and waking up to the blessings of God’s peace. I just had to look at the weather app while in bed because I knew the cold was set to move in. It was 3 °F and the hourly forecast called for the temperatures remain in the single digits. Albeit not ideal, we watched Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral. Sadly, the service broadcast interrupted with a live presidential broadcast briefing by Biden struggling to read coherently off a teleprompter about the release of the first three hostages that were abducted by Hamas. It is my understanding that first ceasefire deal phase allows the slow release of 33 hostages over a 42 day period. This is followed by addition ceasefire periods were the remaining hostages are to be released. I think both President Biden and President-elect Trump should be given credit for given for this ceasefire deal in Gaza, but have to believe the incoming administration played a pivotal role in moving the negotiations between Israel and Hama along. I mused a little about the possibilities of huge changes that are likely to come about with the incoming of Donald Trump as a second term president. Albeit I am not thrilled with him as the POTUS, I am happy to see Biden and his administration longer governing our nation. I have heard it ridiculously said that if you're not rooting for a president to succeed that you are rooting against the country. I can without reservations say the many of Biden and his administration were unacceptable and way beyond the pale. I am sure there will be policies that Trump will move toward that I will not be thrilled with either, my prayer are for leaders who will govern with honor, wisdom, and moral courage. I did a lunch and a movie watching episode 7 of NCIS Origins and enjoying a taco. I had a conversation with my son the other about this TV series and we both agree that this show is pretty good and apparently I don't what binge watching is when I told him that binge watch two or three episodes of various movies every now or then. We were sadden to learn that one of our neighbors down the street is terminally ill and the end is nigh. Prayers for God’s comforting and reassuring presence. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).
18 January 2025
"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:10). The Lord is out stronghold. Thanks be to God, I woke up to the blessings of another new day. I stir fried the two packages of pork ribs to make ribs with black bean and garlic sauce and divved it up three ways. But I wasn't done with cooking for the kids, I used two packages of rice noodles and made gon chow ngau ho and divvied that up three ways too. It was definitely a pure canto comfort food eating day. There is a lot of work that goes into preparing Cantonese cuisine. Mama and I make for a awesome kitchen team. I have been truly blessed, what a wonderful life. After lunch we when out and about shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables and to drop off Alex's portion of the good eats. Rat's we forgot the Alex preferred the more common steamed dim sum style ribs. I'm pretty sure we will be hiding indoors sheltering from the expected deep subzero freeze that is heading our way. Initially I was going to walk but I I didn't like being in the crowded store so I headed back out and sat in the car. It was Stanger to see so many road warriors out and about on the roadway. We saw a bunch of weavers and spazzes driving on the roadways with total disregard for the rules to road. The only thing good about being out and about was being able to take in the sunshine. It was really noticeable how the wind was picking up and how the temperature was rapidly dropping while we were out. Thanks be to God for warm clothing. Rob and Andrea stopped by to pick up the food that we made since they came down to Sandy's birthday party. We opted not to go because I wanted to do my best to not come down with anything before my upcoming surgery. I was kicked back and watched the nfl divisional round games between the Chiefs vs Texans as well as the Lions vs Commanders. I was all cozy wearing my wearable blanket. I was surprised that I didn't fall asleep during either of the games. I didn't root for any of the teams over the other and just wanted to get a feel for the teams. I hear a lot of debate over about college football vs the NFL. For me, I find college football more exciting. Anyway, it's been a long day and way past my bedtime. May the Lord bless us and keep us, may his face on us and give us peace.
17 January 2025
Thanks be to God for the blessings of this new day. The word zip-a-dee-doo-dah comes to mind while we were out and about in the Oswego area. It is very telling how cold it has been this winter when I can think of a bright sunny 45 degree day as a nice winter day. We stopped for gas and it was $3.099 a gallon and then we went to Sparkles for a car wash. It now cost $7 for the basic car wash. I was actually surprised that it washed off all the dirt and road salt off the car and the car looked pretty good. We went to the Walmart and I got in a nice indoor walk. We stopped at the Chinese supermarket on the way back and to especially buy pork riblets to make for Andrea and Peyton and hope for fresh rice noodles to make gon chow ngau ho for our Isaac and Peyton. Whoo whoo, we scored on both and even found some decent fuzzy melons to make soup. We went to Alex's to bring the frozen dim sum to store in his freezer and to steam some of those bad boys to eat. When we got home and I prepared and boiled the pork ribs ahead of time to make tomorrow along with a few other dishes for the kids. I love cooking for the kids and hopefully what I make is a tasty and nutritious home cook meal. While the ribs were simmering, I watched episode 6 of NICS Origins and I have enjoyed watching every episode so far. I think this show has the making of a long run hit series like NCIS. The verse of the day is, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace din which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2). I rejoice in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus who have assured my hope of sharing in God's glory. Come, Lord Jesus.
16 January 2025
I was surprised to wake up to a dusting of overnight snow, I didn't bother to tend to it because the temperature was supposed to climb above freezing today and tomorrow before taking a gradual nose dive as the polar vortex give way to the arctic blast this weekend. The Midwest temperature swings are really something. Is it too early to to start counting down the days before spring? My hands get really dry during the winter months and are exacerbated by frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer. Today is Andrea's birthday and Fawn showed me a picture of Andrea when she was a little girl; Peyton is the spitting image of her mama with different color hair. We went out for a brief visit to see my brother and sister; they went into the city and bought some frozen dim sum and fresh baked char sui boas from Chinatown. Since we were out, we stopped at a few of big box stores and went grocery shopping at the Jewels and at Meijers and got in a quite a bit of walking in. We all got together on FaceTime and sang, Happy Birthday! The song of the day is, Cry To Me - Solomon Burke. It is strange that I don’t remember this song growing up, but remember it from the movie, Dirty Dancing. The verse of the day is, "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence" (Proverbs 10:11). Lord, set a watch over my lips and let the meditation of my heart be acceptable in you sight.
15 January 2025
Dang, talk about crazy cold, it was zero degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up this morning! It is hard to believe that that the temperature will be above freezing tomorrow and Friday then a look ahead to Sunday and Monday with an artic blast bringing with it subzero temperatures. Mmm, I made myself a bowl of savory tacolike oatmeal for breakfast. Wow, the Los Angeles County, California wildfire started on January 7th and is still nowhere contained. If any place need rain this moment, it's southern California. I diced up some celery and some water chestnut and stir fried I'd before mixing in the leftover e-fu from yesterday for our lunch, it turned out to be pretty tasty. It was dinner and a movie night; I made us a teppanyaki-style chicken teriyaki that was similar to those found in shopping center food courts for our dinner. I use the word similar because I made this dish using chicken tenderloins instead of chicken thighs because the less fat content is healthier. I watched episode five of NCIS Orgins. I listened to Biden's farewell speech and was going to pen a long rant about his speech and his presidency, but I'll just say that it was pathetic and good riddance. Yesterday was my older sister’s birthday; it would have been her 75th birthday. We will cherish her memory and will love her forever. I have had a truly blessed life, my parent, siblings, wife, children, son-in-law, and grandchildren have especially bought me great joy. Of course it goes without saying I have been blessed beyond measure with the gift of family and friends. God has dealt bountiful with me, his steadfast love endures forever.
14 January 2025
The initial plan was to go out and about early this morning, so I set the alarm to wake up early. That was a huge mistake, albeit I expected it to be super cold again this morning, I didn't expect so much overnight snow into the morning. We ended up waiting for the snow to stop before going out to shovel it. Despite loathing snow, I did not allow it to steal the joy of the gift of another new day. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy for med because we switched one of my prescriptions back from the Jewels because of pricing. We have to staying on top of the cost of our med because the price keeps on radically fluctuating. We got gas at the Shell station across the road from the Sam's Club for $3.119 a gallon. I think that it is funny how I always think about Joe Biden when we stop for gas. By no means am I thrilled with Donald Trump having a second term, but I can hardly wait until POTUS presidency end, the vast majority of the man's policies are ludicrous. I not only think that this POTUS is cognitively challenged he is also delusion about his own accomplishments. We stopped for tacos at Burrito Parrilla Mexicana to bring to Alex's for lunch. I did something that I haven't done in a long time last night and watched an old time western TV show. I came across a Bonanza episode on YouTube. Oh wow, I came just came across, I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King. Sweet, I just paused and we facetimed with Andrea, Rob and our grandkids. Our grandkids are such a hoot, my day is complete. Thanks be to God for the technology that allows us to distance communicate on a video call.
