Tuesday, August 5, 2025 - Day 357

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Good morning, amazing friends and family.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to do an interview with a young man named Dean, whose mother passed away from ALS. Dean is 19 and currently traveling across the country to meet others affected by this brutal disease—sharing their stories and raising money to help fight ALS. I was honored to be one of the people he chose to visit, and I truly enjoyed the short time we spent together.

He recently posted a photo on Instagram of Cindy and me from Sally and Meghan’s wedding last October and included a thoughtful backstory. Just ignore the part where he says I “stay out late.” He must’ve gotten confused when I told him I’m up at 4:00 a.m.—clearly thinking I’d just gotten home from a wild night out. 🤣

Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out:
Dean’s Instagram Post

Book update:
I just finished Phantom Prey—which puts me a little past the halfway mark in John Sandford’s 35-book Prey series. My anonymous book fairy is still hard at work, making sure I don’t stray from the series or get tempted by other authors. I haven’t yet picked the next one—depends on my mood and what’s in front of me.

Last night’s highlight:
We were invited over to Mike and Beth’s for an evening of cigars, bourbon, beer, and poolside lounging. Our usual suspects were there—Mark and Barb, Joe and Donna—and Mike invited another couple (Craig and Georgi), whom Cindy and Barb (of course) knew from way back. And Donna had worked with Craig. Honestly, I’m still amazed at how interconnected everyone seems to be around here. It makes me wonder—how did we only meet Mike and Beth a few years ago?

It was the perfect night to sit out by the pool. We naturally split into two groups: the smoking section and the non-smoking section, which—surprise—ended up being guys at one table, ladies at another. It wasn’t planned… just how it happened.

Mike cracked open a bottle of Elmer T. Lee bourbon, so I tried a “single finger” pour. Lis had offered me some of the same stuff up north, but I passed at the time. I figured I shouldn’t pass twice. And I’m glad I didn’t—it was even smoother than I expected. No bite at all. No wonder it’s so tough to find in stores!

In the end, no one had the courage to float in the pool. I didn’t want to Saran Wrap my feeding tube again… and that was my excuse, thank you very much. I really expected Donna to make a splash…she starred at deep blue water contemplating, but just couldn’t commit. All it takes is one and the others might have followed.

We completely lost track of time and stayed past 7:30 p.m.—a late night by my standards. By then, I’d pretty much lost my speaking voice. Not sure what people heard when I tried to chime in, but a few grunts and mumbles from me didn’t stop the conversation from flowing.

On the way out, I was glad I’d only had one beer and a sip of bourbon. I stayed upright—but I could feel the eyes behind me, ready to catch me if I stumbled. Thanks for watching my six, folks.

Huge thanks to Mike and Beth for hosting. It was a wonderful evening. I was in bed by just after 8:00… and managed a solid night’s sleep. That is, until 3:30 a.m. when my bladder decided it was go-time. Yes, that’s early. But what can I say?

Have a great Tuesday. Love you guys! ❤️