luvteaching

@marshhawk. Me too! I was on Safari and am on a Mac. I switched to Chrome and it's working. Karen

Good evening, I had to switch browsers to get on CC this evening. Weird. All I get is a white screen on Safari. @Quartzsite Cruiser Here's the chocolate snickerdoodle recipe. I get about 2 dozen cookies off of this one but they aren't that big. Oven at 350 for 9 minutes 3/4 c sugar 1/4 cup margarine (or butter) 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 egg 1 1/8 cup flour 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 cup cocoa. I put it all in the Kitchenaid mixer and let the mixer do it's magic. Then I refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours and even to the next day. I use a scoop to get the cookies on the cookie sheet. I make them into balls and dip then into a cinnamon sugar mixture and then bake. They come out a bit puffy with a cracked top. Karen

Good morning, @kazu so glad you are having a good trip and I really enjoyed seeing all the photos and reading about your trip to Boston. I've been debating about the filet with lobster dumplings for my next Pinnacle Grill dinner in July. Tell me more please! Have a wonderful trip! Karen

Good morning, It's a rather dreary day here but rain isn't in the forecast. Never fear it's back with a vengeance tomorrow. Happy Birthday @dfish! Safe travels and enjoy your day. Today is some errands in town and I'm going to try a new water aerobics class. I'm taking a hiatus from PT so this will add a 3rd day of pool time which my body will enjoy. I also have to stop and top off the gas tank and get a few groceries. Nothing too exciting. I got the chocolate snickerdoodles made yesterday and that was the highlight of my day. Happy Friday! Karen

Good morning @YVRteacher! I taught a 5th/6th split for a few years then mainly 6th grade. In my district 6th grade is the last year of elementary. I love that age group - a special combination of still being kids but wanting to be older. My classroom was filled with books - more than our little library had! When I started my school was 4 classrooms with a 1/2 split, 2/3 split, 4/5 split and 5/6 split. Over time we added two new classrooms so no splits and we had a kindergarten and then we added 4 more. When I started we had less than 100 kids and when I retired it was closer to 150. My drive was 8 minutes with 3 stop signs on the way over and 1 on the way home. Love Parnassus books!!! Go in each time I'm there. There's also a nice local bookstore in Juneau in the same building as the Hanger Restaurant. It used to be up by the Ben Franklin and I would go in every trip even if I only got postcards. Same in Sitka. I really enjoy the local shops. Karen

@YVRteacher - so looking forward to another trip report from you and DD. I'm a retired teacher and a Canadian citizen/permanent US resident. If you need a book fix - try Parnasus books in Ketchikan. It's a favorite local book store! Have a wonderful cruise and enjoy your last few months of school. Karen

Good morning - almost afternoon, It's a soggy day here and that's the forecast for the next several days. It's ok for me today as I need a day to stay home and hopefully get things done. This morning I have a load of laundry going and have chocolate snickerdoodle cookie dough chilling in the fridge. I'll get them made up in a few hours. I've talked to my DBIL to check how he's doing after the death of his DW earlier this month. So far he's doing ok. I shared some information I had about a drug take-back day this Saturday. I have so many meds from my DD DH that I've been waiting for one of these days to get rid of them! Later I'll go through the cabinets one more time to make sure I have everything. They take both prescription and over-the-counter ones. Other than that nothing too exciting in this section of the Pacific Northwest. Karen

Good afternoon, As @Cruising-along mentioned our nice weather has turned to grey clouds and rain and that's all we have in the forecast for the next several days. Oh well. Yesterday was a lovely day. I went to the Widows Support Group lunch at a very nice restaurant in Anacortes. I had one of the nicest caesar salads I've ever had. We had a room set aside for our group with a lovely view of the water. Today was the pool this morning and two water aerobics classes. Now it's trying to get a few things done around the house such as organizing my desk and cleaning up the kitchen. I did talk to my 97 1/2 year old Mom and she's doing well so that's good. I'd enjoy the salmon, maybe on the wine, and yes to the mimosa. Karen

