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@Quartzsite CruiserThanks for the beautiful pictures of Ha Long Bay! @Horizon chaser 1957are you and the Grand Africa cruise? Your pictures are great! That is one cruise I would pay for the 5-day safari because when would one ever get back to Africa. I hope it will be offered in 2025. @StLouisCruisersGreat news on Ren and Colton, they must be spectacular players. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports. In place of cake I will have apple pie left over from Thanksgiving. @dfishthanks for the great onion soup recipes. It takes so many onions to make a good one so I think we will have it on the Volendam at the end of the month. @summer slope and @cat shepard thank you for our daily libations. They look really tasty but high in the sugar content. Thanks for the cares and celebrations reports! @seagarsmokerglad that you are on the mend from Covid. Prayers for all on our care list and for the people of Ukraine. I am heading to see dear brother today after a 3 day hiatus. Two for Thanksgiving and prep and yesterday our adventure cutting greens on 4 different sites. The weather was sunny and in the 40s and I only had to put my knee boots on at one spot due to the snow depth. We started with white pine at a farmstead, then next to a property owned by the small city near us for spruce and more beautiful white pine, the next stop was another old farmstead for Junipers and finally a ranch home that had a beautiful stand of arborvitae which they allowed us to cut small pieces. In all my pickup and another pickup with a cap were filled up with greens. We unloaded them at our Council house and our members will begin crafting arrangements for us to sell at our annual fundraiser. They do some beautiful work with those greens. I am praying that when I see him there has been marked improvement! Have a wonderful Saturday and Go Michigan!!

I love Notes tastings. I started with whiskies of the world. I found there were certain scotches I like. We were on for 21 days on NS and the Islay Scotch and Japanese whiskey tastings were new experiences for me. If Jarrie is pouring at Notes she is the best!

@ger_77 Thank you! Both recipes look like they would taste like my Mom's. Nancy

@0106Thanks for the recipe! Nancy

Good Friday morning! No Black Friday shopping for me. Like Jacqui we did ours early booking a couple cruises for 2024. Today I am meeting several members of our garden club to go cut pine branches by the truckload and then haul them to our Council House. They will be used for the swags and fresh green arrangements for our annual Greens Sale a week from today. Thankfully we had a thaw the last several days so we hopefully won't be trudging through knee deep snow. I was going to prune a lot off my Mugo pines and carpet junipers but most are still buried. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports @richwmn. I love the quote by Fitzgerald. Today's fish is an absolute no. I will have my Laphroiag neat but the Pinot will probably be very tasty. Thanks @grapau27for photos of today's port. Thanks for our cares and celebrations list. Very happy so see many in our group at sea or soon to be. We have 31 days until we board the Volendam for our New Year's cruise B2B. Prayers for all on our care list. The poor people of Ukraine are all mainly in the dark due to Russian rockets disabling their electrical grid. President of the EU calls for Russia to be designated as a State Sponsor of Terror due to their crimes against humanity. Prayers for them and for this war to end. @ger_77 Would you share your recipe for the porcupine meatballs? My mom made them once or twice when I was a kid and would like to have them. Have a nice day! Nancy

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FOR ALL OF US IN THE US! My sister is due in about 30 minutes. A quiet day for the three of us and I am sure a lot of wine will be consumed. So many things to be grateful for in this house. I have been to today's port mainly flying through to southern Caribbean islands. We were there in February 2019 on the old Rotterdam. It was raining so we stayed aboard. @dfish I will share some food porn later today and I am looking forward to everyone elses'. Have a fun day!!

After being married for almost 20 years to a life long Baltimore guy we had the Sauerkraut and my DH would find Smithfield Ham which was served with dinner. His Dad grew up in Accomac Virginia and that was their tradition. @Vict0riannHappy 60th Anniversary! @kazu Sending you wishes on the anniversary of Jose's birthday. February 28th is always a memory day for me.

