Friday, September 5, 2025 – Day 388

Friday, September 5, 2025

Good morning from a comfy, spider-free zone with a toasty fire warming this early morning.

My giant brown, poisonous in my imagination. spider finally came out of hiding and started crawling up the fireplace brick. This time I won the battle… and then a second one showed up 😳. I frantically crushed that one too, and suddenly my adrenaline was fired up before I even started to write. Whew…glad that’s resolved.

Yesterday was a foggy, sore day. I hadn’t slept well after the golf tournament, still wrestling with the respiratory mask. I keep adjusting the straps trying to find that sweet spot—too tight leaves a rash under my nose, too loose leaks air and makes a racket…sending Cindy to the couch. A few blog readers have sent me ideas for other mask options, and I’ll give them a try. My fallback? A trip to the CBD store for knockout gummies.

Every muscle ached yesterday. I couldn’t tell if my hands hurt from gripping golf clubs or from clinging to the walker, cane, and whatever else kept me upright. My body is sore from the few half swings I managed, but my legs took the brunt. Most days I average about 600 steps daily—enough to tire them out. On Wednesday I logged over 3,000 steps, the most I’ve taken all summer. No wonder I felt wrecked.

Cindy and I had dentist appointments, so as much as I wanted to rest, we were out of the house for nearly three hours (not counting the commute). Thankfully, our first slot wasn’t until 10:00, not the usual 8:00 a.m., which made it more bearable. By the time we got home around 2:00, I collapsed into bed with a book and a nap. It helped, but even after dinner I was so drained that I gave up and went to bed by 7:00. The upside: I woke up this morning feeling much better.

Back to golf. On each tee box there were yard signs recognizing sponsors and people with ALS. On our first par-three, hole #4, I was floored to see a sign with my name and a photo from our Minocqua vacation—everyone wearing Andy’s Army shirts. It caught me completely off guard. My throat closed up, and I had one of my pseudo bulbar moments where words just wouldn’t come. Grateful tears slipped out instead. That little sign, shared with both foursomes, meant everything. Huge thanks to ALS United for that gift—it made my day right there.

And then came the icing on the cake. On that same hole was a young woman named Rachel, a UNC-Chapel Hill student raising money. Depending on your donation, your team could score a zero or one. Tim paid for a zero (thanks, Tim), and we also got a bonus shot from Rachel herself. She nearly aced it—perfect distance, high side of the green, and the ball rolled oh so close to the pin, ending less than a few feet past the cup. Oh so close!

I’m still carrying the warmth of that day—the moments, the support, and the gratitude for everyone who made it such a success. Thank you all.

Have a great Friday. Love you guys! ❤️

Photo from the par three. Ignore the typo.