Cruising-along

Welcome, we're happy to "see" you here and hope you continue to post. I see you live in Scotland -- we have cruised there a couple times and think it's a beautiful country. I would love to see more of it.

Good morning all! I'll celebrate pets day even though we haven't had one since our last kitty passed in 2011. Until then there was never a time in my life I didn't have a pet (2 dogs as a child, and 7 cats as an adult). Now I just enjoy our grand-pups and grand-kitties so we can travel a lot. 😉 I'll pass on the drink (coconut), and expensive red wine. Debbie @dfishthe recipes today all look delicious! I'm going to make the first recipe tonight for dinner. I love Feta cheese, but it's high in sodium so will use Mozzarella instead. And I have fresh spinach I'm growing. This sounds really good. I've been bringing my own bar soap for a number of years, I really don't like liquid shower gel. Vanessa @JazzyV Prayers that your knee isn't infected -- good that you'll be seeing the doctor on Friday. Here are some of my favorite pet photos over the years. Our first pet, 17-pound "Cairo" and my parents' dog "Riley". We were visiting them in CA and I don't think Riley thought Cairo should be in his house. This would have been around 1970. Same cat with our daughter, 1980. "Ebony", around 1995 Our daughter chose to have our cat "Suhy" pose with her in one of her graduation pictures. Edited to add that today is our son's 49th birthday. How on earth can I have a son that old when I'm only 25???

Yes, it would be great. There are a few of us Dailyites on that cruise, we need more. 🙂

I would love to meet you some day, Lenda. Did I imagine it, or did you say awhile back that you're considering the Grand Australia in January? Thank you Vanessa. I've heard that the tiredness is the last to leave, so I guess I'm on track. And I will actually be making a meal tonight (shrimp scampi) so that's progress! What a nightmare about the funds. Thank goodness though that the credit union person said they'll do anything they can to help if needed.

We were on the Nieuw Statendam, Sept. 8-Oct. 17. On the 18th we hopped over to the Koningsdam, this was our 50th anniversary cruise.

We had a lovely aft NS on the Eurodam last year. Could you tell me the names of the Concierges and the manager of the Pinnacle Grill? Do you have regular coffee or only espresso in your cabin? Last year they didn't have any regular coffee for the machines. Thanks!

Good morning all! I've never had any interest in learning to play golf, but DH played often in years past -- not now though. Several of our friends are avid golfers though and will play in all kinds of weather. The closest our family comes to having farm animals would be my maternal grandfather who had a dairy farm and my paternal grandfather who had a cattle ranch. I'm the youngest of 3 daughters, only 2 of us remain. Our oldest sister passed in 2010 after a 10-year battle with Lymphoma. We miss her every day. Although avocado is very healthy for most people, it isn't good if you have kidney disease. Since I've never liked avocado anyway (it's a texture thing) I was relieved to have a better excuse not to eat it. 😉 So I will pass on the meal, red wine, and drink. Today I continue to make baby steps to feeling better. Just some congestion, cough, and most of all very, very tired. No matter how much sleep I get at night I wake up tired and stay tired all day. Vanessa @JazzyVWhat on earth -- your funds disappeared?? Terry @smitty34877Prayers that your DH's procedure goes well. We've been to Marseilles and Provence twice. The first time was in 2008, no photos from that visit good enough to share I'm afraid...we rented a car and drove to Aix-en-Provence and Arles. DS and DBIL came with us that cruise, and that day was my sister's birthday -- a great way to spend it! The second visit was in 2019. We took an 8-hour tour to Avignon and Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct built in 50 AD. Another great day! Just a couple photos of Marseilles as both times we spent the day outside of the city. Pont du Gard, Roman aqueduct built in 50 AD Inscribed stones when the bridge was built Some scenes of Avignon

Thank you Sandi, it's nice to be feeling somewhat human again. Elliott Rose is a beautiful baby, thanks for sharing the photos! Thank you Lenda! Thank you Brenda! I think the corner was turned early this morning when my fever broke and my throat is much better today. Now I just have a slight cough and feel weak and tired.

A quick hello from "Covid Central" and Happy Easter to all who celebrate. I've missed a lot of the news here, Covid knocked me down for a few days. The 3rd night was the worst and I honestly feared things would continue downward. Yesterday I had no voice due to my throat being so sore and raw. I haven't had a sore throat that bad since having my tonsils out as a child. But this morning my temperature was finally back to normal after days of being over 100. Now just to keep it that way! So I think I'm coming out of this. DH is a couple days ahead of me and doing "well". He finished his Paxlovid yesterday and I'll finish mine Tuesday morning. Our kids have been great, DSIL giving medical advice, DS and DDIL brought us Easter dinner last night (porch drop) and we got a sweet FaceTime from the grandsons yesterday. Happy Anniversary wishes to @ger_77, @erewhon and @luvteaching! Also Happy Birthday to @luvteaching! Bon Voyage @aliaschief!