@bennybear I am sorry to hear about your cancer's return. Maybe time for Mohs. My cousin who recently passed had a cancerous lesion on his ear. They kept burning it off. Finally it got so invasive that they had to remover his ear. Thanks for your lovely photos of Kotor! @Cruising-alongThanks for a Pepper update! Nancy

I read that and it is my thoughts exactly. Especially this time of year when travel and food costs are higher than usual. @marshhawkI hope that this works out for you. That is an unreasonable demand. Nancy

Good morning! @seagarsmokerI hope you and your DW feel better soon! Lenda and Sandi thank you for the beautiful photos of Kotor. It looks like a wonderful place to visit. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet reports! I will have my cranberries tomorrow. I like cappucino rather than espresso. All my cooking planned for yesterday went out the window when DF wanted to go the local casino and then to dinner at a tavern in a nearby town. They have a juke box in there, the new DVD style ones. Excellent fried chicken dinner. It was nice not to cook but I am so far behind I cannot go visit DB today. Thank you for the celebrations and care reports @rafinmd. Thankfully my brother's prognosis is getting better. He is still in danger of being sent to a nursing home if he doesn't do his PT but his energy level is much improved. I think he will be on the IV antibiotic for a long time for his bone infection. He had OT and PT yesterday after I left. Prayers for all on our care list and for the people in Ukraine. Prayers for all involved in the mass shootings in Chesapeake, VA and Colorado Springs. Sadly we live in a time where there is too much hate! @grapau27thanks for sharing your fabulous food porn! @kazuGlad that your luggage is getting closer! Back to making rolls and apple pie, then some serious house cleaning. Just John and my older sister for our Thanksgiving. Have a great day! Nancy

@Cruising-along Thank you for sharing the photo of charming Pepper. A very cute pup! I had a brief visit with DB. Thankfully I was there when the doctor came in and his PT lady. He looks great but is griping about PT. Doctor not concerned about heart rate and BP is now normal. He is on an additional oral antibiotic but I didn't note what it was. He would have spent the night in the hospital if they had a bed for him, so he had a late ride back to rehab around 8:30. I told him to do his therapy. I will return to see him tomorrow. I have my lard, butter and flour out for pie crust. Now just need to find my food processor in the basement. No cod for dinner tonight, DF has cabin fever so we are going out somewhere. Have a great day! Nancy

Good morning. I am getting ready to go back to the rehab this morning. My DSIL texted me last night at 2:30 am that he is back at the rehab. She said his return was delayed, probably waiting for transport. His BP is normal HR still elevated and they put him on a new antibiotic. They both must be exhausted. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports! I never had freckles when I was young or my skin was thick enough that they didn't show. Now I have massive ones all over. I went until I was 60 before I had to use foundation, now it is a necessity. My Thanksgiving cranberry relish is already made. I used 2 bags of cranberries, a large jar of Smucker's orange marmalade, a bit of sugar and threw in a large handful of dried cherries. It will be good on Thursday. I will be going for a ride down the highway to visit DB. I will pass on the squash and lentils, wait on the drink and would try the vino. Never have been to Topolambo. Prayers for all on our care list and for the people of Ukraine. Thank you for your messages and prayers about my DB. A photo DF sent me this morning to brighten my day, I hope it does you too. A Rose Breasted Grosbeak at my jelly feeder last spring. Have a good day! Nancy

@1ANGELCAT Happy Birthday!!

Good afternoon! We started early to beat the rush. We had the can return room to ourselves and were able to get $32 for our cans that were taking over the garage. John shopped while I turned the can receipts into $5 bill for tips for our cruise. We will need a lot more than that, I used to buy scratcher lottery tickets and I like the tips Idea better. Then I picked up a prescription and then took a side road down to dear brother's rehab. The side roads are covered with very thick packed snow and ice. They were slippery and very bumpy. Thankfully we took the highway home. I had a nice visit with my DB while DF went to Costco a choice he regretted. I am glad he went though because he picked up a case of Kirkland Malbec for $7 a bottle. It passed the taste test and the migraine test. He said they were almost out so everyone loves a good tasting bargain. DB was sitting in his wheel chair when I got there which is a real positive sign. Both of his legs are really swollen. We visited for a while and then a new nurse came in and said she is concerned about his BP and his heart rate. BP low HR high. She also was worried about the swelling around his pic line. I asked her if she was there before and she said no she was just there for a meeting today. I told her it looked like that the last time I saw him on Wednesday. Due to those issues he has to take a ride to the hospital on the far side of town to have his pic line put in his right arm and to decide what to do about his blood pressure and HR issues. Then they tried to check his temperature and 2 different thermometers showed his temperature at 94. They said they were defective???? Meanwhile he was moved back to bed to get his IV and then he started shivering. I called his wife and said come down so she can ride along to hospital. After the nurses left my brother said "I could die from this". I agreed and said he could have an amputation if the infection can't clear. He said his surgeon mentioned that but said he is healing well when he had his staples removed. Looks good on the outside but maybe not deep down in the bone where he has his infection. So frustrating and I am sure he is getting to the end of his rope. Thankfully he has a couple of aides who are gems. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports @richwmn while having no power. So glad it is back on. I love to make Gingerbread cookies for Christmas but we are not decorating or baking for Christmas. Ginger cookies make the house smell like Christmas. So does butternut squash they way I bake it with butter and a dusting of cinnamon and Penzey's Northwoods seasoning. TV is important here. Will be running the TV late tonight with MNF from Mexico. Ravens won, Vikings were thumped by the Cowboys. I will pass on the curry dish but the cocktail and the vino look great. The port in Norway looks like a very interesting place to visit. Thanks Lenda for your photos and for sharing Sandi's. Prayers for all on our care list and for the people of Ukraine. A beautiful sunrise today.

