“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 9:1).
14 February 2026
Happy St. Valentine's Day! “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Most people wouldn't agree with me that our ability to love is not innate. Thanks be to God, his love is the source and foundation of our capacity to love. Mama made oatmeal and raisin toast this morning. It's one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal in the morning. Aww how sweet, Peyton wanted to come down and visit us this morning, but I’m too busy preparing some dishes ahead of time for Andrea to take home after our family a gathering tomorrow. I started off with making Cantonese style pan fried noodles, spicy tofu, and stir fried pork spare ribs. Cooking is a big undertaking, we make a great team in the kitchen. We had to stop for the riblets for our noontime meal. Chrip, chrip, mama thought the ribs were pretty good, who am I to argue? After lunch, I made stir fry beef with Chinese broccoli and I fried up a package of breakfast sausage links and we called it quits. It looks like a partial government shutdown is on the way with each side blaming the other. Surprise, surprise. I only had time for a short go on the treadmill today. I ate cold cereal for supper and fresh pineapple chunks for dessert.
13 February 2026
I woke up this morning excited for the new day thanking God for his new mercies and faithfulness. I heated myself up a bowl of oatmeal and tossed in a little bit of hamburger and a splash of Cholula, so good. I looked at the weather forecast and was thrilled to see the temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s for the next six days! We went up to the northern burbs to watch our grandkids and stopped off at McDonald's to pick up a couple of happy meals to spoil them. Oh sweet, there was a Walgreens next to McDonald's, so we went and bought Chunky for Andrea. Of course we bought enough so that she could share it with Rob and the kids. It has been a wonderful tradition since Andrea was a small child. We loved how light the traffic was and how few the numbers of reckless weavers there were on the roadway. I'm guessing a lot of folks are either opting to work from home or simply taking the day off altogether. I ate the last of the green beans and chicken with rice for lunch. I tried my hand at trying to solve a pyraminx rubik's cube but failed at even one of the four faces in a single color. Isaac told me that he could do it, but I said no way and dismissed him with a chuckle. I asked Rob and he told me Isaac did in fact. Sure enough Isaac was able to solve the entire puzzle and I apologized for doubting him. The sad part is he tried to teach me how to do one face but the mechanics were too complex for me to follow along. Peyton wanted me to watch her in their basement playroom. I did a twenty minute walk on the treadmill while she played. Then she challenged to air hockey. That was fun but it made me nervous that I might hit her hand. The temperature got into the mid 50s by two o’clock, so we walked to the park and the kids rode on their scooters. We all ate mama's spaghetti for supper. I'm always a happy camper whenever I chow down on a fine meal. No one does it better than mama. I got a chance to play Chinese checkers with Isaac. Albeit the kid drew first blood, I'm pretty sure my end game would have proved too much for him. Rob and Andrea came back home before we could tell how close the game was or was not. One thing for sure Isaac wasn't a push over. I hoped our grandkids enjoyed the day with us as much as we loved watching them. Easy peasy, I got in a twelve thousand plus steps day. Thanks be to God for the safe travel and all his blessings.
12 February 2026
Morning joy! I am grateful for the gift of life, his mercies and steadfast love endures forever. The days are getting noticeably longer. I made two hamburger patties for our lunch and browned the rest for mama to make her infamous pasta sauce. I used my patty to make myself a patty melt. It has been a long while since I had one of those bad boys, delicious. We went out and about to the Chinese supermarket hoping to buy fresh rice noodles but we didn't have any luck, four times out of five they didn't have any. We did manage to find one package of decent looking pork riblets, fresh bitter melon and Chinese gai lan. We went to the Target and walked while mama shopped. The weather these past few days with the sun out and the temps in the mid 40s is outstanding for this time of year. It's unbelievable that we will be in the 50s this weekend. Sigh, we stopped for gas and it was$3.279 a gallon. We did our goes on the treadmill and I no longer have any aspirations of keeping up with Fawn on the treadmill. Mmm, I boiled the spaghetti and toasted the garlic bread to go with mama’s pasta sauce, so good. I had to fight off the urge to go for a second helping.
11 February 2026
Praise the Lord, bless his Holy Name! Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal and fixed me a bowl with blueberries in it, so good. It was only in the upper 20s this morning and we needed to layered up before heading out early to mama's hair cut appointment. We splitted a steamed pork bao to snack on when we got back. We ate leftover chicken and green beans for our noontime meal. We went out to the Target store and I got in a decent indoor walk. I couldn't believe how much dog hair was on our clothes from visiting my sister yesterday. Although it still took some effort, I'm glad the Evercare Pet Hair lint roller worked. I got on the treadmill even though I am a tad tired just to get in another ten thousand plus steps day in. I fried eggs for a simple supper. Happy haircut. I feel so good every time mama gives me a haircut.
10 February 2026
I woke up this morning grateful and excited for the new day. I was surprised at all the food mama prepared for me this morning. She made me oatmeal with steak, raisin toast and blueberries. What a beautiful sunny morning with the temperatures already in the low 40s. That's actually quite acceptable for the early part of February in the Midwest.We went out and about to a few stores in the Darien area and got in a decent walk before going to my sister's home to meet up with my brother for lunch. I was totally wrong about what I was expecting my sister was going to make. She made tofu sandwiches and Cantonese steamed tilapia for our noontime meal. I thought the tofu sandwich was ok and had a lot of potential to be a great sandwich, but those fixing would have made it a lot less healthier. It's sad that we all have to watch our diet more and move away from unhealthy choices nowadays. Funny how our conversations have moved to health related topics in our old age. I love all my family and friends, prayers for many years. We stopped at the Walmart on the way home and got in another decent indoor walk. The verse of the day is, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). I often think that we are confused and that our thinking is so muddled that we fail to reflect God's will. O Lord, gracious giver of all good gifts, bless me with wisdom, teach me your ways and guide my heart. Made us stir fried chicken with green beans for dinner. I had a relaxing evening watching a few old Bonanza clips and getting up every so often to step in place just to get my ten thousand plus steps day in. Thanks be to God, today was a very good day.
9 February 2026
O happy day, let us walk in the light of the Lord! I woke up this morning in good cheer, happy to be alive in God's goodness. It doesn't take much for me to be happy. Just to see the morning's light, or not to see overnight snow brings about a smile. The expected high temperature is in the low 40s, I hope that truly comes about. I was still full from yesterday's game food and didn't feel like eating but mama insisted I still eat something, so I ate a bowl of oatmeal with a splash of Cholula. We went to Edwards for lab work and it was mixed. So I ended up getting an injection to treat my anemia. The verse of the day is a promise from God, “even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:4). Prayers of thanksgiving for healing and for our Lord’s ongoing care and faithfulness. I fried up a bone-in ribeye for our noontime meal. Albeit I still wasn't hungry, that didn't keep me from gnawing meat off the bone. We went to the Jewels and I did an indoor walk while mama did the grocery shopping. Mama was on the phone making Chinese New Year's plans while walking on the treadmill and ended up doing a thirty minute go on it. That made my twenty minute go on the treadmill look like a cake walk. I was hungry as a bear by the time dinner time mowed around. I heated up myself leftover steak and rice and had it with peas and carrots. I was glad the kids called and FaceTime with us, my day is complete. It is getting late and the day is almost over. Stay Lord, be with me, I am weak.
