Cruising-along

Very talented indeed!

Good morning all! That's a good quote, will pass on the meal (we aren't really fond of soups for meals), and pass on the red wine. The drink sounds good. I'm starting to sound like a broken record. No sleep again last night, and for no good reason. Just wide awake. But again, I'm thankful I'm not in pain like Vanessa @JazzyV I sure hope your epidural kicks in soon and I'm glad you called the pain management nurse. I hope they have some good advice for you and that it helps! It's definitely fall here now. Cooler evenings and mornings, and will only get to the mid 40's today. I'm laughing about the "feels cold below 70 in FL" because that's so true. On one visit it was actually pleasant for me, only 72 and I loved it. Usually it's just too hot and humid for me. The locals were running around in parkas and apologizing for the weather. Tomorrow I'll get my flu shot. Glad it isn't today, as I shouldn't be driving as sleepy as I am today. Lorraine @cruising sister great advice, thank you. I'm sure getting multiple vaccinations would be safe, but I know my body and how it reacts so I'll continue to spread mine out. I noticed our clinic is offering both the flu and Covid vaccinations together. I get a reaction every time from even one vax ranging from just a sore arm to whole body aches/pains/fever for days. I'm in no hurry anyway so I think better safe than sorry. We're having the grandkids here this weekend and I need to be 100%. 🙂 And congratulations on passing your stress test with flying colors! I was pleased to get a response from the survey I sent in about my experience with FTD and the delivery fiasco I had when sending flowers to my BFF last week. They're offering to send another arrangement to anyone/anywhere. Bon Voyage Bruce @aliaschief! Your hotel breakfast looks a lot like what we got at a great boutique hotel in Quebec City. A wonderful touch! Happy Birthday @Overhead Fred! Happy 32nd anniversary Joy and Allan @Seasick Sailor! Welcome to the Daily @Spudd! Jacqui @kazu Welcome home but I'm sorry you had such sad news on your return. Terri @Cruzin Terri I'm glad you were able to get an appointment for your DH this week and won't have to wait until late November. Terry @smitty34877 I'm sorry to hear that Tana has pneumonia. Prayers the antibiotics do the job quickly.

There shouldn't be any problem doing that.

Good morning all! The forecast shows a cooler day here, only the low 50's F. But the afternoon shows partly sunny, so maybe I'll get in the garden. My MIL lived on the opposite coast so I didn't get to know her well. The times I was with her, I was thankful to have a country between us... 😉 I try to be a good MIL to my SIL and DIL, and learned especially to never be critical. I love them both. Whew, very relieved to know we aren't celebrating the burrowing rodents that plague my yard! I'm not a fan of talk shows so can't comment on talk show hosts. Funny quote, will pass on the red wine but both the soup and drink sound good. Have not been to Gisborne and it isn't on the itinerary for the GA. Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser Safe travels and good report today at Steve's post-op check. Vanessa @JazzyV I hope the leg pain, tingling and numbness will improve soon. @Cruzin Terri That was a hard decision but you made the right one. Prayers that the situation improves soon. @Vict0riann Happy birthday to your DS! Jack @Heartgrove Thank you for sharing the photos of Lily, she's adorable! I'm loving all the photos of the fall colors! I agree too about keeping the daily discussion and am fine with closing each one. Actually that's a good idea to close it for other reasons too.

If you can, the tour beneath the Colosseum is interesting and very worthwhile. Also Palatine Hill, Cappuccin Crypt (if you can stand the "creepy factor"), Nero's Golden House, stroll along the Ponte Sant'Angelo to Castel Sant'Angelo, and a walk on the Appian Way. So, so much to see and do in Rome!

Never, never nuts in ice cream -- and I think both my parents loved it. I also don't like nuts in cookies or any baked goods. I haven't, Debbie. Could you post that recipe too? I do remember having a stew in Dublin, but can't remember if it had Guinness.

I detest FLL. Terrible experiences there.

