dfish

We'll deal with it if there are tons of 4* wanting to be the first off the ship. Well, what do you know!

Thank you both! This is just what I needed to know and now I can quit obsessing over it. We will be just fine!

Ok, Dailyites, I'm hoping someone has experience with this. I am four star but DS Sue is still three star. I took a couple cruises without her. I know that 4* gets priority tendering. There are a couple tender ports on our upcoming cruises that we want to be able to get off right away. From what I've read, I can just go down and show them my key card. According to the FAQs, Sue gets the same privileges since she is on the same booking number. How does that work with tendering? Does she just come with me, or do we have to beg for a tender ticket for her since her key card only says 3*? Do I go and she has to wait? We don't want to cause problems and hold ups at the tendering station.

Good morning, everyone! It is a chilly start to what is promised to be a beautiful day. Nothing is planned for today and that is good. I can't take my regular Aleve due to upcoming surgery and my back is screaming in protest. It hurts to sit, it hurts to stand, it hurts to walk. Generally, I can walk most of this out and will definitely give it a try later. I told my PCP that I wanted to get to the Spine and Pain clinic when this surgery is over. I usually have nerve ablation done every year and it has now been a little more than 18 months. I want to get back out in the garden today and do more weeding. I don't think Previous Owners ever weeded it. What a mess. There are a couple hostas that are being choked out by grass and weeds. I rescued them yesterday. Lots of crab grass growing in the beds. So far we know we have day lilies. Lots of day lilies. We are overgrown with day lilies. Sue moved some of them and they are doing pretty well. Little by little. Today's meal is a keeper for me. I love eggplant parm. Unfortunately, Sue does not like eggplant. I guess I could make hers with zucchini. Grandma always added some Italian sausage. She made the best eggplant parm. Let's start with this one. https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a55046/stuffed-eggplant-parm-recipe/ This next one looks even better. https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/09/stuffed-eggplant-parmesan/ Or this one. https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/stuffed-eggplant/d48d7303-576b-43aa-880c-faecbd521e4a This next one is quite different and a little more work, but you might like it. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/223357/stuffed-eggplant-parmesan-rolls/ It still counts as stuffed! Wishing you all a wonderful day!

When I hit 3* I didn't get invited and was told it was only for 4 and 5*. Now that I'm 4* I expect that there will be 800 5* cruisers on board and I won't get invited again. Ok, I'm being silly. I have been invited a few times, but found it to be inconsistent. I was not invited last summer on the Rotterdam or last fall on the Nieuw Statendam. I was in 2018 on the old Rotterdam and again in 2019 on the old Rotterdam.

Good morning, everyone! What a day yesterday. I was up by 5:30 am and out the door at 6:15 am. We met River and her aunts and other grandma for breakfast in Reed City and then went to the soccer game. It was cold and misting, so we earned our wings being there for 3 little girls. After the game we stopped by Sue's old house so she could dig up her flowers. Then we stopped to say hi to a friend of hers. They tried to hire me as a Math teacher at their high school for next year, but I declined. Too far to go, no interest in full time work. We got home in time for me to make a cake for later and then attend my 2:00 pm Zoom meeting. One of Sue's former bosses came over to take her out to eat in celebration of her retirement and then they came back for dessert and coffee. They were here until early evening. We have nothing planned for today. We might go for a walk. If we have the energy. Today's meal sounds great to me. You can control the level of spice by limiting the hot peppers, but I rather like the bite to it. I do think since there are so many great chicken sandwiches out there that I would probably just go buy one. This first recipe calls for the chicken to be soaked in a buttermilk marinade. https://www.cookerru.com/spicy-chicken-sandwich/ Looks good, doesn't it? Here's another buttermilk recipe. If you don't like heat, just leave out the cayenne pepper. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/spicy-fried-chicken-sandwich-3409066 This one calls for brining the chicken for four hours or even overnight. https://www.thespruceeats.com/spicy-fried-chicken-sandwich-5220981 They all look good to me. Which one is your favorite? Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Welcome!

Good morning! We are in Reed City enjoying breakfast before the game. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/caesar-salmon-with-roasted-tomatoes-artichokes/ https://www.thecookierookie.com/grilled-caesar-salmon-foil-packets/ https://giadzy.com/blogs/recipes/one-pan-salmon-with-artichokes-and-sundried-tomatoes-giada Wishing you all a wonderful day!

