Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[dpostman]

10 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Goodness, what do you do with all that maple syrup?  How long a shelf life does it have?

 

In that picture, there was close to 20 liters of finished syrup. That should be about a quarter of what we will produce this year.  Last year was a good year, we made 105L.  We are 3 neighborhood families involved, so we divide by 3.  We don't sell any, but we do sort of bribe some of our other neighbors with it, we also barter some in exchange for some materials.  I have a friend that produces artisanal bacon that they sell at a farmers market, so we swap syrup for bacon.  And, my DW and I bring some to our offices to give to co-workers at Christmas.  The rest, we give away to family and friends.

 

If kept in cool and dark environment, I have some that I processed in mason jars 3 years ago that is still good. But once a bottle is opened, it should be kept in the fridge or else it will spoil within months.

 

We definitely produce WAY more that we actually use ourselves.

dp

[ownedbypets]

20 hours ago, taznremmy said:

Once again I am 17 pages behind, but  I had a great week on Celebrity Solstice (limited wifi access) and now I’m on Discovery Princess.  First time I’ve done a side by side.  I could get used to this.

I am catching up on all the posts I’ve missed, and hope this finds everyone well.

I'm with you. Forty pages to catch up on after our cruise on Virgins Valiant Lady last week.

[BonTexasNY]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Try Almond Butter on matzoh which stuck to my front bridge and nearly pulled it off.

Gefilte fish without taste 

I love the gefilte fish I make.  Frozen formed loaves you just cook in water for approx. 1 1/2 hours.

I love plain butter or cream cheese on matzo but not for 8 days straight. I'll pass on eating anything that will stick to my teeth.

We're big pasta eaters and Jack has to have bread with his daily big salad (shades of Seinfeld) so this is not a great holiday food wise for us.

[lenquixote66]

4 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

I love the gefilte fish I make.  Frozen formed loaves you just cook in water for approx. 1 1/2 hours.

I love plain butter or cream cheese on matzo but not for 8 days straight. I'll pass on eating anything that will stick to my teeth.

We're big pasta eaters and Jack has to have bread with his daily big salad (shades of Seinfeld) so this is not a great holiday food wise for us.

Today I ate Haddad’s Cashew Butter on matzoh .That was fine.I never eat butter or cream cheese,not because of taste but due to medical issues.

 

[HBE4]

On 4/9/2023 at 12:07 PM, Jimbo said:

Loved the video, Always thought Las Vegas had a lot more high rise buildings though. I thought it was built up more.

 

19 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

From what I can tell the high rise buildings are all along the strip, and the rest of the town is lower buildings. The Bellagio is 36 stories and the ones around it seem comparable in height. Old Vegas, Fremont Street area, the buildings are not as high. If I had to guess Vegas grew out VS up because they just took up more of the dessert.  It’s not prime farm land or real estate.

 

 

When I went to Vegas for the first time, I also was amazed by the lack of sky scrapers  I guess because so many TV shows & movies are shot on The Strip, I just assumed there were more streets like it. It was pretty cool as the flight landed, the flight path was parallel to the strips so we could see all the hotel/casino.

 

Another thing that amazed me was how the city just ends. Dense housing development and then just barren, desolate desert.  You can see what I mean around the 11 minute mark of the video.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by HBE4

[lenquixote66]

Tomorrow I am going out of the house for the first time in 20 days.

I only go outside for medical visits and haircuts.Of what a wonderful life I have.I can’t complain because my younger years were great.

I have an appointment tomorrow with a Neurologist who discharged me in Feb.2022 telling me there is nothing more that he could do for me .He referred me to a top Parkinsons Specialist and that guy had no answers either.

I am going back to this Neurologist because my wife believes that he may have other suggestions .

[lenquixote66]

7 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

 

When I went to Vegas for the first times, I also was amazed by the lack of sky scrapers  I guess because so many TV shows & movies are shot on The Strip, I just assumed there were more streets like it. It was pretty cool as the flight landed, the flight path was parallel to the strips so we could see all the hotel/casino.

