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Oh @marshhawk my heart goes out to you - what awful news. I can't imagine what you're going through, worrying about Chuck and what will happen with his legs, various cancers, etc. Please know you both will be in my prayers for the absolute best possible outcome. @NickelpennyI'm sorry to hear your surgery ended up with complications; hopefully the 10 degree raise will go well and that it continues without further problems. Ladies, we're all here, cheering you on as you deal with your terrible, rotten, no good days. Hugs to both of you.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Last time we were in Calgary, our youngest DGS had learned (at his daycare) how to do the chicken dance, so of course we had to let him teach us. I believe every day should be Decency day, and the Stars and Stripes Forever is a great march. @summer slopewishing you and DH a very Happy Anniversary; we are also among the couples who "they" said it wouldn't last! Let the love and laughter continue, you two! @marshhawksending prayers for Chuck and his surgical team as he has his leg surgery today. Extra for you as his support staff. @NickelpennyI hope your surgery went well yesterday. A quick check in this morning, as we have to be at the PCP's office in 3/4 of an hour for DH's pre-op medical for next week's surgery. After the appointment, we'll head over to WalMart to pick up some sustenance for Sochi and likely have lunch before coming home. I'd like to try the drink (will copy out the recipe for our taste-testing), will pass on the wine, but will also take a good look at the menu suggestion. We still have lots of lasagna left from last night so we'll be enjoying leftovers at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in medical issues, and those in wars and devastating storms and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Welcome back @richwmn; you were missed, but left the FR&D in great hands while you were away. I like croutons on Caesar salad, have never seen jumping frogs, and our friend Wayne makes the best garlicky hummus - enough garlic that we've never seen a vampire or werewolf, ever! I like the quote, but here's the original: @Nickelpennysending prayers for you and your surgical team as you have your procedure today. @RMLincolnadding prayers for your DH's appointment, hoping all is well. A bright sunny morning again out there for us - skies are clear, and hopefully they'll stay that way, but with the forest fires burning, you never know how long the smoke will stay away. It's frightening to hear that communities are being evacuated this early in the season. After all the crowds that were out yesterday, I think DH and I will head to some of the grocery store greenhouses and see what's available for potted plants. Looking at the forecast, I don't think we'll have to bring them into the house until maybe the weekend when the temperature will go down to around 2C. I'm going to pass on the drink of the day; I prefer plain tomato juice with a squeeze of lemon. Hard pass on the menu suggestion - as others on here have said, I also like meat. I'll let others enjoy the white wine. The other day when we were out, I picked up a frozen lasagna that will make it's way into the oven later this afternoon so we can enjoy it along with a Caesar salad (and croutons) at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in wars, in the paths of destructive storms and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and those who step in to fill that role; you are greatly appreciated. We have some new plants that I hope will stay healthy, totally appreciative of nurses (what would we do without them?), and I lived only 13 miles away from a town called Limerick - current population 115. A clear, sunny, windy day out there for us this morning. Yesterday was very strange - as we drove to Home Depot the sky began looking gray and hazy. When we came out of the store about 15 minutes later there was definitely smoke in the air. After heading to the south part of the city (the first location didn't have what we needed), and being in there another 15 minutes, the atmosphere had changed dramatically with heavy smoke from the northern Alberta and British Columbia wildfires. At one point as we were driving on an overpass, you could barely make out the tall buildings in the downtown area - that continued until late afternoon when the wind blew it eastward. This morning I'm hearing there are evacuation notices and alerts for several communities in the north, so pray for the safety of all. There's absolutely nothing on the agenda for us today - I believe our "adopted" daughter Sophia and her children will drop in for a quick visit, but other than that it's a free day for us. I've already written down the recipe for the Rose Kennedy drink to be tested on our TA, would like the wine, and would try the menu suggestion if someone made it for me. Like @Cruzin Terri, DH and I were going to go out for dinner, but Mother's Day is a madhouse - the restaurants are overfilled and they just want to get you in and out - so we're going to go out one day this week, and take our friend Ollie with us, for a nice leisurely meal. Today we're going to pick up a couple of noodle bowls from a Vietnamese restaurant close by and will enjoy them at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in pain, in grief, in turmoil, and in the paths of destructive storms and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations - especially @Haljo1935's "brother the older". Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Thanks everyone for a great sail-away season. Stay safe, stay well till next time! Have a great summer, see you in the fall.