13 January 2025
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). I am grateful for the beautiful morning sun, one of many of God’s good gift. Truly, every good and perfect gift comes from God. There is no doubt we are in dead of winter when we wake to single digit temperatures. There is no doubt in my mind that we can expect to see subzero temperatures later this month. Today was pretty much like yesterday, mama make me a salad for lunch and I binge watched two more episodes of NCIS Origins. I made us e-fu, also known as yi mein and longevity noodles for supper, it isn't as good as a restaurant would make it, but it was still tasty and way cheaper than what you would have to pay for it at a restaurant.
12 January 2025
I woke up once again to the sound of the howling wind. I can't reiterate it enough how much I don't care for the winter season and all that comes with it. With that said, I glad to be alive and thank for God's help during this cold and harsh season to provide warmth and protection. I see that we got some overnight snow and the current ongoing snowfall is due to taper off this afternoon. Albeit I'm late getting onboard, I only recently heard about NCIS Origins and ten episodes of season one are already out. I made us egg fried rice for lunch and binge watched the first two episodes on YouTube TV.
11 January 2025
The howling winds in the still on the night during the winter months are really something. I thank God for his comfort and protection during the night and for the gift of a new day in the morning, our beautiful Savior's steadfast love endures forever. Well it settled, Notre Dame will be facing Ohio State in Atlanta for the National Championship. I was totally wrong about the Longhorns, they played terrible in the Cotton Bowl. The Cotton Bowl was a far cry from the Orange Bowl game and think the Irish victory came about from the sheer determination of the team as illustrated by Jeremiyah Love's incredible touchdown run against Penn State. It was nice of Eric to invite us out to Mapo for lunch, especially when he has to drive all the way out to the burbs from the city. We haven't been in that restaurant in ages, and it has been nicely remodeled. I thought the food was pricey and the portions a tad smaller than expected, but will say that the food tasted really good and leaps and bounds better than expected. I'm guessing that they are under new management/owners. Since we were already out, we decided to do a little shopping and get in little exercise walking. Hmm, everyone is saying Ohio State is currently the best team in the country and that can very well be. So if Notre Dame can beat them in Atlanta, what will all the doubters say about Irish then? Of course Notre Dame will play their best game yet and it goes without saying, "to be the best you have to beat the best." Today was a very good day, thanks be to God for the gift of a loving family and caring friends.
10 January 2025
Not good, we woke up to about two inches of overnight snow and are expecting one to three of additional snow. Even though I don't relish the idea of having to tend to shoveling all that snow, I am happy to be alive. What a team! We managed to shovel all the snow off our driveway, sidewalk, and the front and back porch in 40 minutes! Even more surprising was that I wasn't huffing and puffing. With the snow still falling, I suspect that we'll be out there at least two more times before day’s end. Call me crazy, but I predicted Notre Dame will be playing Texas for the National Championship a while back and am still sticking to that. I always thought that California was a strange country, but I had no idea just how dysfunctional California really was/is. I really think it is sad and hope there will be lessons learned from their huge catalog of dysfunctional state programs. I truly don't understand the mindset of Californians. Thank be to God we only got about another two inches of snow fall so we went out a second time just before nightfall and gotrdun and spread the salt. It’s time to wrap up this journal entry and get ready for the Cotton Bowl. It really doesn't matter to me which team Notre Dame will be facing for the National Championship, I'm just rooting for the Irish to win it all. Thanks be to God for the strength for us to get through the snow shoveling and helping us get through our winter chore, God is good.
9 January 2025
I woke up to the sound of the garbage truck moving about in the neighborhood early this morning. I was good to see that the sun was out which means the days are somewhat starting to get noticeably longer. Clearly it is also getting colder as the temperature was only 9 °F when we got up. We layered up and went to the Sam's Club pharmacy for our meds and to do a little shopping in the Oswego area before heading to Alex's for lunch. We got takeout from Lucky Panda. Mmm, shrimp egg foo young and mao pao tofu. Surprisingly I got in quite a few steps in this morning and there is a good chance that I might get in a ten thousand plus steps day in by day's end. I am so amazed at how warm and comfortable being layered up in thermal clothing is. Wow, what a great quarter final game. I was totally surprised how well Penn State played against the Irish. Sweet, Notre Dame 27 Penn State 24 and is headed Atlanta to play in the National Championship! I can't say enough about the depth of this team collectively. I like both Ohio State and Texas. Call me crazy, but I think Notre Dame will be facing the Long Horns on January 20th.
8 January 2025
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!" (Psalm 103:1). Praise God for his unending and immeasurable love. We had plenty of things to tend to indoors rather than be out and about in the cold. We stayed indoors today and spent the day doing exercises and paper work. Good eats, I made a rubeye steak for our dinner, I turned my portion into a tasty ribeye steak and egg sandwich. What the heck is going on with deadly wildfires in southern California in the month of January? I don't understand why they have so many wildfires year after year in that state, apparently they don't either.
7 January 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Albeit we woke to a cold brisk morning in the low teens, I am grateful for this new day, his mercies never end. I am glad to see that we had a nice mix of sun and clouds today. We went out early and braved the cold for my annual oncology doctor's appointment, I am sure that it is an annual event that no one looks forward to. I thank God for my wife who cares for me and keep all my medical records in order. Our sidewalk and driveway was iced over and slick so I spread salt over it. Since we were out in the garage, it was a good time to break down all the shipping boxes from the Christmas season. Hmm, we ate spaghetti for lunch again and albeit I made certain to eat less than I ate yesterday, I still ended up taking a short nap again. It's time to start musing about Irish football again. Since Notre Dame already faced their toughest opponent this year last week at the Peach Bowl, I think that Notre Dame will fare well in the Orange Bowl with a double digit win over Penn State Thursday night. My brother gave me a wellness call and we always seem to talk about health in general and about college football. Prayers for our family and love one's health and wellbeing. God is good and he has dealt bountifully with me, great is his faithfulness.
6 January 2025
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). Lord grant that I may actively live out my faith and be a beacon of hope for others. I woke this morning to the sound of the howling wind. Of course I was wondering how much snow we got overnight, but it was too early to jump out of bed, so I laid in mused about Epiphany, our hope and revelation, and how a star led the Magi to the infant Christ King. It is amazing how God’s light shines and leads us in our otherwise dark world. I was happy to see that we only got a dusting of overnight snow, but we aren't out of the wood yet because there is still two to three inches of snow expected to fall in our neck of the woods today. Mmm, ate spaghetti for lunch. I must of eaten too much, because I ended up taking a afternoon nap. I decided to go light and made myself a garden salad for dinner. Whew, it looks like we got away without getting the expected snowfall! It is so weird seeing people post all the snow got from the major storm that missed us. I usual am filled with joy whenever the kids call and FaceTime, but the news was all that great this time around. It isn’t easy to rejoice in learning that Alex will have to relocate out of state if he wants to stay with his company. It has been up in the air as to when he had to relocate, all we can do is pray and trust in God’s plan.
5 January 2025
Today is the twelfth day of Christmas and the end of the Christmas liturgical season and the eve of the season of Epiphany. Lift up my heart in gratitude, O Lord, and lead us by faith into your presence. We are now in the period where we wake up in the teens and the high of the day remains well below the freezing mark. I am not looking forward to when we will be facing single digits or worse. Albeit it as cold this morning, at least it was calm, it is my understanding the winds will pick up and a snow storm will move it later today overnight and into tomorrow. Prayers that this massive winter storm stays to the south of us. I am so thankful that we are blessed with the means to stay warm during the winter months. Prayers for those who are finding that to be challenging. Albeit grey overcast skies are common during the winter months, I can never get use to it. I surprised myself and actually watched the Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers game without falling asleep. I have to admit that I thought that the Bears would find a way to lose and blow the game. They actually did choke and allowed the Packers score with less than a minute to go, but then managed a last procession 24 - 22, 51 yard field goal win. I'm betting for Bears fans, today's victory over Packers felt like winning the Super Bowl. I made us stir fried tomato beef for dinner. I just took a peek out the window and it hasn’t begun to snow as forecasted as of yet, that is a good thing, knock on wood.
4 January 2025
Joy to the world, happy eleventh day of Christmas! O happy day! We were up early and headed to Alex's to meet up with the family. There is no getting around the need dress up warmly by laying up, because we will be in the deep freeze now for some time. I will be surprised to see the temperature get above the freezing mark any time soon. The good news is that at least we got another day with morning sunshine. The days are still somewhat short with the sun so far south and low to the horizon, it makes driving challenging at times. We are creatures of habit, despite having a boat load of dim sum, we still stopped by Mariano's for doughnuts and I still had the usual scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage links, no bacon this morning. After breakfast we rented the movie, Wicked, on Amazon Prime, and the guys watched the musical with the two kids while the ladies went out and about. I made us beef with Chinese broccoli and beef with bok choy. Both went well over the Cantonese style fried noodles. We celebrated Andrea's birthday with a delicious German chocolate cake. I'm am thankful for Rob's willingness to drive his family down as often as he does for our family gatherings, thanks be to God for the blessings of this day.
