Quartzsite Cruiser

Good morning from what is supposed to be a sunny morning in central Texas, however, from the window by the computer I'm seeing a heavy cloud cover. Hopefully, the sun will break through before too long. It is currently 60F and the predicted high is supposed to be in the 80s. Of course, it's also windy. Today is another important date in Texas history. On March 6, 1836, the Alamo fell after a long siege which began on February 23, 1836.. The loss of the Alamo gave the Texians, as they were called then, the will to fight harder and their battle cry "Remember the Alamo". I always liked George Burns, and I like today's quote. I think the DDs feel we are the right distance from them. Close enough to for quick visits occasionally, but far enough away to not meddle, which I wouldn't do anyway. Like several others, I am not fond of going to the dentist, but I'll celebrate our young dentist who bought the practice several years ago. He is very patient and caring, and is doing everything to help me keep my teeth. I also like my hygienist. We keep some frozen vegetables in the freezer, but I try to get fresh when I can. Besides meat and fish in the freezer, I try to keep some leftovers for busy days or when I don't feel like cooking. Oreos are a favorite in this house, but I don't keep them around since the family size bag of double stuff seems to disappear very quickly. 🤣 I like fried rice, but have never made it. We get it when we eat at Chinese restaurants, but my favorite is the crab fried rice in the Tamarind. We'll skip the mint julep, which I also associate with the Kentucky Derby. We'll also pass on the wine. We've been to Auckland twice, and I'll look for my pictures in a few minutes. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope your family member's not so great week works out well for them and soon. I need to power wash our driveway and the house, but will wait until a little later in the spring. @aliaschief More great memes today, Bruce. The next to last one has been our social life for the past year. Sorry about the trash cans being turned over. @rafinmd Roy, good news you slept fairly well last night. Thank you for your pictures from Auckland. I didn't know Auckland was so close to the west coast. I guess I should have looked more closely at the map when we were there. @mamaofami Carol, have a great and fun afternoon with your grandson. @kochleffel Paul, it's interesting seeing the dynamics of different families. My stepmother's family was a large one, and they welcomed my father into the family. @summer slope Dixie, I too hope the treatments for your kitty give her many more happy years on this side of the Rainbow Bridge. @Seasick Sailor Joy, sending positive thoughts to your niece that she finds comfort in helping her cat become free of her pain and suffering. 🌈 @cunnorl Charlene, that is so nice that your DD can be with your DH and be part of and enjoy the tournament. Lenda

Many times, I wanted tell @St. Louis Sal that I admired her for her upbeat attitude and for her doing all she could to get the most out of life. I held off because I wasn't sure how she would take it. I'm sure that she had her moments of despair, but we never saw it. I regret that I didn't tell her. Annie, I think many of us on the Daily lead a more interesting life than we think we do. We've been fortunate enough to cruise and see the world. Going through my pictures, I've been amazed at some of the places we've seen and the people we met. We've been places most people only dream about. We never thought we get to Moscow to see the Kremlin, Beijing to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, much less travel in China on our own on the high speed train. We didn't think we'd ever go to Hanoi or Hue either. We even made it to Ukraine before all the problems caused by Russia. All our travels made our everyday life seem a little dull, but even enjoying being outside or just pursuing our hobbies give our lives meaning. I guess that's enough philosophying for one day. 😉 Lenda

Thank you for the information. As I said earlier, while the cruise terminal is spartan at best, just making it easier to navigate will be a big improvement. Brenda, I've enjoyed your pictures from Hawaii. Safe travels back to the frozen tundra tonight. It hope it's not a big adjustment returning to winter. Lenda

