RMLincoln

Quick update after our visit to eye doctor. DH’s exam showed that he is on track. The very low pressure is ok, holding well enough. Basically, hang in there but come back next week to check again, and be very careful! This is such a tricky balance between the biological healing wanting to close up the new drainage opening, the need for enough pressure to keep the eye working right, and the meds that they use. Staying on track! For me the challenge is to keep my spirit, head and heart aligned! Faith, hope, trust and gratitude are strong! Heart gets worried and scared a bit… Head can be all over the place! 🤣. Thanks all for your support, none of us walk alone! Jane, @lazey1 thanks for your update. We’re all on your side! So good to hear your experts are consulting together to find you your best path! @Nickelpenny you are such a trooper, leaving at 1am! Safe travels heading into some ugly looking weather, extra blessings going out to you! Thank you for all your study contributions. m—

❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day! May each of you feel very loved! ❤️ I’m very grateful that DH and I are celebrating together. We’ll have chocolate hearts and cards to reflect on. Yesterday I made us a special dessert. The dining room will have a special menu including prime rib and a salmon thermistor with lobster meat and crab. Sounds good to me! I have a bottle of Moscato in the fridge that we’ll bring to the dining room, now that we’ve learned that is allowed! (Moscato is one of the few wines I can still enjoy without developing a lot of congestion. Our favorite is one we found on HAL- Ruffino; maybe I’ll find it in New Jersey but haven’t looked yet.) Its cold but sunny, probably would be good to get the car’s snow brushed off before it’s a cake if ice. It’ll be getting just above freezing the next few days but cold nights. We’re learning more about dealing with low eye pressure. Blurry vision again last night. Surgeon said she’ll call our NJ doctor to get DH in this week, doesn’t want to wait till next week. Blessings to all those lining up procedures. And all in need. Special hugs to those who are facing this Valentine’s Day without their special person. And thinking of Melissa @HAL Cruiser DH, I hope it’s a good day! Cheers for all those celebrating! Life is Good🌈. Wonderful to see the long list of cruisers and get reports back from them. Smooth travels and happy adventures! Just got a call for getting DH in to doctor at 1:00 today, different office, we’ll figure it out!

Over 8” snow so far! So glad we can stay in but wasn’t sure of that last night…. DH had blurry vision suddenly late in the evening, then couldn’t get a pressure reading on the surgical eye. Oiy! Which eye drops to do? Texted docs but it was rather late to expect an answer. Made a best guess that the pressure was too low, took the steroid only, and was able to get a reading - still very low but he guessed right. This morning’s text from surgeon confirmed to discontinue the glaucoma med in that eye. Today blurriness is gone but again can’t get a pressure reading. It’s so tricky! I wish the docs had given us better instructions for What Ifs! But we are muddling through. One day at a time is Everything! Maybe I’ll make crepes sometime today. We still have power but winds are gusty. Blessings to all in need! Stay safe in the storm track and all traveling, enjoy the cruise preps. Hoping all those in project mode have positive results. Sad to hear about the fire station fire! I’m confident other departments will help, it’s quite the “family”. I hope @ger_77 DH feels better soon, and @tupper10, all I’ll or in pain or distress. Thanks all for being here! M—

The visit to the eye doctor went very well! Had a little problem getting the laser hardware up and running but then it all happened easily enough. The eye pressure was just slightly high, as expected from biologic healing closing the new opening, but then with releasing the stitch the pressure dropped as hoped. Physical restrictions are still to be adhered to which was a bit disappointing but not a big problem; doctors reduced one eye drop med (which should help the itching 🤞); we’re to come back in 2 weeks to see if it’s time to release the second stitch. So we’re on track! I think I was more exhausted afterwards than DH. It’s all very tricky, high pressure will damage the optic nerve, too low causes other problems I won’t describe here. The nearby doctor gets the Maryland surgeon on the phone to discuss the situation and plan, then he implements her recommendations. So far so good! I’m so grateful! Thanks for all your support! Preparations for the snow storm coming overnight are in full swing. I’m so glad we can just stay home! 🙏 fir everyone’s safety. I hope @Mr. Boston got to FLL today. And that @ger_77 DH can get his pacemaker adjusted so he feels better! Sorry to hear of more Covid still making people miserable. And hugs to those grieving. Maureen

