The Fleet Report and Daily for Tuesday August 9th, 2022

[Norseh2o]

A year ago we made a major downsize with furniture, sporting goods, clothing and kitchen donations. Our houseful of books were boxed and stored “to look at in 1 year”. This week, the book boxes were brought from the attic and lovingly opened. We sorted and have two groceries bags of paperbacks (except for a very old, worn copy of Firefly Summer, Maeve Bunche that I must re-read!) ready to donate, two boxes of hard bound Lee Child, Patterson, Baldacci?, Elizabeth George and the like that my dear brother is delighted to take, and a few non-fiction books that might find a place back on the bookshelf.  A book in hand is best but the Library’s Libby service has been a blessing for travel,  especially when cruising. 

[marshhawk]

When I get stressed out, I watch cooking shows.  I started collecting and rereading Nancy Drew books several years ago, and found a co worker more addicted to them than I was, so I handed them over to her.  I loved the Bobbsey Twin Books,  my favorite was when they went to Holland MI.  I also have no problem sitting down and reading Paddington books or Fairy Tales.

 

A book to me is like a person, you have to care for them.  When I was looking into buying a house I saw this one (the one I bought) and fell in love immediately, one whole wall of book cases in the den, book cases in the kitchen for cook books, and one bedroom has all four walls loaded with books and book shelves. ( I did that)  It was the perfect home for all my "friends" to hang out.

 

Reality does kick in once in a while, and I think what will happen when I need to go into assisted living, or a senior center, and then a few of them  go to the used book store, or the library, and then I stop, because I don't want to let more of them go, and DH reminds me, I aint getting any younger.

[marshhawk]

@Heartgrove I am so sorry to read of Sam's situation.  I hope the meds help.

 

@JazzyVI hate to be dumb, but what does LOTR stand for....you dont want to know what I think it means.

[Seasick Sailor]

4 minutes ago, marshhawk said:

@Heartgrove I am so sorry to read of Sam's situation.  I hope the meds help.

 

@JazzyVI hate to be dumb, but what does LOTR stand for....you dont want to know what I think it means.

 

Could it be Lord of the Rings?

[57redbird]

22 minutes ago, Norseh2o said:

A year ago we made a major downsize with furniture, sporting goods, clothing and kitchen donations. Our houseful of books were boxed and stored “to look at in 1 year”. This week, the book boxes were brought from the attic and lovingly opened. We sorted and have two groceries bags of paperbacks (except for a very old, worn copy of Firefly Summer, Maeve Bunche that I must re-read!) ready to donate, two boxes of hard bound Lee Child, Patterson, Baldacci?, Elizabeth George and the like that my dear brother is delighted to take, and a few non-fiction books that might find a place back on the bookshelf.  A book in hand is best but the Library’s Libby service has been a blessing for travel,  especially when cruising. 

Love Libby but I wish you could download more than 10 books.

[Sea Viewer]

22 minutes ago, Norseh2o said:

for a very old, worn copy of Firefly Summer, Maeve Bunche that I must re-read!) ready

Love Maeve Binchy. As 1st generation Irish/English/American her books resonate with me on many levels. I feel like I am part of a community and that is special to me.

[JazzyV]

20 minutes ago, marshhawk said:

@Heartgrove I am so sorry to read of Sam's situation.  I hope the meds help.

 

@JazzyVI hate to be dumb, but what does LOTR stand for....you dont want to know what I think it means.

 

Lord Of The Rings - after the movies came out, this became a common notation for the series. 🙂

[jimgev]

Greetings!

I just had to respond to the wonderful celebratin of books.

 

i have been an avid reader all my life. I vividly recall the fist real book I read. I was 8 years old and spending time at a lake in norther New Jersey. We had a rain front come through and it reained stedy for several days. With nothing else to do, I found a book that someone had left behind. It was a Hardy Boys mysetery entitled: "The Great Airport Mystery". I started reading it and immediately was hooked.

I even actually wrote and published a book myself.

These days I read an average of about three books per week. I don't know what I would do without books to keep my mind active. Books and music keep me going.

My advice to young people is to learn to love books and becaome a lifetime reader.