Thanks for taking us along and thanks for sharing your misfortune with your Kindle. I have a new one due on our front porch tonight. Our next will be too long for no Kindle and my addicting Word game like Scrabble. Will follow your World Cruise while we are going round SA. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Welcome home Jacqui and thank you for the beautiful photos of Madeira. I am sorry for your assist issues in Miami. Rome is no prize either. I was coming back from a Konigsdam cruise with my friend who had macular degeneration and was sight impaired. Her wheelchair was there waiting at Dulles, Amsterdam and back at Dulles but Alitalia was a no show. Thankfully she was ambulatory. We waited 20 minutes and I said we should walk to the gate lest we miss our flight. Rome airport is a mess and it took forever to find our gate. Once we started to board there was a long flight of stairs down and then climbing stairs to board the plane. Thankfully a passenger saw our plight and carried DFs carry-on for her while I helped her up those stairs. Alitalia is like the airport - a mess. @kaz@kazuI hope your luggage has been delivered.

All of us Flatlanders who want to make it to NY or New England usually drive through Michigan through Ontario and then re enter the US at Niagara Falls. Slow highway speeds but less hassle. @JazzyVI hope you feel better soon and ready to go on your trip! I love your King Penguin avatar. I hope to see them in the L Falkland Islands and there is also a small colony on the SA mainland not far from Ushuia I am hoping for a double dose. Thanks for your concern for DB. DSIL texted today he is doing twice daily PT. @Quartzsite Cruiserso happy Steve's BP issues are doing better, I hope the pain meds are the key! Nancy

Good Sunday morning! @richwmnThanks for the Fleet, Daily and Cares reports!! I will pass on the fudge, peanut butter fudge was never a favorite. I will pass on the mole' enchiladas and again I will take my Basil Hayden neat. We visited there several years ago driving down to Tampa to catch the Rotterdam. I also visited Hartford Court in Sonoma many years ago. I remember the winery was on a beautiful wooded back street. They make good wines. I haven't been to today's port and am looking forward to the photos. @dfish thanks for the recipes and at least if they left 300 litter pails they must have kept the boxes tidy or you never would have bought the house. @kazuJacqui I am glad you are safely home and your neighbors provisioned you with breakfast. Sometimes lost suitcases on the way home isn't so bad other than the long wait to report them missing. @rafinmdsafe travels back to the Auto Train. Thanks for taking us along on the Eurodam. Prayers for all on our care list and for the people of Ukraine. Shout out to all on board ships and those about to board! I finished the last of the shoveling this morning. All my shoveling clothes are in the washer now. Ready for football for the rest of the afternoon, my Ravens game at one and DF's Vikings at 4:30. We will get some thawing so I will resume visits to my DB tomorrow. My DS visited my brother yesterday after she went to my cousin's memorial service that went forward despite the bad weather. She said DB is looking more alert and said he is doing his PT. 🙏 A few pictures of our snow, glad that work is behind us. Our snowy chiminea and the trail to feed the birds. Nancy

Bon Voyage @GTVCRUISER! 🍾

It took a long time. Passport number, Driver's License and I had to reset my Password. I was working last time I applied and I had to change that. Thankfully it is done.

