Monday, January 20, 2025

Monday, February 3, 2025

Welcome to Mind-Numbing Monday! Yes… it’s just plain cold.

Below is a link from an ALS blogger who goes by the name Gronk. This was suggested by my ALS coordinator, Peggy, who must have been involved in his care. Gronk was a Chicago Southsider and a die-hard Sox fan. I don’t hold that against him. I haven’t read his entire blog, but I paused on this particular entry. The narrative comes from a caregiver’s point of view—his wife, Michelle. It’s a cold slap in the face when I think about what’s ahead. Honestly, it scares the crap out of me, and I wonder how we will get through this. Reading it is tough because it lays out the cold reality of what’s to come. gronksgrace.blogspot.com/2016/01/h…

Yesterday involved more LEGOs—and more dropped pieces. Bear thinks I’m dropping treats. Since they look like treats, he snaps them up just seconds after they hit the floor. Actually, I wonder if he’s catching them mid-air because they disappear so quickly. He’s sly, too. He won’t chew if I’m looking at him, but when I start searching for the piece, he quickly chews it and spits it out as soon as he realizes it’s plastic. Then I’ll find the piece and think, “Bear, you’re a smart dog; I had no idea the piece was in your jaws!” By then, though, the piece is chewed beyond use. So, I’m left with three options: lock up the dog, quit dropping the pieces, or just do the best I can and accept it as is.

I also made biscuits and gravy for breakfast yesterday—yes, I did it all! But after soaking the biscuit in sauce to soften it, I tried to cut off a piece, and it wasn’t having any of that. Maybe I baked them too long? So, I grabbed my adaptive knife (sharp as hell, by the way) to cut the biscuit into bite-sized pieces. After a couple of cuts, my left hand—which was only holding the fork—locked up. My fingers clenched tightly like vice-grip pliers. I dropped the knife and worked quickly to unlock my fingers because these cramps are becoming more and more painful. Cindy came to my rescue, cutting up the biscuits, so we could enjoy breakfast together. There are leftovers for this morning. Another Groundhog Day opportunity, perhaps?

Otherwise, it was a quiet day. I got dressed before 9:00 (for no particular reason), read a bit, did some computer work, fed Bear some LEGO pieces, and watched parts of the inauguration. It felt a bit over the top, but maybe it’s always been that way. I even napped through parts of it.

Then off to bed…where I actually got a couple hours of reading in…that never happens. It’s usually 2-3 pages and I’m out.

Have a great Monday, everyone.

Love you guys!❤️