3 January 2025
I’m always happy when waking up to the joy of a new day, especially when the sun is out. I took a quick peek at the weather app and it was in the mid teens with the expected high in the mid 20s, so I layered up with thermal clothing down to my underwear before we headed out and about early this morning. The radio forecaster said that windchill made it feel like single digits, but I don't know because I was comfortable. Winter is officially here, thanks be to God for warm clothing and a warm home. We first went to Jewels and bought a few groceries and a celebratory cake for this weekend. We then went the Chinese supermarket, I still can't get over it being called, Park and Shop. I was surprised that they had decent looking Chinese bitter melon and gai lan. Albeit disappointing, it was surprising that there was no fresh rice noodles to be found. We went to MingHin to splurge on dim sum to celebrate our baby. We called in the order and they said that it would be at least a half hour before the order would be ready, so we went to the Danada area to do a little shopping. I only mentioned that because there were spaz drivers were about in the parking lot. Sigh, walking to the store, a driver turned in front on me a parking space a almost ran me over and on the way out the store, never mind that I was in the pedestrian walkway, a car didn't even bother to stop or even slow down, so sad what some people have become. Albeit this wasn't the case, one can't assume anything about anybody behind the wheels anymore after the recent deadly destruction at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany and our own New Year's attack in New Orleans. Since we couldn't find any rice noodles, I prepare three one pound packages of Cantonese style noodles ahead of time for this weekend. The verse of the day is, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Thanks be God for his steadfast love. Life’s greatest privilege is to live coram deo. May we do so as we journey back to Eden in faith hop and love.
2 January 2025
We woke up to a bright sunshiny day rejoicing to the ninth day of Christmas. The morning's light reminds me of God’s eternal light which dawns on our darkness in the incarnation of his only begotten Son who brings us love, hope and joy. We went out and did lunch Mary Emma before she leaves town heads back home to New Jersey tomorrow. Boy o boy did it turn super cold when the clouds moved in. I hope the snow flurries we are currently seeing doesn't turn into anything more. What and awesome Sugar Bowl game, Notre Dame 23 Georgia 10. The Fighting Irish Defense has remarkable depth, it seems like matter who is in the job still gets done. I am looking to the Orange Bowl game next Thursday against Penn State. I turned on the porch light and saw that we got a dusting of snow on the ground. Great to FaceTime with the kids again today, looks like we have plans to gather again this weekend! We’ll need to go out tomorrow and do a little grocery shopping so that I can whip up some Chinese comfort for this weekend. I hope that the Chinese supermarket have something. It is kind of sad that a big supermarket like that has supply chain issues. The verse of the day is, “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22). We need to daily set aside our old self because it is corrupted by deceitful desires. Thanks be to God for grace and the new self.
1 January 2025
Happy New Year! Now I surprised myself was able to recall how to create this new page. Today is a exciting for football with three CFP with three new year's day bowl games. Call me crazy but I think Texas will be playing Notre Dame on January 20th. We'll see as the day goes on. First up is the the Peach Bowl between the Texas Long Horns and the Arizona State Sun Devils. Not exactly game food, but I ate a delicious fried cod salad for lunch. I was a happy campers all warm and cozy wearing the wearable hooded fleece blanket Rob and Andrea gifted me for Christmas. I love the mindfulness of this gift. Oh wow, I was surprised how close the game was Texas 39 Arizona 31 in double OT. I made myself turkey fried rice for game two, the Rose Bowl. I'll be rooting for the Ohio State Buckeyes over the Oregon Ducks. Game two turned out to be super boring one sided game in favor of the Buckeyes, the final score was Ohio State 41 Oregon 21. I heard earlier in the day about the terrorists attack in New Orleans and the eventual postponing of the Sugar Bowl. But didn't want to dwell on the aftermath of a ISIS terrorist attack by an American citizen that is an U.S. Army Veteran from Texas no less, the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
Thanks be to God for this new day. I think my problem has not been eating. The food tastes terrible with all the medicine I have been taking. I am going to make it a point to just eat the food regardless of the taste to get stronger and really work hard on the breathing exercises. Today is a cold day sit near the windows, but I welcome the sunlight. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and pancakes. Albeit tasted so gross, I forced one egg and one pancake down. Lunch was a barbecue chicken sandwich. I managed to down about a third of the sandwich. I went for four walks today. I'm still struggling with my breathing exercises, albeit I'm not doing as well as I would like, I still have to continue with the process.
2/5
Glory to God in the highest! I think it is interesting that the hospital has been trying to get into rehab. I guess there isn't enough rooms and have kept me in the ICU. Today was the first day I ordered my own food instead of having the daily specials. I'm all fired up and intend to do more walking today and increasing my breathing exercises. I am grateful for the gift of family, but I am especially grateful for my good wife and brother. Last night was blessing to praise God singing sacred music. Dang it's cold sitting by the window today, I can hear the wind hollowing big time, but the big talk of the day is the ice winter storm that is heading our way for early evening. Eww, the food has a gross aftertaste, I can't believe that I force down a little bit more than yesterday with the scrambled eggs and pancakes. Clearly I didn't know what a Mediterranean salad was, it is by far their nastiest dish I had here so far. Albeit still horrible, at least I was able to force down half the chicken pot pie for supper. I thought for sure that it would have tasted a lot better. I thought that it was interesting that they took me for a walk three times today, but doubled the distance. Bless the Lord my soul. I sang sacred music again today, I am surprised that I don't that every night before going to bed. Albeit I missed the love of my life today, it is far better to be safe than be sorry.
2/6
It is good to be alive, less the Lord who saves me. The staff normally wakes me and sits me upright in a chair at 5:30 a.m. this morning I woke up on my own at 4:15 parched and needed to drink some hot water. It's an awful gloom and doom looking day with very little sunlight. I was able to eat about two-thirds of my scrambled eggs and pancakes this morning by masking the taste with ketchup and hot sauce. I'm hearing from everyone including Fawn that it is like an ice skating rink. The physical therapy took me a a disappointing short walk and was forced on personal hygiene. My second walk of the day went much better. I'm trying my best to improve on breathing exercises with little to no progress, so got in my third walk in by the noon hour. Sigh, here I was thinking that I should be eating more only to learn that my numbers are high and was preventing my physical therapy transfer. I went for my fourth walk at 5 p.m. and hope get one more walk in after supper. It is hard to not think about death and dying when your chest has been opened up for bypass surgery. Thanks be to God who promises to stay by my side. I are about a third of my sliced roasted turkey with gravy mashed and green beans for dinner while listening to sacred music on Lutheran Public Radio!
2/8
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). Yesterday was a bad day for me; I was super tire all day long and only got two short walks and slept in bed most to the time. Today was just the opposite; I felt pretty good and got my first full walk in at 10:15. They finally moved me from the ICU, to the 12th floor. By the time I got my lunch it was almost three o'clock, so I didn't get to my get in my second walk for the day until 4 p.m. What is up with this freezing rain and howling wind? I love the video technology, it was the first time I used FaceTime on Facebook and thought it was excellent getting all my family together. When we were young with children, I couldn't imagine a greater joy, but God continues blessed with us grandchildren! Sweet I got had my sutures removed at 4:45 I thought that they either forgot about me or they changed their mind. I swear the food is terrible and the only thing editable are the desserts. I was listening to LPR playing sacred music again this evening, it is truly a blessing to praise God in the form of liturgical music. I cleaned up at 8:30 before going on my last walk and to early bed. The breathing exercises are tough, they tend to make me cough which brings about some chest pain. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love his mercies on this poor miserable sinner are remarkable. Our Lord showers us grace upon grace. Lord teach me your precepts at the dawn of each new day, be with me.
2/9
I woke up to the dawn of a beautiful bright sunshiny day. I was surprised that there was ice and snow on the roadways. I ate oatmeal this morning and think that food that bland food is better than eating food tastes terrible. I watched Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral. It it isn't one thing it is is another. I'm just getting over an infection and now I just learned that I'm taking on fluid around my lungs. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). I got in my first walk at 11:15 I had to force my pasta marinara and only managed to finish half of it. It was a blessing to FaceTime with the the family. My second walk didn't come about until 5 o'clock. I opted to enjoy listening to sacred music on lpr instead of the watching the super bowl. I got up to take my third a final walk before cleaning up and going to bed. Thanks be God and rejoicing in the blessings go the day.