 

Another thing that amazed me was how the city just ends. Dense housing development and then just barren, desolate desert.  You can see what I mean around the 11 minute mark of the video.

 

 

Vegas seems to attract people from Brooklyn.Three guys who I went to HS with decided to retire there.They are friends and moved into the same condo complex.

[HBE4]

On 4/9/2023 at 1:05 PM, lenquixote66 said:

Are you going to the April 19 Rangers game ? It is an Event night to honor members of Law Enforcement.My SIL the huge Rangers fan is going because the company he works for is one of the sponsors.

 

I think you mean this Thursday, April 13th game. It's the last game of the regular season & also fan appreciation night. There is usually a few special ceremonies that night. Usually, each player on the Rangers will give away a autographed jersey off their back to 20 lucky fans. There may be some autographed sticks given away also. I never enter those kinds of things.

 

I won't be at that game however. Traditionally, my nephew & I will go to the first & last game of the season but it didn't work out this year. I did, however, buy tickets to 2 playoff games in the first round and 2 more in the second round (fingers-crossed). It doesn't seem like the Rangers are going to have home-ice advantage this year so I'll be going to Games 3 & 6.

[HBE4]

18 hours ago, jagsfan said:

What I permanently lost:

A Voicemail from my brother Bill who died Dec 3…that is crushing.

 

16 hours ago, Keksie said:

The loss of the voicemail made me catch my breath.  A couple of phones ago I lost the last voicemail from my Dad.  It is sad and I am sorry it happened to you. Technology can make a person scream  sometimes.

 

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

[Lost vm from my late aunt, who was more a mother to my than my own mom. When I was low, it felt so good to hear her voice. She also had an endearing nickname for me, which only she used.😢]

 

6 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

Mimi - So sorry to hear about your phone problems and especially losing your brother's VM.  It doesn't help you now but for future reference, you can save a voicemail message a few different ways on an iPhone.  Open the message as if you were listening to it and click on the share button in the upper right corner...the square with an arrow pointing up.  You then have the option of saving the VM to the files on your phone (which you can later find using the Files app) or sending it elsewhere via text message, email, or even airdrop.  If you email it to yourself, you can then save it on your computer.  It will be attached as a .m4a file, but all computers should be able to play that file format.  

 

Many people don't use, or even know about, the Files app on an iPhone.  You can save a lot of different file types on an iPhone and organize them in folders.  I find this useful for important attachments that are sent to me via email.  It's easier for me to find them in an organized folder structure in the Files app than to find the original email message that had the attachment. I'm sure that Android phones have the same functionality, but I don't know the details.

 

@jagsfan @Keksie @dani negreanu  So sorry to hear that you've lost the VM of your loved ones. I have 3 from my DW that I want to keep forever. I'm pretty sure I can follow @bobmacliberty advice on how to permanently save them even though I same a Android guy (Samsung).

[jagsfan]

16 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

Debi, thank you so much.  I already have the Libby app on my phone.  I click on the picture of the book I want downloaded to my kindle.  When I click "download to my kindle" is when I am notified that I have no kindle registered.  Sometimes I am able to download to my browser but as I previously stated, I hate reading books from my laptop.  Maybe I need to reinstall the Libby app,  I have a Kindle Fire and the instructions are way beyond my pay grade of understanding.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to help.

Have you called Amazon? Or emailed? I’ve gotten help in the past from them and they were able and willing. 
I don’t remember which phone number, but wouldn’t hurt to try both. 
The email address is helpful, too. 

I just read you got the help you needed. That’s great. I only read in my Kindle, so I would have been tearing my hair out!

Edited April 10, 2023 by jagsfan

[jagsfan]

12 hours ago, taznremmy said:

I need to upgrade from my IPhone 7, and  it is stories like this that make me say, “No, I’m good”. 🙀

I am so sorry to hear about your lost vmm.  I do the same thing (saving vmm’s) as I can’t imagine never hearing my brother’s voice again. Hugs to you.

The thing is, everything transferred beautifully…totally seamless. 
it is when I went into the Find My app that I screwed up. 
I will never touch it again!

