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Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I have a great brother and wish we lived closer so we could see one another more often. I haven't worn my tiara since the King's coronation, but it's always ready. -.-- .- -.-- (yay) for Morse Code! Because I took shorthand for 2 years in high school (and loved it), I think I'd find it easy to catch on to Morse Code. Well it's finally sunny out there, the first time this week, but listening to the weather report, we could have showers again this afternoon. We had to turn on the space heater on the deck to keep the plants from freezing, and looking at the week ahead it seems they'll have to stay on the deck for at least another 5 or 6 days before getting potted outside without fear of frost. We heard from our friends in Temple, TX yesterday (on FB) where they had an EF2 tornado, horrible rain, hail, etc. They were spared, but there were literally cars floating down their street. Thank goodness they were safe, but sadly, there was a lot of damage around them. Yesterday should have been a quiet, relaxing day at home after the morning hospital tests, but it was filled with phone calls. Friends checking in, the TAVI director calling, and calls from medical offices for follow-up appointments. At least they stopped by 5PM so the evening was quiet and DH was able to get to bed early. @Heartgrovewishing you a very Happy Birthday with many more healthy and happy returns of the day! Not a lot happening here today, will likely do a quick grocery run and that's about it. Our lawn guy came yesterday between rains and was able to do a nice job on all of them, so we're good for another week. I'd like to try the drink (I've written out the recipe for testing purposes), would really like to try the wine, but I'm not that wealthy, and ooohhh my, you had me at chocolate!!!! I haven't made a German chocolate cake in years, but might just put something together this weekend if the mood strikes. Although it's Friday night and usually pizza night, we have so many leftovers from DSIL's dinner (ribs, wings, fresh vegetables & dip, a mixture of potatoes/green & yellow beans/red peppers and rhubarb cake) that we're going to just reheat them and enjoy that 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 and wildfires. Cheer to all who have celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! A best friend in law is becoming best friends with your friend's best friend. Sort of like becoming your own grandpaw. LOL Like many of you, I have too many fillings/crowns to be tempted with taffy. Turtles are the only reptiles I don't hate - I do love watching nature shows when the little ones make their way from the nests to the ocean for the first time. To begin with, thank you all for your well wishes, prayers, and thoughts for Maurice's surgery yesterday. The internet was spotty in the cardiac short stay area, so I couldn't get online and read yesterday's FR&D. Once finished with this post, I will go back and read it. DH's surgery went well; after a rather sleepless night (always wondering if the alarm would really go off!) we arrived at 6:30 to admitting and he was taken to the OR at 9. He was back in the room by 11:30 and spent the rest of the day attended to by the most amazing nurses. The doctor came by around 6:45 and said the surgery went "wonderfully" and after checking his echo-cardiogram (which he said looked really nice), said DH could go home. By the time we got the discharge papers, etc., we wobbled into the house around 8:30. Neither of us was really hungry (they fed DH at the hospital); all I wanted was a bowl of cereal and we were in bed by 9. I don't remember my head even hitting the pillow; I think I went straight from conscious to coma. This morning we have to back to the hospital for a follow-up blood test and ECG, and hopefully that will be it. Something I didn't know, is that DH can't have any dental work done for the next 6 months, and when he does, he has to take antibiotics for 7 days - even for a cleaning! Interesting. @smitty34877please wish Tana a very Happy Birthday from her Canadian friends. I hope she's buoyed by all the well wishes for her special day. I'm going to take a pass on the drink of the day, will let others enjoy the white wine, but I do like the menu suggestion. DH's sister messaged me at the hospital last night and said she would like to provide dinner for us tonight - thank goodness, as I don't know what I'd cook, nor sure if I have the energy today to do much more than exist. Adrenaline crash really is something. Whatever my DSIL brings will be what we enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! We've had a lot of false raptures - Y2K, the Mayan Calendar, etc.; if/when it happens, there's not a whole lot anyone will be able to do about it, so go ahead and enjoy life. I need a patch that will do all my housework/spring cleaning for me - anyone got an idea where I can buy one? I make tea for us every morning; in fact, I told DH I had to book another cruise because I was out of Bigelow's I Love Lemon tea that I normally drink on a BHB. He just rolled his eyes, so I ordered more from Amazon. We've got a grey, cloudy, rainy day in the offing today. Because we heard it was only going down to +3 overnight, we decided to leave all the plants on the deck last night rather than bringing them all into the house. We closed all the windows and closed the heavy curtains, hoping that would suffice to keep the heat in - as I look out this morning, everyone looks happy out there, and it's still raining, so it means it didn't freeze overnight. Yesterday, to get DH out of the house, we took a drive to a couple of grocery run pop-up greenhouses to see what we could find. I drove around all of them so DH could get a good idea what was there and if he saw