Thank you Maureen. You said it well. DH feels like he may be turning the corner -- fingers crossed! He's 1-2 days ahead of me and has been on Paxlovid longer. I took my first dose tonight (smaller dose because of my kidney function). I'm resting because that's all I can do -- last night I slept 11 hours, but cold meds helped with that. Even dozed off on the couch today, something I never do unless I'm sick. And it's only 7:30 now and I think I'll head to bed soon!

Thank you for the well wishes! As I've told friends, we're lucky to get it now and not earlier or later when we want to travel and cruise. My kidney doctor has prescribed a lower dose of Paxlovid for me that I'll start tonight. I'll try to catch up with everyone's news soon, but heading back to bed for now.

Good morning from Covid central. DH and I haven't been sick together like this since we both had the Hong Kong flu in 1970. That was worse though. And since neither of us has had Covid before now, I don't know if we have a mild case or not -- just feeling crummy and hurt all over. Fever is 100.2 this morning. One thing though, I still have an appetite and Debbie's recipes look very good! I would choose #2 and add more veggies (carrots too, Debbie @dfish). I hope everyone has a great day, prayers for all on the Care list and cheers for the celebrations.

Good morning all! I'll pass on the deep dish pizza, but would love a thin crust pizza! DDIL who grew up in the Chicago area, only likes deep dish. There are no dandelions in the yard right now, I try to catch them early. Also will pass on go for broke, not a gambler. 😄 The meal sounds great if the tofu is replaced with some kind of meat, and I love Vouvray! One of my favorites. Although I can get good Vouvray at Total Wine for less $$. The quote seems to be a take-off from Benjamin Franklin's "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after 3 days." I can think of some people this would be true of, but not most. Will pass on the drink (coconut and pineapple). Well you can add me to the Covid list.... 😞 I tested positive last night. I knew it would be a miracle if I didn't catch it from DH, I'm sure he had it before we knew. Anyway, so far it's very mild for me, just a scratchy throat and minor cold symptoms. I've put a message into my Nephrologist to see if she even recommends Paxlovid for kidney patients with moderate disease. Right now, after reading about the possible side effects I'm leaning towards not taking it since my symptoms (so far) are so mild. DSIL the PA suggested I pick up the prescription, and then, if in the next 3 days I feel worse, I'll have it. Happy Birthday Edi @NextOne!! Best wishes for a successful surgery @tupper10. Oh no Maxine @AncientWanderer! I'm so sorry you've gotten "The Crud" like several of us have had. Hope you'll be feeling better very soon! @Safety SquirrelThank you for posting the military children poem. It sounds just like our DD and DS who were Navy dependents (won't say brats lol) Annie @marshhawk In the past HAL let us know well before the cruise how many Gala nights there would be. Unfortunately since Covid (?) now we don't know until just before (I mean days) before the cruise. 😞 I don't like the change, but it is what it is. Your Navigator will just show "smart casual" for the whole cruise, which isn't true. I don't remember how many days your cruise will be, but you can count on 1-2 Gala nights/week depending on the length of the cruise. We've been to Bridgetown once, and did almost the same tour that Sandi @StLouisCruisersdid. So I'll just post a few of my photos that aren't the same as hers. Some photos of the Orchid House and Sunbury House. Collection of sewing machines in the Sunbury House Swim suit from the early 1900's (!) Optometry equipment The rum flowed freely. We got a huge kick out of the gals doing the rum tasting. It was a lot like watching an episode of I Love Lucy. 😉

Perfect. And now I'm getting hungry!

For me it's hash browns. Mop up the egg yolk with hash browns and put jam on the toast. 🤣 I think you may be on to something about messy eggs and messy painters. But I may be a bit more difficult. I don't want mine sunny side up, they have to be firm but still runny enough to run out. I know, difficult. And it always takes a few days of breakfasts in the Lido before I find the perfect fried egg cooker. On our last cruise I found him quickly, he was perfect!

He says thank you! 🙂 Lenda then you and I are both odd balls. That's exactly how I like my eggs too. And my DH likes his eggs like your DH likes his.