[BonTexasNY]

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Another thing that amazed me was how the city just ends. Dense housing development and then just barren, desolate desert.  You can see what I mean around the 11 minute mark of the video.

 

 

Same with our visit to El Paso.  Beautifully spread out town on West side, with lovely desert landscaping. Then there is an abrupt end as far as one can see with the same barren, desolate desert you probably saw in LV.

1 hour ago, jagsfan said:

Have you called Amazon? Or emailed? I’ve gotten help in the past from them and they were able and willing. 
I don’t remember which phone number, but wouldn’t hurt to try both. 
The email address is helpful, too. 

I just read you got the help you needed. That’s great. I only read in my Kindle, so I would have been tearing my hair out!

Mimi, thanks for trying to help anyway.  I only use my kindle for reading as you do.  I couldn't imagine my life without reading books in my kindle.  

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

 

 

 

@jagsfan @Keksie @dani negreanu  So sorry to hear that you've lost the VM of your loved ones. I have 3 from my DW that I want to keep forever. I'm pretty sure I can follow @bobmacliberty advice on how to permanently save them even though I same a Android guy (Samsung).

I have a recording app on my phone that I use for music I play and sing. I'm pretty sure you should be able to load such an app, play your voice mail and record it. Then the audio file will always be in your phone.

[brillohead]

5 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

Debi, I called the library and someone walked me through the confusing process.  I now have "Libby" on my kindle and it works!

 

I've noticed from previous posts that you are an excellent problem solver/resource maven (expert) !

Your wit and wisdom is greatly appreciated.  Looking forward to meeting you on Bella 02!

I'm so glad you were able to get it fixed!  Like you and Mimi, I can't imagine life without my Kindle -- I even upgraded to the newer waterproof Paperwhite just so I could safely read in the hot tub on cruises!

As for being a problem solver, my dysfunctional childhood resulted in a massive case of codependence / feeling "responsible" for everyone's happiness.  With the help of therapy and over two decades of family estrangement, I've been able to get rid of the "guilty" feeling that goes along with the dysfunction of codependence, while still maintaining my "fixer" tendencies. 

 

My "fixing" is healthy these days -- I offer it freely to people I care about (and to strangers when I feel the urge), without feeling guilty when I DON'T jump in and go out of my way to help others, and without feeling hurt/angry if someone doesn't take my advice.  Learning that everyone is responsible for their own actions in life, and it's not automatically my fault if something doesn't go perfectly for someone else, and it's perfectly fine if not everyone likes me, has been an incredibly freeing realization. 

 And I'm looking forward to meeting you on Bella 2.0 as well!  It's going to be a heck of a week!

[Ocean Boy]

BD Sailing Yacht starts tonight.

[Sea Dog]

23 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

BD Sailing Yacht starts tonight.

Sounds like there is going to be a love triangle with Daisy, Gary and Collin. Should be some good drama. I’m recording for viewing on Friday night.

[Luckynana]

On 4/9/2023 at 7:34 PM, A&L_Ont said:

I described the flight times and process above this post. When they checked us in they took our actual weights VS what we filled out on-line months ago. In the front row there was the 3 of us plus the pilot.  If we remember there was 4 seats in the back. We did book the chopper for a private flight and they allowed us all in the front row.
 

If there was a full flight I do not know if they would arrange where you would sit or not. I do suspect that they would move you from the back to the front going VS return flight. If we remember there is also a max weight per person. 
 

They also do this exact flight as a sunset flight tour and when you return you see the strip at dusk. The lights are stunning.The sunset on the canyon walls is something to see.  This was Lisa and I 10 years ago at the same spot. 
 

 

Awesome picture, Andrew!

21 hours ago, Keksie said:

The loss of the voicemail made me catch my breath.  A couple of phones ago I lost the last voicemail from my Dad.  It is sad and I am sorry it happened to you. Technology can make a person scream  sometimes.

I am sorry to hear about you losing your last voicemail from your Dad.  @jagsfanMimi, I am also so sorry to read about you losing the voicemail from your deceased brother.  Very sad for both you and Keksie.😔

[Luckynana]

5 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Tomorrow I am going out of the house for the first time in 20 days.

