RMLincoln

Reading the Care lists I realized that along with see Vanessa’s entry that my DH’s eye pressures stabilized, maybe it should say, Maureen’s disposition stabilized too…” Off to mammogram this morning. Dinner was very nice with those who invited us to join them. I ate too much! Got up at midnight for a ginger ale which helped. Later, m—

+me! Safe home!

☘️ Top O’ the Morning! ☘️ I grew up with an Irish mother and an Irish name! St Paddy’s Day was very important! In recent years I had fun delicious St Patrick’s Day dinner parties for neighbors and fire department friends …. one year I made 5 corned beefs and 10 lbs of potatoes. Guests brought enough beer and Guinness to last us a year! It’s been sweet to hear happy memories of these fun times this week from some of my old mountain friends! ☘️ 🛳️🍾 Bon Voyage Kathi @Scrapnana I am absolutely thrilled you are cruising!! 🌈🎆 We were invited to join a couple for dinner today whom we met at a church service here. It’ll be extra fun with the St Patrick’s Day menu.. lots of options including fish and chips! and of course corned beef and cabbage, plus the “always available” selections. I’m very glad to meet some new people here! Younger Granddaughter and her new husband visited yesterday. Always a joy to be with them - young love, youthful enthusiasm and of course their precious help with media🤣 !! It’s very caring of them to make the visit, and they were rewarded with not only dinner but the lemon meringue pie from pi day! Lucky them. DH’s eye pressure we’re back to more expected numbers, 🙏 thankfully! We’re waiting for them to stabilize and then climb a bit so they can open the next suture, but can’t make that next step with the pressure so very low as it just was…. one day at a time! Maybe they can leave that suture permanently? I guess they’ll tell us when the timing gets here. I do love a rum punch on vacation! Thanks for the Antiqua pix and memories @StLouisCruisers Lots of history to celebrate too! Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort or hope! Terry, one more day this weekend…. an hour at a time! 🤗. Melissa too! ❤️ 🍾 Happy 63rd Anniversary @irishjim and Sheila, never enough anniversaries! 🎉 Here’s my mom’s favorite Irish Blessing! Have a blessed day everyone! ☘️Maureen 🍀

Thank you Annie, @marshhawk! First, I’m very relieved that DH’s eye pressures are more as expected today! Hanging in! And DH began the project of putting up pictures in the new condo! The pictures really make it home! Yay! Here’s 2 of the first ones up- Mo’orea! The bay! And you can easily make out a Wind Song ship near the opening in the reef; our HAL ship is harder to see on the far right, Amsterdam. The lagoon to the left is where they took us to see the rays and sharks. DH went on the photography excursion. Second picture is looking back at Tahiti. @Haljo1935 we’re here for you! two things you have to do today: Breathe in, and out! 🤗 I was not following the Daily thread at the beginning but I remember following the stories of so many cruisers trying to make it home, make it into ports, onto flights, some sadly ill and fighting to stay alive. Amazing support from people on the boards who were truly heroes to others, helping strangers. I’ll remember the love! Maureen Grandkids are on their way!

Beautiful crisp morning at 43F. A few puffy clouds. A great day for a parade! 🍀☘️ Yesterday was 60s and very Springlike with a dark, fast, heavy shower for just a few minutes- the exact minutes DH walked from car into Home Depot! DH is sleeping, will check eye pressures around 10 🤞. It was making me crazy last night, unexpected readings, on a Friday night! After 1-ish I got to sleep so not too bad a night. I don’t know how Annie @marshhawk does it with so many crazy unexpected ups and downs… but Annie you inspire me! 🤩 We’ve been blessed to visit Mo’orea twice. DH’s panoramas are unpacked but not on the wall yet, soon! Stunning place. Grandkids said they’d come today, hoping that happens. There’s still lemon meringue pie to share with them 😌. We got special instructions about making Easter dinner reservations in our dining rooms, haven’t seen the menu yet but the hours are for a midday dinner. I think we’ll pass. We’ll already be beyond our allotted number of dinners for the month (1each per day) having shared twice with grandkids so we’re thinking it’s a good opportunity to do something different, not sure what but we’ll open our thinking! Bon Voyage to @Suslor @RedneckBob and @Crazy For Cats 🛳️🍾 Welcome home Pennie! Looking forward to hearing more about your free cruise and how that works! Serious blessings to all who are ill, caring for loved ones recovering or not recovering, all on our Care list, all in need of a lift! In my Mindful Meditation class yesterday we spent a bit of time talking about the importance of finding our peace in stormy times. Our world is filled with storms. The Daily has been a place of peace! Thank you all for being here! Maureen PS. 4 yrs ago we were in Houston for treatment for DH at MD Anderson Cancer Center. A very Amazing place! We were lucky to be guided to a rental trailer to live comfortably for 15 weeks from Jan 6- April 16. It was all very difficult but then the really wild times hit! We each had our own wild times through it all, we each found our way through somehow to get to be here and now, some with scarring losses. All of us came through changed, and we keep going with each other’s caring love and loving care! Give yourself a big hug, and Enjoy something beautiful today! Thanks to all who share their beautiful memories and photos! m—