8 February 2026
I am thankful for the gift of life. Praise the Lord who created the heavens and formed the earth to be inhabited. Mama made me a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries and a blueberry bagel for breakfast. I initially didn't have any plans to watch the Super Bowl this evening, but Fawn said we got invited to her brother's to watch the game and “told” me we're going. So I guess I am going to watch the Super Bowl after all. I finished up the last of the beef with bitter melon for lunch. We went out to the Jewels to buy pie and fruit to bring as dessert for tonight. Dang it feels so cold with the wind. I thought both defenses were really good, but the Seahawks went into the locker room with three field goals. Both teams' total yards were pretty sad. Talk about good game food. It was the first time I ever ate Detroit style pizza, two slices and I was stuffed. I'm pretty sure we're going to order a Jets pizza sometime in the near future. I watched the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show and thought the music and the production was very good. I thought it would have been helpful to have English captions. So what is the controversy all about? The game finally opened up during the quarter. Congratulations Seahawks Super Bowl Champions. I am glad that we got to spend some time visiting family.
7 February 2026
“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:12). I woke up this morning with joyful gladness for the new day. Praise the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever. Waking up to the morning sun is exhilarating. I love that we are finally experiencing warmer temperatures. We are expecting the temperatures to be in the 50s today, 60s tomorrow and in the 70s overmorrow! Lol, if only it was so. We are back down in the low 20s, but at least the sun is out and the sky is blue as can be. Mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal this morning and made me a bowl with fresh blueberries, so good. I gave up on watching the Olympics. It is so sad that transgender male athletes are allowed to compete in women's sports. I made us beef with bitter melon for lunch. I got on the treadmill and did a twenty minute walk while listening to sacred music. We went grocery shopping at Meijers and I got in a decent indoor walk while mama did all the shopping. We made a fresh pot of rice and heated up the leftover beef with bitter melon for dinner. I listened to oldies and reminisced about days gone by. Every so often I got up and stepped in place until I got my ten thousand plus steps day in. The song of the day is, Crystal Blue Persuasion - Tommy James. Today was a very good and relaxing day. Prayers of thanksgiving as the day is coming to an end. I’m grateful that God works out everything for my benefit. Remind me, O Lord, whenever I am buried in ungratefulness.
6 February 2026
Praise the Lord O my soul. Prayers of thanksgiving for this new day. I was surprised to see a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning because the expected high is supposed to be in the upper 30s. Mama made me more shredded chicken and oatmeal with blueberries on the side for breakfast. I kicked the oatmeal up a notch with a couple dashes of Cholula and poured milk on my blueberries. My sister called and invited us to lunch midweek. She got a new tofu recipe that she is excited to try. The way she described the dish sounds like she is going to make some kind of tofu katsu. We ate the last of the leftover tacos for our noontime meal. No Promento, I just went for it and did a twenty minute go on the treadmill. It actually is pretty easy to do while listening to sacred music. I saw pics of Peyton at kindergarten orientation day. Yet another reminder of just how fast time passes by. Mmm, I made us a classic Cantonese comfort food, scrambled with char sui over rice, so good.
5 February 2026
Albeit it looks like gloom and doom with the grey skies, I woke up feeling pretty good. I am thankful that I have lately been sleeping peacefully at night. Yessir, mama heated me up the oatmeal with shredded chicken and served it with fresh blueberries on the side. I broke up the small piece of jalapeño bagel I saved to toss in the oatmeal just the way I like, so good. We went to the dealership for our oil change appointment. The odometer just recently turned 100,000 miles a couple days ago. Every time we bring the car in for servicing, I look at the car in the showroom. The cars are so insanely loaded and the MSRP had me shaking my head. I don't think anyone can buy a new car for under $40K. We went over and sync our calendars. One would think all that is behind you when you're retired. It is nice that the dealership washes the car as part of their service. Brr, albeit the temperature is in the low 30s it feels like it's in the teens with the windchill. Dang, I had to stop for gas and it's still going up. It was $3.199 a gallon. We picked up tacos for our noontime meal. I didn't realize that mama was doing twenty minute goes on the treadmill. Hmm, I guess that I might need to step up fifteen minutes on that bad boy, or not. We heated up the last of the leftover Chinese food from MingHin for our supper. The highlight of my day was facetiming with the kids, God is good.
4 February 2026
Thanks be to God for this new day. I had a peaceful night's rest and enjoyed the still and quiet this morning. I am glad that I made a concerted effort to avoid turning on the news. The absence of turning on the manufactured chaos by the news media is proving to be good for my mental health. Mmm, I heated up myself a bowl of oatmeal with shredded chicken and bits of jalapeño bagel just yesterday. It is so good. I have enough chicken and bagel to look forward to having it again one more time tomorrow. We went out and met up with my brother for lunch at MingHin to celebrate Peggy's birthday. I have enjoyed dim sum at this Michelin star restaurant many times, but this was the first time we ordered lunch dishes along with a few dim sum dishes. I thought the food was pretty good and I couldn't believe how huge the lunch portions were. We were all stuffed and ended up boxing a ton of leftovers. I rejoice in breaking bread brother and celebrating Peggy. Superbowl is coming up and the topic about the halftime show came about. The only recollection of watching a halftime show last was when Lady Gaga performed. Lol, that was back in 2017. There seems to be some kind of ruckus about Bad Bunny headlining the halftime show this year and an alternative halftime show by Turning Point USA headlining Kid Rock. I never even heard of Bad Bunny before, but I've heard of Kid Rock but know nothing about him or his music. This is a non issue for me, because I don't intend to watch either. I extended my time on the treadmill today just to burn off a few more calories. Listening to sacred music while walking allows me to do that effortlessly. I think Rob will be happy to learn that Fawn routinely has been making use of the treadmill since the beginning of the year. Normally she does stepping in place, but now she is doing both. It could be because we haven't had the opportunity to go walking in the Prairie Fit Fitness Center. My honeydo for the day was cutting down cardboard boxes for recycling. Where the heck did all these new boxes come from? Needless to say supper was leftover food from our noontime meal. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day. Stay with us O Lord, the day is almost over and evening is drawing near. You know our needs before we ask, hear our prayers.
3 February 2026
“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him” (Nahum 1:7). O happy day, I woke up with a joyful heart. Our God is a mighty fortress. I love it when the sun is out and the temperature is in the upper 20s. It will only be a matter of days when we will finally see a day in the 30s. We have been in the deep freeze way too long. Mmm, mama tossed some shredded chicken in my oatmeal this morning and served it with some fresh blueberries on the side. Blessings galore, God is good. Receiving good and stable lab results after medical uncertainty is a profound relief often met with gratitude and prayers of thanksgiving and celebration. We FaceTime with my sister and our niece offering words of encouragement over the good news that the results of her latest lab work showed significant improvement. We ate leftover chicken and broccoli for our noontime meal. We went to Menards to buy a few pvc exhaust vent covers and installed them at Alex's. Needless to say, while at Alex's, I got on the treadmill and listened to sacred music. It uplifts my soul and relaxes my body. Andrea and Rob called to see if we could watch Isaac, his school has a Teachers Institute Day. This made me think about all the days my parents watched our kids over the years. I have no doubt about the joy in their hearts as they wore their crowns. We heated up and ate the last of the leftover chicken and broccoli for our dinner. The Lord is my strength and my song. Today was a very good day. He has dealt with me and my family abundantly.