Getting ready to leave for eye doctor 🤞. So glad it’s today and not tomorrow with the storm coming in. Many thanks for all your support. I’m a bit nervous, can’t imagine how DH feels! Happy Birthday @MISTER 67 and safe travels @Mr. Boston Glad you can get out ahead of the storm. Seems it’ll be a mess! Catch up later, m—

I found Taormina fascinating. Like so much of the Med, it’s been conquered and occupied by most everyone and they’ve all left their mark. Thanks for the pictures. Solid gray today, not any cloud formations to enjoy just one big blanket. Temps dropping. Yesterday DH was miserable with too much itching and the added nuisance of nosebleeds. By mid-afternoon it seemed he’d be too miserable for supper so I managed to get carry-out dinners from the dining room. Neither of us slept right last night. I did find the humidifier box (moved from New Mexico in 2021 still unused, it was my spare! When we lived in the mountains we had a spare for everything!). Got it set up but he spent most of the night in the guest room. Now he’s sleeping next to the humidifier so I’m hoping it will help. At least he’s sleeping, which is more than I can say. Tomorrow he’s supposed to get the first future opened by laser. Thank you @JazzyV for keeping us on the rotation list. It’s very much appreciated! The forecasts still show tomorrow ok, storm to come in Monday night-Tuesday, 4-8” snow. That’ll be a mess. I have no idea when the eye doctor will want us back, but it shouldn’t be for a few days because he’s not in this office Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Taking it one day at a time! The tonometer company sent a form to begin the process to get the loaner device and have ours repaired. I’m so grateful it’s still able to make readings and upload by Bluetooth. The cable is more reliable through the phone in a power outage (which might happen with this storm) but I’m hoping we’ll manage though it all and keep his pressures on track through the changes that thus procedure will cause. Breathing! I plan to watch the game today, hoping to go to early supper before it. No need for munchies! @ger_77 I’m sorry you are dealing with losses. The food will help your friend, and help you! Blessings to all! I keep you all in my heart and prayers even if not mentioned. Thanks for being here! Maureen

🎉 Happy New Year! Go Dragons 🐉 ! 🎂 Happy birthday @Haljo1935. 🎉Happy anniversary @JazzyV and many thanks for your dedication. Wishing you could feel all better right now! Great to hear of your project moving along. Cloudy but no snow! I can enjoy the clouds better when I can see their forms and structure. I just ordered a meteorology book on clouds! One of my excellent multi-day firefighting classes was half meteorology so I will have fun reviewing and building on that knowledge. Haven’t been to Japan. Have never made a green bean casserole and probably never will now. Love Mark Twain but that quote doesn’t do much for me. The brownies sound yummy. I’ve enjoyed Greenwich Observatory and Haley’s comet. My mom flew out to New Mexico to see it with me, she was so thrilled, she had waited her whole life since it had last come when she was a baby… she lived another 15 years! Last night we went out to our first off-campus concert in our new environment. It was a large group, maybe 75 musicians of mostly brass and woodwinds plus percussion and one (electric) bass. Pre-concert performance was the eighth graders from nearby school and they sounded great too. Wonderful to see that there are schools still teaching music. Had a lovely evening. It was fun to adventure out but the dark unfamiliar roads are intimidating to me, I hope I can get over that. Really enjoyed my new mindful meditation group yesterday too. The leader was fun and upbeat! Good discussion of shifting our awareness away from judgement and negativity to decrease our cortisol and improve our immune system and wellness. Also two short meditations, one guided, accompanied by two or three harmonizing ringing bowls- I enjoyed allowing the beautiful sounds to enveloped me. So yesterday was very uplifting for me! Great to hear Annie @marshhawk is coughing less, I was very relieved and hope it continues. Thanks for the update Gerry @ger_77 on DH’s assessment. Good to hear they are ok with the schedule. (I’m sure you want it over and done, I know that feeling.) Blessings to all in need, near and far, especially remembering all on our Care list. Cheers for those Celebrating! Smooth travels for all away. Enjoy. Thanks all for being here! Happy Saturday. Maureen

