Wednesday, July 23, 2025 – Day 344

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Good morning!

It’s another scorcher today, so I’ll be staying indoors again. Honestly, this summer might break my all-time record for indoor living—at least since 1988. That was the infamous summer of 47 days over 90° and a sweltering seven days in the triple digits.

Memorable for more than just the weather… Nicole was in the oven (literally), and Kim was on bed rest, stuck inside while I, the proud expectant father, probably found a way to complain about having to go to work and face the heat everyday in an air conditioned environment. Looking back, I’m sure it was hard on Kim… but today my faded memory says it wasn’t so bad.

Quick correction from yesterday: I said I graduated from college in 1977… but several eagle-eyed readers caught the goof. That was high school, not college. I appreciate the gentle nudge—although the idea of graduating college at 17 does give me a brief moment of imagined brilliance.

Last week—Mary Ann (of Mary Ann and Gary fame) asked me last week if I liked tuna noodle casserole. I said yes, because I do! She was thrilled. Turns out, it’s her signature dish… and by “signature,” I mean it’s the one thing she claims she can cook. Her words, not mine. Well, on Monday she called Cindy to say she made a pan just for us. Tonight’s the big night, and I’m genuinely excited. We don’t have it very often, and nothing beats a good retro casserole dish when it’s made with love. Thank you, Mary Ann!

Last night, we met up with Tom and Tim and their spouses for dinner at Lindy’s Landing on Bangs Lake. Wauconda is a frequent halfway point for us, and Lindy’s is a solid choice—nice view, good food, and way less likely to give you a secondhand tattoo. Docks is the other spot on Bangs Lake, but it leans more “rowdy lakeside saloon.” It’s perfect if your idea of ambiance includes sleeveless bikers, second hand smoke, and sunburned strangers dropping F bombs every other sentence. Next time we go, maybe I’ll send Hunter Biden an invite—seems like his kind of vibe.

On to another ALS struggle..that is why I started this blog… I swapped out my respirator mask last night because I’ve been biting the inside of my cheeks like they owe me money. Apparently, I’ve been grinding my teeth again—a habit I picked up as a kid and never really dropped. When I was around 11, my dentist gave me a night guard to protect my teeth. I hated it immediately. Breathing through that thing felt like I was snorkel-training in a closet. It lasted maybe a month before my mom gave up the nightly battle. God bless her.

Now, decades later, it seems the habit is back… except instead of damaging my teeth, I’m chewing up the inside of my face. Between the pressure of the mask and the perfect alignment of my molars, my cheeks don’t stand a chance. I blame The Stand, honestly. Ever since I started that book, my dreams have taken a dark turn. I just finished it, so maybe my cheek tissue can finally heal. My dentist is going to be very confused come August. At least there’s no blood… yet.

We’ve got no real plans today, which is perfect. I’ll try to knock out a few more voice recordings, read something not written by Stephen King, and supervise Cindy’s expert-level packing operation. Luckily, Zack flies in tomorrow to help us load up and drive to Minocqua because it’s going to take both SUVs (and maybe a U-Haul trailer) to get all our gear to Minocqua.

Stay cool out there, have a great Wednesday everyone and I’ll catch you tomorrow.

Love you guys! ❤️