Quartzsite Cruiser

Good morning from central Texas where it is 78F and feels like 78F. Our predicted high is 100F, but the heat index will be higher. The latest update on the wildfire was last night. The fire is still 30% contained, and they are working on a fire break. There was good news in the update. It appears that no homes were destroyed, only one out building was lost. They are concerned that our humidity is dropping and the winds will pick up. As usual, Rich @richwmn had me at chocolate, but I too prefer dark chocolate. We used to go to the waterpark near us when we lived in The Woodlands, and the DDs were younger. The Buffalo Soldiers deserve more than one day of recognition a year as they were important in maintaining peace in the western US. I like the George Harrison quote. Baked ziti sounds good, just not today. We'll pass on the drink, but would try the wine. Today in history was a landmark day for Northern Ireland. We almost visited Hiva Oa in 2004 on Tahitian Princess. We could see the island, but the water was too rough to tender since it's not a protected port. It was the port of the day on Friday, June 6, 2022, and here is the link for those who posted pictures that day. @cat shepard Safe travels today, Ann. @rafinmd Roy, I hope all goes well at the cardiologist today. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad things went well for your DH yesterday. I'm sorry the heat and humidity are making it more difficult for Tana. @Heartgrove Jack, thanks for the pictures of your house. The new paint job is stunning. We were supposed to tender at Hiva Oa in 2004 when we were on Tahitian Princess, but with an unprotected port, it was too rough. These are the pictures I took from our balcony. It looks like Sandi, @StLouisCruisers did not post any pictures of Hiva Oa last year. I hope Sandi and Dennis have safe travels today to Boston. Lenda

The latest word on the wildfire is it's still at 300 acres and 30% contained. There are working hard with bulldozers to increase the buffer between the fire and threatened areas. While no more houses have been destroyed, there are other structures that could be in danger, especially if the winds pickup. The garlic shrimp was a big hit tonight, even if I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I'm glad I didn't try to add the entire two pounds of shrimp. We managed to eat it all, even though I could have cut back some on the veggies. I realized when I started cooking, I didn't have Sesame oil, but olive oil worked just as well. I also left off the cilantro and seeds. In addition to the broccoli and green beans, I added mushrooms. We decided that with just veggies and rice it would be a good side dish, especially with shrimp tempura. And other proteins can be used instead of shrimp. If it wasn't for the Daily, and especially Debbie @dfish and Tina @0106 I probably would not have had the courage to attempt this dish or to make substitutions. @Crazy For Cats Jake, right after 9/11, just before we sailed from Barcelona, we bought a Toledo sword that is supposed to be a replica of King Arthur's Excalibur. It was packed in a box, but you should have seen the eyes of the guy manning the x-ray machine in the port when it went through the machine. They had us wait, and called the ship's security officer. He let us bring it on board, but kept it until the day before we reached Ft. Lauderdale. With the help of our cabin steward, extra cardboard, and plenty of tape, we strengthened the box. Then we watched the reaction of the ticket agent when we checked the box in for our flight from Ft. Lauderdale to DFW. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm sorry it wasn't just the thermostat and that your new floors are warped. Hopefully, the a/c manufacturer will cover the cost of new floor and the labor. I'm glad your neighbor got your mail. At least, it wasn't sent back. Our condolences to your neighbor on the death of her husband. For what it's worth, welcome home. I hope you can get a good night's sleep, and that Jim gets a good report tomorrow from the dermatologist. Lenda

Eva, a very happy birthday to you. \ Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot 99F (feels like 102F), windy and dry central Texas. It looks like out high will not go triple digits. I just check on the progress of the wildfire north of here. As of the update at 11:30 am, it had grown to 300 acres and was 30% contained. So far there are no more houses destroyed, but they had to reclose the highway. Looking at the map of the fire put out by the Texas A&M Forest Service, part of the area is right next to the highway. Like a lot of areas, rain would greatly help with the wildfires in Texas. So far, we have not see or smelled smoke, but our wind is from the ESE. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported. Carolyn, congratulations on booking the cruise. I saw it, and there are several ports we have not been too, which makes it appealing. Our problem is the timing since it gets back so close to Christmas. Also, right now, we have to get all the medical stuff taken care of before considering a cruise. Loved the picture with the pirate. Karen, that's a great picture of you and your Mom. I know she had a great time seeing all the places that were important in her life. BTW, your hair is about as short as mine, but mine is for year round since it's so easy to fix. Susan, Yeah! on the rain. I hope you get quite a bit, but not lightning to start more fires. Lenda