@StLouisCruisersand @summer slope you started our day with the sturm and drang about yellow fever shots begin again in our house. I got a waiver from my doctor because I take Enbrel. It was unsigned so yesterday I sent it back to him asking for his signature on it. SASE included. We have time. Thankfully DF John has a Wellness exam Wednesday and he will have to demand one from his doctor. He is 72 and has no desire to get off at Devil's Island. We had another 12--15" dump of snow in the last 18 hours with more due with strong winds starting around noon today. I got both bird feeding areas shoveled out and I will go shovel in front of the garage in a while. The snow has been such that it isn't overwhelming the plows. John can't shovel because he had a heart attack in 2016 and has a untreated widow maker at the back side of his heart. Thank you for the Daily and Fleet Reports Rich! An unusual port for the day unless it is a riverboat port because I think Fairbanks is landlocked. Nearest I got there was Denali. I will appreciate my DF John today. He can go out and climb a ladder and use our long snow rake to bump the snow off from the dish. Three times so far and I am sure more today. It was a massive task for me when I lived here alone. I will pass on the meal and I will take my Knob Creek neat. I have never heard of Applegate Valley before a new viticultural area for me. Wine sounds nice @cat shepard. No news on my DB, I am leaving my DSIL alone as it is probably all she can do at home to keep DB's bird feeders filled and then driving to the rehab. There was going to be a memorial service for my cousin who died earlier this month but the church website says it is closed so I am sure it will be rescheduled. Prayers for all on our care list and for the people of Ukraine. @rafinmd thanks for keeping the lists and for sharing your voyage on the Eurodam. Today I will try to get my Thanksgiving prep started. Turkey moved to the fridge yesterday. I will roast the turkey legs for stock and maybe make the cranberries today too. I have an article I have to write for the Michigan Garden Clubs website on invasive plants perhaps I will get motivated today since shoveling is probably not as bad as yesterday. I took advantage of the Black Friday sale to book a B2B on the Eurodam for 2024. I was able to get a veranda cabin with a bath tub and DF will have his favorite Tamarind available too. Have a wonderful Saturday!! Nancy

@StLouisCruisers and @summer slopeBon Voyage!!

Good Friday morning! Well my garden club was cancelled last minute last evening, great idea. I think we have gotten 18" of snow and more is due. We will have to get the snow rake out and stand in the back of our pickup to try knock snow off from our Direct TV dish. We don't get the local channels and and we can get the others in low resolution. Not too bad but it always interesting to see the traffic woes when we get this horrible weather. Since I did not drive the truck last night we neglected to put it in the garage so when the plow man came it was still sitting out. We will work on cleaning it off shortly. I got a phone call from DB yesterday, he was asking about a news story so I am hoping he is beginning to turn the corner. This morning before shoveling I renewed my Global Pass, a long process and sent our PCC a request for a couple of B2Bs for early 2024 listed in the Black Friday Sale. I am heading back out to shovel again but a wish for safe travels for @StLouisCruisers and @summer slope! A few time lapses from our storm. The final one is when we had done a wee bit of shoveling.

Good morning! I saw my DB yesterday briefly. He is back on his IV antibiotic and it appears that the rash is still receding so that is great news. My DS visited yesterday afternoon and reported he did do his PT which is great. Today he goes to the surgeon's office to have his staples removed. I told him to do everything possible to do his OT and PT. I told him I wouldn't see him until Sunday at the earliest because we are going to get a huge, extended dump of lake effect snow. We were in balmy New Buffalo a week ago. In the last 2 days they got over a foot of snow, timing is everything and we lucked out. An interesting group of days. The Great American Smoke Out was a big thing for us when I was working for several years. One of our obscure anti-depressants was found to help with smokers' cravings and the company got it FDA approved. Always a big sales push in November through January peak times for people pledging to stop smoking. The only international student I remember at my school was 5th grade and I recall the boy was from Cuba. That was post Cuban missile crisis and he spoke no English. His name was Raul. I love Baklava, I had friends from Pakistan when I lived in Ohio and she made rolled Baklava and it was more crisp than sticky and syrupy. I have friends and family probably in both Heaven and Hell, I will go with my family in Heaven. OW quote is his view. The panzanella looked good, I have a couple of squash my DS grew and I will be cooking a part of a large butternut tonight. The cocktail looks really good, enough to take a photo of it for future drinking on a BHB. The wine looks great too, Bordeaux has had a good run of vintages. @Quartzsite Cruiserthanks for the photos of today's port. I have already been out shoveling to get to my bird feeders and also pushing the heavy recycling bin to the curb for tomorrow's pickup. I am glad I didn't wait any longer. It was difficult pushing it through wet snow that built up on the wheels. I will have to shovel again when I go feed the birds again. I have garden club tonight and I am really hoping that they have the wisdom to cancel it. Usually when schools are closed is the guide. I think the local schools are doing conferences so they probably won't close early because it was happening anyway. I am providing food and doing a brief talk so there is no way I can bail out if they go forward. Prayers for all on our care report and the people of Ukraine. Thinking of all of you on cruises and preparing to go one one! Have a great day!

DF and I had a discussion and about this and a new Kindle is on my Christmas wish list for sure. You made me make up my mind for sure.