[erewhon]

Thank you Rich @richwmn for posting the locations of the Holland America Line  fleet.

Book day, ......that's a day for us. Can't imagine life without books to read.

Will read all the posts later.

[Cruzin Terri]

Good afternoon to everyone.  We are home from Jacksonville and I have to say, “There is no place like home.”

The drive home was okay. Good weather but lots of trucks.  Still the traffic moved and we made it home in good time.

We stopped at Costco since it was very close to the Mayo and saved us a trip to Poller.  We bought so little and spent over $300.  i was really shocked. We also stopped and bought fresh peaches at Exit 87 on I-95 at PeachWorld.  That is always a nice treat.

Tonight’s dinner is the other half of last night’s lovely dinner at Seasons 52 that we had boxed.  It is Chilean Sea Bass with rice and green beans.  It was so good but so much.  So we get two meals out or our very expensive meal.

Thank you Rich for the Fleet Report and Daily.  

I love reading.  While I have a lot of books loaded on my Nook App on my IPad, I do like to read from a physical book.  I do admit that the Nook App is much more practical and lighter when traveling. 

I appreciate our indigenous peoples.  They are our first citizens and should be respected.

I learned to dance the Polka from my childhood girlfriend who was Polish.  it was a lot of fun,.  Not sure I remember how to do it now.  With all my aches and pains, I haven’t danced in a long time.

Will skip the meal and the drink, but the wine looks good, albeit a bit expensive.

Have not been to the destination.

Thank you Roy for the Cares and Celebration List.  

Prayers for those who are ill and especially those with Covid.  

Cheers to those celebrating, especially to those who are recovering from illnesses.

Hope those who are on vacation and cruising are enjoying.

Thank you Roy for including me on the Cares list while I was at the Mayo.   i received mostly a good report, however, my blood pressure is not where it needs to be and I need to work on that.

 

Yesterday, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings issued a new directives regarding their Covid protocols.

As of Sept 3, the three brands, Norwegian, Oceania and Regent will begin allowing unvaccinated persons to cruise.  They will also drop any mandates to require testing prior to cruising unless required by the locality of embarkation.  They are also saying that if you contract Covid during the cruise, there are no protections from the cruise line.  Very disappointed.

This disturbs us.  We have just made final payment on our Christmas Cruise and feel that the rules were changed in the middle of the game.  We also have a few more cruises booked and are trying to decide whether to keep them or cancel.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  Time to start writing letters.

We will see what happens.

Hope everyone is having a great day.  

God Bless,

Terri

It is probably a given that once one cruise line does this, the others will follow.

 

[Norseh2o]

1 hour ago, Sea Viewer said:

Love Maeve Binchy. As 1st generation Irish/English/American her books resonate with me on many levels. I feel like I am part of a community and that is special to me.

Why did my iPad think that my spelling, Binchy needed to be changed!? Thank you, Sea Viewer for listing Maeve’s last name correctly. 🙂

[1ANGELCAT]

I have a bookcase full of Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames ( nurse) among others. Thee was also Vicki Barr( early airline stewardess) and Connie Blair, titles all had a color in the title and were based in Philadelphia. 
I wonder how much they are worth today?

[Norseh2o]

2 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

I have a bookcase full of Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames ( nurse) among others. Thee was also Vicki Barr( early airline stewardess) and Connie Blair, titles all had a color in the title and were based in Philadelphia. 
I wonder how much they are worth today?

abebooks.com is a good first stop for finding book value. 

[Cruising-along]

Good afternoon, I'm late getting here today.  

It turned out to be a perfect day to make the Apricot Riesling Jam, because it's only in the mid 60's F (and was predicted to be mid 70's). Thursday will start heating up again.   I got 2 batches out of the apricots that DS brought over from their tree, he and DDIL are pleased!  

 

Also the tree service that the HOA hires was out today to take down 2 trees behind our house that have worried us.  That takes care of that, so I'm a happy camper today.

 

All this talk about Nancy Drew reminded me of a meme I saw on FB yesterday.  Something about adult mystery lovers all read Nancy Drew in their youth.  I also have a collection of Nancy Drew books. 😉  I still love a good mystery, so would love any suggestions.