Sandi, I'll look for your posts, but don't feel like you "have to" post the pictures. Knowing ship internet or lack thereof, you could use your internet to let us know how the cruise is going. Debbie, what about one of those big, multi-person banana floats? 😁 Thanks for the pictures, Paul. Lenda

We have been to St. Thomas many times beginning in 1987 on our first cruise. It was on the Costa Daphne, and we arrived at the ship in San Juan on Saturday, and our luggage arrived on the ship on Monday in Martinique. We were still hooked on cruising. We have only been to St. Thomas once since we got digital cameras. That was in 2004 on the Golden Princess, on our older DD and DSIL wedding cruise. They were married by the captain on a sea day, which happened to be Groundhog Day. That is the easy way to have a wedding. We spent the day with DD and DSIL looking for the perfect sapphire for DD. And she found the one she wanted at a reasonable price. I don't have too many pictures from our day in St. Thomas. The first two are from the ship. This one is from the shuttle into town. The moon over St. Thomas Lenda

Good morning from a sunny and slightly breezy central Texas. It was 78F and felt like 83F when I took my walk. It is now 81F and feels like 86F. At least, as it warms up, the humidity is beginning to drop, but 71% with a dew point of 71F is still more humidity than I like. We are still under a heat advisory, and our predicted high will be 100F, but will feel warmer. This morning, I doubled the length of my walk as the scale was beginning to inch up, and I want to stop that trend before it goes any higher. So far, it's just a pound or two, but that's a pound or two too much. There is a grass wildfire not too far from us, and as of last night about 10pm, it covered about 250 acres and was 20% contained. Sadly, it has already destroyed five homes. It is near a small town north of us, and some residents are under a voluntary evacuation order. The highway to the town and another highway near the fire are closed. I just hope our winds do not pick up and the firefighters and the airplanes dropping water can get the fire under control. When I had houseplants I never took them for a walk. Once we moved here and started traveling a lot, I did not replace the plants when they died. The two I had were special. One was part of a plant my coworkers sent me when my mother died in 1974. The other was part of a small plant younger DD brought home in a Styrofoam coffee cup from pre-school. Bagpipes in small doses are fine. I have not nor will I walk on stilts. I like today's quote, especially since you can't please everybody. The lemon chicken sounds good, but tonight it will be garlic shrimp stir fry. I'm using Tina's @0106 first recipe but will substitute broccoli and green beans for the asparagus and snow peas since that's what I have on hand. We'll skip the drink, but I'd like to try the wine. We have been to St. Thomas, many times beginning with our first cruise in 1987. The only cruise there in the digital age was in 2004 on our older DD's wedding cruise on Golden Princess. The transatlantic cable changed communication for the better. @mamaofami Carol, I'm glad Sam is home and recuperating. Sending positive thoughts that the bleed will heal itself. @cat shepard Safe travels, Ann. I know the memorial service will be sad, but I hope you enjoy your friends' birthday celebrations. @aliaschief Bruce, I know what a mess that can be when the garbage can is knocked over. We've had that happen once when teenagers deliberately knocked it over with their car. That doesn't happen in our little community since we're mostly senior citizens, and most are home before dark. @Crazy For Cats Jake, I'm sure Security will take good care of your item. @marshhawk Annie, I like your idea of the Shakespeare play to help take DH's mind off his problem and the big decision that needs to be made. I'm glad you are still going to therapy and taking care of yourself. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm very happy you have such good memories of your mother on your first cruise. @Nickelpenny Penny, I hope the study helps you break your long time habit. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, great picture of Ren. I'll start doing the links to the port of the day tomorrow, and I'll also repost your pictures, so that's one less thing you have to worry about on your cruise. Safe travels to Boston tomorrow. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm glad you made it to Jacksonville last night and that you had a good night's sleep. Safe travels home today. BTW, your a/c problems could be the thermostat. We have one like yours, and we had a similar problem. It happened because there was a blip with the internet, and the thermostat lost the connection. We could still see the thermostat on the app, but could not control it. @ger_77 Gerry, welcome home, and I'm glad you had a great time. What a beautiful sunset pictures. Lenda

Thanks for sharing this information. I'm glad to see the charges for most extras are being eliminated. I guess with everything costing more, it was inevitable that the prices for the specialty restaurants would increase.

