QueSeraSera

Kind of a shame that But we are looking forward to our first RCL cruise! Caribbean beckons with its warm weather & no pollen. Going to bring enough cash to tip every meal, but won't if service isn't good.

Wow. Former MIL was from Maine & to say she was thrifty is putting it nicely 🙂 OK, I do appreciate clarification on where the 18% goes. So we will bring more paper money along than originally planned & tip as if only 5% or so is going to the waiter or whoever.

Our first RCL cruise in a couple weeks. The built in 18% seems like a decent tip to us; hoping to hear more on this topic.

sending help 🙂 love this board and we know mysty keeps it going in so many ways sorry that I blew up about kale, I await UKCruiseJeff's judgement But...just a sensitive point/part I have, not an excuse; this is an apology. liistening to midnight oil tonight, & thinking how nice it is that I have a place to see & listen to Austrailians Canadians Brazilians Bermudans Europeans and Northerners too

I'll hope so too! best wishes Lvshack

hamburgers, subs, French fries almost as good as those in Belgium (McD - sorry but true) but if you want to eat a bit more healthy Menu | Panera Bread None of these will offer you kale, black eyed peas (with or without the bass line), or cawl I think you are having a good time in sweet home alabama but, we we like you Jazz so take some time out for some kale

Love you guys. Life is too short. Should either be passing through Richmond, & reach out, I will be sure to provide lunch at a nearby chain restaurant. 😁

Sounds like an appropriate fate for cawl to me. Anyway, doesn't kale mean something different in Wales anyway? Not disparaging anyone else's taste in food (till the above). Just not sure why its ok to be that way about a Southern staple. But I did say I'm done. Eat whatever the H you want, and if anyone disses black eyed peas I'll just go away.

Well, I'm feeling a bit unique in that a food I enjoy is being attacked. Never seen it before at the cooler - we all got our tastes, but never saw denigration of our individual tastes before. And by a bunch of Yankees no less (I would put a smiley face with tongue in cheek here if I could find one) 😉

After this I give up. But it you are concerned about oxalates, I suggest you be aware of the following. Oxalates are not just in kale, and kale is in fact is listed as a way to reduce oxalate ingestion: Foods High in Oxalates (webmd.com) From WebMD, had to smile when I saw tofu at #2 High-Oxalate Foods High-oxalate foods include: 1. Spinach Leafy greens like spinach contain many vitamins and minerals, but they’re also high in oxalates. A half-cup of cooked spinach contains 755 milligrams. 2. Soy products Products made from soybeans are excellent sources of protein and other nutrients, especially for people on a plant-based diet. However, they are also high in oxalates. A 3-ounce serving of firm tofu has 235 milligrams, while 1 cup of soy milk or yogurt can have up to 336 milligrams per serving. 3. Almonds Almonds are concentrated with a range of vitamins and minerals, yet they are also high in oxalates. One ounce of almonds, or about 22 nuts, contains 122 milligrams of oxalates. 4. Potatoes A medium baked potato has 97 milligrams of oxalates per serving. Much of this content is in the potato’s skin, which contains high levels of nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, and B vitamins. 5. Beets Beets are an excellent source of nutrients like folate and manganese. Research shows their nitric oxide content helps lower your blood pressure. At 152 milligrams per cup, they’re also one of the vegetables highest in oxalates. 6. Navy beans Legumes are a great way to add protein, fiber, and other nutrients to any meal. However, if you’re managing your oxalate levels, navy beans are on the high end with 76 milligrams per half-cup. 7. Raspberries Many fruits contain some oxalates, like avocados, oranges, and grapefruit, but raspberries are considered a high-oxalate food with 48 milligrams per cup. 8. Dates Dates are highly nutritious dried fruits often used as a sweetener in cooking and baking. Date consumption should be moderated, however, as they are high in sugar and concentrated with oxalates with one date containing 24 milligrams. Here are eight low-oxalate foods you could add to your diet: 1. Kale and bok choy If you’re watching your intake of oxalates, kale and bok choy are nutrient-rich greens with just 2 milligrams and 1 milligram of oxalates per cup, respectively. 2. Cashews, peanuts, and walnuts Compared to almonds, nuts like cashews, peanuts, and walnuts have slightly lower levels of oxalates at about 30 milligrams per ounce. 3. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds One ounce of pumpkin and sunflower seeds contain less than 2 milligrams of oxalates. They’re also a good source of vitamin E, magnesium, and protein. 4. Sweet potatoesYou can swap your baked potato for sweet potatoes, which are higher in most vitamins and minerals and only have 28 milligrams of oxalates per cup. 5. Broccoli Broccoli is a delicious low-oxalate vegetable at just 2 milligrams per cup. It’s also a good source of fiber and protein and contains many important nutrients and vitamins. 6. Kidney beans Kidney beans are a good substitute for navy beans with only 15 milligrams per half-cup. They’re also a rich source of protein and fiber. 7. Blueberries and blackberries Mix other berries in with your raspberries to reduce your oxalate intake. Blueberries and blackberries have only 4 milligrams of oxalates per cup. They’re also rich in antioxidants, which can help prevent diseases such as heart disease and cancer. 8. Dried figs For a sweet fix that’s lower in oxalates, try dried figs, which have one-fifth of the dates’ content. They’re also high in fiber, potassium, iron, and calcium.