Good morning, It's our last sunny day for a while as @Cruising-along mentioned. I'll be outside for walks and I'm heading to lunch today. @marshhawk and @cunnorl Happy Birthday! Yesterday the pool did wonders for my stiff and sore hip flexor muscle. By mid-afternoon I could walk so much better. Today is lunch in Anacortes at a shoreside seafood place called Secret Cove. Anacortes is about a 40 minute drive from me and I don't head there often. I'm picking up a friend and we'll carpool. It's a lunch for our Widows Support Group. I'm looking forward to it and maybe doing a bit of a drive afterwards if my friend is up to it. Karen

Good morning, We're having a sunny day today but starting out at 30F so chilly. @JazzyV Best wishes for a successful surgery today! I'm thinking of you. Today is the pool, a quick stop at the grocery store then working here at home. There's always something. I like coleslaw and get a bag of angel hair cabbage at the grocery store to make salads. It has a nice crunch and stays fresh. My favorite cole slaw is the one from White Spot - especially when it's served with the toasted shrimp sandwich! Yum!! Karen

The two are somewhat different. In Juneau Mendenhall is a major draw. You don't get as close as you once did due to the glacier receding but you can walk the Nugget Falls train and get fairly close to the glacier relatively speaking. There is also a very nice visitors center. In Glacier Bay I believe the National Park Service Rangers will be on-board to narrate and have a table of things to purchase as well as the stamp for your National Park passport. You do get somewhat close to the glaciers (and Pea soup is served on the decks). Last year I did the small boat tour at Hubbard and it was worth every penny I spent. If you want to get closer then, if that's offered, it might be worth it to you. We got quite a bit closer to the glacier than the ship did. Karen

Good afternoon, It's been a rather slower Sunday which is good. The sun keeps trying to come out after the rain yesterday but the clouds are getting in the way and it's a bit on the breezy side. My leg with the stuck hip muscle is giving me fits today so finally took something and that's helping. The pool tomorrow will really help it. @JazzyV Thinking of you and hoping all goes well for you tomorrow. I'd love the chocolate covered cashews as long as it's dark chocolate. We have a place I order from that is based out of Cashmere, Washington and they have the best chocolate covered nuts and do both milk and dark chocolate. Today has gotten off to a slow start but the neighbor came for tea and I have a load of laundry going. After waving at @kazu and @richwmn on the sailaway then I need to get a few things done around the house. Dinner is easy - the salmon dinner I picked up yesterday from the Kiwanis fundraiser. Karen

Checking in and ready to wave as well!

Have a wonderful cruise @kazu and friend! I have friends going with me on 3 cruises and we'll see how that all works out. Have a wonderful time!! Karen

Good morning from the Pacific Northwest, It started out with temps below 30F but the sun is out and it's a pretty morning. High is supposed to be mid to high 60's but rain is forecast for late afternoon. Today is a more leisurely day. I'll pop into town and stop at Costco then go up to the Kiwanis Salmon BBQ and get meals to-go for myself and my GF. It's a nice meal - salmon, cole slaw, baked potato, garlic bread, beverage and ice cream bar. It's done Fri-Sun for the month of April which is our local Tulip Festival. I can do backroads and hopefully avoid the crowds. With the sun out it's bound to be a traffic nightmare in the valley where the fields are. It's also the street fair in Mount Vernon so lots going on. @kazu So glad you made it to FLL and have a wonderful visit with @POA1 and @Huskerchick. Be part of that "bubble of awesomeness" as you deserve it! Karen

Good afternoon Everyone, Thank you for all your kind thoughts today on laying DSIL to rest. The service was well done and very well-attended. There were probably 75-100 people there. The platters the other DSIL and I got from Safeway were wonderful! They were ready for pickup early so DSIL picked them up and I met her at the church. The neatest idea was having hummus and dips in hollowed out red and yellow peppers. Anyway huge Kudos to our local Safeway and I'll be writing a thank you to them. The service was about 30 minutes long then the reception was right there. The burial was at 2:00 and about 25 of us made the trek to the graveside. The weather was perfect with total blue skies, lots of sun and a nice breeze. Thanks for all the good wishes. @kazu Have a wonderful trip! You're right - it was "a day" as I had teary moments but I'm a tough old broad and worked through it! Karen