Good morning all! It's a cloudy, drippy day here, maybe will get up to 60 degrees F. I love my neighbors, we've become good friends and all look out for each other. We always have a few jars of nuts in the house (usually peanuts, cashews and almonds) but oddly I don't care for them in baking. I do add some to my stir fry though. Good quote, will pass on the red wine, the drink, and meal (mushrooms). Tonight will be hot beef sandwiches to use up the pot roast. Last night I made the Guinness beef pot pie and we enjoyed it. I did do one thing I'm sorry about, though. I was lazy and bought a pie crust for the first time ever. It would have been better with homemade. Anyway, it was a fun recipe to make. I used pot roast and shredded it -- tender and yummy. I'll have the last of it for lunch today. Sharon @Sharon in AZ thank you for your recipe too! Interesting that the beer goes in the crust as well as the filling. I made this recipe from Debbie @dfish https://howtofeedaloon.com/guinness-ground-beef-pot-pie/ (instead of hamburger I used the pot roast). Welcome home Jacqui @kazu, Tina @0106 and @St Pete Cruiser! Vanessa @JazzyV I am so sorry your pain was worse this morning. I was hoping it would get better each day, not worse. 😞 Today we'll be driving south to Total Wine to replenish the wine rack, and also stop at DD's to check on Soot and Smudge, their kitties. The family is away this weekend. So I get some kitty love. We were in Stockholm on our Baltic cruise on the Eurodam in 2014. I'm sure we did more than go to the Ice Bar, but this is the only photo I can find this morning. 🤣 We're holding glasses made of ice with vodka in them. Fun and different!

I look forward to tagging along! My favorite ship and my favorite cruise destination -- enjoy!! (oh, I'm a spreadsheet gal too) 😅

Good morning all! Not sure about babbling or counting buttons, but I'll always say yes to nachos. The last recipe (without the cream) looks good to me, as does the drink and wine. Tonight we'll finally have the Guinness beef pot pie (it took all day yesterday to slow-cook the pot roast). Debbie @dfish I'll be sure to let you know if we like it (I have a feeling we will). 😅 We haven't been to Indonesia yet, but will go to Komodo Island on the GA. Happy Birthday @Lady Hudson and twin! Melisa @HAL Sailer Thank you for checking in. More prayers for you and your DH for the challenges you're facing.

Good late afternoon! It's been a nice, quiet day after our shopping trip to Costco. The best thing about that is it was 100% paid for by a gift card we got for booking a cruise. My BFF finally got her flowers today at 4:30 and they are beautiful. I was minutes away from calling FTD and demanding a full refund because they still hadn't been delivered. I actually wondered if I'd been swindled. Also my friend Ronda is happily at home since yesterday afternoon. So things are looking up! @superoma I had the same dilemma when my dear Dad passed. He had tons of National Geographics too, all decades old but not old enough that anyone wanted them. @Haljo1935 Split is a great port, we loved our visit there. I know it's disappointing, but I hope you'll like Split as much as we did. Gorgeous flowers @1ANGELCAT!

Good morning all! We had slight fog this morning, always a sign of fall. No rain today, but clouds and maybe up to the low 60's F. I've never had brandied fruit, but doubt that I would like it. I salute all chefs, will pass on the meal and red wine, but would try the drink. Love the quote and agree with Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser "Actions speak louder than words". We've been to Warnemunde (took a tour to Berlin) and have been to Lubeck, but never to Rostock. Sharon @Sharon in AZ my first thought was Delaware too! Last night was another not so good night, awake 1 1/2 hours from 1-2:30. Better than the 3 hours the night before though. This time I know what was keeping me awake. I had ordered flowers to be delivered to my BFF in Bellingham to arrive the day after her surgery (yesterday). It was through FTD, never have had problems with them in the past. I got an email notification that the flowers had been delivered, but she never got them. 😡 So I called the 1-800 number last night and he said there was a note that they had tried to deliver them but no answer.....they were home all day other than a short walk in the early afternoon, and the email said it was after 4 pm when they tried. They won't leave them on the doorstep. So they will try again today. As I told the person on the phone, it would have been nice if they'd said this instead of telling me they had been delivered when they weren't. I was worrying they'd gone to the wrong house. Now I'm really wondering about the florist shop they used in Bellingham! Today not much on the agenda other than going to Costco for a few things (ha, a few?) and of course cruise planning. Bon Voyage Tony @sailingdutchy!