2 February 2026
Praise the Lord for his faithfulness, his mercies never cease. Happy Groundhog Day and the funny annual tradition of people waiting around in the freezing cold wanting for Punxsutawney Phil to predict the weather. The standing joke is inherently humorous and absurd that a rodent's shadow determines if winter lasts six more weeks or if spring arrives early. I'm just happy we didn't get any of the chance of overnight snow. Mama bursted my bubble this morning and said our grandkids aren't coming down until the following weekend. Mmm, mama made pancakes and cold cereal with strawberries for breakfast. I got a call from my brother and I am glad that he changed his mind and will be able to join us for lunch later in the week. I ate yogurt and a cheese dog for lunch. I look forward to and enjoy my time on the treadmill listening to sacred music. We went out grocery shopping at the Jewels and got their Monday fried chicken special, for our dinner along with half a jalapeño bagel. I just googled the Super Bowl and saw the Seahawks are 4.5 points favorites over the Rams. So I'm guessing Fawn was correct in predicting the Seahawks would win the Super Bowl Championship before the playoffs.
1 February 2026
Morning joy, Happy February! But it still feels like January. It'll be another week before we will finally come out of the deep freeze and will see a melt. Never mind the cold, the good news is the sun is shining and thanks be to God, we are alive! Mmm, mama cut fresh strawberries this morning to go with my oatmeal, delicious! I find it interesting that some communities welcome ICE while other communities go berserk. Some people believe there is national outrage over the actions of the federal agents while others believe the non compliance forces the agents into a bad situation. Rightly or wrongly, Renee Good and Alex Pretti placed themselves in a bad situation and found out the hard way and are no longer with us. It is hard to believe all I heard is the ‘F’ and ‘F’ word over and over by potty mouth by ICE protesters. Even the mayor of Minneapolis used profanity during a press briefing. I could be imagining it but I believe a growing number of politicians are doing likewise. That is a bad and concerning look. Why is profanity allowed to be aired? What happened to decency anyway? Sigh, I worked myself up. There is too much noise and unrest in the world. Cast out the lies and fear mongering, O Lord, and bring us clarity. Help me to build upon your truth rather than the chaos of this world and calm my soul. I need to stay away from the news for the remainder of the day and listen to sacred music. Lord, in your peace, guard my heart and mind. Correct and guide me in your ways. I ate the little bit of steamed fish that was left from last night’s supper for lunch but it wasn't enough, so I nuked a char sui bao to complete my noontime meal. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy for my meds and stopped for gas. Sad to see the price of gas going up $2.899 a gallon. I hope it is only a short intermittent price spike. I think it may have to do with our tension with Iran. I stir fried chicken with broccoli for supper and had fresh strawberries for dessert. I am glad mama looked up at the heavenly celestial bodies and pointed to the 2026 Snow Moon, it was spectacular! Can you imagine seeing what it was like on the fourth day of creation? Mama told me “they” are coming down next Sunday. My heart leaps with joy. We love when Rob brings Andrea the kids down for a visit. I love cooking for them and having them around. I am thankful for the blessings of the day. The day is almost over. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. For the unemployed and unemployed. For health, comfort and recovery. For the lost and our brokenness. Lord, we lift up our broken world. Open our eyes, soften our hardened hearts and draw us to your love.
31 January 2026
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Praise the Lord! His steadfast love endures forever! It's hard to believe another month has gone by and a year since my bypass surgery. Winter is a peculiar time of year. Life and time passes by faster than we like on its own. Life is only but a short moment, without us wanting to be done with winter and moving on to spring and hearing the voice of the turtledove over the land. It's hard to tell if we got a dusting of new overnight snow or if the dusting is from the howling wind. Mmm, mama made us hot oatmeal with blueberries and mini pancakes for breakfast. The news reporting about the funding bill is confusing to understand, but some kind of two week package deal is heading back to the House. The issue has something to do with DHS funding. I as so tired of all the bad news and was hoping what was happening in the second phase of the U.S. backed Gaza ceasefire would bear some good news. But instead there seems to be a breakdown in the truce, sad. Prayers for our national leaders to seek wisdom and godly discernment. May the Lord guide our leaders’ hearts. I made us hot dogs for lunch. I know that it is good for me, but… I limited myself to one cheese dog and snacked on black cherries. It was a blessing to listen to sacred music on Lutheran Public Radio while exercising on the treadmill. I gave my brother a wellness call and hoping to do lunch mid week. I am glad that he is doing fine. As we age there are so many physical issues to contend with, just maintaining is reason enough to rejoice and be glad. The Lord our God sustains us. I made us Cantonese style steamed tilapia for dinner. It's too bad I can only eat in moderation or I would eat steamed fish more often during the winter months. Steaming food is a good way to warm up and humidify the house. O Lord be gracious to me as the end of the day is near. Grant me, my family and loved ones good health, security and protection.
30 January 2026
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Thanks be to God for this new day and for his steadfast love and faithfulness. I got a good night's rest with a full eight. Hopefully we are now pass subzero temps. We have been in a winter cold for quite some time. Acclimating to the harshness of the winter cold all the layers of thermal clothing to the point that waking to single digits with highs in the teens is actually doable to the point the only thing I dread is snowfall. Mmm, I heated up myself a savory bowl of oatmeal with a scoop of tomato beef and chased it with fresh raspberries. Thoughts and prayers for the legendary Razorbacks and Fight Irish college football coach Lou Holtz in hospice care. I finally was able to make a decent Cantonese style stir fried vermicelli for our noontime meal. Yummy, we ate hom sui gok for an afternoon snack, so good. It started snowing on and off all afternoon. We went out to shovel the snow before it got dark. By then, we had about two inches of stuff on the ground. It was a good thing that it wasn't heavy snow and we were able to tend to all the needed. No problemo! Hooray, for team Lee. I guess that I should say, “ningún problema!” I made myself a toasted fried egg and cheese sandwich for dinner but I was still hungry, so I heated up a small helping of leftover vermicelli noodles and rice, perfect. The day is almost over, blessed are O Lord. For you alone make me dwell in safety.
29 January 2026
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:19-20). Lord, thank you for this new day. Forgive my shortcomings and fill me with your holy presence. Grant me strength and wisdom to guide through the day. A four year old Facebook post of mine that had to do with a cold winter day reminded me that some things don't change. I gave muse to “global warming” and am more less convinced of it with this continuous string of really cold days in our neck of the woods. I'm just grateful for sunny days and days without snow this time of year. Thanks be to God for his provisions. Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal. She made mine with the usual fresh raspberries and a slice of toast, delicious. It came as no surprise that the Senate failed to advance the massive funding big package, but at least they are in a last ditch effort to avert an extended shutdown. We heated up leftover tomato beef for our noontime meal. We went out to the Chinese supermarket and bought a 25 pound bag of Three Ladies Brand Jasmine Rice. Albeit most of their Chinese vegetables weren't all that, I was happy to see that they actually had decent bitter melons. We snacked on kiwifruit and pita chips. I give up on the reporting of current events. None of the news anchors or news entities are untrustworthy. I truly don't know what to believe or not believe. I made myself a fried egg sandwich. It didn't surprise me that Fawn ate her eggs without the bread. We FaceTime with kids and were in good cheer. Andrea had blood work done yesterday and there appears to be a bruise on her arm where the blood was drawn. Lord, I lift my family to your loving care. Restore our health and heal our wounds.