Darn, missed @StLouisCruisers even though I was waving like crazy!

Tooting

Pretty sure it's the PP today.

Dang, the camera keeps cutting out on me, not buffering, just going black. Have to open in a new window and it's fine again ... for a while.

Not seeing any movement on the webcam, but . . .

Departure toot!

Oh my gosh, I thought I'd missed everything. A friend of ours who lost her husband only a month ago needed some hugs, coffee, and legal documents signed, so came over just when I thought everything was going to happen. Thankfully departure has been delayed so I can watch and wave with the rest of you!

@1ANGELCATI'm so sorry for you, but grateful for Houdini that you allowed him to venture over the Rainbow Bridge where he'll have the most amazing time with his friends. Huge hugs coming your way. @NiagarawineI found a number of tutorials on the internet, this one is the closest to what I actually do. I don't use batting, just place the backing piece good side up and start laying the triangles on it before sewing. I've found it much easier to piece them together by ironing the triangles first, but that's just my method. If you quilt (which I obviously do not!), I'm sure you'll have other ways of doing them. They're easy, and I have to admit, some of them are really nice looking when you use coordinating fabrics!

Checking in - glad I'm not late for the Zuiderdam.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I had no idea what foam rolling day was, thanks for the explanation. Being the recipient of a number of root canals, I'm very appreciative of the relief they bring, even though getting one is a major ordeal. I feel for those who suffer from chronic immunological diseases and wish there was a cure for them. Finally, an accurate weather forecast. I hope everyone who was able to, enjoyed the northern lights last night . . . here the clouds started rolling in around 8 last night. I went out around 10:30 and was able to make out a few streaks in the sky and by the time I came back in to tell DH maybe we should get in the car to head out of the city, he was sound asleep. Oh well, I'm enjoying all the photos on the computer this morning. Bon Voyage to @MISTER 67, @StLouisCruisers and @Niagarawine; I hope you all have wonderful cruises. @StLouisCruiserslooking forward to seeing you on the webcam at sail-away! @1ANGELCATmy heart breaks for you as you take your sweet Houdini to the vet to make his way across the Rainbow Bridge. @smitty34877I'm so glad to hear extra family have arrived to help with Tana, giving you some much needed rest. @marshhawkI hope you had some OTC meds that helped with the pain from your oral surgery. Not a lot on our agenda today, just dismantling my sewing station at the dining room table and putting it back to it's normal function. After completing the 8 sets of 4 coasters, I now have 53 sets made, which I hope will be enough to give 1 set per household at our Summerfest barbecue in July. As the replies start coming in, I may find myself making another few, who knows? I'm taking a hard pass on the drink (not a fan of bitter stuff), would gladly drink the wine, and did you know right now Wendy's has a decent Cobb salad? Thinking about that, I'm going to suggest because it's so nice out today that DH and I take the roofless car to Wendy's to pick up a Cobb salad for me and a junior whopper for him to enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in pain, in need, in turmoil, in wars, in the paths of devastating storms, and now in the paths of forest fires in northern BC, Alberta and northern Saskatchewan. Cheers to all with celebrations today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Wishing all Mexican mothers a lovely Dia De La Madre, I've never had a Hostess Cupcake - my mother was a baker extraordinaire, so didn't need to. We've never had hamsters, as I've never cared to have rodents in the house, tame or otherwise. Although, thinking about it, they'd be easy to take on an airplane as an emotional support animal. LOL It's a beautiful, sunny day out there already this morning and as I suspected yesterday, the buds are starting to open on the poplar trees behind us. Soon we won't be able to see the neighbour's house at all, as the trees and our Virginia Creeper vines on the fence make our yard so secluded during the summer. I'm not sure how far south this will go, but there's supposed to be a "severe geomagnetic storm" today which is expected to produce some amazing Northern lights tonight. DH and I are planning on heading out of the city late in the evening and will situate ourselves so that we can enjoy whatever Mother Nature has to offer. Hopefully the clouds will stay away so we can see them. Here's what I found on the Weather Network: @marshhawkI hope all goes well for you at the oral surgeon today; I'm so happy to hear you got an even better sale after your lengthy phone call with the gentleman. @Denise Twishing your sister a very Happy Birthday! @StLouisCruiserssafe travels as you make your way to FLL today. @RMLincolnI hope Richard's eye pressures continue to be stable with the extra massages, drops, etc. Not a lot on the agenda today - DH has to lay low, as he really overdid it yesterday. He wanted to make some order in his garage, and of course, didn't know when he should quit until I came out and read the riot act to him. I'll be