 

Ann @marshhawkadd me to those who love your hair!  

Jack @HeartgroveI hope the pain meds help Sam -- so hard to see our fur babies decline.  Good that your DB is holding his own, I hope DSIL can get more help.

 

 

[Suslor]

9 hours ago, superoma said:

Good morning all. We are much cooler and less humid this morning but got less than a half inch of rain yesterday. 
 

i am a voracious reader, both with Books in the hand and on my iPad. My favourite author is Louise Penny and her inspector gamache series that take place mostly in Montreal and the eastern townships of Quebec. Just recently discovered mark Pryor and his Hugo marsten series that take place in Paris. But I also read for fun, like Janet evanovich and Mary daheim. I wish I had kept track of all the books I have read! One genre I generally don’t read is non fiction. Those I can count on one hand. Michelle obama’s book is on that list as well as a biography of Dwight Eisenhower and a book about IBM. I just finished the librarian spy by Madeline Martin, historical fiction re WWII. So eclectic as well as voracious!

 

prayers for those that need them and cheers to those celebrating. Be safe!

I agree @superoma, I love the Louise Penny series with Inspector Gamache and have read all but the newest. Susan 

[USN59-79]

I am also an avid reader.  I read mostly non-fiction and like history and technology.  Spent a few days last week going through a book published in 1912 called Self Propelled Vehicles.  Really interesting reading what people knew about automobiles and motorcycles at that time and whether gasoline, steam or electricity would be propelling them.  This week I have been reading American Science and Invention, a large illustrated book published in 1950.  Interesting to read of the latest in electronics when the vacuum tube was the latest technology.  I have a lot of books that I bought from the library's used book sales about 20-25 years ago that I put away to read when I had the time.  Now I have the time, what with staying home and not cruising.

Ray

[StLouisCruisers]

10 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

Thank you Rich for the Daily Report, thank you Roy for the Cares and Celebration Report, and thank you Debbie for today's recipes. And thank you all for being here! 

 

Sam gave us a bit of a scare yesterday. We knew going in when we adopted him that he had a severe case of Hip Dysplasia. We also knew that he would have a shortened life and that we would be the one's deciding it for him. He will be ten in November and tomorrow it will be the first anniversary of his "Furr-Ever Day" when we adopted him. Lately he has been reluctant to go outside when he should. I just thought it was the typical Malamute obstinence, and maybe reaction to the heat outside. I had started giving him a low dose of pain killer twice a day that was left over from our previous Malamute, Juno. Sam had also developed a need to be near someone through the day by crying in a little voice when left alone. He now sleeps most of the day like older dogs do.

 

It was a normal morning yesterday where I fed him and then put him in the yard until time for his walk. Strangely we didn't hear him stir like he usually does to let us know it was time for a walk about an hour later. Sue went down to get him and found that he could not stand up. His left rear leg is the worst of the two and drags along when walking. Somehow his right leg had been folded under the left so couldn't get it to move. By coaxing him to face a different direction we were able to gat him up. We then noticed that he had defecated while laying down. It was "Shades of Juno" at the end all over again! 

 

We called for an appointment to see his vet at the end of the day. She took notice that he is losing muscle in his rear legs which then exasperates the Hip Dysplasia. She prescribed the same pain killer but upped the dose slightly to three times a day. She also recommended water therapy to see how he would tolerate that. I will call today to find out more.

 

I didn't think that it would be this soon but I guess we are headed downhill now. With luck maybe 1-1/2 years. The vet made an interesting comment. With most dogs, you hope for warmer weather. But because the Northern Breeds tolerate Winter better, it is the opposite.  And even though in A/C most of the day, they still have trouble with the increased humidity.

 

An Update on my Brother: He seems to be holding his own with no further change. It is really wearing on my DSIL as I could tell from her voice. She only has one traveling nurse helping her with his care. Luckily he seems able to sleep through the night.

 

RIP: Judith Durham (The Seekers), Olivia Newton-John, and David McCullough.

 

Stay Safe!