28 January 2026
I woke up with good cheer. Winter days are so weird. It is so sad how I let trivial things sometimes set my mood when I wake up. I am happier when the sun is out compared to cloudy days, when the temperature is above freezing compared to the coldness of subzero temperatures, rain compared to snow. Our day should automatically be filled with joy and gladness just simply waking up to the day the Lord has made. Thanks be to God, his mercies are new every morning. I made myself a bowl of cold cereal with blackberries for breakfast. I've been musing about how broken our world is. The Senate is not scheduled to vote on the remaining group of funding bills. I was so naive to believe that once our borders were secured discussions concerning immigration policies reforms could be addressed. But so many illegal aliens have entered our country under our previous president. The invitation of sanctuary city open borders policies that don't even want to deport illegal alien criminals. How crazy is that? I think that the other extreme is heartlessly not even wanting to provide a pathway for dreamers. Heavenly Father, we lift up our leaders to you. Guide them, O Lord, with wisdom and integrity that they may reflect your goodness. I heated up the leftover chicken with snow peas for lunch. We layered up to go out to shop for groceries at the Jewels and Meijers and got a nice indoor walk. It was nice to FaceTime with the kids. I love that technology has allowed people to make video calling readily available to everyday people. I made stir fried tomato beef for dinner, but I didn't care for that and just ate the last of the leftover chicken with snow peas for supper. Time to stop penning and get ready for bed. "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
27 January 2026
Praise be God for mercies renewed, his steadfast love endures. Mama heated up my oatmeal with the last few pieces of steak and I had it with some fresh raspberries for my breakfast. I was surprised that the looming possibility of a government shutdown wasn't among the top news stories for today. Stories pertaining to Minneapolis ICE and the vast winter storm was still dominating the news. I suppose that it is not news worthy until the Senate moves on it or as it moves further towards the deadline this weekend. I made us stir fried chicken with snow peas over rice for lunch. It appears today was a bust and the Senate adjourned for the day without accomplishing anything. I ate the last of the leftover spaghetti for supper. Thanks be to God for the gift of life, especially this past year. I checked in to the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago a year ago today on the eve of my coronary artery bypass surgery. I am so grateful for the divine blessing of family. I am nothing without their love and support. It's time to call it a day. Lord, teach me to number my days. I acknowledge your sovereignty over time and finding rest in your care.
26 January 2026
I woke up this morning grateful for the new day. The day is noticeably getting longer. There was no need to turn on the lights when I got out of bed this morning! The bright sun is so deceiving, it remains brutally cold in our neck woods waking to subzero temperatures with single digits highs for the day. Mama made me the usual hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and a slice of toast for breakfast. Here we go again, the possibility of a partial government shutdown is looming again in the Senate. They have until the end of the month to approve the remaining government agencies. I think the issue has to do with funding for the Department of Homeland Security as part of the remaining bills. If another shutdown is imminent, it would be futile and likely have little to no impact on current ice level operations and deportations because of the funding allocated by the big beautiful bill act that was passed last year. We had leftover beef with green beans over rice for our noontime meal. I had to shovel the snow at the bottom of the driveway that the municipal snow plow blades push back from the street. We ate leftover pizza for supper. “Lord, we lift our leaders to You, asking that You grant them wisdom and discernment in their decisions, aligning them with Your will and truth".
25 January 2026
This morning's peek out the window revealed that we got about an inch of overnight snow. At least we woke up to above subzero temperatures and can expect the high temperature for the day to be in the teens. A look ahead on the ten day forecast shows we will remain in this deep freeze, not good for the start of the month of February. Mama must have took out the boneless ribeye steak from the freezer last night. I pan fried up that bad boy for our noontime meal. We got another half inch of snow before it stopped falling and went to shovel it off the driveway, sidewalk and back porch. We always make an awesome team. Life is truly good, we gratefully rest in his peace. God has dealt bountifully with us. The fatal shooting of Alex Patti was all over the news again today. For the life of me, I don't understand why so many people literally risk their own lives to impede law enforcement officers from apprehending illegal alien criminals who could give a crap about the protesters defending them. Imo, it doesn't get much more stupid than that. Call me crazy, but I think this President may be forced to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. Who carries a loaded gun with extra magazines not expecting to be in a gun fight? Bob and I went to the Notre Dame home game against Purdue and had a great time, so we are planning to go to South Bend in 2026 to watch the take on Rice in their home opener. We went to get pizza from Domino's for game food and cheered on the Patriots. I'm not a fan of any particular NFL team and know very little about the teams. Andrea is a Patriot fan and her joy is my joy. The game was a low scoring 10 - 7 played in a blizzard. Congratulations to the Patriots for AFC their Championship win. We FaceTime with the kids. I think the Seahawks vs Rams game will be a better game to watch because both their games were super close both times with each having a win during the regular season. Fawn thinks that the Seahawks are a better team, we shall see… Mama called the close thrilling 31 - 27. Congratulations to the Seahawks for their NFC Championship win. I'm clueless why Isaac and Peyton wanted the Seahawks to win.
24 January 2026
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). I went to bed early last night and woke up well rested and great full this new day. Why don't I routinely go to bed and get adequate sleep is beyond me. We woke up to subzero weather again today, but at least the high for today will be in the single digits. Mama made me a hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and a fried egg for breakfast. What the heck is going on in Minneapolis? There was a fatal shooting involving an armed man and federal agents. It doesn't surprise me that there are conflicting stories about what happened. I stir fried an iceberg lettuce to go with the last of the food made for our noontime meal. I'm guessing Fawn will have the NFL Conference Championships tomorrow. Every once in a while we don't have a taste for anything in particular. We went to the Jewels to buy pork chops but ended up buying flank steak instead because flank steak was on sale and was marked down 30%. I made us stir fried beef with green beans over rice for dinner. It's time to get ready for bed and call it a day. Getting a full night's rest is a priority. "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8)
23 January 2026
Christ first! I woke up before my alarm went off to the sound of the howling wind. Who signed up for this subzero extreme cold? Brr, -11 °F like they said it would be and the expected high for today will be -5°F. Leave it to a blue state and CNN to bang the drum and talk about climate change and global warming during a brutal winter storm. I had the usual oatmeal with raspberries and a slice of toast for breakfast. Out of boredom, I was looking at, The Way Too Early Top 25 2026 College Football Ranking: Notre Dame is once again in the top 10. ESPN #3, On3 #4, CBS Sorts #5, Sports Illustrated #2, The Athletics #7, Yahoo Sports #9, USA Today #5. I believe 2026 will be a scorched earth revenge tour with no mercy leaving no doubt about the Irish. Now that's what I'm talkin’ about, I got to hand it to the Irish ($$$). The new MOU between ND and the CFP ensures Notre Dame gets preferential treatment, guaranteeing them a playoff spot if they rank in the top 12, even without joining a conference. This provides security for Notre Dame's CFP access, without relying solely on at-large bids. We continued eating the leftovers from Peggy's luncheon for our noontime meal before layering up and to go to Alex's check on things, especially to make sure water pipes are ok. Of course I got on the treadmill whenever we go there. Albeit there is still plenty of food that Peggy made in the refrigerator, I was glad mama took out some of her pasta sauce from the freezer and I boiled some spaghetti noodles for our supper.