It’s still pretty good weather in north New Jersey fir February, 35-53 but mostly cloudy. I’m very glad for it! Today I will go to a meditation group on campus while DH watches the movie Too Big to Fail. Then early supper and out to a concert with the NJ Wind Symphony about half hour away- our first foray for performing arts in our new environment. The forecast for snow next week is on Tuesday, hoping Monday stays ok for getting to the eye doctor! @ger_77 very disappointing that Maurice’s CT scan was canceled. Hoping you learn something from the assessment. Very concerned about @marshhawk! Annie, PLEASE go to Urgent Care! I had a very sad call for a woman in her 40s being treated for pneumonia but not getting better, declining. Her distraught husband wanted to take her to ER but she adamantly said, Over my dead body…. He called 911 when she stopped breathing but it was too late. So sad! We did everything we could until the paramedics got there , added their skills to our work, then had to declare her beyond help. I sat with her husband 3 hrs until the coroner got there. Then I sat with my fire chief and had a long cry. It didn’t have to be that way! PLEASE get evaluated! @smitty34877 Terry, hoping you get help and Tana turns a corner, today! 🙏 @Jazzy Vanessa, I hope you can rest. Pain is exhausting mentally as well as physically and I’m concerned about you getting injured! Thanks @StLouisCruisers Sandi for the St Peter Port pictures…. I just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for my book group discussion. It was good but history is gruesome, I doubt I’ll read it again. Would like to visit the island, it’s unique. Blessings to all in need near and far. Cheers to those celebrating, Life is Good! 🌈 Happy times for all our cruisers! Thanks all for being here, stay safe and well! Maureen

How sad for you and their family. Condolences to you all. M—

Good sunny morning from north New Jersey, and my weather app says high of 50 today! Yay! It’s supposed to stay nice through Monday when we’re scheduled for eye doctor to burn open one suture in DH’s surgical eye. He’s being very brave, he’s actually phobic about people coming near his eyes but he’s managed through so far! Says he hasn’t got much choice, just keep moving forward. Then maybe snow Tuesday, I sure hope it doesn’t come early! I was a Boy Scouts mom longer than either of my boys because I stayed with it through both of them, one Life Scout, one Eagle Scout. Sadly, our troop was very short of men leaders because many single moms brought their sons to Boy Scouts but it was a wonderful time in my life with many good memories of adventures and learning. Not aligning with the quote today. Pass on good and drink. When I was 18 my mom took me on a whirlwind 2week European tour. I literally cried in Westminster Abbey at Sir Issac Newton’s tomb. I’m deeply grateful that I feel rich! Bon Voyage @Lady Hudson and blessings for continued improvement for your SIL. Prayers for all in pain, distress, in need of healing, comfort or hope. Resolution to the too many horrible situations near and far. May the weather be kind to you and yours, or you can stay safely inside! Protection for the first responders! Cheers for those celebrating 🎉 and happy safe cruising for all our Dailies. I love hearing of your travels and seeing your pictures, lifts my Spirit! Anxiously awaiting news of improvement from Annie, Vanessa, Terry and Terri. Wishing Melissa even a small a laugh today too! Thanks for being here, keep safe and well. Maureen