2/10
I woke up rejoicing in the gift of life, thanks be to God. I'm not much on having visitors, but I am excited knowing that my wife and brother will be visiting. I worked with physical therapy this morning and we did my walk without the walker. I felt that I was a little wobbly had difficulty standing upright while walking. It was nice to get in my second and third walk at 11:15 and at 2 o'clock with the nurses. I couldn't believe that he doctors performed a procedure to drain the fluid surrounding my left lung. I was stunned when they told me they drew out one and a half liters. I procedure was so painful.
2/11
I woke up nausea this morning and after a couple spoonfuls of oatmeal, I began vomiting big time. I ended up going back to bed and stayed there for the remainder of the day seeking God’s protection.
2/12
I woke this grateful for the blessings of a new day. I had oatmeal, wheat toast and fresh fruit. I was surprised that everything tasted just fine and was able to finally finish most of my breakfast. Clearly today was going to be a better day, but perhaps not weatherwise with this winter storm bringing us 3 - 6 inches of snow. It is going to be a nightmare for folks needing to use the roadways. The verse of the day is, "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Help me, O Lord to remember your great love for me when I am led to doubt your grace or wonder about my worthiness. May your love to be reflected in my daily life. Thank you for loving me so completely. Christ first! I finished my mini Italian beef. It was a far cry from a Portillo's but at least it was edible. Lol, it's so weird eating it green beans on a plate instead of with french fries and onion rings. I have this "cough bear" that was given to in the ICU that has been by side since the get go. Everyone here think I should give it a name, so I've assigned that task to Isaac and Peyton. Lol, Peyton named it Mr. Banana. Dinner was nasty, the chicken pot pie was nastier then when I tasted last week I had two highlights of the day, first praising God by continuing to sing, Te Deum, until I memorized the ancient song by heat. The other was facetiming with the kids
2/13
O Gladsome Light, I thank thee Lord for this new day. I woke up to the howling wind and the the busyness of the roadway. I looked at the 10 day forecast and all I saw a string of snow filled days with subzero temperatures of the weather app. I am not a city person, so I am not impressed by any city skyline when I look out the window, but I am loving all the sunlight. A busy day is scheduled ahead for me. I am praying that my lungs are good enough that the tube can be removed and that I begin my physical rehabilitation. Lord, help save and comfort me. I called Fawn and feel bad that she out shoveling the snow. Happy, happy, happy, the drain tube and all my staples were removed at 8:30! Glory to God in the highest. Unbelievable, I finished my entire breakfast oatmeal wheat toast, fruit cup and hot tea. I was thrilled that I got my first walk in for the day at 9:30 and was allowed to wall in the hallways alone as long as I was in full view of a nurse's station. I had a hamburger for lunch that albeit tasted like it came out of a vending machine, I ate the entire burger, that just tells you how bad the food is. I'm doing my best to keep up with my breathing exercises with the aid of an incentive spirometer. I got in my second walk of the day at 12:45 and I feeling pretty good, I'm pretty sure the hospital will be transporting for rehab at their Aurora facility tomorrow afternoon. I met with physical therapy and we went on my third walk at 2:30 and my fourth at 4 o'clock. I got in my 5th walk at 6:15. I had a mixed Caesar salad with chicken. I cleaned up at 8 o'clock and then called it a day. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day.
2/14
Happy Valentine's Day! "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). I am so thankful that Lord is blessings me with the gift of another new day. The Lord has truly blessed me Proverbs 31 treasure. 8 ugly It is hard to believe that I have been in this hospital for 16 days already. Albeit I didn't order much for breakfast, I did my entire breakfast. Calling it delicious or even remotely good would be a stretch, but surprisingly the scrambled eggs, wheat toast and chicken sausage didn't have the nasty taste I have been experiencing. I just looked at the weather app and it is forecasting 4 to 8 inches of snow for this weekend and five day string of subzero temperatures during the week. I took my morning walk and feel that I am stronger and steadier than I have been post surgery. Whoo hoo, I got the news that I will be transported to the Rush Copley facility in Aurora for my rehab. It feels weird to be back wearing everyday clothes. I was in the Aurora facility by 3:30 and was greeted there by Fawn and Bill. I was thrilled that the room was warm and without all the noise from the busyness of the city. Things are certainly looking up, the fish and roasted potatoes was much better than the I have been eating. I rehab begin tomorrow and I pray for strength to go strong enough to go home and on with life. My expected stay here is 7 to 10 days. Praise God, his steadfast love endures forever. It is the will of God in Jesus that we rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks is all circumstances. Clearly, I am not best of circumstances health wise, but I rejoice in this time that allows me to listen to sacred music and grow spiritually and pray more. I thank God how well staffed that facility is.
2/15
Thanks be to God for the peaceful night's rest and for the gift of this day. My schedule for the day written on a board at the start of the day. I will have a OT evaluation from 10:30 to 12:00 and a PT evaluation from 1:00 to 2:30. I sat up for breakfast which came at 8:15. I had a biscuit with sausage gravy that was pretty good with a cup of coffee. It was nice to be sitting upright and lounge comfortably in the chair with the wearable blanket that Rob and Andrea got me for Christmas. I met with Dr Keane at 9 o'clock who will be overseeing by rehabilitation. I liked my OT session, I hand washed myself, brush my teeth and did cleaned myself after using the washroom. It was good to get up and walk to the gym and I met the PT before heading back to my room for lunch. I had the chicken quesadilla that was pretty good. Judging from dinner last night along with the breakfast and lunch today, I say the food is pretty good considering how healthy it is being cooked. There was a lot going in PT and I got good glimpse of road to doing things independently. The biggest thing I saw was balance, getting in and out of bed, and going up and down steps. Sundays are quite days so the plan is to have nurses take me on a walk three times tomorrow. It sounds like there will be two OT sessions and two PT sessions each day starting on Monday. Facetiming with the kids was awesome, there is a chance they will visiting this old man tomorrow. I ate up all my linguine with meatballs, so there is no doubt in my mind the food in this facility is much better. This president appears to very active, Lord grant him wisdom. Guide him that we may live quite and peaceful live. I got a nice walk in and am now preparing to call it a day. Prayers for all my love ones, for health and healing, a for a peaceful night's rest.
2/16
It was good thing that I went to bed early because I got up five times to use the bathroom. Today was the latest I got out of bed. Thanks be to God for this new day and for his gifts. I was surprised that the scrambled eggs, hash browns, turkey sausage and wheat toast was only so-so. I didn't have much of an appetite and only ended up eating half the food. After breakfast, I was thrilled to finally get my first shower since being my surgery. I think that doing my rehab being cared for in a hospital like atmosphere is wonderful. I can't say enough good things about the staff and this facility. I went for a nice at 11 o'clock and hope to get in three walks today. I watched Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral. It was a joy to talk with Fawn and Jennifer on the phone. It is strange to have living so far away and it will strange when Alex will move out state in about a month. I ate a tasty flatbread with mushrooms, peppers and onions for lunch, but think that wasn't the best choice for my noontime meal. I had joyous afternoon, Andrea, Rob, Fawn, Alex and our grandkids! God is good. I went for my second of the day at 3:30. Carl dropped by for visit at four o'clock but left at five when my supper came. It was so kind and mindful him to visit. I wasn't able to finish the second chicken taco. They were OK but a far cry from the tacos I am accustom to eating. I went for my third and final walk at 7:30 before getting ready for bed. I am glad getting back to normal with my bowel movements. Today was a very good day that was filled with countless blessings. Prayers for God's presence and safe keeping in my home while I am way. May his holy angels guard over all my love ones.
2/17
Christ first! I woke up thanking God for this new day. Ĺast night was pretty much like the night getting up often to urinate. I was happy to be regular this morning. Albeit I feel stronger and slightly better with each pasting day, I wonder if I can get to a place where I was before my surgery. It was -1 °F I woke up this morning and the forecast is for subzero temperatures during the week. The deep freeze that we have been in that will continue to be in until next week is insane. Everything seems to me on a schedule at this rehab facility. I am waken up around 7:15, my meals are at 8 12 and 5 o'clock. I have a OT and PT sessions in morning as well as both in the afternoon. I finished my oatmeal wheat toast and yogurt and thought that this morning's breakfast is more to what I have at home. I thought that my morning OT session when well and that I was able to hand wash and dress for the fairly readily. I possibly ate the worst fish sandwich ever, talk about dry. My OT and PT for the day was focused on balance, flexibility and building up endurance. I feel that my day in rehab was very beneficial. I watched episode 11 of NCIS: Origin. It is amazing how many different NCIS series there are and how successful they are. I ate meatloaf for dinner and it was just OK. I was hoping to get a walk early before going to bed, but that didn't happen. I went for a walk at 8:15. I listened sacred music on LPR while in bed. It is crazy how early I need to call it a day because between the diuretics that causes me to get up frequent at night and getting woken up for this and that in order to get an adequate amount of slept I thank God for the blessings of the day, his steadfast love endures forever. May the Lord grant his holy angels to watch over me and all my love ones and for a peaceful night's rest.