anything that piqued his interest, I went to inspect. It turned out to be a good method, because at the end of a couple of hours we had the back of the Ford Escape filled with plants and now we just have to wait for good weather so I can put them in our outdoor pots. Thanks for your thoughts on DH; he had a bit of a cough yesterday morning, but that was it for the majority of the day. He's been continuing with the Tetley Immune Tea, oranges and zinc, and hopefully he's got it under control. I didn't hear him cough last night, but that's not unusual - I sleep like the dead most nights. I'm pretty sure tomorrow will be a "go" for his valve replacement. @JazzyVyou're going to be a tired girl by the end of the day; would you consider heading out to your car and having a nap later, rather than sitting in a hospital waiting room? @kazusending prayers for answers about your foot today. @Heartgrovethanks for the photo of Sam yesterday; although I'm more of a cat person, I can see why you love him so much - I would, too! @StLouisCruiserssorry to hear you've got a cold - like you need that on a cruise! @ottahand7the other day you mentioned vole damage; this winter we had voles create a mess on our front, side and back lawns. We've been in our house for 41 years and have never had them before - I've bought lawn seed to cover the patches they carved out and will have to figure out what to put on the lawn before next winter so they don't come back. I've heard that garlic water deters them, but that would involve lots of garlic! LOL @Haljo1935good luck at the doctor's today. @Quartzsite CruiserI'm glad you had a good number of hours of sleep - hopefully the extra pain meds keep you comfortable. Not much on our agenda today, just kicking around - DH will work on his book, I'll do some laundry and work on more blankets. I counted up and I've got another 15 ready to go whenever I decide to take them over to the distribution centre. I'm not sure about the drink of the day, will let others enjoy the wine, but I do like the recipes for today's menu suggestion. We eat a lot of salmon, so looking at the recipes, I'm going to thaw a couple of filets and will likely make the second recipe, accompanied by mashed potatoes and green beans that we'll enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in pain, in grief, in need and in the paths of destructive storms or fires. Cheers to all who have celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I'll celebrate Eliza Doolittle, will respect the religious beliefs and won't draw Mohammad, and have a dear friend who worked in Human Resources for most of her career - not an easy job. Happy Victoria day to my fellow Canadians - I hope you enjoy this long weekend! It's a cloudy, windy morning out there for us and according to the forecast, we have a 65% chance of rain today. Last night the temperature went down to +1 so we covered the Boston fern and dipladenia that DH decided to put out yesterday; the rest of the plants came in and are hanging out in the dining room. @Heartgroveoh my gosh, my heart hurt when I read that Sam fell down the stairs; that's sad. @kazuplease take it easy and only do a little until you can find out exactly what's wrong with your foot! @57redbirdI've been meaning to ask how your mouth is after your major dental implant surgery? I hope it's healing well. @Quartzsite Cruisergood luck to you at the dentist's this afternoon. We heard from DH's daughter yesterday (she was flying to PV for dental work); the plane was delayed in Calgary because just before the aircraft was to depart, someone decided they didn't want to go to Mexico after all. Who does that??? The flight was delayed 1.5 hours while they took all the luggage out to find the reluctant passenger's suitcases. She was not impressed, nor would I have been! Before Christmas DH and I decided that we didn't need anything, so we purchased tickets to "It's a Kinda Magic", a tribute to Queen - I bought the tickets as soon as they were available so we were able to get 2nd row from stage, directly in the middle. Well, the concert is Friday night and I'm certainly not going to be taking DH out to mingle, push and shove at a large venue like that right after his surgery, so I'm giving the tickets to our friends Wayne and Fran. I'm sure DH has totally forgotten that we even had them, so I'm not even going to tell him about it. Although Wayne was insistent about paying for them, I declined, saying rather that they could take us out for dinner once Maurice was feeling better. I will definitely accept the drink of the day (my go-to cocktail in the summer), will pass on the wine, and we have salads at least 4 times a week, often using spring mix with whatever else is in the fridge. Wayne wanted us to come over for a burger barbecue today, but knows DH is isolating, so he said they would barbecue and deliver dinner for us tonight - how sweet is that? I'm sure we'll enjoy whatever he and Fran cook up for us at the table on our deck tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, or in the path of destructive storms and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! The Boys & Girls Clubs do great work for inner city children and we support them fully. I don't think I need to be tested for hepatitis, as we've had shots for all kinds. I had no idea what May Ray day was, thanks for the explanation. I always enjoyed Jay Leno's humour; often it was intellectual and not vulgar at all. The dining room table and floor are covered in plants as the forecast for last night was only +2C (35) which meant because we are a bit lower, the plants could have frozen, even on the deck. Thankfully we haven't bought all the baskets, etc., for the yard, or we'd have had a full kitchen as well. I think next weekend (after DH's procedure) we may go out and buy the rest of the plants that