Sunny again in north New Jersey and I’m enjoying it! Into the 40s again, I’ll take it. Maybe e-Day is for celebrating epsilon? We’re managing with DH’s regime… the good news is the eye pressure tonometer device has a bad cable connector but he got it to upload via Bluetooth. The bad news is the pressure was quite high in the non-surgical eye. Hoping today it’s better. We’ll be going Monday to have the first suture opened by laser cut, so we’ll talk with the eye doctor about other eye too which is scheduled for surgery Apr 23. Very concerned about @marshhawk Annie and DH, @JazzyV Vanessa, @smitty34877 Terry, Tana and household… all not getting enough sleep. My night was down to 5 hrs last night but I’ve had a couple of good nights in a row so not surprised. This morning I’ll wander over to our community front desk to get tickets to an on-campus brass band concert for Feb 29; no ballets on our schedule. Very glad @kazu Jacqui can get out today! Hope it’s all successful and safe. Shutout to @Nickelpenny Pennie, thanks for all your efforts to further medical research! Hoping you can get the care you need. Sending out blessings to all in need, and cheers to all celebrating and cruising. Wonderful pictures from around the world, thanks for sharing! Especially thinking of @Cruzin Terri hoping you can enjoy your special cruise time with Jim in your beautiful suite and heal up! Also hugs to @HAL Cruiser Melissa! I hope you and DH have a good moment to hold hands and smile today and every day! Thank you all for being here! Stay safe and well. Maureen

Sunshine upon us once again in north New Jersey. Still pretty chilly, barely getting into 40s today but maybe 50 by Saturday. I managed to get an appointment with new dentist. I’ll try the one oncampus even though they are out of network for DH’s insurance plan. I requested my x-rays from Maryland, hopefully they can get that done in a month! It was a bit complicated and I won’t see her till mid March because I’m limited to the days of the week that DH’s eye doctor isn’t in, but it’s done. Next I’ll work on colonoscopy and mammogram which I canceled moving from Maryland, and then a gyn and a dermatologist. If I can get all these scheduled for this year I’ll be back on track. I didn’t get to the pool but we did enjoy Monday afternoon jazz in the commons near the medical center. It’s great just walking over there! I hope we can keep walking, it’s not like it used to be but I’m grateful we can enjoy life day by day. Happy to hear @ger_77 ‘s DH will get his scan earlier. And amazing that @superoma’s DH drive home! Praying for some good news from @smitty34877, @Cruzin Terri, @marshhawk, @JazzyV and others suffering. Waiting on an update on baby Murphy. Thinking of Melissa @HAL Sailer! Thanks for the pic of Ren Sandi! And all the pix of places in the world, fun and food! @seagarsmoker, hoping today is smooth! Blessings for all dealing with storms, wars, all seeking healing, comfort or hope. Cheers for all our cruisers as they deal with weather issues and port changes - no matter where, it’s hard to have a bad day on a cruise ship! Thanks all for being here! Be sure to Enjoy something today! Maureen

Sunshine and 30 but windy so it would feel colder but I have no plans to go out. Might get into the pool to do hip exercises, have no excuses not to! Nit sure I’ve ever done chocolate fondu. Is that like the chocolate fountains we used to have at the deck parties? That chocolate was only fair IMO, I think I’d rather have a piece of chocolate to savor. I’d love to get to Montreal; our NCL cruise ship was too big to get under the bridge last September, turned around in Quebec City. I think I was 12 when I went with my parents by car to Montreal, can’t recall anything much about it. Thanks for the pictures! We’re taking it one day at a time here trying to keep eye pressures within target range - next Monday is the next appointment. Good luck today to @seagarsmoker, @Nickelpenny@superoma, @Denise T. Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort or hope. And all dealing with storms, may you stay safe. Smooth travels to all away, especially thinking of our many lucky cruisers. Thanks all for being here! Enjoy something today. Maureen