22 January 2026
I woke up this morning grateful for the blessings of another new day. The day started out as usual with mama making me a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries. Today I had my oatmeal with half a bagel and a little bit of cream cheese. I'm in the mood to start a rant about why I think winter is the worst season. I'm amazed at people who live in arctic regions. I can't convince my wife that we should move to someplace warmer. It's funny how I always peek out to see if it snowed overnight every morning during the winter months. Winter is the worst season due to its harsh cold, pervasive darkness and don't get me started on snow and laborious shoveling. I tend to worry about water pipes bursting when we have so many days below freezing. Surprise, surprise, lunch and dinner was the same as yesterday. I saw several video clips of sacrilegious anti-ice protesters storming during a worship service in St. Paul Minnesota. Albeit arrests were made, I think that is the least of their worries, "God will not be mocked”. I'm somewhat surprised that charges against Don Lemon were rejected by a Magistrate Judge, DOJ has put him on notice, so he's not off the hook. The temperature is rapidly spiraling downward and we are already in the single digits. We are expecting to be waking up to -11 °F. Lord have mercy. Prayers for open shelters, stable heat, electricity, protection and needed provisions.
21 January 2026
“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). My trust is in the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever. Guide my steps, O Lord. Lead me back to you. I was so happy this morning learning that the forecast calling for one to three inches of overnight snow didn't come to pass. I was dreading having to dig out this morning to go out to visit Peggy this afternoon. Albeit today will be another typical cold winter day in the Midwest, we ain't seen nothing yet, because today will be the warmest day for the remainder of the month. Super cold weather is headed our way and we can expect to wake up in a couple of days to -11 °F Friday morning with windchills of -45 degrees. It came as no surprise to me that we were in for a whole lot of good eating and a fun time at Peggy's. But I didn't expect her to out do herself cooking a seven course Chinese banquet meal, my tummy was a happy camper. She boxed a ton of leftovers for us to take home. There is enough food to easily eat for the next several days.
The verse of the day is, "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing" (Psalm 145:15-16).
20 January 2026
Christ first! It is good to wake up to the civil twilight and be up and out of bed at sunrise to bright sunny days. Albeit I don't particularly care for cold winter days, it is what it is and albeit I don't sound like I am grateful to be alive, I most certainly am. I am thankful for God's provisions. I wake up in a warm home with comfortable clothing and get to start off every morning enjoying a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries with a slice of toast. We have been in a deep freeze for over a week with no sign of above freezing temperatures in the fifteen days forecast. The string of upcoming subzero temperature days is somewhat concerning. We went grocery shopping at Meijers and at the Jewels and then made a stop at Alex's just to make a house check. I heat up leftover beef with bitter melon over rice and mama finished the last of her leftover tour of Italy meal from the Olive Garden for our noontime meal. I have known for some time about the health issues that my sister has been facing. She shared her status with the rest of the family earlier this morning. It is good to seek intercessory prayers and the support from our loved ones. We gave my sister a wellness call and had a short chat since we will be joining her and my brother at Peggy's house for lunch tomorrow. My leg felt better today, so I went down to the basement twice and did short five minute slow goes on the treadmill. We made a fresh pot of rice and fried up a couple of eggs to go with the last of the leftover beef with bitter melon for our supper. Mmm, we had fresh blackberries and black cherries for dessert. The other day while watching cartoons with the kids, the background music score was Thaxted - Gustav Holst. Right away, Rob noticed the hymn tune was their selected wedding mass recessional hymn, We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God. That thought came to mind as the day is almost over as I pray for "everything” because so much is happening globally as well in my small corner of the world. We must focus on surrendering all aspects of life while acknowledging God's sovereignty and trust that he will handle all our concerns that we lay before him.
19 January 2026
Keep us under your wings O Lord, as we start the day off with subzero weather conditions. Your mercies are anew each morning. As much as I don't care for snow, the light fluffy overnight dusting of snow didn't dampen spirit. I am grateful for this new day and am thankful to be alive. O let us rejoice and be glad in it. There's no talk of climate change or global warming today. The day started with mama making me the usual hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and a slice of toast. Fawn went out and tended to all the snow all by herself before I even got dressed to go out. We went to Alex's just to check up on the house and to heat up and eat the leftover food from the Olive Garden. Sigh, we can't even trust schedulers to book doctor's appointments correctly. My previous Urologist with Duly retired so they scheduled with a different doctor. Why in the world would they schedule me to their Wheaton office? Sigh, I had to reschedule to the Naperville office at the end of March. Albeit imo, there were more than a few teams that shouldn't have gotten a bracket in the CFP and to no one's surprise, they were all eliminated during the first round. My frustration with the college football playoff committee the past few years is due to their bewildering justifications and controversial inclusions and exclusions of teams. The only thing that could make this year's Natty better is if the Irish were playing. With that said, I can hardly wait to watch the National College Football Championship game between Indiana and Miami tonight. I am like most people and favor the Hoosiers over the Hurricanes and hope they can win their first college football championship ever. Either way, may the best team win. Peggy called and invited us for lunch sometime this week. She is a very good cook and always hosts an elaborate meal. I made us beef with bitter melon over rice for our supper. Congratulations to Indiana for completing a 16 - 0 perfect season and earning their first national championship. Anyway, I need to stop penning and get ready for bed. Thanks be to God for all his benefits.
18 January 2026
Christ first! I normally wake up in the morning to the sunlight or to the sound of a gentle alarm. Mama must have an internal alarm clock because she is always up in the morning before I am. This morning I woke up to her calling me to wake up because we need to be out of the house by… I looked at the weather app and it was 8°F and the high temperature for the day was in the upper teens. It was screaming for me to put on my thermal underwear. Albeit I still feel the muscle strain on my hamstring muscles, it seems to be slowly getting slightly better day by day. Prayers for comfort healing and recovery. Mmm, mama made a bowl of hot oatmeal with shredded steak for my breakfast before layering up to brave the cold. I am glad that my Elmer Fudd hat has a visor on it because the sun is shining brightly on the southern horizon. The sunlight is such a blessing during these short winter days. I made us scrambled eggs and nuked back the bacon, hash browns and breakfast sausages. Surprise, surprise, Andrea and mama went out and about and I watched Bluey cartoons with the grandkids and Rob. The ladies came back with food from the Olive Garden for our birthday celebratory noontime meal. The last couple of times I like getting their spaghetti. Rats, I forgot to tell them that I wanted the meatball meatballs parmigiana appetizer. We celebrated Andrea with a tiramisu torte cake. It happens to be one of our family's favorite cake. Andrea is a Patriot fan and was cheering them on. Albeit the visiting Rams are favorite over the Bears for the divisional playoff game tonight, I'll be cheering on the Bears later tonight. Regardless of who wins this game, they will have to face the Seahawks who smoked the 49er last night 41 - 6. One of the hardest things about being old is that our bodies become more and more frail. All my family and friends seem to be struggling with one thing or another that is ailing them. Mercifully accept our prayers, O Lord. Heal us and we shall be healed; save us and we shall be saved. I ate the other half of my leftover salmon with rice and mama ate the last of the leftover streak with rice for our supper before watching the Bears game. It was a back and forth game with the Rams beating the Bears 20 - 17 in overtime. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day. Time with my family brings joy and gladness to my heart, my soul sings praises, to you be the glory.