@dfish Debbie you are a trooper, making do ti be with your family. I had figured out your response ahead because that’s about all you can do. Or bring your own food. @Nickelpenny Pennie, we are all so happy for you! 🛳️🌈 @marshhawk Annie, we’re happy for you too! Maybe you’re starting a win streak too! 🤞. Stunning water @aliaschief, thank you Bruce! My appt with GI doc was short and smooth, procedure scheduled for early May. 👍 DH’s eye pressure is doing unexpected things… why always on a Friday night🤦🏼‍♀️? Hoping it evens out through the weekend. I have to not let it make me crazy! m—

Ewww, not the best choice for you, how do you deal with it?

Very mixed day here. Started with partly cloudy, then storm clouds began arriving as we were leaving my GI appt. Stopped at Home Depot and it poured! Spring! Another appt booked! That’s all I was looking for this year. I hope none will require follow-ups. I’ve been meaning to mention that I’m thrilled to see @Scrapnana Kathy on our list of cruises coming up! Thrilled that she is well enough to cruise again! I hope we get an update, and if I missed it I’m sorry but thrilled for her. Thanks to whomever forwarded her plans to the Daily. I spoke with my brother briefly, SIL is managing treatment so far, niece and brother are managing their schedules so far every day at the Rehab. One day at a time. So relieved for Ann and DSis! Newlywed granddaughter and her husband plan to visit tomorrow. It’ll be good to see them, haven’t since the December wedding… time flies! Blessings sent to all in need… thinking of all on our Care list, and Vanessa, Annie and Chuck, Terri and Jim, Terry and Tana, Graham and family, Melissa! those waiting on procedures, direction… all in need of healing, comfort or hope! Hugs to you all! Happy celebrating, and Bon Voyage Katherine! Great news @Nickelpenny on your luck! Gotta have some good luck! Smooth travels to all away! Lovely pictures of Trondheim. We were there twice on our up-and-back Hurtigruten cruise but it rained both times! Amazing cathedral from 1070 or thereabouts… some took 100 years to build. Mind boggling what it took to build that back then. Enjoy something beautiful today! Life is Good🌈 Love the Emerson quote! Maureen

Finally catching up. Sorry to year of those who are sick, hoping meds are helping, and procedures are getting done as scheduled. Glad Fiona is better. And hoping Chase can come home tomorrow and the biopsy is negative! Tomorrow morning I visit the GI clinic for preliminary eval prior to scheduling a colonoscopy. I now appts for a mammo Monday, dermatology screening in May, and a gyn in June…. I opted for the times on-campus when possible even if further out. DH did some more on taxes, so we’re both making progress. Here’s the lemon meringue pie! For Pi day! Totally unhealthy but fun! I gave it an A! Not the absolute best ever but pretty darned good! Granddaughter and her husband are coming Saturday, we’ll see if there’s any left for them 😁. Blessings to all in need! And for improvements where needed! Happy for those celebrating! Every day is worth celebrating 🌈 Smooth travels to all away, ✈️🛳️ and 🚘. Thanks all for being here! Maureen

HAPPY PI DAY. 3.14…. Working on a lemon meringue pie for DH today, his DD DM’s family recipe! I’m behind this morning, will catch up later. Blue sky and 53F! Nice. Blessing to all! Later. m—

Back home from haircuts and grocery run. Glad to have those done! Short break before a mentoring call with teens in NM newly certified wildland firefighters! Very proud of them for their volunteer service to their community. Then early supper for us do I can get into a church group call with my prior home- staying connected during my transition… one foot on the dock and the other in the boat. @JazzyVVanessa, you do an outstanding service for all of us! We are so appreciative of your dedication to keeping up the Care, Celebration and Cruising lists through all of your own pain, illness and upheaval. And you are much more competent at using the posting tools, quoting, cut and pasting than I will ever be. Many, many thanks for all you do for us! I’ll keep you posted! Hope your are much better from the Zpack! m—