Annie, I can't begin to tell you and Chuck how sorry I am about the latest news. I wish both of you the best in whatever you and the doctors decide to do. Also, wishing you both strength to get through this latest hurdle. Remember that even though all of us are spearated by physical miles, you and Chuck are not alone. We're here for you whenever you need us or feel like sharing. Try to get some sleep tonight. ((((((((((HUGS)))))))))) Lenda

Roy, I'm glad your travel plans are coming together. Thank you for the updates about Terri's @Cruzin Terri plane. It seems she just cannot catch a break lately. I'm glad now that they had a long layover at O'Hare. Paul, thank you for the explanation of another Jewish holiday. Thanks to you, I'm learning more about your religion and traditions. I think knowing more and understanding others beliefs makes a difference for the better in how we treat each other. Graham, thank you for the sad news. 56 is much too young to die. On a lighter note, the other day when I was working on my pictures, I saw this one (which I edited) of a traffic sign in St. Petersburg when we were there in 2016. This was taken from the bus as we were driving along the Neva River. Lenda

Good morning from sunny and a breezy central Texas. It is 83F and already feels like 90F. Our humidity has returned, so by the end of my walk, it was beginning to get a tad bit uncomfortable. I guess I need to get up a bit earlier to walk before it gets too warm. Our high will be at least 101F and could go to 103F depending upon which part of the app you believe. I hope for the lower number, but if I were to bet, my money would go on the higher number. Add me to the list that will not celebrate all or nothing. Someone else can have my tofu. The only aunts I had growing up were my mother's aunts, who lived in Fort Worth and San Antonio. We would see them occasionally, and kept in touch in between visits. The quote is more than my mind can handle today, if ever. We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine, too. We have not been to today's port. The opening for the first public railroad changed the way people traveled. @Heartgrove Jack, I'm glad the house painting is finished. I can't wait to see the final results. @rafinmd Roy, I hope you get a great report from the cardiologist today. @marshhawk Annie, I hope the drops and cream will clear up DH's eye infection. I also hope he has good results from the MRI and that the doctors have some good news for both of you. I'm sorry the dinner was not good, but glad you enjoyed the concert. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I'm glad DS had a good day yesterday, and hope his drive today is also good. Wishing Ren a safe flight today. Our condolences to your twin over Madi crossing the Rainbow Bridge. I hope all the good memories of Madi help fill the hole left by her absence. @Crazy For Cats Jake, I'm glad the crew member is doing well after receiving care at the hospital. @Denise T That is great that Fancy is settling in well, and the mischievous streak will make her more interesting. @Seasick Sailor Joy, I hope the Covid test is negative and that Allen can see a doctor at the clinic today. I hope he feels better soon. Thanks to Oliver, you now know where to look if things go missing. 😉 We've also got tons of crickets, and I don't mind them outside. Somehow, they are getting in the house, and we kill a few daily. @JazzyV Vanessa, that is a very nice and thoughtful present BFF is giving his father's girlfriend. I hope it's not too hot when the new plaque is installed. @Nickelpenny Penny, I hope you get more rain today. I hate to see what our electric bill will look like after so many triple digit days. Lenda

@JazzyV Vanessa, the good grabber we have is SammonsPreston, if that helps. It will only pick up a few clothes at a time, but it's better than bending over. Lenda

I hope the patient will be all right. Vanessa, we have two of the grabbers. One is a lot better than the other. The good one was from the rehab hospital while the other was from the hospital. Your therapist might be able to get one for you that is stronger. Terri, I'm sorry you are unable to sleep. Safe travels tomorrow and the next day. Ray, DH just wanted to be seen for routine things like renewing meds and yearly blood work at the Blythe VA clinic. We were told that before he could be seen there, we had to go to a VA in Flagstaff hospital and be seen by a doctor who would refer him to the clinic. It just wasn't worth it, so we kept seeing the doctor at the local clinic in Quartzsite. We know too many veterans in our little community who have given up on the VA. Lenda