I only go outside for medical visits and haircuts.Of what a wonderful life I have.I can’t complain because my younger years were great.

I have an appointment tomorrow with a Neurologist who discharged me in Feb.2022 telling me there is nothing more that he could do for me .He referred me to a top Parkinsons Specialist and that guy had no answers either.

I am going back to this Neurologist because my wife believes that he may have other suggestions .

Good luck with the Neurologist tomorrow, Lenny.  I sure hope he has some new suggestions since you last saw him a year ago!

47 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

BD Sailing Yacht starts tonight.

Thanks for the reminder, OB!  Since I'm now back in NJ, I'm back to Streaming my shows on Peacock!😉

[Ocean Boy]

15 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Good luck with the Neurologist tomorrow, Lenny.  I sure hope he has some new suggestions since you last saw him a year ago!

Thanks for the reminder, OB!  Since I'm now back in NJ, I'm back to Streaming my shows on Peacock!😉

It takes place in Sardinia Italy. I'm excited about that!

[jagsfan]

12 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Mimi - So sorry to hear about your phone problems and especially losing your brother's VM.  It doesn't help you now but for future reference, you can save a voicemail message a few different ways on an iPhone.  Open the message as if you were listening to it and click on the share button in the upper right corner...the square with an arrow pointing up.  You then have the option of saving the VM to the files on your phone (which you can later find using the Files app) or sending it elsewhere via text message, email, or even airdrop.  If you email it to yourself, you can then save it on your computer.  It will be attached as a .m4a file, but all computers should be able to play that file format.  

 

Many people don't use, or even know about, the Files app on an iPhone.  You can save a lot of different file types on an iPhone and organize them in folders.  I find this useful for important attachments that are sent to me via email.  It's easier for me to find them in an organized folder structure in the Files app than to find the original email message that had the attachment. I'm sure that Android phones have the same functionality, but I don't know the details.

Thank you, Bob. I took a screenshot of your instructions for when I have another message I want to keep. 

[Sunshine3601]

14 hours ago, dpostman said:

Having seen so many great food pics in this thread, I though I would pitch in.  We tried cooking up Bone Marrow Canoes for the first time.  They are hard to find around here.  I regret not thinking of taking a pic AFTER cooking, but at least, this is what they looked like before going in.

 

 

My DW loves marrow and this was one of her special requests.  Both our kids (Young adults) were home for Easter weekend, but they did not care for it as much, so we ended up finishing theirs off as well 😁

What does Bone Marrow Canoes taste like?

[jagsfan]

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I have a recording app on my phone that I use for music I play and sing. I'm pretty sure you should be able to load such an app, play your voice mail and record it. Then the audio file will always be in your phone.

I have the recorder app. I wish to heck I’d have thought of recording Bill’s voicemail. 
Thanks for reminding me. 
I reinstalled all of my apps I could think  of. 
A little while ago I needed the flashlight and realized I didn’t think of it. 
I’m sure there will be more to come!

[Sunshine3601]

12 hours ago, dpostman said:

 

No, we don't need to add anything.  We bottle at about 195F and then keep in a cold room.  I have bottles from 2 and 3 years ago still good.  In fact, most maple products that we make are all just 100% syrup.  They are just boiled to different temps (Density) and then stirred (Maple butter), or left alone (Maple taffy).  We make some Maple walnut fudge that contains heavy cream and butter, we add some bits of walnut, so technically not 100% maple, 😉

 

Maple butter small batch in Cuisinart Ice cream maker (Not chilled) from 100% syrup.

 

Taffy on Snow

 

Granulated Maple sugar

 

Maple walnut fudge

 

dp

Wow!   All of this looks so tasty, especially the Maple Butter!!  Wish I was there to eat in person😃

Edited April 11, 2023 by Sunshine3601

[Ocean Boy]

Great start to the season... with a broken engine.

[reallyitsmema]

28 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Great start to the season... with a broken engine.

 

Made no sense to wait to call for help.  They lost a whole day!