Joy, sending early condolences to your niece for tomorrow when her cat crosses the Rainbow Bridge. Even though it is the right thing to do for her beloved cat, I know it will be hard on your niece. Thanks for the information about the remodeling of the cruise terminal. It is a rather sparse and unattractive building, but when we're headed to a BHB, I'm more focused on getting checked in and on the ship. I do hope when the remodel is complete we don't have to wind around the building to get to the escalators or elevators. Sandi, I remember that @St. Louis Sal was posting less frequently and mentioned more difficulty doing things as her hands were becoming more affected by the ALS. I wish we could hear how she is doing. I always admired her attitude on here despite what she was facing. She was trying to live life to the fullest. Carolyn, says thank you for the birthday wishes. Sandi and Eva, I remember Julia @JAM37 saying her DMIL was moving in with them, but was taking her time deciding what to move and what to discard. Then last fall, her DBIL who has Parkinson's was supposed to move in too. I imagine if they did not have to move again that she is very busy with the family. It would be nice to get an update and to learn how she and her DH are doing. Lenda

This is the basic pot roast recipe I've used for decades, and it was my mother's recipe. She also used the recipe to cook beef short ribs. Over the years, I've tweaked it, adapted it first for a pressure cookers and then for the Instant Pot. Recently, I started adding mushrooms. I have never used tomato paste or Worcestershire sauce. Now, I use baby carrots, and regular onions cut in wedges. For just the two of us, I get the 2-3 pound roast and cut it into; then, cook one half. I also adjust the amount of veggies. This gives us enough for two meals, and another roast for a later date. We also like garlic, so I usually and another clove or two, but if Joy @Seasick Sailor was coming for dinner, I'd omit the garlic. POT ROAST WITH VEGETABLES 2-3 lb. beef roast 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 t oil 1 bay leaf 1 t salt 3 peppercorns 1 t pepper 6 small carrots 1 onion, sliced 6 small onions 6 medium potatoes, quartered 1 c water Mushrooms, sliced 1 T cornstarch ¼ c flour ½ c water Cut meat into pieces, brown slowly on all sides in oil in bottom of cooker. Pour off excess fat. Put cooking rack in place and place meat on rack with garlic and sliced onion. Add water and seasonings. Cover and bring to cooking pressure. Cook for 40 minutes. Cool cooker. Add vegetables. Cover and bring to cooking pressure. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool cooker instantly. Remove meat and vegetables to a hot platter and thicken liquid for gravy if desired. To thicken the liquid, mix 2 parts water with one part flour, plus 1T cornstarch. At 12# pressure cook roast 50 minutes and vegetables 8½ minutes. Lenda

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas where it is currently in the low 58F. Our high this afternoon is predicted to reach 77F. I'm glad that yesterday, I could get out and work in the yard on a warm sunny day. It felt good to be outside and working. Fortunately, I'm not as sore today as I thought I would be. Maybe, walking almost everyday since Christmas helped my leg muscles handle all the bending, etc. The main thing on the agenda today is making and decorating DH's birthday cake. Multiple personality day is an interesting day to celebrate. I imagine many people have a family personality and a slightly different one for being around others. I don't think I've known anyone with two or more distinct personalities. My first name was my mother's middle name and one that appears often in our family tree. My middle name is a combination of my grandfathers' names. One grandfather was Len (Leonard) and the other was D.A. (David Albert), but he went by his initials since he was D. A. junior. I remember the big reels of film, and occasionally having to wait while the projectionist had to repair a broken film. We still have many reels of home movies beginning with my father's that date back to my birth. Last year, DH transferred all but two of them to memory chips. The two not transferred are very dry and brittle, so I'm afraid those imagines are lost unless we send them out to be transferred. I am lucky that I have two good friends I can call at 4 am, and one is my nextdoor neighbor who I've known forever. After years of cooking pot roast in the oven, I started cooking them in a pressure cooker, then switched to an Instant Pot. The house still smells like pot roast cooking, but just not as long as the oven or slow cooker method. I still have a roast for pot roast in the freezer and will make it in a few days. We'll pass on the drink, but I would like to try the wine. Chateau St. Michelle's Riesling is not too dry or too sweet, so hopefully, the Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut is about the same. We have not been to Boracay Island in the Philippines. We finally made it to Manilla in 2018. @Crazy For Cats Jake, I think all of us would like to be viewing the scene from the video in person. @grapau27 Graham, thank you for the explanation of two of our days. I hope your great memories of your dad make today a little less sad. @JazzyV Vanessa, thank you for keeping track of us and giving us the lists. Sadly, in a few months, we'll probably need to add the year to the last dates that @St. Louis Sal and @JAM37 last posted. I hope they are both doing well and are just busy with their lives. @cat shepard Ann, enjoy the birthday lunch with your friend. I loved the cat memes. @aliaschief Bruce, thanks again for all the great memes. @rafinmd Roy, I'm sorry you are still waking up at 3 am. Sometimes, just lying still in bed can be restful, and allow you to at least doze. @ger_77 Gerry, I liked your meme, and loved reading the conversation between your DS and Parker. @dfish Debbie, that first recipe with all the carrots looks really good. I had to laugh when I read your comment. @ottahand7 Nancy, thanks for all the pictures. They bring back wonderful memories of our time in Manaus. We did that tour, and the next day along with another couple, hired one of the small boats near the dock and went back into the jungle. We stopped at one house where the father and kids came out with a small green parrot, a three toed sloth and an anaconda. DH petted the snake and I petted the sloth, who's fur was very soft. @smitty34877 Terry, enjoy your visit with your friend. Glad DD can help man the home front today. @marshhawk Annie, you have and are leading a very interesting life. Thanks for sharing the story of you former neighbor. I may have left out some of you who posted memes, and I want you to know that I enjoy all of them. Lenda