 

- Jack

 

 

 

 

Jack, I'm sorry about the scare with Sam and hope the upped meds can help keep him with you for a bit longer.  Also good to hear DB is holding his own, but he and his DW deserve prayers for strength and comfort.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Good morning friends. Just getting in from weeding, watering, and feeding our birds. 100 degrees due today, then supposed to dip into high 90's the rest of the week.

 

I learned to polka at an early age. My great aunts and uncles played accordion,  banjo, guitar and drums. Every Sunday would be music and wonderful Bohemian foods.

 

As for books, I love them in any form. When we had our bed and breakfast every room had full book shelves and we had a small library on the first floor.

 

 

Debbie I love Pho and you chose some great recipes. Thank you.

 

Sandi it's good to hear from you and sounds like you're having a great visit.

 

Love to Jacqui and Little Shadow DD.

 

It was a late night yesterday with food and games. We played a game called Off Topic and had some laughs.

 

Today we are joining a couple for lunch at our pub here in Sun City. Big salad and chicken wings. Yum.

 

Prayers lifted for all on our Roy's list and mine. Jack I added Sam to my book but I'm sure he will end up on Roy's Daily cares as well. Xx

 

Yep, we're enjoying visiting the kids and grandkids.  It's an adventure every day!  #1 teenager is off to Interlochen for orchestra camp so quite a bit quieter.  #2 teenager begins a new leaf.  He and about 6 other players from the Tigers are moving on to more advanced soccer leagues.  Ren's is the Jaguars and tonight is the first practice.  DDIL is the car pool driver tonight since the practice facilities are about 40 minutes away.  This is a big commitment for the whole family.  I'm sure they will be working these newbies hard, but I feel the team is lucky to have such talented new players joining them.  DS, DH and I went out for dinner and ordered several appetizers for our meal.  We had a fairly large meal at lunchtime at a Cuban inspired restaurant.  Unfortunately my beef fritas (burger with fries on top) wasn't cooked as well as I'd like.  I ate the half that was medium rare but when I saw the rare half, I gave up on it.  Still, it was filling.  

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, aliaschief said:

A beautiful day in Scotland. Great countryside vistas and we stopped at some distillery’s. In Dornoch tonight staying in quaint Dornach Castle. Just a wonderful experience.

 

Dinner is ordered and having a venison dish and gals partridge.

 

Thanks for report and post.

 

 

 

Thanks for more great photos in Scotland.   When do you leave?

 

 

Glad to hear Terri @Cruzin Terriis home A-Ok.  The mention of the peaches reminded me.  DDIL got a huge batch of Georgia peaches from a friend.  Apparently they have a "peach truck" which comes up here every August with a load of those delicious, juicy peaches.  She said she made a peach cobbler, a peach pie and a peach milkshake cake.  It's been an hour since dinner so I think it's time to raid the refrigerator for dessert. 😂 Goodnight all!

Edited August 10, 2022 by StLouisCruisers

[Cruzin Terri]

1 hour ago, Norseh2o said:

Why did my iPad think that my spelling, Binchy needed to be changed!? Thank you, Sea Viewer for listing Maeve’s last name correctly. 🙂

It happens to me all the time.  About a week ago I wanted to say that I had an ulnar nerve repositioning and my IPad turned it into an ulcer nerve repositioning.  Go figure.

Terri

[daisybertie]

Good morning everyone. Bright and sunny here after a chilly night. 
DH and I are avid readers. We prefer books and not kindles. 
We use a website called Fantastic Fiction, which lets us know when our favourite authors have a new book published. There is no longer a book shop in our town so we have to order most books on line. My favourites are anything by Michael Connolly, especially the Harry Bosch series. Nelson de Mille, Jeffery Deaver  and Kathy Reichs are other favourites. Detective stories and forensic science I find fascinating. The Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn are wonderful ‘doggy’ stories. 
Our bookshelves are already bulging, so any novels we don’t want to keep go down to the local library. They either put them on the shelves or sell them for a few dollars and use the money to buy books for the library. 
The table by my chair in the living room is piled high with books at the moment. There needs to be more hours in the day to read more!

Best wishes to all.

