Saturday, February 7, 2026 – Day 533

Saturday, February 7, 2026

I Good morning, everyone.

Super Bowl Squares Pool All the numbers have been drawn and assigned. There are four sheets for each of the two pools, each one corresponding to the ending score of a specific quarter. The numbers change every quarter, so it may look a little confusing at first—but I’m confident it’ll make sense once you see the sheets.

With your help, we raised $2,000 for ALS United. Thank you all for being part of this. You never let me down.

I continue to have weekly massages, with the primary focus on my neck, and yesterday was one of those sessions. Combined with my weekly PT appointments, I’m doing everything I can to stretch and loosen those muscles. The massages feel great—and when I’m done, I feel like Gumby. I’m so relaxed that I need to stay in my wheelchair and avoid any transfers for at least an hour until I shake off the grogginess.

That said, I’m still losing ground when it comes to lifting my head and holding it upright while sitting fully vertical. A slight recline is manageable, but straight up is tough. So yes, you’ll often find me slouching—not from poor posture, but from neck discomfort.

Speaking of Gumby legs… when the day winds down and it’s time for bed, I’m having a harder time getting into our bed. It sits high enough that my legs have to be fully extended just to sit on the edge. Of all my transfers, this one feels the riskiest.

I’m not ready to move to the adjustable queen bed in the guest room just yet. It gets surprisingly crowded once you add Bear into the mix—and he’s a world-class bed hog. More importantly, I don’t want to sleep alone if I don’t have to. My thoughts can spiral at night, and being hooked up and confined can feel frightening. There’s real comfort in knowing Cindy is an arm’s reach away. Anytime I’ve tapped her shoulder, she’s instantly there—no hesitation.

So how do you lower the bed height? You shorten the box springs. Well… not exactly. You buy new box springs that aren’t as tall. The hope is that this makes the final transfer of the day safer—and eliminates the need for Cindy to use the gait belt to muscle me into bed. That’s not fair to her back.

We’ll find out on Wednesday if this solution works. If it doesn’t, then it’s off to the guest room for me.

Now where will we store the two box springs that are coming off the bed frame? Good question.

Have a great Saturday. Love you guys! ❤️

Pages are out order, sorry.