Good morning, We have another beautiful day today and temps in the high 60's although it was 28F on the front porch when I got up a couple of hours ago. Today is the service for DSIL. The funeral is at 11, reception at 12 and then burial at 2:00 so a full day. For my DBIL's sake I hope it all goes well. I have party platters to pick up at Safeway at 10:00 before heading to the church so have to be out in about an hour. Have a Good Friday! Karen

Good morning again! I just paid off my 4th - and last for 2024 - Alaska cruise this morning! My credit card has been getting a workout but that's fine. Now I have 4 Alaska cruises out of Seattle - June is Majestic Princess and so far I'm solo on that one; July is Westerdam and I have a friend who is a first time cruiser and first timer to Alaska going with me; August is Discovery Princess and another friend who is a first time cruiser and first timer to Alaska is going; and finally the Eurodam in September and one set of friends has a cabin down the hall, we're all trying Club Orange, and I may have a friend going in my cabin with me who will be a first time cruiser. It should be an interesting summer! Now off to do laundry and get the parking taken care of for the September cruise. Karen

Good morning, As @Cruising-along mentioned we have another beautiful day to enjoy with temps in the mid-60's. I can handle that. It's so nice to look out and see the sun shining. @kazu I'm tickled to hear that your cruise is a "go" and that Ivan did well yesterday. Have a wonderful time! Today is actually a stay-at-home day which is needed. Yesterday was two water aerobics classes and then stops at 2 grocery stores. At both I saw former students and chatted. I have two former students who are doing something I consider amazing. The older of the two donated a kidney to the younger one on Tuesday and the kidney is functioning great! Tomorrow is DSIL's service, reception and graveside and the weather is supposed to be good so am glad for that. The weekend shows rain at least on Sunday. Nothing surprising about that in this area. Have a great Thursday! Karen

@POA1. Thanks for the recommendation of the Finlay Donovan series. I loved the first one and have the second coming from Amazon! Karen

On HAL the cabins are usually available on boarding and the key card is in the slot outside the cabin. My usual routine is to head to the cabin, drop off the carry-on luggage, grab the key card and then head to the Lido for a salad and a very small taste of bread pudding! Karen

Good morning, Our day is supposed to be on the cool side but the sun is out so that's a good thing. I thought it would be a stay-at-home day but now have to run into Costco to price sandwich trays, etc. for my DSIL's funeral reception on Friday. My other SIL did some looking in her area but we want to see if we can have it delivered and what the local place will have. I can handle that after tea with a neighbor and some other work around the house. Yesterday was the pool and two water aerobics classes, a couple of errands (finally got the nose pads on my glasses fixed) and then puttering around the house. It's Tulip Festival time in our valley so the weekends are super busy and that will be the case this coming weekend with a street fair, Kiwanis Salmon BBQ and highs near 70. Have a good day! I'm counting down the days until my first of four Alaska cruises this summer. The first is on Majestic Princess June 2nd (47 days) then the Westerdam in early July, Discovery Princess early August and Eurodam early September. Have a good day! Karen

Hi @atexsix Bruno, I hope you are getting things done and allowing time for yourself. It can be overwhelming I know. If you feel it would be appropriate I'd love to have a link to DD's obituary. That's only if you are comfortable with it. He was such a nice man and I enjoyed chatting with him at the Lincoln Center Stage. You were a great caregiver, from what I experienced, and caregiving isn't easy. Take care! Karen

Good morning, We're having a lovely day here in the Pacific Northwest with the temp supposed to be above 60 later on (below 40 at the moment). I had a great afternoon with DS and DDIL and family yesterday. I made a batch of dinner rolls and headed over at 12:30 and got home at 7:00. A lot of visiting, laughter, and catching up with DDIL's parents. I've known them for over 40 years so always fun to get together. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary over Labor Day Weekend and I'm already told I'm invited and to bring my rolls and lemon bars! Today's plan is to get the things done I didn't get done yesterday so we'll see how that works out. Tomorrow we're back to lower 50's and rain so will enjoy the sun when I can. Karen

Darn, I'll miss the sail away today as I'll be at DS and DDIL's house for lunch/visit as her parents are here from Anchorage area. Oh well. I'll be on the Eurodam in early September and I'm in the process of arranging for a burial at sea for DD DH. He loved his cruising! Karen