Good evening. I spent the afternoon working to make the yard presentable. I pulled the worst weeds, then trimmed and mowed the weeds. After that, I pulled a lot of the "dead" crabgrass from last year. Some of it was already putting out new shoots. This year, we have a pre-emergent to spread that claims to work even if the weeds have already started growing again. I put it down, and we'll see what happens. All that's left for now is to trim the bushes I didn't have time to trim last fall. It was a perfect afternoon to be outside. It felt good to be able to get out of the house. I have enjoyed seeing all the pictures of San Juan. Thank you to all who shared their pictures. Before I forget, DH looked at Jupiter and Venus tonight. While they look good to the naked eye, they are too far apart for the telescope to get both of them in the same picture. Enjoy the weekend with the kitties. Sorry, they both are on antibiotics. Graet picture of the family. RNB, I wish there was such a book. I learned when others on here were kind enough to keep posting the instructions for the blue bubble until we got the hang of it. Sometimes, CC gets ornery and won't let us get blue bubble. In that case, we punt. Susan, when you said Monty needed a special bowl, I wondered if his chest is rubbing on the bowl and causing the hair loss. It was just a thought since I don't know what his food dish is like. It always amazes me how many skiers will ski in out of bounds areas and then get in trouble. Bruce, I'm not sure about that either, especially after reading about the study where all the rivers tested had forever chemicals in them. Debbie, thanks for the butterfly pictures. Almost 30 years ago, older DD and I went to the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural History. It was an amazing experience. Beautiful pictures, Brenda . Ann, that is great news that Pat is feeling better. Sometimes, all it takes is the correct antibiotic. Even this Texan enjoyed the Canadian humor. We've seen snow on the mountain from the port. People on the mainland often don't believe it snows in Hawaii. Annie, sorry about losing the sale and bonus, then having the daughter cancel her mother's sale. I won't allow Miracle Whip in the house either. Loved the meme. Lenda

Checking in before I take advantage of a nice sunny day and do some yard work. It's still in the 60s but warming up, and in the sun, the breeze should not make it too cool. DH had the little telescope out last night, but did not get pictures of the planets. He needs to use the big telescope for that, and we may put it out tonight, but no promises. Welcome home, Lorraine. I'm glad you, your DB, and DSIL had a good time in Las Vegas. What a beautiful tribute to your DS from the snare drum line at his Celebration of Life. RNB, I'm glad @0106 explained about multi quoting. As you can see, I try to leave a space before and after my comments to set them apart. As far as getting the blue bubble that I used in my earlier post today, that's not too hard when the blue bubble is cooperating. You just use the @ sign and start typing the CC name you want to comment on. A drop box will appear below your typing with a list of CC names. Just click on the correct name, and the blue bubble will appear. Terry, your welcome. Vanessa, glad there was no major damage from the storm last night. Susan, I'm sorry about the sad news about the skier and the ice climber. I hope you solve the problem of Monty's hair loss. Terri, I'm glad the tilers are working hard to get your bathroom finished. I don't blame you for not wanting to deal with Wayfair anymore after the hassle yesterday. Good that you finally got someone to assemble the table. Bruce, why should RNB work when all that booze is there for the taking? 🤣 Lenda