Lenda, strangely I had the blahs this morning too. What fixed my blahs was getting out in the garden. I'm more sore, but definitely have a better outlook now. 😅 Got a lot done too, plus found even more strawberry plants hiding out there. Thank you Lenda. I feel so bad for Ronda, and worried too about how this will affect her future health. OH just in time to edit this -- I just got a message from Ronda, and she has the "green light to go home"! Finally! Thank you Debbie, very helpful. I don't know how many they took out, just that they took out "more" when her calcium levels weren't low enough. I remember you telling me about the sore throat, and I did tell her about that. What surprised me was that she ate a grilled cheese sandwich after the surgery -- I'm thinking she was still on a lot of pain meds from the surgery because I thought her throat would be too sore for that. Today is probably a different story. I know you'll be glad to have this next surgery over and done with.

Good morning all! We're enjoying a welcome 2 days of sunshine. Yesterday got up to 72 and today will be almost as warm. Very welcome with the rain we've had (and will have a lot more). Vanessa @JazzyV I'm glad to hear your leg pain was about 1/3 less this morning and hope it gets even better. Debbie @dfish My BFF had the parathyroid surgery yesterday morning, as of yesterday afternoon she said she was doing well. Apparently the surgeon had to "go back in" before closing it up because her calcium level was too high (!) I guess they test before it's over? Did they do that with you? Anyway, I'm waiting to hear more today. My friend Ronda is still in the hospital (!!) they thought she could go home last night but then the kidney scan was worse than it had been that morning. I can't believe all she's gone through, she's been in the hospital almost a month now. Vanessa @JazzyV You can take DH off the care list, I think he's doing well and he says the antibiotics have broken up the congestion. That's what was bothering him the most. Of course we'll know more when they do another x-ray next month. Tonight will be salmon, and tomorrow I plan to make the Guinness Beef Pie. I'm going to use pot roast instead of hamburger. I hope everyone has a nice day!

Good morning all! All good days, love the quote, the meal sounds yummy, I'd try the drink and probably like it, but will pass on the red wine. We haven't been to the port. Happy birthday @SusieKIslandGirl and @Seasick Sailor! Vanessa @JazzyV I hope the epidural relieves your pain. You've had this too long. 😞 Lorraine @cruising sister Thank you for the update on Baby Murphy. Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser Thank you for asking -- DH is doing ok -- still some congestion in his chest, I sure hope he won't have to go on a different antibiotic. He does think he's doing some better, and will get another chest x-ray next month. Debbie @dfish I'm sorry you're having such a frustrating morning! It is somewhat a relief to hear that they're filling diabetics' refills before the weight loss people, but still! 😡 I think I've mentioned before about our poor service from the P.O. here. Well the latest is that a package DH was expecting never arrived even though he got an email saying it had been delivered. He put in a search with the P.O. box with the tracking number and after 2 weeks hasn't heard a thing from them. Well this morning someone (who?) left it on our front porch. The video camera shows it wasn't someone coming in a mail truck, so it had to be whoever got it and after 2 weeks brought it to us. I'm just glad it wasn't something important, it's not only aggravating but scary when our P.O. makes these mistakes.

Oh no. Remind me again which med that is? I take Glipizide, refilled it today with no problem. I agree with Lenda, call your doctor tomorrow.

This afternoon has turned out differently than I expected, we booked another cruise! We had a future cruise credit with Celebrity that we bought on our Alaska cruise last month. Now we have a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale next year (November) on their newest ship Beyond. We'll walk off the Beyond and onto the Volendam for the TA/Med cruise. I thought why not look for something like this, since we'll be flying to FLL anyway 😉 We've been wanting to sail on one of their newer ships so this works perfectly.

Good morning all! I've had 3 bosses, the first was so awful it's a wonder I ever worked again. High-powered attorney in Washington, D.C. Thankfully the others were wonderful. We do like pasta here, but try to limit the carbs. Will pass on the chow mein, never liked it much, which is a good thing -- the sodium -- yikes! Tonight I think we'll have chicken stir fry. I don't think I have any gaudy clothes. The drink sounds good minus the salty rim, will pass on the red wine and Fakarava is on our GA itinerary. We have no plans yet for that port. Thanks to taking a pill last night, I slept 10 hours and feel much better today. Prayers for all on the care list and a big cheer to all who are celebrating!