[1ANGELCAT]

@StLouisCruisers, peach milkshake cake sounds delicious. 
Can the recipe be shared, please?

[1ANGELCAT]

@rafinmd, I just read on the Koningsdam August 6 thread a crew member from the ship went overboard in Juneau yesterday. I don’t know if they were recovered. 💔🙏

Edit to add : Per KTUU news report, it is believed it was intentional per closed circuit tv review. Coast Guard is still searching.
 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by 1ANGELCAT

[superoma]

1 hour ago, Suslor said:

I agree @superoma, I love the Louise Penny series with Inspector Gamache and have read all but the newest. Susan 

The newest one comes out in November and I already have it on hold at my library!

 

november 29 to be exact

Edited August 10, 2022 by superoma
Added date

[StLouisCruisers]

47 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

@StLouisCruisers, peach milkshake cake sounds delicious. 
Can the recipe be shared, please?

 

I asked and DS took a photo of the recipe for me from the cookbook.  If you can enlarge or zoom in you can probably read it.  If not, let me know and I will re-type it for everyone.  My only comment on the cake is it doesn't taste as peach-y as I'd like.  The icing is good IMO.  And the layers on her cake were tall!  No skinny little layers.

 

Ahh!  I found it online on the Red Truck Bakery Cookbook.

 

 

Peach Milkshake Cake

 

Source of Recipe

• From "Red Truck Bakery Cookbook" by Brian Noyes

  Recipe Introduction

  "Peach Milkshake Cake — doesn't it sound just like a dessert you would want on your picnic table at a backyard barbecue? The cake is packed with peaches and a touch of vanilla, while the frothy frosting enhanced with malt powder stands in for the whipped cream. Taking a bite recalls all the flavors of a handspun shake without all the slurping."
• List of Ingredients

• Cake:
  ◦ Nonstick cooking spray
  ◦ 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
  ◦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  ◦ 2 teaspoons baking powder
  ◦ 2 teaspoons baking soda
  ◦ ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
  ◦ 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  ◦ 4 large eggs
  ◦ ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons half-and-half
  ◦ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  ◦ ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
  ◦ 2 cups sliced peeled fresh or thawed frozen peaches (about 3 medium peaches)
  
  Frosting:
  ◦ ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
  ◦ 3 tablespoons malt powder
  ◦ 1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix
  ◦ 2 cups heavy cream

  Recipe

  Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray and dust them with flour, tapping out any excess. To prevent the fruit in the batter from sticking to the pans, line the pans with parchment paper cut to fit and spray the parchment with nonstick spray.
  
  Make the cake:
  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and combine thoroughly. Add the half-and-half, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well. Add half the flour mixture and beat until combined, then scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat to combine, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the peaches and mix on medium speed just until the fruit is coarsely chopped.
  
  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a spoon. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, turning the pans after 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a raised wire rack, remove the parchment, and let cool completely.
  
  Meanwhile, make the frosting:
  In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, malt, and pudding mix. In a medium bowl, whip the cream with a handheld mixer until it holds stiff peaks. Frost the top of one cake layer, top it with the other layer, then frost the outside of the cake completely.
  
  Makes one (9-inch) two-layer cake

[0106]

Easier recipe, even if you don’t have a Chik Fil A (just make your own peach milkshake).

 

u

[marshhawk]

I want to tell you about one of my favorite books.  I am thinking that those who live in Ohio would appreciate it.

 

And Ladies of the Club

 

was a 1000+ page book-it starts the story right after the Civil War.  Two young graduates are invited to become members in a woman's literature club.  The book follows their lives, the members lives, their children's lives, their grandchildren's lives, their loves, their marriages, their dreams  along with the political history of the state of Ohio, plus the history of what was, how things were modernized, so much history and information,  there is at least one character, that everyone can relate to.  And when I finished it, I was crying like a baby.  I did not want to say good bye to my friends (the characters).

 

At the same time that I was finished with the book, and tears were streaming down my face, a friend walked in to the house, while I was at home recouping from having my appendix removed.  She thought I was in pain and wanted to call 911.  "It's not," I sobbed "from pain, its because i finished the book," and broke down all over again.