Our younger DD and her SO are vegetarians, and this is the chili recipe she makes. While I haven't made it, she says it very good. The recipe came from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home . I thought @smitty34877Terry and others who cook for vegetarians might like to see this recipe. RED, GOLD, BLACK, AND GREEN CHILI ½ c bulgur ½ c hot water 3 c undrained canned tomatoes (28-oz can) 3 T olive oil 3 c chopped onions 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed 1 t ground cumin 1 t chili powder ¼ t cayenne 2 green bell peppers, chopped 2 c fresh or frozen cut corn 1½ c drained cooked black beans (14 oz can) 1½ c drained kidney beans (14 oz can) salt to taste grated cheddar or Jack cheese Place the bulgur, hot water, and about a cup of the juice from the canned tomatoes in a small saucepan, cover and bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat and simmer gently. While the bulgur cooks, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne. When the onions are soft, stir in the bell peppers and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes more. Chop the tomatoes right in the can and add them to the pan. Stir in the corn and beans, and heat thoroughly on low heat. Taste the bulgur. When it is cooked but still chewy, add it to the pan with its liquid. Cover and simmer for a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Add salt to taste. Serve with grated cheese.

Good morning from a sunny central Texas. It is 50F now, but highs are expected to be 77F or higher. Of course, there will also be wind this afternoon. This is the beginning of spring in Texas after all. We could still get a frost or two, and it's been known to snow in Texas in March, but the long range forecast doesn't show that happening. After the crazy weather this fall and winter, I'm not counting on the long forecast completely. I like all three days, and I think we should be tolerant of other religions. I'll hug DH later since he was a GI for two years. DH, his brothers and both DDs were in marching bands in middle school and high school. My favorite marching band is the UT Longhorn Band, aka the Show Band of the Southwest. The Louis Aragon quote is interesting. We'll pass on the meal since we had chili last night for dinner. We'll also pass on the drink and the wine. I've lost count of how many times we've been to San Juan, but they were all pre-digital. Our first cruise and several others began or ended in San Juan. @grapau27 Graham, thanks you for the explanation of Holy Experiment Day. @TAW1963 Safe flight today and enjoy your night in Galveston. The Ruby Princess is a nice ship, but bigger than any HAL ship. @ottahand7 Nancy, thank you for the additional pictures of Boca da Valeria. I hope you like the river cruise as much as we did. @marshhawk Annie, I'm glad you survived the storm unscathed yesterday. Too bad about your neighbor's water leak and losing water for the afternoon. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I'm glad the storm in your area was not too bad. @summer slope Dixie, sending positive thoughts that the prednisone works and the tumor shrinks.. Hugs to you and your kitty. @mamaofami Carol, that is good news the cortisone shot worked. Congratulations to your daughter for a good argument before the NY Supreme Court. Enjoy your visit with your grandson. @ger_77 Gerry, enjoy your sunny days. We have a friend who calls the meal you're planning a CORN dinner -- Clean Out Refrigerator Night. Lenda

Joy, I'm glad you made it to Fanning Island. Sorry there is the trifecta of nasty viruses on board. Please stay safe and well. I know I dont need to add wear your masks. 😷 Lenda

Sandi, a little late, but hope you are both safe and away from the storms. I also hope Annie @marshhawk is safe too. Jane, I'm glad yyou are feeling better with the new heart meds. CHF can be scary, but the reatment has come a long way in the past 30 yrars. Sending positive thoughts that the test results show no surprises. Lenda

Terri, I don't blame under the circumstances. It was just an idea incase you hadn't already paid to have it assembled. Lenda