@superoma Eva, I am so sorry for your father's death. May your family and memories bring you comfort. We are all here for you.

The meal of the day will be slightly delayed tomorrow. We have to leave at 6:15 am to go to River's soccer game. We are meeting them for breakfast first in Reed City and then drive up to Tustin. So, we'll be touring parts of northern Michigan tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be home by noon.

We have one of the insides on the Zaandam promenade booked for 32 days this summer. We had one on the old Rotterdam and loved it! Easy access to the outside deck. Plenty of room.

Sue and I were feeling kind of blah this morning as well. We think it is the weather here - gloomy and rainy. A visit from DS Mary Jo and her puppy Rita fixed us up. Enjoy! Well, I passed all the requirements needed for my surgery next Wednesday, so it is all systems go. My doctor also took care of my Mom and Dad and today he mentioned how much he missed seeing my Dad wearing his hat with the feather on it. We still have the hat and I'm going to wear it in the next time I go. I am happy to say that @0106 Tina will be doing the Meal of the Day while I am in the hospital. You will all be in good hands and no one will go hungry.

Looking forward to hearing all about it. We are getting excited for July.

Welcome home! My sister has a chipmunk that comes to visit her on the back deck. He comes up and screeches at her and then runs away. I guess he doesn't want her there. https://www.acedarspoon.com/greek-marinated-chicken-with-tzatziki-sauce/ Yes, there is dill in the tzatziki sauce. Just leave it out. I used this one for the tzatziki sauce: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/tzatziki-chicken/ And this for the marinade for the chicken: https://www.acedarspoon.com/greek-marinated-chicken-with-tzatziki-sauce/

Good morning, everyone! It isn't quite as chilly this morning as it has been. Looking at the extended forecast, I think we are past the chances of frost. That is good as we were getting tired bringing in all the plants at night. I did finally get to the weeding and it went pretty quickly. I still have a lot more to do, but it will look so much better when it is done. Those beds have been neglected for years. Today I start with a doctor's appointment to certify that I am healthy enough for surgery next Wednesday. Then, I have a luncheon with former high school classmates. And tonight is Farkle Friday. DB Bill is bringing pizza for dinner. @Crazy For Cats Have a wonderful cruise! @dobiemom I hope the eye problem is easily resolved. Today's meal was an elusive one. The recipe comes from Bon Appetit, but that site tells me the kitchen is closed unless I pay up. Nope. So, I hunted around and did find it elsewhere, but that is the only recipe that fits the description. I think it is the celery salad that makes it unique. There are 1000s of cod recipes out there. Just one with celery salad. Here it is: https://www.realgoodfish.com/recipe/1002/flaky-cod-with-celery-salad It looks good and I'd give it a try. Last night we had the Tzatziki Chicken and it was wonderful! That recipe is a keeper. Wishing you all a wonderful day!

The problem with this is that many people were not aware of the handicapped bus. We only found out because our friend was using a walker. Some people who were left in town to get back on their own did have some issues and the walk was quite difficult for them. They also weren't tech savvy and didn't know or couldn't call an Uber. HAL should at least let people know what the situation is in Bergen. I also question the wisdom of letting people loose to roam through an industrial port.

Last summer there was only a shuttle for handicapped. Otherwise, you walked. Even those who were picked up for excursions were left in the city center and had to walk back. It was not a good situation.