The sun is out today in north NJ! Yay! It’s now 32, on its way from 25 up to 45, so a drier day making that 20 degree swing possible. We visited Alesund on our Hurtigruten voyage, very picturesque. I got postcards there for our fire chief’s son, their family roots were there. I hope he gets to visit someday. Thanks for the lovely photos. @grapau27 Thank you for Fr David’s message. I’m sorry for the loss in your church family. I’m sure they will do what they can to support Paul. Sandi, I’m glad Scott is being treated, TIAs are generally not singular events, and often precursors to larger events - hoping he has none of those, he’s in a complicated enough state. I hope it helps his wife that he’s being cared for in a rehab but that has its own difficulties. Sending out the blessings! DH received a message from his surgeon to add a med to the surgical eye, staying in track to remove a suture a week from tomorrow, to be done by the NJ doctor. That will open up the new drainage pathway. Such an artful balance between healing and maintaining the open pathway. One day at a time. For all of us. Special thoughts for Annie and Chuck, @marshhawk so very much going on there. And @JazzyVVanessa, I hope you can move slowly today. Jacqui, please be careful and keep warm! @ger_77 Gerri, it’s tiring keeping busy but always with one eye on DH. I hope you can take a break, walk outside for a few minutes while he’s occupied, for yourself. @kochleffel Paul, so nice to hear the cats are more present with you, you’ve been so patient and protective! I do suspect they’ve sensed your trauma with your recent procedure. I hope your healing is smooth. I did sleep last night but that was aided by an antihistamine/NSAID tablet as I did not want a repeat of the previous night. We changed our dinner time to an earlier one to be able to attend the Saturday night Classic movie of the week… Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger’s, can’t go wrong with that. Went to a History Club talk and a meditation group this week, trying to explore our new community a bit. I have one foot on the dock, the other in the boat…. transition, glad to be here but unsure, and still very connected to previous paths, taking my time. Blessings sent for our Care list, our caregivers and their loved ones, and all in need. Happy celebrations and smooth travels for our cruisers. Thank you all for being here. Maureen

It’s sunny in north NJ! Been weeks of gray but sun will grace us for several days. I was up till 4am. I’ve been very tired since the eye surgery trip, even napping some days, very unusual for me. So maybe I was finally caught up? Or maybe worried…. eye pressures are up. Probably part of the healing process but up in both eyes so not sure what’s happening. They are well above target range. DH will have to text his doctors for their advice. DH has lots of family in and around Seattle. We visited some on Orcas Island where we had our first kayak adventure borrowing their boats. Got ours not long after. Good memories. We like Southern Comfort but haven’t had any in the house since I drank up the whole liquor shelf as we emptied the New Mexico mountain house, made the packing go easier! Movers wouldn’t move liquor so I took on the job! Took 5 months but I enjoyed every drop. Love root beer too so I think the combo would work for me! Lots of prayers and blessings sent out during the long night and this morning. Especially thinking of Melissa @HAL Sailer, @ger_77Gerri, @Cruzin Terri Terri, @smitty34877 Terry and their loved ones! And all our cruisers! Hope the seas smooth out, and thanks to @0106 Tina for the itinerary! Wonderful pictures too, thanks all! Maureen

It’s still gray in north NJ but tomorrow is supposed to start a sunny trend 🤞. At least it’s not snowing. I’ll enjoy spring when it comes. Thanks for the port pix! Haven’t been to Greenland and not expecting to anytime soon. DH is making progress on some “settling in” chores - yesterday he ordered a shade for the guest room window. We’ll experiment with that room first. He’s decided he wants room-darkening shades for the bedrooms. Maybe today I’ll get to a new activity… we tried History Club Wednesday night which was interesting. I’m not in a hurry but would like to explore some of the offerings here. Mostly I’m just tired… took a long nap yesterday afternoon, unusual for me but I guess I needed it. Hoping for better days soon for @marshhawk, @smitty34877 and household, and our Circle Hawaii cruisers. (We use Sea Bands mostly but I bring the Bonine too. DH is more likely to feel queasy before I do.). @ger_77 Gerri, good for you for pushing the system to get some help for Maurice! Enjoy that pizza tonight! And wine 🙃 @Lady Hudson Katherine, I’m amazed you can get that hot water heater job done today! And then back to fun stuff, packing for a cruise! Yay! @Nickelpenny Yikes, busy times but vacation is coming! @kochleffel Trusting you are healing ok. I agree with your impression of the Gold Rush -cough medicine, or for me it’s a way to ruin nice bourbon. Blessings to all in need, and cheers for all celebrating. Smooth travels to all away. Thanks all for being here, especially to all the contributors of the Daily. Maureen

I vividly remember waiting for the Columbia to land. We had our trailer in Florida, drove to the viewing area, set up camp chairs and our tiny 5” old style crt tv on the roof…. and waited…. until we cried, somewhere between comprehension and disbelief in a state of utter emptiness. When we eventually got back home to north New Mexico we learned that emergency services were asking for volunteers to grid-walk the thousands of square miles of the break-up path searching for debris. Folks we knew went on the sad adventure.