2/18
God is good. Thanks be to God for a good night's rest. I slept all the way until 8 o'clock when breakfast came. The outside temperature was up to -5 °F by then. I woke up thankful for this bright new sunshiny day. I feel pretty good and stronger with the pasting of each new day as I petition daily for our Lord’s strength and for wisdom. I had an egg omelet for breakfast and only managed to finish about two-thirds of it because it was quite huge. For a healthy omelet, it was pretty good. We get new schedule for the day every morning, the two OT and PT times are not at a daily fixed time. I was surprised to see a recreational therapy session added to the schedule for the day. I took a nice hot shower during my morning OT session. Sweet, I thought that PT was very productive and able to get a pretty good ten minute workout using a seated elliptical machine to wrap up my morning session. I ate a plain hamburger along with a tomato soup. Naturally a healthy hamburger is anything but a juicy one. Albeit I am still learning as well as doing beneficial things during my therapy session, I think I rather be home. I got in my first walk of the day at 4 o'clock. It was a nice long one at that. I am looking forward to doing gradually doing more walking once I am back home. When we got back to my room, I relaxed with a nice cup of hot water and watched NCIS: Origins episode 12. I had the Chef's salad for dinner. I don't think that there is a way to mess that up. I'm clueless to why someone would make a salad so huge. I went for my second walk at 6:30 and then hopped into bed to relax and listen to sacred music on LPR. Praise God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who fills and complete me.
2/19
I woke up to cloudy and bitterly cold day. I've been indoors this entire time so I don't know if I could differentiate 4 °F to a subzero temperature. Praise the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever. I thank God that I am alive and feel like I am continuing to get stronger day by by. I was surprised to therapy sessions starting at 8:45 this morning. That's fine with me, the only thing I like would that the OT and PT sessions weren't always back to back. Whoo hoo, I got a release date to go home on Saturday! My OT session was focused on coordination as well going over a home safety check list doing things at home, while PT was giving a focused on building up my strength and endurance. I didn't come to finishing my roasted turkey with gravy with mashed potatoes and green bean sides, the portions were huge. My afternoon OT session was very good, we simulated my home environment. Be it stepping in and out of a tub shower or going things in the kitchen. It was very kind and mindful of Albert and Helen to bless me with a hospital visit. I got in a nice walk before doing a dinner and a movie. I had the Asian stir fry with beef over rice and watched NCIS: Origins episode 13, now I'm all catch up. I thought the meal OK, but I doubt it was stir fried, it was more like a stew. We had a joyous family call on FaceTime. I is not that often when I am blessed to be on with all my children and grandchildren, God is good. PT pushed me pretty hard today, so I decided to call it a day super early and rest in bed instead of going for another walk. Prayers for all my love ones that our Lord will come their rescue and meet our needs. Prayers for a peaceful night's rest.
2/20
Thanks be to God for the gift of this new day. I am by nature sinful and unclean, renew me, O Lord. I looked at the weather app and it looks like we will remain in the deep freeze for several more days. Today OT and PT schedule looks the same as yesterday for me. Fawn has a family Ed meeting this afternoon, I'm thinking it has to do with caring for me at home once I am released. It is exciting times preparing to go back home. I took a hot shower during OT this morning and worked on balancing activities. They really pushed me big time this morning during PT because my cardio restrictions were lifted. Our Family Ed session with OT, PT, nurse and social worker this afternoon was very good and informative. I thank God for my wife who is so mindful of so many things big and small. I got in a nice walk before diving into a plate of linguine with meatballs again dinner and managed to a big dent in it, I probably ate more of it than I should have. I went for my second walk before hopping into bed early. It was a opportunity to meditate and sing praises to the Lord and reflect on his goodness. The liturgical season of Lent is approaching. Lent is about repentance, humility, asking for forgiveness and forgiving others, being merciful, and being content in our life with Christ. In my mind, we should never ceases examining ourselves as to if we have somehow sinned in thought, words or deeds. Truly his steadfast love endures forever. The highlight of the day was seeing and spending time with my darling wife, she is truly a Proverbs 31 treasure. Intercessory prayers for all my love ones.
2/21
Praise God, Christ first! O let us rejoice in the new day the Lord has made. It is hard to believe that we are still in a deep freeze and waking up to single digit temperatures. I was happy that Fawn came to visit me early and joined my early morning therapy sessions. I was given a PT discharge evaluation that was the same as the one given to me on day one of rehab and my assessment score was leaps and bounds better. It was interesting when Fawn asked me if there was anything in particular that I wanted to eat when I got home tomorrow because I had nothing in particular that I had a taste for. I have eating food that was either just bland or outright nasty just for nourishment. Albeit my afternoon therapy were are short, I still was find them very beneficial. The sessions were both focused on balance. The OT was in the kitchen area picking up cones inside appliances and cabinets while PT I was doing various standing and moving about leg exercises. My brother blessed me with a hospital and my heart was filled with joy. I haven't watched a western for a very long time, so I turned to YouTube and found, Apache Rifles, starring Audie Murphy. Now that's what I'm talking about, I am so proud of my grandson getting a perfect score this week in school. I thank God who watches over me and all my love ones.
26 January 2025
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!" (Psalm 103:1). Truly, we are renewed each and every new day through Christ our Lord. Christ first! Albeit is cooler today than we are expecting it to be in the low 40s tomorrow and beyond into the month of February! Mama was ready for the NFL AFC and NCF championship games and brought an extra large Domino's pizza for game food. Of course I ate too much and dosed off early in the first quarter. The next thing I knew, it was the start of the third quarter. I had no idea who was the better team going into the game, but that became very obvious during the Eagles 55 - 23 blowout dominance over the Commanders. I finished off the last of the fuzzy melon soup and had a garden salad for my dinner. Fawn when on to watch the Chiefs Bills game without me, for some reason I can't get into watching pro football. The day is almost over, Lord, with me abide.
25 January 2025
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life" (Psalm 143:8). Thanks be to God for this new day. Steer my thoughts and deeds, O Lord, that I may walk upright in your precepts. I made us a fresh pot of oatmeal and love how the morning sunlight is shining in while enjoying breakfast. It is my understanding that sunlight increases the production of serotonin in the brain which is helps a person feel calm and focused. I am feeling so blessed by all the support of family and friends, their intercessory prayers on my behalf are most appreciated. Mmm, I made chicken and barbecue pork fried rice for lunch. We had a bid melt as climbed up into the upper 30s. It was quite a breezy day. Since we stayed indoors, I hopped on the elliptical twice to get some exercise. I made us beef with broccoli for dinner and had a bowl of soup to go along with it; that bought back many fond childhood memories were my mom would always make soup to go along with just about every meal. Happy haircut! Fawn always does a great job cutting my hair; I'm surprised I don't ask her to cut it for me more often because I always feel great after getting a haircut. My trust is in the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.
24 January 2025
I woke up grateful to a bright sunshiny day and for the gift of life. I was surprised that we were once again in subzero temperatures because I did see that in the ten day forecast. It is not clear to me how we will get to the expected above freezing temperatures by tomorrow afternoon. How can I not be thankful for the the peaceful night's rest, God's blessings are abundant. Instead of just hiding in the house from the cold, we went out and about and met up with Peggy at the Naperville Fresh Market, she made and gifted us with some char sui that she made. Her kindness, well wishes and prayers or most welcomed. Of course, I was all bundled and just sat in the car enjoying the fresh air and sunlight. It is amazing how we are able to do that when we are properly dressed. There was hope of containing the wildfire in southern California only to have new fire breakout. Clearly, containment of multiple wildfires will prove to be even more challenging to put out. We made a nice big delicious pot of fuzzy melon soup which humidified and warmed up our home quite nicely. We added wontons and slices of char sui as soup toppings, so hearty and good. Albeit pales to God’s word, indeed soup is good for soul in a very different way. The verse of the day is, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Wow, what a amazing and baffling truth of our journey back to Eden in our every day Christian life as we behold the glory of God and are transformed into his image with the help of the Holy Spirit. As we journey through life and are also bound to the changes that comes with aging. Prayers for my friend and family as we seek our Lord’s wisdom and guidance in making the right choices for our health and for strength and endurance to face the difficulties that come with aging with courage and grace.
