Wednesday, June 18, 2025 – Day 309

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Good morning, friends, family, and curious visitors.

Today is my GI appointment. If things go according to my plan, we’ll be having a preliminary conversation about getting a feeding tube installed later this month or in early July. It feels urgent. I weighed myself yesterday—down to 160 pounds. That’s nearly a 14% drop from a year ago. It’s time to stop the slide.

Our neighbors behind us, Gene and Sarah, are friends from our Senior Care Volunteer Network (SCVN) days. We met in 2015—the year I retired and was looking for things to keep me busy as I navigated the early part of retirement. Sarah is the executive director of SCVN, and since we both stopped volunteering, we don’t see them regularly.

We were slow to share the news about the ALS diagnosis. In fact, we still run into people who don’t know—and it’s always an awkward conversation. Gene and Sarah, in turn, were trying to be respectful and not intrude as we adjusted to this new normal. So yesterday ended up being our first formal get-together. They were coming to our place.

I thought maybe—just maybe—we’d be able to sit outside, so I did what little I could to help get the patio ready. While I was in the garage, about an hour before they arrived, my right toe caught on a rug. That threw off my balance, and after two awkward, stutter-stepping strides, I bounced off the car (which made it back into the garage) and hit the concrete garage floor. Not my best move. I did a quick self-check and nothing seemed seriously hurt—except for the toe that caused the fall. It got jammed as I tried to catch myself, and it’s been aching ever since.

This is the same toe I banged up last fall when I missed a couple of steps, so it’s starting to look a little rough. No toe photos—feet are rarely welcome at breakfast, and mine certainly aren’t making the cut.

So… that was fall #9. Not exactly a milestone I’m excited about. The frequency is creeping up, and I know I need to make some changes before one of these spills results in real damage. The challenge is, it’s tough to move around the house while holding anything—my hands need to be free for balance.

We’re picking up a walker from Diane G., who generously offered it to us. It’s more advanced than the standard aluminum fold-up kind—this one has storage options, which means I can bring a book with me, at least. I’ll admit, I’ll probably resist using it at first. It’s a tough pill to swallow when your mobility tools start chipping away at your sense of independence.

Despite all that, the visit with Gene and Sarah went really well. We stayed indoors thanks to the sweltering heat—90° and sticky, with a feels-like temp around 95°. Between Cindy and Sarah, we had a table overflowing with snacks, so whatever dinner plans Cindy was still working on quickly became unnecessary. I don’t think she minded.

So yes, I tried to be helpful yesterday. But maybe next time I’ll skip the heroics and avoid sabotaging my own toe. That said, staying seated and doing nothing isn’t exactly my style. And I’m not ready to start now.

STOP THE PRESSES. Cindy just walked in with an Amazon package that arrived overnight. These mystery books always come in the same kind of padded envelope—you can feel it and immediately suspect what’s inside. She opened it up, reached in, and pulled out Chosen Prey, book #12 (if I’m counting correctly)

Naturally, I asked, “Is there a note?” She looked back inside the envelope, stuck her hand in, moved it around… and came up empty. No clues. No hints. No nothing to help solve this mystery. I’m a little bummed.

Cindy tried to reassure me: “There are still 23 books left—maybe a hint will show up later.” I’m hoping so.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have a good progress report on the feeding tube…that’s #1 at the moment.

Have a great Wednesday.

Love you guys!❤️

I added a couple of photos of Coco celebrating her birthday.