Monday, October 27, 2025 – Day 440

Monday, October 27, 2025

Good morning, everyone.

Yesterday was a better day. I’ll admit, I did a little sulking in the morning about missing the Michigan trip. But by the afternoon, the sun was out, and I decided to do the next best thing—get outside and soak up some vitamin D the natural way. I probably should take vitamin D supplements for how little I get outside but honestly, I’m already running a daily pharmaceutical pill dispensary. Between the morning lineup and evening show, I’m convinced one day I’m going to choke on these pills.

Thankfully, Nurse Ratched—aka Cindy—keeps me on schedule. She’s firm but kind, with a look that says, “Don’t make me use the pill crusher” as she stands there with pills in hand and a glass of water.

My brother Tom and his wife MJ hosted lunch for the local brothers (Tim, Nick, and me) and spouses (Shawn, Jill, and Cindy). They just finished a kitchen renovation and were eager to show it off after surviving months of construction chaos. The results? Very impressive, from what I’m told. I never actually saw the kitchen, it was all I could do to get to the living room couch.

Getting into houses these days is like solving a puzzle with missing pieces. A couple of steps here, a narrow doorway there—it’s a full-blown obstacle course. We had plenty of hands to help, though, and I was thankful for all of them. Since we don’t yet travel with a gait belt, I rely on my trusty leather belt for a lift. It works great, but it’s also risky—one wrong grab and someone’s giving me a wedgie I won’t soon forget.

Once I made it to the couch, I staked my claim and didn’t move until lunch was served so I never saw the kitchen. MJ cooked enough food to feed a small army—maybe she was thinking ahead, because we went home with enough leftovers to last several days.

Since I only eat one meal by mouth each day, leftovers go a long way. Between those and the meals friends and family drop off, I’m eating like a king. And bless everyone for knowing my stance on salads—none in sight, and I couldn’t be happier.

Beth and Mike stopped by in the morning with coffee cake and flowers after reading the blog. A perfect morale boost—and the coffee cake didn’t last long.

Later in the day, Joe and Donna returned Bear after his weekend getaway. Joe also took my fertilizer spreader to replace some rusty bolts. (They had to be cut off a while back…frozen on because of all the ice melt)

Last Monday, while out on our neighborhood “trash walk,” I spotted a similar spreader at the curb and asked Cindy to drag it home. She rolled her eyes but obliged, muttering something about me being one garage sale short of a hoarder. Turns out, that curbside find had the exact bolts we needed for upgrading our spreader. I just needed someone to swap the bolts and Joe was the one with his hand up or was just here at the right time.

See? It pays to go out on garbage day. At least I think so—Cindy’s still not convinced.

It was Zack’s turn to run a marathon yesterday. He participated in the Marine Corps 50th marathon.This is a good marathon and it has great support…marines everywhere…especially at the finish. I felt bad, he didn’t have Andy’s Army there in person, but we were following him as he ticked off the miles. He crossed the finish line in a very respectable time of 4:17:20. Congratulations Zack.

Everyone have a great Monday.

Love you guys. ❤️