keeping watch on him to be sure he's not doing much - hopefully will work on his book, etc. which is mental work, not physical. I've got 8 more sets of coasters to iron and topstitch before putting the sewing machine away for a while again, so that'll keep me busy. The living room looks strange because DH's electric recliner is missing - the buttons stopped working, so I called the store and they came yesterday to take it to repair. It's strange because it's 2 years newer than mine (same style), yet his stopped working and mine's fine. The store said they'd have it back by Saturday, which is great service as far as I'm concerned! I'm sure I'd like the drink (I've copied out the recipe for the TA taste testing), will let others have the wine, and am not sure about the recipe. Does anyone remember the delicious ground turkey burger that Planet Hollywood used to serve? I remember the flavour was delicious from the first bite to the last. Checking their online menu, it looks like they don't serve it any longer; too bad, it was yummy. It's Friday night, pizza night here, so late this afternoon I'll head out to a little shop not far away and pick up something cheesy and delicious to have at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in wars, and in the paths of destructive storms. Cheers to all with celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Will figure out how to celebrate Europe Day, definitely appreciate Home Town Heroes, and DH enjoys Moscato, so we're all good. I've read a couple of books on the code-breakers and found them fascinating. I think @marshhawk and I are on the same page; when I saw Euripides, the first thing I thought of was his mother who MUST have been named Ifixades. Sad, isn't it? LOL Another bright sunny day here on the "frozen tundra" and as I look out the computer room window, I see hints of green starting to form on the tall poplar trees behind our house. Today might be the day we uncover the fountain and get it ready for another season. I called our lawn fellow yesterday and he's not able to come until Saturday, but after that will come weekly on Thursday or Friday so it looks good for the weekend when we normally have visitors. Sending good wishes to @marshhawk and @Nickelpenny for your upcoming dental and medical procedures; I hope both are successful. @smitty34877I'm happy to hear you've got help from the younger ones - we can only do so much by ourselves, and finally have to let others assist as well. Not a lot happening here today - I'm having lunch with a friend who will be retiring at the end of June. It'll be fun getting together with her and hearing about her plans for travel, as she's been putting it off until she retires. I think Australia is one of the locations she's hoping to visit, but she may have to convince her husband that's a good place (he hates spiders and poisonous snakes, and of course, has read all about them). I'd definitely enjoy the drink of the day, would like the wine, but it's a little pricey, and think today's menu suggestion is one that would make a great brunch entree. I've got salmon thawing in the fridge that I'm planning on doing the same way as the Everything Bagel chicken with potatoes, etc., for us to enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, and in the paths of devastating storms. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I had no idea what the disease was - thanks for the explanation. We have a disaster plan in place for Sochi and I wish the world was cruelty free, but that's just a pipe dream, I'm afraid. The rain lasted through most of the day yesterday, but that didn't stop us from picking up Ollie and heading out to a couple of nurseries to see what they had to offer. Right now there are lots of hanging baskets, but if we wait a couple of days, they'll be on sale for Mother's Day gifts, so we passed on most. I didn't say all. I purchased a package of 6 succulents - I can kill almost anything but them, so they're safe. Succulents thrive on neglect, so they're my kind of plants. This morning the sun is shining already and the weather station is telling us we could have a high of 20C (68) which will be great for the trees that are trying to bud out. We were in Da Nang a number of years ago on the Maasdam during our S.E. Asia cruise and enjoyed it immensely - will have to look for photos. As @Quartzsite Cruisersaid, we'd go back, given the opportunity. I like the quote but would also add chocolate so you have a balanced diet; wine in one hand, chocolate in the other. @luvteachingsending you gentle hugs as you mark your DD DH's birthday today. @RMLincolnI hope you get good results from your colonoscopy. @cruising sisterhow heartbreaking for your friend losing 1 of her grands, with the other in serious condition in hospital. @kazuI hope the "horse pills" are doing their trick on your foot. @marshhawkoh my gosh, I'm glad you & Chuck are safe! You have to drive for yourself and everyone else as well! Good luck today as you deal with his leg issues. @dfish I have to tell you yesterday's menu suggestion was dee-licious! The combination of honey mustard (I used store-bought) and Everything Bagel seasoning was sooo good! The chicken turned out moist and tender, and the potatoes were just as we like them - crispy and crunchy. I must admit I didn't have cauliflower, but made corn on the cob as a vegetable, but the whole meal was a hit. I'm not sure about the drink of the day - who regularly has grape vodka in their cupboard? I'd like the wine, and the salad sounds good as one that should be served as an evening meal on a hot summer day. Today DH is having coffee with his band mates at Tim Horton's, so he's going to be bringing home roast beef sandwiches that we can enjoy for dinner at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in storms, and in turmoil. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I'll happily celebrate Cosmopolitan day, especially if it's a Grapefruit Cosmo! I hadn't heard of cystinosis, so thanks for the explanation. I'll let all my white wine friends enjoy my share of Sauvignon Blanc. A great quote, and thank you for the integrated circuits, as that's what keeps us all together today. Well the "frozen tundra" isn't frozen any more, it's soggy. The rain began off and on yesterday morning, then around 6:30 last night it really started coming down. Looking out the front window this morning, it's still raining, there's water running down the street, and the lawns in the area are already looking much greener than a couple of days ago. It's amazing what rain will do that water from the tap won't. I'm sure it has something to do with the natural ions in rainwater. @kazuI'm so sorry your foot is giving you such problems; I do hope you call the salon where you had your pedicure to complain about it - they need to know they've caused issues with their service. I hope the antibiotics do their trick. @JazzyV yikes on your BFF! How fortuitous that his accident happened on the first day you were able to get back in the driver's seat! @RMLincolnI'm glad Richard's eye seems to be progressing well; keep up the good work. @dfish and @Haljo1935 good luck to both of you at your medical appointments today. @Cruzin TerriI'm glad you and Jim had a serious discussion about future travel - you both want to be able to go away and feel comfortable, and talking about it is the first step. @smitty34877good idea about the A/C to help with the pollen in the house. @marshhawk sounds like you're herding cats this morning, LOL Good luck at the vet's with all of them. You're getting serious work hours, just make sure you have some "you" hours in the day as well. @Mr. BostonI've been meaning to ask, how did your open house go? Have you found a new property in Maine? I've got breakfast this morning with my retired colleagues, so it'll be interesting to see what's happened in their lives over the past 2 months. I missed last month's gathering as DH had a medical appointment, so today is catch-up day for me. It'll also be a chance to hear about one who just returned from a Mediterranean cruise. I'm not sure I'd like the drink of the day, but have copied out the recipe for it to add to the "gotta try" drinks on next year's TA. I think I'd like the wine, but it's a little pricey. Looking at the food offerings for today, I'm thinking the second recipe that includes potatoes will be what I'll make, but substituting cauliflower for the broccoli to please DH, and we can enjoy that at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in wars, in storms, in turmoil, and in pain. Cheers to all with celebrations today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I had to look up Joseph Brackett - still not sure why he gets his own day. I'm pretty sure I've been on a diet most of my life; I was born big and when I was adopted at 18 months, was already on skim milk. I like the idea that housework is homework, it sounds better to me. Welcome back @kazu; Sandi did an admirable job in your absence, but it's good to have you back. I really hope you can get to the bottom of your foot issue - that sounds serious! The grey clouds that appear to have been all over North America are back again with us this morning. Looking at the forecast for the next 2 days, it appears rain is in our future with 65% and 75% chance of it for Monday and Tuesday. I'm so glad the people came and did the spring yard clean late Saturday afternoon during the dry spell, as the yard looks much better and the rain will have a chance to get directly to the grass and soil. What we didn't realize however, was the damage caused by voles - little buggers made huge tracks all over a couple of sections of lawn. Of course we didn't know they were there, because they were tunnelling underneath the snow. Looks like we'll have to get some grass seed to restore the damaged areas. DH already has a plan for the voles for next winter - he's calling it his "winter trapline". LOL I'd like to try the drink of the day (already have it written down for our Daily-ite testing on the Oosterdam), would probably like the wine, and I think the salad suggestion would be a good one. Both DH and I like pears, and don't get them often enough, so tossing them into a salad sounds like a great idea. Because it's going to be cool and rainy, I think it's a good time to use up some of the frozen bagged coleslaw cabbage and turn it into a simmering pot of borscht that we can enjoy along with some crusty buns from the bakery at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in crisis, in grief, in pain and in turmoil. Cheers to all with celebrations today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Bon Voyage! What a great way to celebrate your birthday!!!

