Saturday, August 23, 2025 – Day 375

Saturday, August 23, 2025

Good morning from the land of canes, coffee, and cushions.

The other night—against the advice of every medical professional in my life—I ditched the breathing machine. Because? Mouth dryness so severe I feel like I’m chewing on chalk.

Not a good decision. Live and learn… as I slept I mostly tossed and turned for four hours, then got rewarded with CO₂ buildup and a pounding headache. As much as I want to sleep without a breathing aide, ALS keeps reminding me who’s in charge. Eventually I conceded and strapped the mask back on for the rest of the night. Headache gone when I woke up in the morning, but back to the pasty mouth.

But here’s a glimmer of hope: this weekend, thanks to Kim’s medical-world connections, we may have a fix. She tracked down a humidifier attachment that should fit this ventilator. If it works, maybe—just maybe—I’ll stop waking up dozens of times each night. Fingers crossed.

Yesterday morning brought a little mystery. There was an Amazon box on the porch. My first guess? Another Prey book. (A safe assumption.) But no—it was a seat cushion. Peggy had mentioned ordering one, but she said it wouldn’t arrive until Saturday. So we thanked her for the speedy delivery, only to have her reply, “Not me—it hasn’t even shipped yet.” Huh?

Cindy went back to the opened the box, no note. Then she spotted the label: addressed to “Grandy.” Aha—that narrows things down. Thank you, Wyatt and Coco, for the “tush cush.” It’s already in service, and let me just say… ahhhhh. Now I’ll have options.

Back to the outdoor pool from the other day. A group of adults (~10) with Down Syndrome and other disabilities arrived while we were there. As they passed, they said hello, and I greeted them back. Everyone was smiling—proof that a day at the pool can lift anyone’s spirits.

Then the lifeguards cranked up the music—loudly—and suddenly the whole pool turned into a dance floor. They moved, clapped, and sang through one song after another. I was a little jealous that I couldn’t join in, but it was still pure joy to watch.

The scene reminded me of Sally and Meghan’s wedding reception from last October. Much of that playlist was a mystery to me, but everyone under forty knew every lyric. They sang at the top of their lungs, while I stood there realizing just how out of touch I’d become. I guess it was bound to happen.

Maybe this is the kind of music Alex and Nicole will play at their wedding—at least once the DJ runs out of Taylor Swift tracks (Nicole being a Swiftie, after all). The songs at the pool didn’t sound bad, actually. I even pulled out Shazam to keep up. Here’s what I caught:

I didn’t know a single one. Alex, Nicole—if this is what your DJ will be spinning (after Taylor has had her moment), I suppose I could try learning the words. But… on second thought, probably not. At least I’ll be familiar with them.

Everybody have a great Saturday and get your grove on as you test out the songs listed above. Meanwhile…I’m going back to what I like…Country, Rock n’ Roll, and Folk music.

Love you guys!❤️

Today’s Photo. Since I haven’t been doing much this week, I’m shy of new photos. Cindy met Felecia (Tim and Shawn’s oldest) who is pregnant. Cindy missed the baby shower and still wanted to see her so they met for lunch and snapped a picture for the blog. Thanks!