17 January 2026
Praise be to God his steadfast love endures forever. His mercies are new every morning. I looked at the weather app and saw that highs for the day will be in the upper teens. The bright sunshine is so deceiving. Mama made me the usual hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and toast for breakfast. I was listening to the news about tariffs against European nations in bid for Greenland. I don't understand President Trump's rationale for the United States to seize control of Greenland when we already have a US military base there and is free to put more troops there at any time. Why is ownership of the island so important? Am I missing something? I think this President has enough on his plate to end the chaos in Minneapolis that is being fueled imo by local officials’ rhetoric seeming to encourage violence against federal officers. I started cooking food for Andrea to take home tomorrow to have later during the week. I made Cantonese style pan fried noodles, teriyaki salmon, spicy tofu, bone-in ribeye steak and beef with bok choy. Mama, cut all the fresh fruit and prep the vegetables. I ate salmon, spicy tofu and of course gnawed on the meat off the ribeye steak bone for lunch. I was given the task of assembling the birthday table centerpiece, gotrdun! Lol, no all out birthday party decorations like the grandkids get. We ate beef with bok choy over rice for our supper. We decided to get ahead of tomorrow's breakfast and made the bacon, breakfast sausage links and the hash browns. Boy oh boy, that was a whole lot of cooking for the day. Mama had the hard part, cleaning all the pots and pans and cleaning up my mess. We are so looking forward to tomorrow to see Rob and our grandkids and to celebrate Andrea's birthday. I am grateful for all the blessings of the day. The Lord showers us with grace upon grace. May he heal us physically and spiritually.
16 January 2026
Thank you, Lord, for this new day and for your unending mercies. To you be the glory. I woke up this morning feeling as if I pulled the hamstring on my right leg and dreadful if it snowed overnight and if we needed to shovel it. So far about two inches of snow has fallen, hopefully it will stop snowing soon. I looked at the weather app and it looks like the temperatures will start plummeting into the single digits this weekend. I suspect that we will have subzero temperatures at some point over the weekend. Just thinking about that makes me shiver. I was happy to see mama got up early and made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal. She made my oatmeal with raspberries and I had it with a slice of toast, so good. Thanks be to God for our kind and mindful neighbors. Yi took care of the snow on our driveway and sidewalk with his snowblower. Fawn went out back and tended to the snow on deck, it was a good thing that the snow turned out to be light and fluffy. We ate leftover pizza before heading out to the Chinese supermarket. I was glad that the city did an excellent job tending to the road ways. It seems more times than not that the trip to the Chinese supermarket turns out to be disappointing as they rarely have the things we set out to shop for. We especially hope to find rice noodles to make gon chow ngau ho for our grandkids. However, we didn't walk out empty handed, we found bitter melon, baby bok choy and tofu. I made us fried eggs with oyster sauce and we ate it with leftover rice for supper. After supper we FaceTime with the kids and we wished Andrea a happy birthday. It was a good way to bring the day to a close. Anyway, time to get ready for bed. Thanks be to God for the gift of family.
15 January 2026
Waking up to the nautical and civil twilight is finally coming about and it beats waking up in the darkness. There is joy and gladness in my heart that God blesses and continues to abundantly deal with me. Mama poured me a bowl of cold cereal and a slice of toasted bread. I should have known better, I went out to retrieve the recycling bin and then went back in the house to change. I wasn't dressed warm enough and needed to put on my thermal underwear to provide an additional layer of clothing. Thanks be to God for the technology put into warm comfortable clothing. It made a huge difference when we stepped out to go to the Sam's Club and to the Oswego area to shop. We always buy our salmon from the Sam's Club whenever Andrea requests it. It's hard to believe that our baby is turning forty tomorrow at seemingly the blink of an eye. We will be celebrating her birthday this weekend. Albeit difficult to do a lot of walking wearing my slippers resistance shoe I did manage to get in a decent walk at the Sam's Club and at Meijers. We got gas for $2.479 a gallon. That's a few pennies less than our last fillup, so that's a good thing. We went to Alex's and heated up leftover pizza. Of course I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill and listened to sacred music played on the Lutheran Public Radio. Before heading back home we went to the Meijers near the Promenade and to IKEA. I got in some more walking in while mama was shopping. I ate a salad and the leftover chicken with green beans for supper. I got on the elliptical again today, good for me. I've also started doing a few wall push-ups. I really need to start doing light resistance training again and become more committed to healthy habits. Yessir, I got in an eleven thousand plus steps day in! Intercessory prayers for divine help, healing and guidance for all my loved ones. Prayers for our broken world and for your presence. Today was a very good day. I thank God for all his provisions, his steadfast love endures forever.
14 January 2026
"He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow" (Psalm 147:16-18). Lord, I praise your majesty over all of creation. I confess the spiritual coldness of my hardened heart. Teach me your precepts for your mercies being renewed every morning. It was still snowing when I woke up to the howling wind and a coating of snow. I'm guessing that the snow must have just started falling, because it is coming down pretty heavy. I hope it ends soon. Brr, winter is back. Just seeing snow makes me shiver. Mama made me a hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries. We ended up getting about three inches of fluffy snow and I was able to tend to shovel the snow without much difficulty. Albeit I was layered up, there was a good reason to be shivering being out in the cold wind. We went to Alex's thinking that we needed to do some shoveling there. Albeit traffic was light, we still came across two separate car collisions and one car off the road in a ditch on the way to Alex's. To our surprise, there was barely any snow on the ground and no shoveling was necessary. I made us stir fried chicken with green beans for lunch. I went downstairs to the basement and had a go on the treadmill. We stopped to pick up a Domino's pizza on the way back home for our supper. I hopped on the elliptical to get in a little more cardio exercise for the day. Happy heavenly birthday to my sister Mary, you are missed. May she rest in your heavenly embrace, O Lord.
13 January 2026
"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). Great is your faithfulness O Lord, great is your faithfulness. It's great to start the morning with the hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries on the side that mama made. Sue stopped by and gifted us some taro cake. Albeit, I shouldn't have, I ate a small piece. Clearly, I am not disciplined enough to resist. Oh no, the polar vortex gave way and an arctic blast is headed our way. Temperatures will begin plummeting and we will be facing single digits before the weekend. Mama ate the leftover beef with broccoli and made me a salad. I also ate a yogurt with our noontime meal. I enjoy eating salads and have no problem eating it as a meal several times a week. I went out to the garage and cut down some more cardboard boxes from the holidays. Mama perfectly made a fresh pot of rice, she got that down to a science. I finished the last of the leftover beef with broccoli and I stir fried spinach for mama to go with her rice and leftover black beans. I am glad that Fawn encouraged me to start using the elliptical again today. I ended up hopping on the elliptical three times. I clearly get a better cardiovascular workout on elliptical than the treadmill because I ended huffing and puffing after each go. The song of the day is, Oye Como Va - Santana. Cha-cha-chá, back in the day. The day is almost over. Lord, place your healing hands on me and restore my health and fill me with your peace. I also lift up my loved ones with health concerns to you O Lord, who are in need of healing. May your peace guard our hearts as we wait.