Thanks, Sandi. Remember, one of the tiler's has her old tv table already. Lenda

Not unexpected our breeze is now a wind, but as long as it's sunny, I'm happy. It's been a busy morning on the Daily. Terry, I'm glad that the problem at the aorta is fairly common that your DH is already taking the medication needed along with all his vital signs being normal. I hope the specialist wants to just keep an eye on the problem. I hope the other tests also have good outcomes. Nancy, thanks for the pictures. The kids seem happy, and the moms should enjoy the swag. Rich, I'm sorry you have to miss Madagascar due to weather an other issues. Welcome home, Katherine. Jacqui, that's interesting that most of your dogs were left pawed. Our other dogs, including the Dalmatian's litter mate, did not show a paw presence. Our smallest dachshund could get her way with "the look" and if not she's sit up on her haunches, flap her front legs, and trash talk us. I was very glad I did not speak dachshund. 😄 Paul, that's very interesting about the cats. Terri, happy day that the tilers are there. Ann, I'm sorry Pat and your DD both are having medical serious medical problems. I hope they are better soon, and that you get the Prolia issue resolved. I'm glad your neighbor is doing well, but sorry her cat is not doing well. Karen, great news that your DH will be home today. Glad you will be having home health and speech therapy come in once he's home. Terri, just an idea. Maybe on their lunch break or at the end of the day, the tilers could assemble the tv table, especially with a little incentive. Lenda

In 2013, our last visit to PEI was on September 17. We had a beautiful, sunny day to drive around the island. I'm not sure where these were taken, but it was on the north shore of the island, and probably near the northern most point. They were putting in wind generators near a lighthouse. We timed our visit to the Anne of Green Gables Museum so we were there between buses from the ship. We left when we saw a bus approaching. It is a museum of a period house, and a working farm owned by relatives of Lucy Maud Montgomery. A local catching some sun by the side of the road on a beautiful day. Scenes from our drive around the island and back to Charlottetown Charlottetown from the Veendam's top deck. Lenda

On September 3, 2013, we visited the Anne of Green Gables House, the birthplace of Lucy Maud Montgomery, and the Confederation Bridge. We enjoyed Lucy Maud's birthplace more than a house based on a fictional character. It was a rainy day, but with a car, we had no problems. The Anne of Green Gables House, but just the ones of the outside. Lucy Maud Montgomery's birthplace. She was born on November 30, 1874. We could not take pictures inside. A section of the Confederation Bridge outside the visitor's center. Our next call to Charlottetown was on September 11. This time, we took the shore excursion book information, and drove to the various lighthouses on the island. Three of the many lighthouses on the island. The ferry and a small harbor Lenda

In 2013, we were in Charlottetown four times in August and September. On August 28. we walked around town and took the trolley. I'll post those pictures here, then look at the ones from the other three visits when we rented cars and toured PEI. It was a very cloudy day,, but atleast ot didn't rain. The Veendam and the smaller boats. This was our first, but not last time on the Veendam. Pictures of the town and the little market where we stopped. Lenda

Good morning from a sunny, just breezy central Texas were it is currently 44F. The high today is predicted to be 66F. No complaints here, especially after a wild night yesterday. We did not have any damage or really high winds, but the people in the DFW area and north and east of there were not so lucky. There was at least one tornado in Texas and one in Louisiana. I heard from @Kurtybee123 last night, and they were all right, but had 75 mph winds and lost power for a minute or two. After a busy week, there is not much on the agenda today. Since we received almost 3/4 of an inch of rain yesterday, I may try to pull some weeds today. As much as I do not like house cleaning, pulling weeds is my least favorite chore. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, thank you for getting us started again today. Caregivers should be appreciated everyday for the hard work they do. My father, with the help of a wonderful lady, took excellent care of my mother for the last 16 years of her life. I would like everyone to be happy everyday, even though we know that is not possible. Jacqui, @kazu my first thought on seeing if pets had thumbs day was like yours. Boy would we be in even more trouble. 🤣 We had a Dalmatian who could open the screen door to the porch and let himself and his brother in the house. BTW, he was left pawed (handed). The Leo Tolstoy quote is interesting. We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine today. In 2013, HAL sold the 7 day New England/Canada cruise as a 14 day roundtrip cruise. We booked it as b2b so we had 28 days on board Veendam. We were lucky to dock in PEI four times, and found something different to do each time, mainly because we rented cars on three of the visits. I'll repost my pictures in a few minutes. @puppycanducruise Melanie, I hope our Texas low has weakened by the time it reaches you, and you don't get too much snow dumped on you. @summer slope Dixie, I hope your kitty's ultrasound shows something that is easily corrected, and that she has more happy years ahead of her. @ottahand7 Enjoy your visit to Boca da Valeria. I'm sure the kids will love the crayons. @1ANGELCAT What a way to start the morning. At least, you know your police force will check on 911 calls. @dfish Debbie, I hope the expected snow stays on the low side of the estimated amount. @Rowsby Sue, a very handsome cat. @ger_77 Gerry, thanks for providing the directions to making today's meal, but I think we will still pass on it. @cunnorl Charlene, thanks for introducing us to your daughter. She seems to be really enjoying her "yummy" drink. Bless you for taking such good and loving care of her everyday. @marshhawk Annie, it sounds like you had a busy day off. Loved the cat memes. Lenda