Rabbit Rabbits White Rabbits I was up very late unable to get to sleep but I was so excited to see stars! I was out on our balcony seeing constellations! There was a break in the cloud shroud during the wee hours and I’m glad I was up to enjoy it. I miss the magnificent night skies we had in the deep dark NM mountains. Again, Brenda @bennybear im sad to hear of your loss. Friends are part of us. Feel our care reaching out to you. @Cruzin Terri Beautiful room! Enjoy it with DH. Smile as much as you can appreciating all that this special cruise can be! Don’t sweat the small stuff, life is to collect funny stories. @NextOne Wishing you some smiles from your good memories. @smitty34877 Glad you have nursing help today. Extra virtual hugs! (We don’t want it either!). @kochleffel Paul, trusting you are healing well and can rest. Blessings to each of you, all the Care list, and Melissa, and the good luck for the month from the Rabbits! Blessings for our world! Joy to those celebrating and the excitement of new wonders for those traveling. Maureen

@bennybear Brenda, it’s sad to hear of your loss. Friends are woven into our souls forever. Give yourself a gentle hug from us, any time you need it! There’s someone here pretty much all hours of the day and night from most of the globe sending out our loving care! Love the rainbow and the thought that made it special! m—

Thanks Graham! The reaction feature is a recent discovery for me, please forgive me if I have been inappropriate 😔. I don’t want to offend anyone, but maybe sometimes my reaction to something within a post is unexpected? 🙃 oops! m—

Bon Voyage @Cruzin Terri and Jim! Sure hope your GI is happy today, that you had no symptoms yesterday and can board without any issues. May your cruise be restful and refueling! Might get into the 40s tomorrow and maybe some sun Saturday? I can enjoy watching the clouds but it still feels cold out with the biting wind. @kochleffel Paul that is such good news about your 1-pass Mohs! But it’s really exciting to hear that DiVinci is warming up. Maybe he felt a vibe of your procedure yesterday and pushed past his comfort zone to comfort you. Hope you can get the right dressing and bandages then rest today. @kazu Wonderful vets you have and good that Ivan was cooperative. Stay safe! Most of us have put money into Social Security during our working years but we get paid much more than we put in! When I was working, many co-workers complained about the SS deductions but I felt that SS was helping my mother instead of me having to help support her in her later years, and therefore I had the opportunity to save in my IRA (tax-deferred independent retirement acct) and prepare for my own retirement. It has all worked out better than I imagined! SS added to our IRAs make a secure retirement for us. I’m very grateful! I like bourbon and I like lemonade but not together. The legume and squash combination might blenderize into a good soup. Cloverleafs make driving so much easier! DH is doing well day by day as we go through this balancing of healing, keeping tge drainage path open enough, and using the meds stay in-range. We ran some errands yesterday! It’s a joy! His cable to connect to his phone to upload his tonometer eye pressure readings is getting glitchy. We’ll have to address that, we really need to get those readings twice daily. The European models display the readings but the US models need the cloud! Oiy! There’s possibly a Bluetooth method we’ll have to explore. That part gets more mysterious, might need some one younger to help! Melissa @HAL Cruiser as heartbreaking as your and DH’s losses are, it’s a privilege to walk beside our spouse as promised… only one of us gets to do that! And you don’t do it alone! We’re with you!🌹Give yourself a warm hug from us! Thanks all for the reports, the photos and the sharing. Blessings to all! Lifting up those in need! Giving thanks for the joys! Smooth travels to all away! May you each Enjoy something today! Maureen