12 January 2026
I woke up this morning well rested and with a grateful heart. I am so glad that I didn't have to fast for my lab work this morning because mama made me a savory bowl of oatmeal with steak and a small bowl of raspberries on the side. I have been watching what I have been getting since my last doctor's appointment with my hematologist. I hope that with a better diet, my numbers will show some signs of improvement. While waiting to see the doctor, Fawn showed me videos of Isaac playing basketball. I'm guessing he is playing basketball in a park district league. I am glad that my hemoglobin was where it needed to be and that I didn't need an erythropoietin injection. I was happy to see that my potassium level improved but was disappointed that it was a hair out of the normal range, so I still needed to keep at it and perhaps need to still do better with my diet and exercise. I think it will be just fine the next time I have my blood work done.
O what a beautiful day, considering we are in the month of January. The sun is shining, the sky is as blue as can be and the temperature is in the 40s. We went to Portillo's to get mama's half birthday freebie cake and we splitted a hamburger for our noontime meal. Mama encouraged me to go down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill the third time! We each got $7 off our purchases because the Bears beat the Packers, so we stopped at the Jewels and bought us a couple of ribeye steaks! What a nice promotion, Go Bears! I made us stir fried beef with broccoli over rice for our supper.Good for me, I got in a ten thousand plus steps day! Prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings of the day and for good health for all my relatives and friends.
11 January 2026
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14). Albeit tough getting up this morning to take my meds from staying up to watch the Bears Packers playoff game, I am grateful for this new day. I was expecting an inch of snow to fall overnight, but that didn't happen. Mama made me a savory oatmeal with streak and raspberries on the side for breakfast. We went to the Jewels to buy two dozen eggs on sale for 99¢ a dozen! Then went next door to the Target to buy a specific toy. We were in and out of both the stores so quickly that I didn't get much walking done. Mmm, mama made me one of delicious iceberg salads loaded with raspberries, blackberries, grapes, sliced apples and a hard boiled egg for my noontime meal. I tried to do a senior siesta, but didn't actually fall asleep. I did keep my eyes closed, so they somewhat got rested. I ate a small portion of steak and rice for dinner. What is happening globally, nationally and locally is very concerning and is cause to pause. Lord, we turn to you with hearts full of gratitude and concern for our world. Fill our world with your light. Lord, be with us.
10 January 2026
“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). Teach me your ways O Lord. We woke up to overnight rain now with drizzling rain mixed with snow. The temperature is supposed to drop as the day goes on. Mama made me a savory hot bowl of oatmeal with steak and half a toasted blueberry bagel. Unless the bagel is fresh, toasting is the way to go. Initially the plan was to stay at home today but we saw that we are expecting accumulating snowfall late tonight into tomorrow morning, so we changed our mind and went out and picked up some tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana on the way to Alex's. I ate one lunch and the other for supper. While at Alex's I went down to the basement twice to hop on the treadmill. On the way back home we went to Ross, T.J. Maxx, and Meijers. Of course I did my indoor walking and ended up getting a decent amount of steps in for the day. I'm not much into the NFL and usually fall asleep watching, but I watched the Bears Packers wild-card game cheering on the Bears the entire exciting game and had a steak sandwich and a small piece of lo bak go as game food. I was only rooting for a Bears win because my brother and sister are Bears fans. Their joy is my joy. A lot of people are either Bears or Packer fans in our neck of the woods. Away, I'm really tired now from staying up two nights in a row and need to get ready for bed now. All praise to you, O Lord. Great and wonderful are all your deeds.
9 January 2026
I woke up early this morning to the sound of the pouring rain with joyful gladness just to be alive. The sump pump has been working overtime since yesterday afternoon. There is no need to remind me that our days are numbered and of God's faithfulness. Albeit today is expected to be a cooler day, who is going to complain about rain and temperatures in the mid 40s in January? Mama made me oatmeal with strawberries and half a blueberry bagel for breakfast. We went out and about this morning and went to the Home Depot to get another downspout extension and a couple of precast concrete splash blocks for Alex's house. It's no fun struggling to lift a 50 pound block at my age. It's a good thing mama was able to help with the needed. I snacked on yogurt and a small char sui boa. Of course, I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill while at Alex's. It wasn't until about three o'clock before we had the opportunity to eat a late lunch. We heated up the leftover chicken and green beans. I was looking at news updates on the ICE fatal shooting and the aftermath of the shooting. The diverging accounts of what led to the shooting by the news media and by politicians is so mind blowing with only one reality. I fried up a ribeye steak for our dinner. I made myself a ribeye steak sandwich and watched the Peach Bowl. Indiana dominated the game and destroyed Oregon 56 - 22 and will be going to the Natty and will face Miami at Miami. Anyway, it's past my bed time. Prayers for comfort, health and recovery.
8 January 2026
Thank you Lord for the gift of life. We are going out and about today so I checked the weather app and was happy today's high temperature is expected to be in the upper 50s! Mama made me oatmeal with strawberries and half an asiago bagel for breakfast. I know it's weird to pen what I eat in my journal entries, but it is a way for me to track and keep me from overeating and from too many things that I shouldn't be eating. We went out shopping at Target, Ross, Walmart and the Jewels. I got in a lot of walking time while mama was shopping. It's so strange to be out and about in early springtime weather. Mmm, Peggy gifted us lo bak go! I think she makes it even better than the dim sum houses. It's too bad I only could eat just a small piece because my potassium range was above normal. I also ate a steamed pork bao for my noontime meal that my sister gifted us. Initially I just thought that it was OK but today I think I acquired a taste for this kind of boas. I was surprised that I fell asleep sitting upright on the recliner while strolling on the Facebook app on my phone. The sound of the pouring rain woke me up from my nap. Mama made the rice and I stir fried a savory chicken with green beans dish for our dinner. I made it a point to get up and walk around the house for a couple minutes at a time every so often just to make sure I got in a ten thousand plus steps day in.
7 January 2026
We had overnight rain again and woke up to morning drizzle. Our January thaw is holding with clouds and fog. These past few days in the mid 40s have been a blessing. Old folks like me tend to moan and groan when the temperatures drop below freezing. Despite the lack of sunshine, my heart is filled with joy and gladness for the start of the new day the Lord has made. Mmm, mama made a fresh hot pot of oatmeal. She dressed up my bowl with fresh strawberries again and toasted me up a slice of white bread. We went early to the Sam's Club pharmacy to pick up my meds. I got in a decent indoor walk at the Sam's Club. We then went out and about to the Oswego area and I got a little more walking in the big box stores while mama was shopping. We stopped for gas and I was happy to see it was $2.499 a gallon. I wonder if it had anything to do with what is happening in Venezuela. I ate leftover beef with pea pods and mama ate the leftover beef with bitter melon. I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill. I was shocked to learn on the news that there was a fatal shooting in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. I made us stir fried lettuce and fried eggs with oyster sauce for our supper. The only thing that could have made this meal better was to have made some jasmine rice to accompany this savory classic Cantonese meal. Help, save, comfort and defend us Lord.