Good morning, everyone! It got quite cold last night and may have hit the freezing mark in the wee hours of the morning. It is now up to 41F, but it was 33F when I first got up. I'm glad we brought all the flowers in last night. We are going back to Dow Gardens today to check out the changes since last week. Our resident lumberjack/naturalist across the street says we need to go once a week. I'm referring to him as a lumberjack because he had a couple of trees partially taken down and has spend numerous late afternoons/early evenings out in the yard cutting up what came down. He will finish taking the trees down later. A lady up the street came for her second load of wood. She is seasoning it for her fireplace. Previous owner stopped by yesterday. She had forgotten three things in the yard and wanted them. One was a turtle stone by the deck we just finished. We let her take it. The other things were two concrete art tiles made by her step children. The next door neighbor had taken those to give to the first wife, the mother of the kids. I just said that those had gone out a long time ago. Ooops! Today's drink sounds like something I would like and I'd love to try it sometime. I am thrilled that our dirty dishes get hidden and washed by our dishwasher. I never had one before and I am loving this one. Today's meal would be a treat for me. Once you have the flatbread, the toppings are yours to choose. I look at these recipes as suggestions for toppings and would add what I like or take out what I don't. This first one gives us a good flatbread recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-flatbread-pizza-recipe/ You can get your flatbread ready made at the grocery store to make even quicker and easier. But, here is another recipe if you like to make from scratch. https://www.inspiredtaste.net/46230/flatbread-pizza/ Here's another take on things. https://www.theseasonedmom.com/flatbread-pizza/ This recipe has a lot of ideas for your flatbread pizza. Want Hawaiian pizza? Barbecue Chicken pizza? Read on! https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/flatbread-pizza-recipe/ Here's hoping you have a wonderful day!

@Cruzin Terri talk about frustrating! I can understand why you would tear your hair out over this, but have an extra glass of wine instead. A couple of summers ago we got brilliant sunsets due to the wildfires. We were out kayaking on Grand Traverse Bay and DS Mary Jo took this picture.

Surgery always makes one a bit nervous, but I try to look ahead at the outcome. This excess cortisol is really wreaking havoc on my system. I could occasionally get fresh white asparagus down in Ohio. I haven't looked for it here. I liked to make it with two sauces. You served it room temperature and had a tomato based salsa and a lemon based one. Mmmm. We made a choice with painting companies and signed a contract. They will get started at the end of June. We put down the deposit today, so we will officially be on the schedule. I am thrilled that they will do the prep work and I don't have to do it. We will soon have a new house! I never got out to weed today. We went downtown to get our favorite coffee and stopped in the boutique next door. That was a mistake! We spent way too much time there!

I agree and like @ger_77's idea. My primary care trusts me to take it at home and send him the results through MyChart. My problem is that with the excess cortisol from my adrenal mass, BP is hard to control. Some days mine is just fine and other days it isn't. It has never been high enough that my doctors wanted to send me to the ER. Blood glucose can be iffy as well. It is a good thing that the mass is coming out next Wednesday.

Good morning, everyone. When I first logged in, I was afraid to post, but it seems that the issue has been resolved as the latest posts are not cloning at a rapid rate. It is a chilly start to the day and temps are only supposed to get up to 60F. That's fine. We'll have a good walk and then I want to do some weeding in the garden. Nothing else on the agenda today, which is great. I think I am going with @rafinmd Roy's alternative meal due to the carbs in the gnocchi. Gnocchi seems kind of heavy to me, but perhaps the supporting menu items help with that. I had never heard of burrata before. Burrata is an Italian cow milk (occasionally buffalo milk) cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer casing is solid cheese, while the inside contains stracciatella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is typical of Puglia. This first recipe is roasted bell peppers and gnocchi topped with the cheese and a balsamic glaze. https://imapampchef.com/2022/03/29/sheet-pan-burrata-caprese-gnocchi-delish/ This next one replaces the bell peppers with cherry or grape tomatoes. https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/caprese-gnocchi-sheet-pan/ The last recipe adds in some white beans. https://kelliesfoodtoglow.com/2019/04/24/caprese-gnocchi-burrata-recipe/ Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Safe travels, Sharon.

I'm sorry about Fluff's diagnosis. I know Fluff will feel your love twicefold in her remaining days. Thank you for sharing that prayer. I'm sorry to hear about Sam's disability. I hope he is not in a lot of pain. Yes, she did! And, no, we don't understand the time that goes into it. I know my part takes very little time compared to what Rich/Roy/Sandi did. That is great news. I would love to do that cruise. I hope his nap helps. Sometimes I feel worse after a nap. Good thinking! Happy Birthday to Foster! Great news on the move. I hope the wheelchair issue gets straightened out quickly. @smitty34877 I am so happy to hear the aide is helping so much. Caretakers often do too much and get burned out. That isn't good for them or the person they are caring for.