It’s warmer in Gerri’s frozen tundra than north NJ today. And gray. But no snow so I’ll take it. Bon Voyage to our Hawaii Circle cruisers (thank you Vanessa for your excellent formatting work and tracking us all!) Bon Voyage Summer Slope (Dixie & George)! Bon Voyage Sharon in AZ (Sharon & Craig)! Bon Voyage Quartzsite Cruiser(Lenda & Steve)! Bon Voyage dfish (Debbie & Sue)! Extra blessings to Paul @kochleffel on the Moh’s, to Sandi @StLouisCruisers dealing with shoulder pain - have you tried icing it? - and to Terry and Tana for help from the nurse today. And Vanessa @JazzyVevery day. Also for Terri and Jim @Cruzin Terri to have a quiet day enjoying the Miami hotel and suite! Yesterday the NJ eye doctor was helpful. First, he had the laser ready to open the suture in case the pressure was too high, but it wasn’t so that was very good. He got the Maryland surgeon on the phone to consult with her in real-time! His exam showed it all looks very good! They want to maintain the pressure in a safe range which is a balancing act between biological healing, meds and physics. They added a gentle finger massage to help move the fluid through the eye twice a day. Keep up the 2 med regimes for the different eyes - one eye gets new med 4 times a day, old med once a day; other eye gets the double med twice a day plus old med once a day…. now add in the massage exercise twice a day; come back in 2 weeks! It’s all good!! On track. We do pressure measurements twice a day and gave both doctors’ direct mobile phone number to call if anything goes out if range. I’m confident we’re in good hands. I am so Grateful! … for all they can do, that we can manage to do our end and get to these amazing doctors! That the prayers for guidance led us to this path! @HAL Sailer Melissa, thank you for your heartfelt sharing. I’m so glad you felt loved and celebrated on your special day! Gentle hugs to you! Blessings to all the Care List needs, the celebrations, and each of you! Thanks for all who make this thread happen. 🌈 Good luck with Ivan today Jacqui! @kazu and watch your footing! Congrats on your successes Denise! @Denise T There’s no motivator like success!! Sorry to hear about the mishap @MISTER 67 for your DW, glad the ER only took 2 hrs! You did well. Let the healing be gentle. And 77 is terrific 🏆. Enjoy something today all! I know I will! I’ve already enjoyed being here with you. Maureen

🎉 Bob Voyage Tina @0106 Happy Birthday Mellisa @HAL Sailer 🎈 Yay Ren ⚽️ ! 🏈I was rooting for Ravens and Lions.. oh well! But we enjoyed the games! Often the lead-up games are better than the superbowl itself but we hope to enjoy that too in 2 weeks! @grapau27 Thanks for the explanations. DH is a Freethinker and has a collection of Thomas Paine’s writings which are somewhat of a slog for me- I let DH read them then he can talk to me about them! We didn’t get any snow overnight so our drive to the eye doctor should have any road problems. We’ll learn something today I’m sure. I’m just so grateful he’s doing well day by day. This long monitored and adjusted healing process is still a bit mysterious but I’m trusting they know what they’re doing and that it will all be Amazing! DH is getting some relief from the itching just cutting one med out for just one eye, but I think the post-op steroids may be helping too. He can’t stay on those too long because they raise the pressure but they help the healing… so that is balanced by the other pressure lowering drops. We’re gonna do our best to stay on track! Thanks @JazzyV for the Care list! Blessings for smooth travels for all our traveling Dailyites. So glad to see all the posts of safe arrivals! 🥰…. Terry, Terri, Debbie and Sue, @tupper10 and I’m sure I’m missing others but I’m heart warmed following you! Thanks for posting. Blessings for all in need of healing, comfort or hope, especially those in war zones. May peace happen in our country, your country and around the world we love to travel! Maureen