6 January 2026
Despite the overnight rain and the sky remaining cloudy, I woke up this morning feeling good. Happy Epiphany! God is good! I thank God for rain in January instead of snow. Mama made us our usual hot bowl oatmeal with strawberries and a slice of toast for breakfast. I think oatmeal with fresh berries is a good way to start each day, especially during the winter months. I was surprised that the sun briefly came out this morning, because the weather app hourly forecast showed that it is supposed to be cloudy all day long. I stir fried us beef with bitter melon for lunch. We went to Alex's again today because FedEx failed to deliver an expected package yesterday like it was supposed to. I finished breaking down all the cardboard boxes from the Christmas holiday. I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill. I like that I am able to get a good cardiovascular workout on it by walking at a faster pace. On the way home we stopped at the Target and I got in a decent indoor walk while mama was shopping. I heated up the last of the spaghetti for my supper but it wasn't quite enough, so I ate half an asiago bagel with a tad of cream cheese and an apple. The song of the day is, I'm So In Love With You - Al Greene. Anyway, I am thankful for the blessings of the day.
5 January 2026
Christ first! I woke up grateful and excited for the new day. I looked at the weather app and was happy to see that we will be having above normal temperatures in the 40s this week. Any day above freezing in January is a win in the Midwest! Let the big melt begin! What a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine. We went to the AutoZone to buy a replacement headlight and replaced the bulb in the parking lot. Replacing the highlight bulb on the driver's side was way easier than replacing one the passenger side, gotrdun! I ate a hamburger for lunch. I got on the treadmill twice today and bumped up the walking speed to 3.0 mph. I was happy to FaceTime with the kids. I learned from Alex that At&t is moving from downtown Dallas to a 54 acres campus in Plano. I googled it and learned the campus is expected to be ready by the second half of 2028. That is good news indeed. Mmm, I fried up a ribeye steak for our dinner. Albeit the steak was an inch an inch thick, I was surprised that the ribeye steak was small and weighed only 0.68 lbs. That's a good thing, because meat is so expensive nowadays. I am thankful the temperatures will stay above freezing overnight. I know little about Nicolás Maduro. My understanding is that he was indicted with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges. It's hard to believe anything on the news, because I don't trust the biased mainstream media. I think it is best just to place our faith in Jesus amidst a chaotic world by anchoring our heart in his unchanging nature. I reflected a little more on my shortcomings. I commented on Facebook on President Joe Biden when he was considering running for a second term and I questioned his cognitive abilities and fitness to remain in office. I was asked by someone I didn't know, if I was qualified to make a cognitive assessment and that my comments weren't christlike and didn't reflect the same person that pen here in Larry's World. I know we are to put people in the best light. Perhaps I could have and should have voiced my concerns about the sitting President in a kinder way. Intercessory prayers for all in our brokenness. For comfort and peace as we face heavy loads and difficult circumstances. For physical and spiritual healing as our fragile bodies become weak and our souls become compromised.
4 January 2026
Praise the Lord! I woke up grateful for the new day the Lord has made. It is good to be alive. I started the morning off with the usual hot bowl oatmeal with raspberries and an Eggo. I ate mama's spaghetti for lunch. Albeit the Colts didn't win, it was an exciting game and Riley Leonard was impressive in his debut start. I snacked on a hard boiled egg mid afternoon. I cut down a bunch of cardboard boxes and couldn't fit them all in the recycling bin. I did good and got on the treadmill twice. Déjà vu, we went to three more stores for returns without shopping again today. We went to Ross, Meijers and Burlington. This time I got in a decent indoor walk. Rats, the driver side low beam highlight burned out. I remember what a bite in the butt it was to swap out and replace the bad bulb on the passenger side almost two years ago. I made beef with pea pods for our dinner and mama sliced up an apple for my dessert. Mama spreaded the new blanket out for me that Alex gifted me for Christmas. Prayers for a good night's rest.
3 January 2026
Glory to God in the highest! I woke up early and well rested. Mama made me a bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and broke me a small piece of Chinese sponge cake. We went to the city to pick up Rob at Midway and drove him to his car at Alex's. I am amazed at his willingness to help Alex drive back to Texas and fly back. Thanks be to God for taking him under his wings and safely bringing him back to us. I went down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill. I ate chicken with green beans over rice for lunch. It is hard to believe we went out and about to Walmart, Kohls and Target just to return a few items without shopping. I didn't get much walking in so I went for a second go on the treadmill. The verse of the day is, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). Clearly, we live in a morally confused time. Satan distorted the distinction between what is right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral for many. Lord, teach me your ways, guide me in your truth. I ate half an Italian beef sandwich and a small plate of spaghetti for dinner. I usually have very little to no interest in watching NFL games until the playoffs. But I'm planning to watch and cheer on the Colts in their final game of the season against the 10.5 points favorites Texans. It is rare that a rookie quarterback ever wins their debut game, but I’m sure Riley Leonard will be giving his all. If anyone can pull off an upset, he's your man. LOL, Peyton is a hoot, mama showed me a video of her saying how boring I am. I love her all the same, our grandchildren are our pride and joy. I am grateful for the blessings of the day.
2 January 2026
I woke up to this 9th day of Christmas grateful to be alive. Most sacred heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you. Mama made me a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and an Eggo to boot. Went out and about for groceries at the Jewels, Walmart, Whole Foods and the Chinese supermarket. I am thankful for warm clothing because it was cold, but at least we have beautiful blue skies with plenty of sunshine. I can hardly wait for warmer weather and for the sun to move up higher from the horizon. It looks like a Portillo's food day and some. We stopped at Portillo's to take out their buy one get one free beef sandwich and their hamburger for 50 percent off. I ate half the burger for lunch and I intend to eat the other half for supper. It was good getting on the treadmill. My honey do for the day was vacuuming. Thanks be to God, Alex and Rob made it safely back to Dallas. I going to call it a day and get ready for bed because we will need to be up and out the door early tomorrow morning to pick up Rob at Midway. Prayers for a good night's rest and for safe travel.
1 January 2026
I surprised myself that it was intuitive to create and link this new page to this site this year. "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen” Most scared heart of Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner. I woke up this morning grateful to be alive. I am filled with good cheer and gladness and with sadness at the same time. Alex will be leaving tomorrow and will not be back until his sister and RJ's wedding reception. It is amazing how selfless Rob is to do all that he does as a family member. Brr, I don't care for cold winter days. We bundled up and went to Alex's and stopped off at Meijers to buy a pound of beef for mama’s pasta sauce. I boiled the linguine pasta. Alex made the rice and I pan fried the porterhouse steak for our noontime meal. We watched the Rose Bowl hoping to see an exciting game, but the Crimson Tide was no match for the Hoosiers. The final score was Indiana 38 Alabama 3. Many people thought that Notre Dame should have gotten a CFP bracket instead of Alabama, but I am wondering why James Madison and Trulane made the cut. I ate pasta and a salad for supper. I am surprised that today ended up being a two bowl game day. We watched the Sugar Bowl game between #3 Georgia and #6 Ole Miss. This turned out to be the exciting game I was looking for. Congratulations to the Rebels for their amazing last second 39 - 34 victory. It was tough saying our goodbyes. Prayers for safe travel and protection for all who travel, especially for Alex and Rob.
