Thursday, February 12, 2026 – Day 538
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Good morning, everyone.
We continue modifying the house to keep my fall risk as low as possible. Our king bed—hard enough to get into without a disability—had become a real challenge.
To get in, I have to stand from the wheelchair and pivot, aiming my landing onto the mattress. The problem? I could only get the very edge of my backside onto the top corner of the bed. Then I’d scramble to get my arms behind me and scoot backward into a safe seated position. It was starting to feel like a matter of when, not if, I’d go down. So Cindy went shopping.
When she explained the situation to the salesperson, the solution was surprisingly simple: cut down the box spring. Brilliant. Especially since I was not about to go “mattress testing.” I can just picture myself flopping onto the first mattress in the showroom and getting stuck there, floundering like a fish while some poor salesperson having to assist me back into the wheelchair. No, that wouldn’t work.
Yesterday, the new box springs were delivered—three inches shorter than the old ones. Three inches doesn’t sound like much, but it makes all the difference. Now when I pivot from the wheelchair, I can get my full backside onto the bed in one move. Solid. Stable. Safer.
Bonus: the delivery guys flipped the mattress for us—something that never happens because it’s ridiculously heavy and awkward. I considered that a free win.
Last night we experimented again with the ventilator humidity. Turning it up kept my mouth from drying out, but after about three hours the hose filled with condensation and we had to swap it out. We turned the humidity back down, which brought some dryness back—not terrible, just uncomfortable. We’ll keep tweaking it until we find the sweet spot. It’s amazing how something as small as airflow and moisture can determine whether a night feels manageable or miserable.
I’ve been reading off and on to stay distracted. Now, with the Winter Olympics on, that’s been a welcome change of pace. Watching these athletes push their sports to the edge—especially downhill and super-G with those insane speeds—makes me cringe when they lose control.
Books I’ve finished in the last few weeks:
- River Is Waiting – enjoyed
- Head Cases – so-so
- The Oligarch’s Daughter – enjoyed
- The Intruder – already forgot the plot
- All the Light We Cannot See – excellent. So good I read it again. Halfway through I realized, “This feels very familiar…”
I’ve been bouncing through a few others that just haven’t clicked, so it may be time for another library run.
Today is massage day—something I truly look forward to. For an hour, I will be in heaven.
Have a great day. Love you guys ❤️
Random photo of Alex on my shoulders. One of my favorites.
And some photos of Wyatt playing the slots.