Smooth travels Debbie, Terry, Terri, Tina. All our cruisers. Ahhhh, I love hearing about them all! Keep breathing Jacquie. Glad you corroborated my unsolicited advice! Things pop into my head and out my fingers- I realized later I probably shouldn’t have posted that, but I did…. free advice can be freely accepted or freely rejected! Hoping you’ll be beyond the rib injury very soon! I can’t agree with the quote because there’s a lot I will never understand but that doesn’t mean I have to live in fear. Right now I am managing my fears about DH’s eye issues by displacing them with an attitude of gratitude! There’s so much to be thankful for! We missed today’s port due to a lengthy backtrack in a storm for a medical evacuation. All the way back to Huatulco; Santa Cruz closed because of the storm. We lost 12 hrs. It was our first missed port, only on our second cruise, back in 2004 on our way to Panama Canal. There were some people onboard who were obnoxious about it- circulating petitions to have the medical officer investigated! I wrote a letter of appreciation to the captain for his part in saving this person’s life - really! What if it was your loved one! We got invited to our first bridge tour! That was on old Regal Princess! And the storm was really something! When we turned into the wind a lot of stuff went sliding including most of the glasses in the MDR settings, the liquor shelves, perfumes and figurines, some cabin TV (old style CRTs) and the water glasses off our vanity! No injuries but what a mess. The MDR lost 1100 glasses (2each for 550 places) but had it all cleaned up and reset in 20 mins! Thanks for the port pictures. Rain here all day. Except maybe some snow overnight tonight. Hoping the roads are ok tomorrow… Local eye doctor appointment tomorrow to learn more about his role as we begin this tricky healing process after last week’s eye surgery - need to balance keeping the eye’s new drainage opening open but just enough open! 🤞 Extra blessings for all in pain, all waiting on procedures and all seeking guidance for a new path. And all in need of healing, comfort or hope! Cheers to those celebrating milestones! Life is Good🌈. Be grateful for something today! And maybe your teams will win, maybe not, but enjoy the games! Maureen

Another gray day in New Jersey. I think we’ll see sun in a week. But it’s above freezing so that’s good! Argostoli was on our Greek Islands itinerary on New Amsterdam but I think we skipped it because of winds. Thanks for the links Sandi and the photo @Sir PMP. Yesterday we made an early run to Costco to get DH’s glasses fixed. A nose pad broke. It was our second time finding our way there and easier this time. DH was able to drive! We’re keeping up with all the eye drops, restrictions and nighttime patch. Reducing one eye drop med to half has his need for Benadryl down to half also! One day at a time. And in the afternoon I was able to spend two hours with my spiritual companioning ladies by phone. It was very sweet and calming for me to share that time with them. And I’m really enjoying having the dining room to go to dinner every night! Last night I had delicious potato leek soup as an appetizer. Going through Costco I felt good about by-passing all the items we used to need. Just got some breakfast fruits, yogurt, bread and a month’s supply of DH’s PB&honey. Today I’m expecting a quiet day, watch some tennis that we recorded from Melbourne, the ladies championship match. Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort or hope. @ger_77 it’s great to hear that there’s a change in meds and the clinic can adjust the pacemaker. You both should be feeling well again soon, and picking out a new cruise! @Nicklepenny extra prayers for the too-new baby, parents and care team. @kazu one of the big complications common with rib injuries is that it can be painful to breathe deeply, then develop pneumonia. Several times a day focus on good posture and a few deep breaths. As deep as you can breath in (and a little bit more…), and slowly breathe out as much as you can (and a little bit more…). I certainly hope you’ll be through this sooner than expected! Cheers for all those celebrating, happy cruisers! Smooth travels for Debbie and Sue. So glad @tupper10 made it, with luggage! Peace for our world! We had a full day at the Holocaust museum in Washington DC with DH’s daughter during one of her visits. Too shattering to absorb. I spent a few minutes with a high school girl there who was in a corner sobbing uncontrollably. I gave her my handkerchief and stayed with her until her friends found her. DH’s daughter was visiting the museum of African American history the next day… I couldn’t do it, not slavery on top of Holocaust. It’s essential to remember, but we must also be aware that it’s still happening in parts of our world! Extra blessings for all those suffering war, genocide, enslavement. May light come to them. Maureen