Ann, I have some of those needle threaders, too. Some might have been my mother's or my grandmother's. Recently, I couldn't find one when I needed it, and had to thread the needle without help. Boy, did that take some time. I found a pack of three threaders at the dollar story, and they are bright red, so maybe I won't lose them. Thank you for your pictures. The Singapore flyer wasn't there the last time we were in Singapore. There is still a lot left for us to explore. Lenda

Vanessa, I'm glad you are stronger in some areas, and hope they can help you reach the point where it is not so difficult to do daily tasks. I have a couple of suggestions, and the first might not be practical depending upon the age of your dryer. Have you thought about getting one of the pedestals to raise the dryer to a more accessible height? I know they are usually specific to certain models, and they are not inexpensive. A less expensive alternative is using one of those grabbers that are designed to help people pick up things they drop. When DH was in rehab the occupational therapist, as part of the program to help him tackle things around the house, showed him how to use the grabber to load and unload the washer and dryer, not that he's used it for that. 😁 While I can still get things out of the dryer, the grabber does help me get clothes out of the back of the very deep built in hamper. I think I use the grabber more than DH, especially to get things off high selves. It beats getting out the step ladder. Sandi, we've seen that light system in some areas of Europe, too. I knew that your DS was driving and that Ren was flying. I guess I made the mistake of assuming your DDIL was flying in with Ren and your DS would be heading home. As far as the heat, just like in AZ, people try to do all the outside work in the morning, and then stay inside during the hotest part of the day. Roy, that is great news from your visit with the pulmonologist. It's always nice to know the things that concern a doctor are pretty much resolved. Now, you can relax and enjoy planning for your cruises, and the cruises. I hope there are more cruises in your future after this good report. Ray, the notice DH got several years ago was about the VA allowing veterans to see local health care providers instead of going to a VA facility. For us the nearest one is at least 45 miles away in Waco. However, just to get the approval would take a long visit to the VA and jumping through too many hoops. We're lucky Medicare and our supplement cover the costs of our care. When we were in Quartzsite a few years ago, we checked out the VA clinic. To be seen there, DH would have to go to Flagstaff and be approved by a doctor there. 😱 That's about a day's drive. Joy, with the VA, it seems the left had has no clue what the right hand is doing. No wonder it takes so much time and effort to be seen. I hope you can get things straightened out soon. Lenda

Katherine, I hope the PT three times a week helps your DH. The past couple of years, I've weeded a lot of clothes out of the closet that no longer fit, but I kept some of the better ones. I'm glad I did, since I can now get into some of them again. Of course this is at the time cruise lines are going more casual. Annie, I hope the PT today helps, and that the eye doctor will be able to give your DH something to clear up the eye infection quickly. Enjoy the concert. I hope the concert is a distraction, and that the MRI results and the doctors' visits are not troubling. Terry, I hope the two ladies will continue to clean your house, so you can take care of yourself and others. Tina, thanks for filling in the blank spot in my memory. Thank you, Graham. I hope you and Pauline can visit Singapore some day. It is a lovely, and very clean city. Carolyn, I'm glad you got some rain. That is strange about your doctor only doing virtual visits for a few months. I can definitely celebrate hot fudge sundae day. Debbie, being stopped by security mush have been a little unsettling until you found out why. Glad it wasn't anything serious, but I bet some eyebrows were raised by some passengers. Loved the pictures of the gardens. Jake, I'm glad you had good weather today in Halifax. I enjoyed the pictures, too. Speaking of pictures, I found some of Singapore in 2003 which were taken as we sailed by the city after the stop there was canceled due to SARS. They are not the best since we were a long way off shore. Lenda

We have been to Singapore twice. The first time was in 2000 on P&O Oriana world cruise. The second was in 2002 on Volendam on the 64 day APEC cruise. These are DH's pictures from 2000 and my pictures from 2002. In 2000, we arrived about noon after sailing through the large container port. I think at that time, it was the largest one in the world. We took a taxi into town, and did a short tour of places the driver thought interesting. Then we rode their monorail around the island to get a look at the areas away from downtown. We walked down a pedestrian shopping street. Our next stop was Raffles, but we did not go to the Long Bar. We did have supper n the patio. From Raffles we walked down the the waterfront and took a boat to see more of the sights. Singapore at night from the boat ride. In 2002, there was a performance by some costumed dancers. These two posed for us as got off the ship. We took the shuttle into town and walked around. This time we did make it to the Long Bar. A busy street downtown Lenda