23 January 2025
I woke grateful for the blessings of a new day, bless the Lord my soul. We got about an inch of overnight snow and our days remains breezy and cold. We are still a couple day away from seeing above freezing temperatures. I am thankful that I didn't have to rush out early to shovel the snow on my sidewalk before the kids had to trek to school because my neighbor blessed me with needed. I tended to snow on the driveway and am thankful that the accumulated snow was only fluff and was able to very quickly getrdun. After lunch, I layered up big time because we went out and about on the way to Alex's. I just sat in the car while Fawn went in a few if the store because I wanted to avoid people and not get sick. I enjoyed the fresh air and being out in the sunlight. Thanks be to God for warm clothing. I didn’t feel like cooking supper so we stopped at the Jewels for their deli fried chicken. I think that their fried chicken pretty much like the franchise fried chicken joints, because they all fried them ahead of time and toss them under a light. It isn’t like the good old days where fried chicken is fried fresh to order. I am grateful for the blessing of the day.
22 January 2025
I was stunned at what time I woke up this morning but it was all relative because I foolishly stayed up late last night for no particular reason. It's not good to put my sleeping habits all out of whack like that. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground and on the rooftops. As cold as it continues to be, I was surprised to see that the forecast is calling the temperatures to be above freezing by this weekend. I made us beef and peapods and did a lunch and movie binge watching NCIS Origins episodes 9 and 10! I really enjoy watching this television series. I thought the dish came out pretty good, but I think I like the taste of shrimp and pea pods more. I had a relaxing afternoon listening to classical music playing in the background. The verse of the day is, "Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!" (Psalm 107:8). This has been a strange week for me and a lot has on my mind. Strange as it has been, there was much rejoicing for the Lord has dealt bountifully with me my entire life. Mmm, I easily myself a nice garden salad add included cantaloupe, pineapple and strawberries mama had all cut up for my dinner. I would have stayed indoors all day if it wasn’t for the need to roll out the trash and recycle bids curbside and to get the mail, so cold. Sweet, we facetimed with the kids and our grands, my day is complete, God.
21 January 2025
Yes I woke up and had to take a peek to see what our outdoor temperature was, -8 °F. How can I not be thankful for a warm home on a cold winter day? Outside the threat of snow, I have to believe that we will be moving on beyond winter's worst. I praise God and rejoice in his gift of every new day. Our Lord showers us with grace upon grace. The Fighting Irish defense was no match for the Buckeyes, they finally showed up to play during the 4th quarter in the Natty. The final score was OSU 34 ND 23. I had to remind myself that it's only a game. Imagine that, we are so blessed that the loss of college football game would be occupying one's mind in a broken world. I watched NCIS Origins episode eight, two more episode and I will be all caught up. I went to whitehouse.gov a saw there was avalanche of executive orders under "presidential actions" many which are recession of Biden’s executive orders. I think between all of Joe Biden's and Donald Trump's executive orders, pardons and preemptive pardon, and commutations, it's enough to turn one's head. Prayers for the future of our nation.
20 January 2025
I was interested in how cold it was early this morning and it was -2 °F when I woke up. In my mind, the only thing good about waking up to subzero temperatures is the blessings of waking up to our Lord’s care, his steadfast love endures forever. We watched the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. It did not come as a surprise that his inaugural speech outlined a robust national agenda, but it was interesting that he doesn't hold back anything and said what is on his mind. A large portion of his is inauguration speech sounded very much like criticism of the 46th president his administration. Clearly he will be building his legacy on the frustration of the American people over the past four years. May our nation yield to God and follow his will. Lord, empower this president and vice president with wisdom to serve in a manner that is pleasing to you. Hmm, the California wildfire started close to two weeks ago and it it only 50 percent contained, that is pretty sad. Mmm, mama made us a really nice salad/fruit platter for our lunch. I never realized that this president has so much energy and can go on and on making one long speech after another. Today is Martin Luther King Day. Dr. King was an American Baptist minister, activist, and political philosopher who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. Saint Augustine once wrote, “... that which is not just seems to be no law at all.” Time to put away the pen and prepare some game food, wrap myself up and get cozy in my wearable blanket to cheer on the Fighting Irish!
19 January 2025
We stayed up way past our normal bedtime last night, so I woke up much later than usual. It is so nice not to routinely wake up to the sound of an alarm clock and waking up to the blessings of God’s peace. I just had to look at the weather app while in bed because I knew the cold was set to move in. It was 3 °F and the hourly forecast called for the temperatures remain in the single digits. Albeit not ideal, we watched Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral. Sadly, the service broadcast interrupted with a live presidential broadcast briefing by Biden struggling to read coherently off a teleprompter about the release of the first three hostages that were abducted by Hamas. It is my understanding that first ceasefire deal phase allows the slow release of 33 hostages over a 42 day period. This is followed by addition ceasefire periods were the remaining hostages are to be released. I think both President Biden and President-elect Trump should be given credit for given for this ceasefire deal in Gaza, but have to believe the incoming administration played a pivotal role in moving the negotiations between Israel and Hama along. I mused a little about the possibilities of huge changes that are likely to come about with the incoming of Donald Trump as a second term president. Albeit I am not thrilled with him as the POTUS, I am happy to see Biden and his administration longer governing our nation. I have heard it ridiculously said that if you're not rooting for a president to succeed that you are rooting against the country. I can without reservations say the many of Biden and his administration were unacceptable and way beyond the pale. I am sure there will be policies that Trump will move toward that I will not be thrilled with either, my prayer are for leaders who will govern with honor, wisdom, and moral courage. I did a lunch and a movie watching episode 7 of NCIS Origins and enjoying a taco. I had a conversation with my son the other about this TV series and we both agree that this show is pretty good and apparently I don't what binge watching is when I told him that binge watch two or three episodes of various movies every now or then. We were sadden to learn that one of our neighbors down the street is terminally ill and the end is nigh. Prayers for God’s comforting and reassuring presence. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).
18 January 2025
"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:10). The Lord is out stronghold. Thanks be to God, I woke up to the blessings of another new day. I stir fried the two packages of pork ribs to make ribs with black bean and garlic sauce and divved it up three ways. But I wasn't done with cooking for the kids, I used two packages of rice noodles and made gon chow ngau ho and divvied that up three ways too. It was definitely a pure canto comfort food eating day. There is a lot of work that goes into preparing Cantonese cuisine. Mama and I make for a awesome kitchen team. I have been truly blessed, what a wonderful life. After lunch we when out and about shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables and to drop off Alex's portion of the good eats. Rat's we forgot the Alex preferred the more common steamed dim sum style ribs. I'm pretty sure we will be hiding indoors sheltering from the expected deep subzero freeze that is heading our way. Initially I was going to walk but I I didn't like being in the crowded store so I headed back out and sat in the car. It was Stanger to see so many road warriors out and about on the roadway. We saw a bunch of weavers and spazzes driving on the roadways with total disregard for the rules to road. The only thing good about being out and about was being able to take in the sunshine. It was really noticeable how the wind was picking up and how the temperature was rapidly dropping while we were out. Thanks be to God for warm clothing. Rob and Andrea stopped by to pick up the food that we made since they came down to Sandy's birthday party. We opted not to go because I wanted to do my best to not come down with anything before my upcoming surgery. I was kicked back and watched the nfl divisional round games between the Chiefs vs Texans as well as the Lions vs Commanders. I was all cozy wearing my wearable blanket. I was surprised that I didn't fall asleep during either of the games. I didn't root for any of the teams over the other and just wanted to get a feel for the teams. I hear a lot of debate over about college football vs the NFL. For me, I find college football more exciting. Anyway, it's been a long day and way past my bedtime. May the Lord bless us and keep us, may his face on us and give us peace.
17 January 2025
Thanks be to God for the blessings of this new day. The word zip-a-dee-doo-dah comes to mind while we were out and about in the Oswego area. It is very telling how cold it has been this winter when I can think of a bright sunny 45 degree day as a nice winter day. We stopped for gas and it was $3.099 a gallon and then we went to Sparkles for a car wash. It now cost $7 for the basic car wash. I was actually surprised that it washed off all the dirt and road salt off the car and the car looked pretty good. We went to the Walmart and I got in a nice indoor walk. We stopped at the Chinese supermarket on the way back and to especially buy pork riblets to make for Andrea and Peyton and hope for fresh rice noodles to make gon chow ngau ho for our Isaac and Peyton. Whoo whoo, we scored on both and even found some decent fuzzy melons to make soup. We went to Alex's to bring the frozen dim sum to store in his freezer and to steam some of those bad boys to eat. When we got home and I prepared and boiled the pork ribs ahead of time to make tomorrow along with a few other dishes for the kids. I love cooking for the kids and hopefully what I make is a tasty and nutritious home cook meal. While the ribs were simmering, I watched episode 6 of NICS Origins and I have enjoyed watching every episode so far. I think this show has the making of a long run hit series like NCIS. The verse of the day is, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace din which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2). I rejoice in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus who have assured my hope of sharing in God's glory. Come, Lord Jesus.