Any "live from" thread that begins with a cookie review is okay in my books! Bon Voyage - thanks for taking us with you!

Bon Voyage everyone - have a wonderful cruise!!!!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I look forward to the cartoons every day in the newspaper - they're always uplifting. I can't wear Chanel No.5; it turns rancid on me; when I do wear a fragrance (which is rarely), it's Alfred Sung. Childhood Stroke Awareness is so important - for the children and the parents as well. Happy Sinko de Mayo!! A bright sunny day in the offing for us today, but the overnight temperatures are still dipping into the freezing zone, so the plants will stay indoors for a few more days. Looking at the forecast, we could get more rain tomorrow and Tuesday, so we'll see what happens - maybe the plants can head out to the deck on Monday. @StLouisCruisersplease congratulate Morgan on her graduation - a wonderful accomplishment along with her new apartment. @HeartgroveBon Voyage; have a great cruise! @YourWorldWithBillBon Voyage to you as well! @kazuwelcome home - my thoughts went to you right away this morning, remembering the date and Jose's memorial. Yesterday we went over to visit Ollie and came home with an entire vehicle full of things she wanted to either give us or donate . . . it got to the point that Maurice nearly ended up being a hood ornament, there were so many things. Telescopes, tri-pods, a couple of netbooks (one with Windows XP, the other with Windows 10), an original iPad, a Samsung tablet, an original iPod, and those were just the electronics! Lots of stuff for us to work on - DH will manage the telescopes, etc., while I'll deal with the tech things, not that I'm very good at it, but at least I don't think you can fix them with an axe like DH does. I'll give the drink of the day a pass, would definitely like the wine, and because it's Cinco de Mayo, one of the Mexican style restaurants has a deal on tacos which we'll go and pick up to enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in grief, in turmoil, and in wars. Cheers to all with celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

I enjoyed tagging along with you through this live thread. I hope you have an uneventful trip home and I'm sure Ivan will be delighted to see you again!