Good morning from a sunny and calm central Texas. It is 77F and feels like 77F with slightly higher humidity. The high will be about 102F, so after my walk and errands, it will be another day inside. I'll celebrate culinarians day, but I am also just a cook, who on some days feels more like a short order cook. It's too hot for chili dogs today, and we had hot dogs not too long ago. Threading the needle day is an interesting day. As for threading an actual needle, I use a needle threader, but it is still getting more difficult as time goes one. The Mark Twain quote is interesting, and if IIRC, there is some controversy about the quote, but I don't remember exactly what it is. The meal sounds good as does the wine. We'll skip the drink. We've been to Singapore twice, and had to bypass it in 2003 because of SARS. I'll look for my pictures in a few minutes. The invention of the steam locomotive revolutionized travel. @grapau27 Thank you, Graham, for the explanation of thread the needle. @Mr. Boston Welcome home. I'm glad you had a good weekend getaway. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, safe travels for your DS, DDIL and Ren. I hope they are prepared for some good old Texas summer heat. Lenda

Sharon and Annie, @marshhawk it is mainly in the US that you have to go through immigration and have a zero count. This varies from country to country, but I do not remember going through immigration in Cicvitecchia. We always got a letter a few days before the turnaround day outlining the procedure and it included an in transit card which lets you skip most of the lines except security. I read last week that the EU will soon require a visa for most countries to enter the EU. You will be able to get the visa electronically online. Lenda

Ann, overall that sounds like good news. Monitoring evert 6 months sounds like a good choice. Marcia, that is good news. I hope the threads are reabsorbed soon. Annie, I can't help about the Rome cab, but we we've stayed on board on turn around days. For a few hours, it will almost be like having the ship to yourself. Or you can explore Chivitecchia on your own. Once you get out of the port, Chivitecchia is an easily walkable town. There might be a shuttle from the sjip into town. Lenda

Susan, I'm sorry to learn of the death of the love of your life. I remember you telling us about him last summer year. Last year the neurosurgeon suggested Steve have the back surgery first. He thought it might relieve the NPH which it did for aa few months. We now believe that was due to spimal fluid being lost during the surgery. However, the began to be noticed in March, and began getting worse in late spring. Unfortunately, it takes a while to get appointments at UTSW, and then, they have to do the lumbar puncture and after a month od our monitoring the results, then we see the surgeon. Hopefully, the surgery to install the shunt will happen soon afterward. No one wants brain surgery, but living with nph is not acceptable. Have a great cruise on NA. I hope after we are finished with UTSW with a good outcome, we can meet on a BHB. Lenda

Joy, that is inexcusable. They had to have known the doctor's schedule five weeks ago, if she's always off on Mondays. If it's any comfort, Allen is not the only one to have these problems. Most of our retired military neighbors use Tricare and avoid the VA. One retired Army vet has told me several times, he will not even consider the VA anymore since they have never done anything for him. Supposedly there is a way for vets to go to local, private practice doctors and have the VA pay. DH got something in the mail about it several years ago but never looked into it. When he was in rehab, I went to the VA clinic in Waco about getting a prescription for him by mail through the VA. They said I'd have to bring him in and it would take 2-3 hours. I told them he was in rehab, and that he couldn't sit for that long. They said he could stay in the car for part of that time, but it would still take 2-3 hours. All I got from that visit was a form for DH to sign to allow me access to his records. That form went in the circular file. I realized a few weeks ago, there is a VA affairs office in Waco, no where near the VA hospital. I should have gone there, but not now, especially since he's off that drug. Lenda

Annie, I hope you get a good therapist this time, whatever time it is. Even without memory issues, unless it is a routine appointment, it helps to have two sets of ears, and to people to ask questions. I hope all goes well for DH with the MRIs and doctors on Wednesday. I also hope they can get that eye infection under control soon, and glad he could get an emergency appointment tomorrow. Lenda

That is good news. Thanks for letting us know. Lenda

Sandi, I hope things improve for your twin's loved one, and that the vet has some answers that will help Madi. If not, I know your twin will put Madi first, and help her cross the Rainbow Bridge. Fourteen is a long life for a Golden Retriever. I know you feel helpless when nothing you can say will make either situation better, but just being there and listening is a help to you twin. Lenda