16 January 2025
I was surprised to wake up to a dusting of overnight snow, I didn't bother to tend to it because the temperature was supposed to climb above freezing today and tomorrow before taking a gradual nose dive as the polar vortex give way to the arctic blast this weekend. The Midwest temperature swings are really something. Is it too early to to start counting down the days before spring? My hands get really dry during the winter months and are exacerbated by frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer. Today is Andrea's birthday and Fawn showed me a picture of Andrea when she was a little girl; Peyton is the spitting image of her mama with different color hair. We went out for a brief visit to see my brother and sister; they went into the city and bought some frozen dim sum and fresh baked char sui boas from Chinatown. Since we were out, we stopped at a few of big box stores and went grocery shopping at the Jewels and at Meijers and got in a quite a bit of walking in. We all got together on FaceTime and sang, Happy Birthday! The song of the day is, Cry To Me - Solomon Burke. It is strange that I don’t remember this song growing up, but remember it from the movie, Dirty Dancing. The verse of the day is, "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence" (Proverbs 10:11). Lord, set a watch over my lips and let the meditation of my heart be acceptable in you sight.
15 January 2025
Dang, talk about crazy cold, it was zero degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up this morning! It is hard to believe that that the temperature will be above freezing tomorrow and Friday then a look ahead to Sunday and Monday with an artic blast bringing with it subzero temperatures. Mmm, I made myself a bowl of savory tacolike oatmeal for breakfast. Wow, the Los Angeles County, California wildfire started on January 7th and is still nowhere contained. If any place need rain this moment, it's southern California. I diced up some celery and some water chestnut and stir fried I'd before mixing in the leftover e-fu from yesterday for our lunch, it turned out to be pretty tasty. It was dinner and a movie night; I made us a teppanyaki-style chicken teriyaki that was similar to those found in shopping center food courts for our dinner. I use the word similar because I made this dish using chicken tenderloins instead of chicken thighs because the less fat content is healthier. I watched episode five of NCIS Orgins. I listened to Biden's farewell speech and was going to pen a long rant about his speech and his presidency, but I'll just say that it was pathetic and good riddance. Yesterday was my older sister’s birthday; it would have been her 75th birthday. We will cherish her memory and will love her forever. I have had a truly blessed life, my parent, siblings, wife, children, son-in-law, and grandchildren have especially bought me great joy. Of course it goes without saying I have been blessed beyond measure with the gift of family and friends. God has dealt bountiful with me, his steadfast love endures forever.
14 January 2025
The initial plan was to go out and about early this morning, so I set the alarm to wake up early. That was a huge mistake, albeit I expected it to be super cold again this morning, I didn't expect so much overnight snow into the morning. We ended up waiting for the snow to stop before going out to shovel it. Despite loathing snow, I did not allow it to steal the joy of the gift of another new day. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy for med because we switched one of my prescriptions back from the Jewels because of pricing. We have to staying on top of the cost of our med because the price keeps on radically fluctuating. We got gas at the Shell station across the road from the Sam's Club for $3.119 a gallon. I think that it is funny how I always think about Joe Biden when we stop for gas. By no means am I thrilled with Donald Trump having a second term, but I can hardly wait until POTUS presidency end, the vast majority of the man's policies are ludicrous. I not only think that this POTUS is cognitively challenged he is also delusion about his own accomplishments. We stopped for tacos at Burrito Parrilla Mexicana to bring to Alex's for lunch. I did something that I haven't done in a long time last night and watched an old time western TV show. I came across a Bonanza episode on YouTube. Oh wow, I came just came across, I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King. Sweet, I just paused and we facetimed with Andrea, Rob and our grandkids. Our grandkids are such a hoot, my day is complete. Thanks be to God for the technology that allows us to distance communicate on a video call.
13 January 2025
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). I am grateful for the beautiful morning sun, one of many of God’s good gift. Truly, every good and perfect gift comes from God. There is no doubt we are in dead of winter when we wake to single digit temperatures. There is no doubt in my mind that we can expect to see subzero temperatures later this month. Today was pretty much like yesterday, mama make me a salad for lunch and I binge watched two more episodes of NCIS Origins. I made us e-fu, also known as yi mein and longevity noodles for supper, it isn't as good as a restaurant would make it, but it was still tasty and way cheaper than what you would have to pay for it at a restaurant.
12 January 2025
I woke up once again to the sound of the howling wind. I can't reiterate it enough how much I don't care for the winter season and all that comes with it. With that said, I glad to be alive and thank for God's help during this cold and harsh season to provide warmth and protection. I see that we got some overnight snow and the current ongoing snowfall is due to taper off this afternoon. Albeit I'm late getting onboard, I only recently heard about NCIS Origins and ten episodes of season one are already out. I made us egg fried rice for lunch and binge watched the first two episodes on YouTube TV.
11 January 2025
The howling winds in the still on the night during the winter months are really something. I thank God for his comfort and protection during the night and for the gift of a new day in the morning, our beautiful Savior's steadfast love endures forever. Well it settled, Notre Dame will be facing Ohio State in Atlanta for the National Championship. I was totally wrong about the Longhorns, they played terrible in the Cotton Bowl. The Cotton Bowl was a far cry from the Orange Bowl game and think the Irish victory came about from the sheer determination of the team as illustrated by Jeremiyah Love's incredible touchdown run against Penn State. It was nice of Eric to invite us out to Mapo for lunch, especially when he has to drive all the way out to the burbs from the city. We haven't been in that restaurant in ages, and it has been nicely remodeled. I thought the food was pricey and the portions a tad smaller than expected, but will say that the food tasted really good and leaps and bounds better than expected. I'm guessing that they are under new management/owners. Since we were already out, we decided to do a little shopping and get in little exercise walking. Hmm, everyone is saying Ohio State is currently the best team in the country and that can very well be. So if Notre Dame can beat them in Atlanta, what will all the doubters say about Irish then? Of course Notre Dame will play their best game yet and it goes without saying, "to be the best you have to beat the best." Today was a very good day, thanks be to God for the gift of a loving family and caring friends.
10 January 2025
Not good, we woke up to about two inches of overnight snow and are expecting one to three of additional snow. Even though I don't relish the idea of having to tend to shoveling all that snow, I am happy to be alive. What a team! We managed to shovel all the snow off our driveway, sidewalk, and the front and back porch in 40 minutes! Even more surprising was that I wasn't huffing and puffing. With the snow still falling, I suspect that we'll be out there at least two more times before day’s end. Call me crazy, but I predicted Notre Dame will be playing Texas for the National Championship a while back and am still sticking to that. I always thought that California was a strange country, but I had no idea just how dysfunctional California really was/is. I really think it is sad and hope there will be lessons learned from their huge catalog of dysfunctional state programs. I truly don't understand the mindset of Californians. Thank be to God we only got about another two inches of snow fall so we went out a second time just before nightfall and gotrdun and spread the salt. It’s time to wrap up this journal entry and get ready for the Cotton Bowl. It really doesn't matter to me which team Notre Dame will be facing for the National Championship, I'm just rooting for the Irish to win it all. Thanks be to God for the strength for us to get through the snow shoveling and helping us get through our winter chore, God is good.
9 January 2025
I woke up to the sound of the garbage truck moving about in the neighborhood early this morning. I was good to see that the sun was out which means the days are somewhat starting to get noticeably longer. Clearly it is also getting colder as the temperature was only 9 °F when we got up. We layered up and went to the Sam's Club pharmacy for our meds and to do a little shopping in the Oswego area before heading to Alex's for lunch. We got takeout from Lucky Panda. Mmm, shrimp egg foo young and mao pao tofu. Surprisingly I got in quite a few steps in this morning and there is a good chance that I might get in a ten thousand plus steps day in by day's end. I am so amazed at how warm and comfortable being layered up in thermal clothing is. Wow, what a great quarter final game. I was totally surprised how well Penn State played against the Irish. Sweet, Notre Dame 27 Penn State 24 and is headed Atlanta to play in the National Championship! I can't say enough about the depth of this team collectively. I like both Ohio State and Texas. Call me crazy, but I think Notre Dame will be facing the Long Horns on January 20th.