Henry started on Paxlovid last night, his doctor approved it. If I get Covid, I doubt I could take it between my kidney function and meds I'm on. But yes, I'm very pleased with the lab report! I went from 2 points away from Stage 4 to 1 point away from Stage 3a (still in 3b). Moving up! I like my eggs "medium" meaning the yolks can't be hard but not running all over the place. And never, ever, like an egg plopped on top of my food, runny or hard. 🤣

Good morning all! Well the last 2 days have been a roller coaster for DH and me. He wasn't feeling well yesterday morning so called in to let them know he wouldn't be working the Mariner game yesterday. Later he took a Covid test....and it was positive. 😞 He's not doing too badly, a headache and minor cold symptoms. Thankful for that. We went for 3 years without getting it. I'm sure he got it on public transit going to/from the games. He wears a mask faithfully but since it isn't required on public transit anymore...nobody else wears one. Now the good news. I went for my kidney labs yesterday and everything is moving in the right direction! All the water I'm drinking, hardly any salt, and getting rid of and tweaking some meds seem to be doing the trick. I'm not out of the woods yet, but definitely a big improvement from 2 months ago. SO thankful for that. Waiting for my nephrologist's comments, but I got the results early this morning. I was afraid to look, seriously. Sandi @StLouisCruisers Great photos and congratulations to Ren! Terry @smitty34877 Wonderful that your DH won't need surgery right now. Keeping good thoughts for the interview tomorrow with the private aide! Welcome to the Daily @MisterMatthew! Nancy @ottahand7 The planters look great! Maureen @RMLincolnThank you for the great photos of Haugesund. Dixie @summer slope Prayers that the tumor has shrunk.

Oh yes it can. I miss her every day, we were very close. Thank you so much!!

Aw, thank you Brenda. But it wasn't recently, she passed 13 years ago. But I do appreciate your thoughts!

Good morning all! I love rainbows and they have a special meaning for me especially since a double rainbow appeared in front of me just as I was feeling really down a few days after the death of my dear sister. ❤️ I think I had some fun at all my jobs, all but one -- and that one I had no fun at all. 😅 Not a fan of the fabric tweed, the quote is good, will pass on the drink but the wine sounds good. I'd like the 4th recipe today. We've been to Boston several times and done pretty much all the touristy things. After doing all that we even went to Salem one day. The last time there we spent the day with Debbie @dfish who graciously waited for me as I got a much-needed haircut 😉 Then we had a fun day. Today I'll finish the laundry I started yesterday, and catch up on some housework. The weather is still cold and cloudy (no rainbows today) but at least there's no "frozen mix" coming down like yesterday. Gerry @ger_77I love your stories about the Ukrainian family and this latest one was especially heart-warming. Bless you! @Overhead FredBon Voyage! @superoma What gorgeous Hellebores. The dark ones are my favorite. Here's a rainbow photo from Yellowstone.

Oh no, always something! Let us know what you find out tomorrow. I'm so sorry to hear this, Laura. I hope you and your DH get over this quickly and don't miss many ports. We got our grocery shopping done just in time. The "frozen mix" came down in a torrent, hail was bouncing off the roof and covered the ground. Of course my Daffodils are all blooming and the tulips are coming up. Winter can leave any time!

Good morning all! We have a lot of children's books here. Sadly the boys have outgrown a lot of them. They're (almost) 8 and 10 now, hard to believe. One of their favorites was "Pajama Time" -- that one had to be read over and over. We usually made a song out of it and they sang along with me. I still have some of my own books from childhood too, "Mary Poppins" is one. I love a good PBJ but the "J" is never jelly, it's always jam. I've just never liked jelly. We've been to Normandy but not Cherbourg. We rented a car and drove to the D Day Beaches. Photos would be too much like Lenda's @Quartzsite Cruiser so I won't repost them. I would like the wine but it's out of my budget, the drink sounds great (for dessert!) and I would like the cod but without the coconut. Seems like we've had a lot of coconut lately?? Tonight we're having halibut, most likely will make "Heavenly Halibut" with the parmesan/mayo topping with lemon juice and hot sauce. Not a lot on the agenda today, other than going to the Commissary to restock on produce mainly. And more cruise planning. Gerry @ger_77 I am so impressed by all the help you organized for the young Ukrainian family. I know they are grateful! We also have a large Ukrainian population here, some have been here for years, some more recently. I've mentioned before about the young family across the street from us and how much we enjoy them. In their case the husband/father has his own company and is doing well. We had a Ukrainian company do our siding a few years back and we'd never seen such hard workers!! Maureen @RMLincolnI'm so sorry to hear that your friend's DH is dying. It's no wonder you had trouble sleeping. Prayers for him, your friend, and you. Karen @luvteaching Good to hear about your DH's improvement!!

Sharon we've never had to change cabins, but I've read here that the stewards help you. Apparently they take whole drawers of things to the new cabin which would sure make it go faster.

Oh how adorable Sharon! And she's so good -- our boys would have been gobbling up the m&ms more than decorating. 😄