are needed. DH's daughter and a friend are flying to Puerto Vallarta today so the DD can get dental work done (apparently it's less than half the cost, even with flights and hotels). At 4:15 this morning I received a text from her saying they were at the airport. Normally I turn my phone off before going to bed, but last night I forgot, so I've been awake for a while already and think a nap is in my future this afternoon. @1ANGELCATsending prayers for your friend Shirl; it can't be easy for her or her son. I hope she's able to have a smooth transition into a facility that will provide the care she needs. @Cruzin Terrisorry to hear you've been under the weather, I hope you're on the road to recovery now. @dfishI love the furniture you've chosen - along with the fire table, it makes for a very inviting place to relax at any time of the day! @JazzyVI was thinking about how early you have to pick up BFF to get him to the hospital - would it be an option for you to stay at his place overnight, rather than getting up in the middle of the night to pick him up? @marshhawksounds like Momma Cat is really into tough love!!! @Mr. Bostoncongratulations to your nephew on his graduation! Not a lot happening here, we're just going to continue with the juices, fruit, and whatever else we can to help get rid of DH's cold. So far he's not really coughing, so that's a good thing. I may go out for a walk to the park later this afternoon, depending on the weather. I'd like to try the drink of the day, do enjoy Merlot, and will take down the recipe for the salmon (minus the avocado) for future reference. DH has requested burgers for dinner, so I'll thaw some ground beef and put a couple of patties in the George Foreman that will be served along with pan fried potatoes and a side salad at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I'm so glad there's a vaccine for HIV, can take or leave Reeses, and can't begin to tell you the number of museums we've seen over the years - all of which are great reminders of the history of the areas. It's a cloudy, windy day to start the Victoria Day long weekend, and I know a lot of people are headed north to Prince Albert National Park to start the camping season. I really hope they've got cold weather rated sleeping bags, as it's going to be very chilly at night, with temperatures dipping below freezing tonight and tomorrow. Those in trailers will fare better with their heaters and furnaces. Glad we're no longer camping and can just stay home in the comfort and warmth. DH says his idea of camping now is staying at a hotel that doesn't have room service. LOL @Norseh2owishing you and DH a very Happy Anniversary - love the past and present photos, you both look great! @kazuI really hope your foot starts showing signs of improvement; I can't imagine trying to drive with your "good" foot feeling so awful. Thanks for all your good wishes for Maurice to get rid of this stupid cold. Yesterday I spent some time at the grocery/drug store getting everything I could find that had properties to boost the immune system and knock out a cold. I had all manners of vitamin C - fruits, juices and pills, along with zinc lozenges and a tea with lemon, echinacea, and added vitamin C. I kept the liquids flowing all day for DH, and of course because he's on a diuretic, he kept them flowing, too! I think he slept better last night, wasn't quite as stuffy, but will keep the regime going today to battle the cold out of him. I think I'd like to try the drink( the pineapple juice would make it taste tropical), would like to try the wine, and we do enjoy asparagus, so that's a recipe I'll tuck away for a hot summer day as a side dish. We've got a big pot of chicken soup to go through, so I'll be serving that up again for dinner along with fresh from the bakery sourdough bread at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Bon Voyage; have a wonderful time!!!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Interesting info about graduation tassels, I usually use walnuts in Christmas baking, and a dear departed cruise friend of ours always drank Pino Grigio. Well, it had to happen - DH caught a cold. Sigh. He started feeling it coming on last night, and this morning he's all stuffed up and feeling punkish. I've made him a big cup of tea with lemon and honey, and will continue that throughout the day. He's going through tissues with wild abandon, and is about as happy about everything as I am. I'm going to make sure he has lots of showers to keep everything open and flowing, and think I'll do a run out to the store and pick up a rotisserie chicken to strip and make a big pot of chicken soup. Any other suggestions? @smitty34877I'm glad you're getting family for the weekend who can help relieve your heavy burden. @marshhawkby your descriptions, I can tell you absolutely adore the kittens; you really have such a big heart. @dfishcan you go online to find instructions on how to put the box together? Yesterday I made the blueberry lemon loaf from the menu suggestion of a couple of days ago, and it's delicious! I didn't have any full fat Greek yogurt, so just used a couple of individual containers of Activia, and it turned out well. I didn't use the lemon glaze though, which would have given it more lemon flavour, but it's quite delicious on it's own. Not much happening here except dealing with DH's cold. I'm going to pass on the drink of the day, have consumed a lot of Apothic Red, but the option of having a blueberry almond tart for dinner is quite appealing! It's Friday night, pizza night, but I think we'll forego that in favour of big steaming bowls of chicken soup at the kitchen table tonight. And wine - for me. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

This one is already proving to be popular

Is there something specific you're looking for? Date? Ship? Port?