8 January 2025
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!" (Psalm 103:1). Praise God for his unending and immeasurable love. We had plenty of things to tend to indoors rather than be out and about in the cold. We stayed indoors today and spent the day doing exercises and paper work. Good eats, I made a rubeye steak for our dinner, I turned my portion into a tasty ribeye steak and egg sandwich. What the heck is going on with deadly wildfires in southern California in the month of January? I don't understand why they have so many wildfires year after year in that state, apparently they don't either.
7 January 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Albeit we woke to a cold brisk morning in the low teens, I am grateful for this new day, his mercies never end. I am glad to see that we had a nice mix of sun and clouds today. We went out early and braved the cold for my annual oncology doctor's appointment, I am sure that it is an annual event that no one looks forward to. I thank God for my wife who cares for me and keep all my medical records in order. Our sidewalk and driveway was iced over and slick so I spread salt over it. Since we were out in the garage, it was a good time to break down all the shipping boxes from the Christmas season. Hmm, we ate spaghetti for lunch again and albeit I made certain to eat less than I ate yesterday, I still ended up taking a short nap again. It's time to start musing about Irish football again. Since Notre Dame already faced their toughest opponent this year last week at the Peach Bowl, I think that Notre Dame will fare well in the Orange Bowl with a double digit win over Penn State Thursday night. My brother gave me a wellness call and we always seem to talk about health in general and about college football. Prayers for our family and love one's health and wellbeing. God is good and he has dealt bountifully with me, great is his faithfulness.
6 January 2025
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). Lord grant that I may actively live out my faith and be a beacon of hope for others. I woke this morning to the sound of the howling wind. Of course I was wondering how much snow we got overnight, but it was too early to jump out of bed, so I laid in mused about Epiphany, our hope and revelation, and how a star led the Magi to the infant Christ King. It is amazing how God’s light shines and leads us in our otherwise dark world. I was happy to see that we only got a dusting of overnight snow, but we aren't out of the wood yet because there is still two to three inches of snow expected to fall in our neck of the woods today. Mmm, ate spaghetti for lunch. I must of eaten too much, because I ended up taking a afternoon nap. I decided to go light and made myself a garden salad for dinner. Whew, it looks like we got away without getting the expected snowfall! It is so weird seeing people post all the snow got from the major storm that missed us. I usual am filled with joy whenever the kids call and FaceTime, but the news was all that great this time around. It isn’t easy to rejoice in learning that Alex will have to relocate out of state if he wants to stay with his company. It has been up in the air as to when he had to relocate, all we can do is pray and trust in God’s plan.
5 January 2025
Today is the twelfth day of Christmas and the end of the Christmas liturgical season and the eve of the season of Epiphany. Lift up my heart in gratitude, O Lord, and lead us by faith into your presence. We are now in the period where we wake up in the teens and the high of the day remains well below the freezing mark. I am not looking forward to when we will be facing single digits or worse. Albeit it as cold this morning, at least it was calm, it is my understanding the winds will pick up and a snow storm will move it later today overnight and into tomorrow. Prayers that this massive winter storm stays to the south of us. I am so thankful that we are blessed with the means to stay warm during the winter months. Prayers for those who are finding that to be challenging. Albeit grey overcast skies are common during the winter months, I can never get use to it. I surprised myself and actually watched the Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers game without falling asleep. I have to admit that I thought that the Bears would find a way to lose and blow the game. They actually did choke and allowed the Packers score with less than a minute to go, but then managed a last procession 24 - 22, 51 yard field goal win. I'm betting for Bears fans, today's victory over Packers felt like winning the Super Bowl. I made us stir fried tomato beef for dinner. I just took a peek out the window and it hasn’t begun to snow as forecasted as of yet, that is a good thing, knock on wood.
4 January 2025
Joy to the world, happy eleventh day of Christmas! O happy day! We were up early and headed to Alex's to meet up with the family. There is no getting around the need dress up warmly by laying up, because we will be in the deep freeze now for some time. I will be surprised to see the temperature get above the freezing mark any time soon. The good news is that at least we got another day with morning sunshine. The days are still somewhat short with the sun so far south and low to the horizon, it makes driving challenging at times. We are creatures of habit, despite having a boat load of dim sum, we still stopped by Mariano's for doughnuts and I still had the usual scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage links, no bacon this morning. After breakfast we rented the movie, Wicked, on Amazon Prime, and the guys watched the musical with the two kids while the ladies went out and about. I made us beef with Chinese broccoli and beef with bok choy. Both went well over the Cantonese style fried noodles. We celebrated Andrea's birthday with a delicious German chocolate cake. I'm am thankful for Rob's willingness to drive his family down as often as he does for our family gatherings, thanks be to God for the blessings of this day.
3 January 2025
I’m always happy when waking up to the joy of a new day, especially when the sun is out. I took a quick peek at the weather app and it was in the mid teens with the expected high in the mid 20s, so I layered up with thermal clothing down to my underwear before we headed out and about early this morning. The radio forecaster said that windchill made it feel like single digits, but I don't know because I was comfortable. Winter is officially here, thanks be to God for warm clothing and a warm home. We first went to Jewels and bought a few groceries and a celebratory cake for this weekend. We then went the Chinese supermarket, I still can't get over it being called, Park and Shop. I was surprised that they had decent looking Chinese bitter melon and gai lan. Albeit disappointing, it was surprising that there was no fresh rice noodles to be found. We went to MingHin to splurge on dim sum to celebrate our baby. We called in the order and they said that it would be at least a half hour before the order would be ready, so we went to the Danada area to do a little shopping. I only mentioned that because there were spaz drivers were about in the parking lot. Sigh, walking to the store, a driver turned in front on me a parking space a almost ran me over and on the way out the store, never mind that I was in the pedestrian walkway, a car didn't even bother to stop or even slow down, so sad what some people have become. Albeit this wasn't the case, one can't assume anything about anybody behind the wheels anymore after the recent deadly destruction at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany and our own New Year's attack in New Orleans. Since we couldn't find any rice noodles, I prepare three one pound packages of Cantonese style noodles ahead of time for this weekend. The verse of the day is, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Thanks be God for his steadfast love. Life’s greatest privilege is to live coram deo. May we do so as we journey back to Eden in faith hop and love.
2 January 2025
We woke up to a bright sunshiny day rejoicing to the ninth day of Christmas. The morning's light reminds me of God’s eternal light which dawns on our darkness in the incarnation of his only begotten Son who brings us love, hope and joy. We went out and did lunch Mary Emma before she leaves town heads back home to New Jersey tomorrow. Boy o boy did it turn super cold when the clouds moved in. I hope the snow flurries we are currently seeing doesn't turn into anything more. What and awesome Sugar Bowl game, Notre Dame 23 Georgia 10. The Fighting Irish Defense has remarkable depth, it seems like matter who is in the job still gets done. I am looking to the Orange Bowl game next Thursday against Penn State. I turned on the porch light and saw that we got a dusting of snow on the ground. Great to FaceTime with the kids again today, looks like we have plans to gather again this weekend! We’ll need to go out tomorrow and do a little grocery shopping so that I can whip up some Chinese comfort for this weekend. I hope that the Chinese supermarket have something. It is kind of sad that a big supermarket like that has supply chain issues. The verse of the day is, “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22). We need to daily set aside our old self because it is corrupted by deceitful desires. Thanks be to God for grace and the new self.
1 January 2025
Happy New Year! Now I surprised myself was able to recall how to create this new page. Today is a exciting for football with three CFP with three new year's day bowl games. Call me crazy but I think Texas will be playing Notre Dame on January 20th. We'll see as the day goes on. First up is the the Peach Bowl between the Texas Long Horns and the Arizona State Sun Devils. Not exactly game food, but I ate a delicious fried cod salad for lunch. I was a happy campers all warm and cozy wearing the wearable hooded fleece blanket Rob and Andrea gifted me for Christmas. I love the mindfulness of this gift. Oh wow, I was surprised how close the game was Texas 39 Arizona 31 in double OT. I made myself turkey fried rice for game two, the Rose Bowl. I'll be rooting for the Ohio State Buckeyes over the Oregon Ducks. Game two turned out to be super boring one sided game in favor of the Buckeyes, the final score was Ohio State 41 Oregon 21. I heard earlier in the day about the terrorists attack in New Orleans and the eventual postponing of the Sugar Bowl. But didn't want to dwell on the aftermath of a ISIS terrorist attack by an American citizen that is an U.S. Army Veteran from Texas no less, the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