Good evening. The first wave of rain storms moved through here a while ago, and we got 1/2 inch of rain. While we are still under a wind advisory until 10 am timorrow, the tornado watch has ended. Two more bands of rain will pass through here overnight, but neither look to be as intense. Ray, I'm glad all thenumbers were good, and you are healed. Thanks for the information about ChatGPT. I'm sorry you need back surgery, but the broken bone needs fixing. Sorry you had to cancel the cruise, but you'll be in better shape next year. Earlier this week, I found the last of the King Ranch casserole I froze last fall before DH had hisnfirst surgery. Once reheated, it was as good as when it was fresh. So there is hope for long stored frozen food. We faired a lot better than the metroplex and north of the DFW area. We saw the coverage on the DFW news channels tonight, were glad we live where we do. Glad your power was out for only a very short time. Most of the time we do better than other areas. Being on the lake may help. Carolyn, I'm glad the doctor visitmwas positive. I doubt she wouldmhave mentioned the possibility of getting back on track if she didn't think the chances were in your favor. Sending positive thoughts that improvement is in your future.

@Cruzin Terri Terri, I thought you might appreciate this meme. Of course, anyone who has had to wait on a contractor will appreciate it too. Lenda

For those who have not been to Trondheim, I found a few more pictures to share. We were lucky to have sunny days both times we were in Trondheim. Pictures of the main square, which is actually a circle. The grave yard at the cathedral which Sandi @StLouisCruisers shared. BTW, Sandi, my pictures of the cathedral look like yours. I think that was because we had to be so close to the church, it made the church seem like it was leaning back. The remainder of the pictures were taken from the Marco Polo and the Prinsendam of the area around the dock. It is a nice town to visit and easy to navigate. Lenda

Good afternoon. We got a small rain shower, but the main rain will be late today and into tonight. Our wind is already picking up, and when I took my walk to the mailbox it was slightly difficult walking into the wind. Our wind gauge says 3.6 mph, but the weather app says 18.3 mph. I think I believe the app. The wind was strong enough that when I got back in the house, my hair was sticking out every which way. Susan, I'm glad you did not get as much snow as predicted. If I was in Durango, I'd help you with chopping the ice. Hope another resident comes to your rescue. Nancy, thanks for the pictures of the boat tour. We took that tour in April 2006, and DH caught a small piranha, but it was too small and was thrown back. One lady caught a big one, and the crew on the boat filleted it and fried it. We each got a taste along with some manioc. The piranha tasted like perch, but the manioc was very hard and could have broken a tooth if you weren't careful. Terri, I wish there was a Hooray button. That is really good news. 👏 👍 Sharon, thanks for the pictures of the snow in Tucson. It looks nice especially with clear roads. I'd be driving around looking at it too. The nearest snow we've gotten in Quartzsite was on top of the mountains ESE of town. It was gone by 9 am. Jacqui, I hope that pin "behaves" and stays in place until you see the surgeon. Please continue to be careful with the elbow. Carolyn, I hope the Nephrologist appointment goes well, and he has a plan going forward. Your DH is nice to drive you so you don't have the hassle of finding a parking place. Thank you for your nice words about DH's report yesterday. Good for you fostering another puppy. Remember the word is FOSTER. 🤣 Mary Kay, that is nice that you have a clear day when you have a meeting so far away. Since I don't like eating the same thing for several days in a row, I usually portion leftovers and freeze the portions. That makes dinner easy on busy days. Joy, our condolences on the death of your neighbor. She sounds like a remarkable lady who put others first by devoting herself to research and by living life to the fullest. How nice of her to provide for her cats before her death. It sounds like the washer made it through the sixth and final load without breaking down. That is a small victory for today. Lenda