From @JazzyV’s Rotation list today…. “RMLincoln’s in Rehab hospital, getting radiation treatments”, it’s for my SiL. I talked with my niece two nights ago and the scans were done and the schedule was to start yesterday, not confirmed to me that it happened. I’ll check in with them in a few days, I try not to bug them, they are overwhelmed. My job is to update my other brother, sister and cousins, usually a condensed version. The good news is that my brother seems glad for some family contact after the long years of isolation. I feel that they’re in for a rough ride ahead and will need all the support they can get. Thanks all for your support. m—

🤞Ann for a smooth transfer! m—

🎂 I do hope Pauline has a Happy Birthday amidst the inner and outer turmoil. May she kick off an inspiring year ahead! 🎉 @Haljo1935 I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop for you with calls from your boss, it must be an added stress to your sinus infection. When DH got frequent sinus infections I’d make him a pot of green Chile stew, with chiles as hot as he could enjoy; also had him use a steam inhaler that I’d add a drop of essential oils to a felt near the vent, not in the water - lemon, eucalyptus, and if you can stand it’s chemical heat, oregano oil. 🤞 I’ve made thousands of bran muffins. I was the muffin lady for the work crews working on the house addition-anybody who came that far to help us hit muffins! And for a much longer time for the fire department we served in- every training…. extended calls, wildland fires…. I brought 10 dozen muffins once to an early morning briefing before a prescribed burn on the perimeter of our mountain community. There were 100+ firefighters gathered there from 100 miles around, including the inmate crews who left at 3am to make the 0630 briefing. They were such hard workers and so glad for a treat! Bran muffins are a great base for additions of most chopped fresh or dried fruit, and nuts. Apples, oranges, pineapple, banana, raisins, cranberries, peaches, blueberries, raspberries…. Very versatile. I’d often add protein powder to the mix to give the crews a little extra to work with! My secret ingredient was a drop of lemon extract along with a light addition of spices- allspice, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom are all good options. I did a lot of experimenting, it was fun! Never ever had to throw muffins away! Blessings to all for a good day! Healing, comfort, hope or your special need today! Cheering all who are celebrating🌈 Smooth travels to all away! Maureen

How very sad! Grief can bring anger but such bitterness comes from a tortured soul. It is her choice and her path, and a burden for you, Pauline and Sarah as you try to walk (live!) beside her with more kindness and strength than most people would imagine. I’m very grateful I saw my brother, sad for the circumstances that brought us together again after 22 years of trying. I will probably never understand. Even when there is no sun in the North Sea region, there is a great well of sun in your heart! That was a mighty big step to extend your condolences! 💝 It blesses all of us! m—

@Haljo1935 What a stressful day. We’re here for you, hoping for what’s best for you! m-

It is sunny today on north Jersey! May get into 60s. Very springlike. Yesterday was very windy but the sun came out earlier than the app predicted so that was a lift. @grapau27 North Sea looks grey today. I think I don’t mind the greyness of the sea as much because the sea is always moving. That tells me I need to look at the land a bit differently.🤔 Hugs to Sarah and you all, this loss will take its time to absorb, sending extra hugs! 🎂 Happy Birthday to Lenda and Mitzi! 🎆 Kicknoff an inspiring year! @Nickelpenny we are 💔 with you. It is traumatic to get unexpected news of a loved ones passing while you are far away. I’m sorry you are alone aboard … usually there’s a chaplain aboard, someone you could talk with - the 3Cs of chaplaincy are Comfort, Care and Counsel. Of course you have us! Sending hugs 🤗 @Cruzin Terri Glad to hear you’re there safely, hoping for smooth tests and a better path forward! It’s extra hard keeping an eye in Jim, don’t be shy to ask for help! @StLouisCruisers We’re all relieved to know that Morgan is in her new home. I think at her time in life it’s fun setting up a new place! Can’t get the @name right, oiy, but glad to hear the cyber attack is getting healed! You are a wonder-worker! Thinking of @ger_77, DH and Wayne…. and @cat shepard’s DS… and @kazu’s winter mess… and others whose names and handles and situations muddle… but you are in my heart! Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort or hope! For my country, your country and great sadnesses and sufferings in the world. Toasts to those celebrating Life🌈 is Good! Smooth travels to all away, stunning sunrise pictures @bennybear! Glad you got something to eat before slogging your way home! @aliaschief glad to hear they will support those who want to debark in Dubai and rejoin in Venice! I think that’s what we’d want to do! So many places come to mind that I’d want to stay at for an extended time, what a grand opportunity! Quick update on my SiL… spoke with my niece last night, today is first radiation treatment🤞. No telling how well or how long she can tolerate treatment much less how effective it might be or what the next steps might be. There’s a lot we don’t know in this life, we all keep doing the best we can! 😇 Thanks ALL for being here. Thank you Jacqui, Roy, Vanessa! Everyone stay safe and well today! One day at a time is Everything. Maureen