They've been available for a while and many of us have already booked our TA crossings.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Elders should be honoured every day, no matter who they are or who they love. Definitely appreciate light and living in peace. It's a foggy time out there for us this morning; maybe it had something to do with the rains that came late yesterday evening. At first I thought it was smoke from the forest fires, but when I opened the door to get the paper, realized it was fog. And, I just heard on the radio that a couple of moose have been spotted about a mile from here and that police and animal control are trying to direct them to the river - I wonder if we'll see them in the park at the end of our block when they finally decide to follow the river northward? @aliaschief and @DWAliaschiefwishing you a very Happy 32nd Anniversary; let the love and laughter continue! What a memorable way to spend your anniversary - thanks so much for the photos, I'm totally enjoying your voyage. I've got a couple of things to do today - heading out on the stepladder to clear off the winter spruce needle drop from the shed at the end of our deck, and while I'm on the ladder, will clean out a portion of our neighbour's gutter that looks full of needles as well. Looking at the branches, I'm thinking we might have to hire someone to clip some of the overhanging branches or they'll start interfering with the neighbour's shingles. I'd like to try the drink of the day (vodka and cranberry juice always go nicely together), say yes to the wine, and we've had Mizuna in salads when we were in Japan - it's a nice change from regular lettuce, but I haven't seen it around here. The other day I bought a couple of packages of barbecue pork button bones that will be cooked in the oven and served along with baked potatoes and green beans at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in turmoil, and in the paths of destructive storms and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Families need to be celebrated every day, even those who aren't getting along well. I've always liked watching kangaroos on television, but have never seen one in person. Thank you @grapau27for the explanation of MPS - sounds like a devastating condition. We've had the pleasure of being at today's port twice; great memories made there. When I got up a half hour ago, the sun was shining brightly, but as I look out the computer room window, I can see the skies are clouding over. I just checked the weather app and it's telling me there's a 40% chance of rain. I'm not going to complain - as long as it's warm enough to rain, it's also too warm for frost. Hopefully after the long weekend it will remain warm enough that I can put the plants out into their pots without worrying about having to go out at night to cover them. Yesterday was busy getting DH's pre-op medical, blood test, then hitting the stores for extras like sleep shorts, and of course groceries. We stopped at a food court for lunch where I ordered dried ribs and Caesar salad and was amazed at the amount of food in that take-out container. I had enough for lunch (DH had schnitzel), and there was still so much left that we shared the leftovers for dinner last night. I'm sending prayers out to @marshhawkfor better days ahead for Chuck, to @Nickelpennythat she'll be up and around again soon, to @kazuthat your foot issues are quickly and fully resolved, to @57redbirdas you have your dental procedure today. @mamaofamiit was nice to hear from you again; hopefully things will have calmed down that you'll be with us more often, as in the past. @cat shepardhow frightening for you & Bindi having to hunker down in your closet! Not much on our agenda today - we're starting to isolate in advance of Maurice's surgery next week, something that I'd planned on doing, but when we were at the doctor's yesterday, he suggested it might be a good idea so DH doesn't pick up a bug that could prevent him from having the procedure. I might take a run out to one of the grocery store pop up nurseries to see if they have any bright coloured baskets I can put into the pots in the back yard. There is so much greenery that we need pops of colour to add interest. I'd like to try the drink of the day (will add that to the taste test list), will let others enjoy the wine, and like the idea of having blueberry lemon bread for dinner! While I'm out I'll pick up some blueberries and fresh lemons and will try to see what happens when I put them together. For us though, it'll be the lasagna leftovers I was going to serve last night. I'll put together the Caesar salad and we can enjoy it with lasagna 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 and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

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!