We have visited Trondheim twice, in 2005 on Marco Polo and in 2011 on Prinsendam. On those visits, we wandered around and took a tour offered by the visitor's office. In 2011 while on the Prinsendam, the local tour took us to a park that had a collection of old buildings on display, including a small Stave church. The altar in the church, the roof trusses, the door, and a side view. An ancient boat We also visited the fortress, but my pictures are the same as @StLouisCruisers Sandi's. The next two are from a high point over looking the town and port. Scenes from our walks around town. The rest of the pictures are duplicate of those already posted. A band marching through town. The view from the ship as we sailed. Lenda

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas. The prediction is for storms, rain, high winds, maybe hail and possibly a chance for tornados. I think we'll get the high winds, but not the tornados, but with Texas weather you never know. Everything outside is battened down as much as possible, and the car that sits outside is now in a neighbors port since they are traveling in their motorhome. It will be 77F today, so it's another shorts day, but tomorrow the high will be 64F, so the jeans come out of the closet. The weeds are finally beginning to look like the weed killer is working. At least, some of the are turning yellow. I still plan on spraying them again a couple of more times. Plus, I'll put a preemergence down after the chance of a late frost is passed. This morning has been busy doing laundry and getting everything moved outside. Laundry day is usually two or three loads plus the sheets, but today there are five loads plus the sheets. We've decided to replace the washer and dryer instead of trying to repair the 23 year old washer. DH likes the idea of a bigger capacity washer and dryer which would mean fewer loads. They will likely be more efficient too. Today is also Texas Independence Day. According to Wikipedia, "Texas Independence Day is the celebration of the adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. With this document signed by 59 delegates, settlers in Mexican Texas officially declared independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas." The signing took place at Washington-on-the-Brazos. We have gotten rid of some old stuff, but the items handed down through the family are still here. If the DDs don't want them, I might donate them to the Grace Museum in Abilene. Most of our cats were rescues, but we don't have cats now due to allergies and traveling. Even though we're not in the UK or Ireland, I'll celebrate world book day. An interesting quote by Socrates. The meal sounds good for our vegetarians, and I like the sound of the one with lentils and mushrooms. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds very nice. We have been to Trondheim twice, and I'll look for my pictures in a few minutes. @JazzyV Vanessa, thank you for putting DH on the celebration list. @GTVCRUISER Thanks for the wonderful picture from San Diego. @smitty34877 Terry, as Ann @cat shepard said so well, you will worry, which is natural when a spouse is having problems. Sending positive thoughts that all that was found on the cat scan is either easily fixed, cured or better yet, nothing to worry about. ((((HUGS)))) @dfish Debbie, I'm sure your grandmother's needlepoint chair is very treasured by the family. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm glad your DBIL's medical equipment will be put to good use by others who need it. DH and I also buy t-shirts as souvenirs when we travel. That means we both have more t-shirts than we need, but getting rid of ones with special memories is difficult. Some worn out ones are saved for dirty/messy jobs like working on cars or painting. @grapau27 Graham, we are thinking about Sarah and her friend on this difficult day. It sounds like you and Pauline were at the funeral to support Sarah and her friend. Again, Sarah is very lucky to have you to lean on. @JazzyV Vanessa, I hope your eye is better and that the drops can keep the problem in check. @kazu Jacqui, I hope the elbow is better today. Take the therapy fairly easy today after yesterday's session. Lenda