Thank you Lenda, I hope so too. I can't do this for the next 76 days lol. Yes it was a wonderful surprise seeing Erin. She's always been special to our family -- DD even named our last cat after her (her last name, not first name). That cat is the one I raised with a bottle and she lived 17 years. Yum, thanks!! I will definitely make this in the next week or so.

Good morning all! I'm late again today, another not so good night. It must have been 3 am before I got to sleep, and then I slept only 5 hours. Too much running through my mind! I'm not complaining though, I feel for Vanessa @JazzyV and others whose sleep is affected by pain. I'm not in pain, just can't turn my brain off. The only dictionary we have now is our French-English dictionary but I do look up words often online. We pay off our credit card every month and get cash back from using it, so won't be cutting it up. Yay for cats!! 'nuff said. 😂🐈 The quote is strange, pass on the red wine and drink with pumpkin spice, the NZ port isn't on our itinerary for the GA but I hope someone has photos. Debbie @dfishYou had me at Guinness 😄 but I don't see it in the recipe? Usually I would choose chicken or turkey for a meat pie, but Guinness just might change my mind.... Today is blustery with wind and rain. The leaves are falling from the trees quickly, fall has really hit our area. Temperatures low to mid 60's F. Last night we had the nicest surprise. The doorbell rang but we didn't recognize the person on our video camera so didn't answer. I thought it was another door-to-door salesperson. Then I got a text from DD asking if we were home. I said Yes. She said "Answer your door". Oh my, it was Erin, DD's best friend who lives in Philadelphia and we hadn't seen since DD's wedding 16 years ago! DD was hiding around the corner and of course we all had a big laugh and lots of hugs. Such a nice visit with her. Apparently they had been on a hike in the area and Erin insisted on coming to see us. 🙂 Debbie @dfish Ever since Covid now we have to make appointments to have our labs done. Apparently you do not? I really wish ours would go back to going in whenever is convenient.

Others that will suspend service and billing can be the garbage company and USAA will suspend if the cars are left in the garage. I really like our remote with voice command -- but warning -- once I sneezed while still holding down the command button and it was pretty funny/shocking what it thought I said!! 🤣

Good morning all! All good days, and I like the quote even though it isn't always easy to do. Will pass on the red wine, but the drink sounds pretty good. I'm intrigued by the meal and would love to try the last recipe (with meat) but I bet I would make a big mess. 🤣 I just might try it sometime though. Last night's meatloaf was yummy, I made the first recipe. Nothing on the agenda yet for today, we're taking it easy. Apparently we'll get rain this morning and then this afternoon looks pretty good with temperatures up to the mid 60's F. Edi @NextOne prayers for a successful surgery and swift recovery. Debbie @dfish That's so nice of you to make quilts for Sue and River. You'll have to post photos when you're done. @57redbirdprayers for your DH that the external ablation is successful.

Ray, DH is checking into this now. He's found that our doctor's clinic and our lab are "out of network". 😞 Not sure I want to change doctors at this stage...

Lenda please thank your DH for giving us another amazing photo! I look forward to these. We're also interested in this and I just told DH about it.

Good morning all! The fall rains have begun, I'm glad I was able to get so much done in the yard this past week. Good set of days, I'll pass on the drink but would like the wine and meal. Meatloaf sounds good for tonight, now I just need to decide which recipe. The first 2 look good to me -- although whichever one I choose, I won't add brown sugar because catsup has enough sugar in it for me 😉 We've been to Victoria many times, usually on day-trips from home and on a few cruises. Of course my favorite thing to do is to go to Butchart. Which reminds me, we haven't gone in years. One visit was with my 2 sisters, we chose it as one of our "sisters' weekends". Our oldest sister was battling Lymphoma and each time she went into remission we would go on a sisters' weekend -- always to different places. That time we stayed at the Empress (but I wasn't impressed with our room, it was small and hadn't been cleaned properly). We also didn't do afternoon tea at the Empress, we chose a different locale and it was excellent at a fraction of the price. Lorraine @cruising sister Thank you for giving a physician's opinion about the RSV vaccine -- I had never heard anyone say that seniors don't need it and our DSIL who is a PA said their clinic highly recommends it for seniors. That's why we got ours. Debbie @dfish and Gerry @ger_77 I'm glad to hear you're both getting some answers to your problems, now to get them fixed! The view out our window this morning.