Insulting! Bless you. Bitter when harvested at the wrong time (weather too warm). Or if big stems aren't removed. Your opinion (& a cup of coffee will get you 25 cents).

Not going to defend tofu, don't actually know much about except it is processed, but I think kale prepared properly would convert you @TLCOhio

Well, the great thing about kale is you can grow it (and cousin collards) in winter-time in many parts of the South, including here in Virginia. Weeds can't compete and bugs are dead, hibernating, or whatever it is they do in winter. We grow both in our backyard. But there is no call for eating it raw or in some perverse milkshake thing that is not a milkshake. For example for breakfast: you need to process it a bit, shallow fry it in an oil of your choice, add eggs and cheese (another processed food, but milk won't work), and enjoy with sausage and grits. Butter helps too. Jazz, let us know what the folks down there give you to eat apart from the donuts. We've visited Alabama numerous times and I feel like that state gets kind of a bad rap from those who haven't been there. Muscle Shoals/Florence are our personal favorite towns there.

That does seem ridiculous. I'm thinking it takes more work to blank out the non-US parts of the map than just leaving them up. Terry's map above illustrates your point all too well. Canadians - best neighbors ever.

This whole anti processed food thing drives me crazy. As a friend ordered tofu while simultaneously complaining about processed food, it took self-discipline to remain silent. Goodness gracious, producing tofu is an elaborate process! I wanted to shout. The soy is processed, or no tofu for you! Instead, I simply ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and its ok with me if they made it with velveeta 😉

saw this, a little weird, but had to share - lighten up

No, not at all. It won't. Your husband has my best wishes, and I think he is lucky to have someone looking out for him like you. I'm hoping you saw this quote (below) in the discussion above. as I & apparently pavementends see it, no one would question the coat being removed if your husband was too warm. In the groups I'm usually found, no one would notice anyway. Running out of Tiki - well, that would be a serious thing 😉. Many of stumblefoot's comments have a bit of tongue-in-cheek to them. My guess is, he would be the first to protectively step in front of you and your husband to deal with a critic should anyone call you out under the circumstances. I hope you have a great Silversea cruise, and many more to ollow.

The birds are back in town. Goldfinches, still got their winter coats on.

This should at least be a misdemeanor. Thought we might try La Dame on our cruise this July, but I just lost interest.

Had not heard of Iris Apfel - but this has to be the richest on line search of the year for me, thanks DW & Mysty. Some quotes from this wise woman: (source link posted at end): 1. Don’t obsess over your age It’s true, “Gettin’ old ain’t for sissies,” Apfel admits. But so what? “You start falling apart, but you just have to buck up and paste yourself together.” 2. Pick a partner who celebrates your successes He pushed me into the limelight and then basked in my success. Sleep well, sweet prince.” 3. When something excites you, go for it If something sounds exciting and interesting I do it 4. “To stay young, you have to think young” Having a sense of wonder, a sense of humor, and a sense of curiosity — these are my tonic,” she says. “They keep you young, childlike, open to new people and things, ready for another adventure” 5. Care about your own opinion above anyone else’s “If you have to be all things to all people, you end up being ‘nothin’ to nobody.′ 6. But don’t isolate yourself, either I fit in, but in my way. I have never been much of a conformist on any front, actually 7. Money doesn’t buy success 8. Style is not about spending money she writes. “It’s not what you wear but how you wear it.” 9. Start new endeavors with one small step 10. Don’t pretend you are younger than you are 10 life lessons from 96-year-old Iris Apfel (cnbc.com)

In spite of any distraction(s) TrulyBlonde just offered, I offer the following.

When I was a boy, I heard this song on the one speaker AM radio given as a Christmas gift and loved it. When I watch this video now, I see people the age of my children today, and the oldest of my grandchildren today, singing it again. So shared with my kids on Voltemort (Stumbles knows what I'm trying to spell there) and then thought I'd share here. I do understand, each of us has our own musical tastes, so as someone wrote above, just scroll on by if not interested (walk on by....)

I think it must be the week I've been through, or maybe something else, but I have so enjoyed Terry's posts these past years, I will take this question at face value and try to answer it. My only qualification is that my only sister (Tina) was born mentally & physically handicapped due to an accident at birth. Heard way too many spaz jokes that were, of course, not meant to be offensive. I loved my sister. So sadly & simply, they were. I had to grow out of fist fights and impromptu wrestling matches defending her as I grew up. I lost most of the fights. If the object of your humor is someone's religion (e.g. born and raised Amish), ethnicity, handicap, intelligence (by what scale anyway?) or ... I'm sure there's others... then find another way to be funny. It's really not nice or funny to make fun of anyone because of their beliefs, station in life, physical or mental limitations, in my view. But, apologies for being on the soapbox, and no one is perfect, especially me.