Windy and chilly in north Jersey, even though it might reach upper 40s. The gray continues but I’m encouraged to see a sun symbol on the weather app for the hour prior to sunset! Monday means getting back to business… calls to make, plug some more on taxes, appointments to confirm. Still haven’t received mammogram CD images from Maryland, have this week still, appt is next Monday… if they don’t come I’ll give new radiology the info to chase them, maybe they’ll have better luck. Early supper tonight in the dining room on the other side of our complex but close to the woodworkers shop where there’s a meeting tonight so we’ll learn about all that. 🎂 Happy Birthday Sue with a pleasant dinner with your sisters! Blessings to all in need and cheers to all celebrating. 🎉 @cat shepard Ann, hoping your sister can get moved again soon! 🤞 Enjoy your great-nephew, it can be a lift to have youthful energy around us! Thanks for the updates from at sea Bruce, Tina, Pennie…. Smooth travels to all away, and welcome home Brenda 🤞no surprises 🫣. Maureen

Annie, I don’t think you need to be more like me or anyone else. I think a lot of people could stand to be more like you- kind, generous, honest, patient and caring! As far as appointments, it seems you get quite a few in. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other! Hope you get some sleep in the best position for you! 💤 m—

I like Daylight Saving Time. I feel better with the longer light in the evenings, easier driving. I wish it would stay all year. I spent a short time working in the Michigan UP one summer in grad school - it is in the far west of the Eastern Time zone so sunset was quite late, I loved that! I’m glad I don’t have to be concerned about the batteries in the smoke detectors, that was always such a nuisance in our mountain home- when we’d return from travel to a cold house the smoke detectors would be chirping because the batteries were cold. We had 11 smoke detectors distributed in the old cabin section, the new house addition, the garage, attic and partial basement! Eventually they would all warm up of course, but we would heat up by wood stoves first and not the whole house instantly! ….things I don’t miss! 🤣. m—

Yesterday’s rains are over, maybe a lingering shower midday here in north Jersey, still chilly at 40ish and breezy. Still gray. We made good progress on taxes yesterday, maybe finish federal today and have that ready as a base for preparing three state returns - New Jersey, Maryland and New Mexico. Next year will be easier. I’m so glad we are still able to manage through these tasks! Blessings for all on our Care list and Jacqui… thank you Vanessa, Roy, Jacqui, Ann, Debbie and all here, sharing your caring. Comfort for Sarah, Graham, Pauline and all their family. Special thoughts to Melissa and all our Caregivers. Thinking too of Ann and her DSis, 🤞for the best direction for now. And all those seeking a direction for relief, May it come soon! 🎆Cheers to all celebrating milestones of Life, and for those who celebrate Ramadan. Life is Good! 🌈 🛳️Smooth travels to those away! Welcome home Brenda! ✈️. Trusting your return will be without any unpleasant surprises. May everyone stay safe and well! Maureen

@erewhon you’ve been missed, hoping all is well with both! M—

Lots of rain coming this afternoon and overnight, and chilly. My condolences to @grapau27 Sarah, Graham and Pauline, and all the family. Deaths in estranged families bring an end to the hope that rifts can someday be reconciled…. new heartbreak on top of old heartbreak. Prayers of support during these difficult times. I’m glad I saw my brother after 22 years, although we had the occasional phone call all along it still was hurtful and confusing to be rebuffed every time we’d be in the region and suggested a visit. But now I see more of what he was dealing with, and not dealing with well. I can’t say it changes my feelings but it adds pieces to an unfinished puzzle. I plan to call him today to check on how he’s managing, if his wife will be able to undergo treatment. Mostly it’s all so very sad. Ann, you and your family are making Amazing progress for your sister! 🤞she can be transferred soon. Yesterday I took an afternoon for me. I went to a Mindful Meditation class then to our aquatic center to soak out some soreness from yoga and do hip exercises in the pool. DH met me there and soaked too. His eye doctor has been very conservative about any activities that could get water in his eye but he’s lightening up just a bit 👍. Annie, @marshhawk I’m saddened by your difficulties getting affordable meds, and by so many other parts of our medical system that I saw as broken during my years in the Emergency Medical Service. For those who read here from other countries, I add some historical background, not to be political but historical - we the US, are, from our roots, very imperfectly pro-capitalism/ anti-socialism. There exists some softening such as our federal retirement Social Security pensions and retirement Medicare programs, as well as regulatory oversight on business, but our documents of origin - especially laying out our strong states rights with limited federal control - make some parts of life hard to corral and much harder to shift. Each state has its own constitution, and administers their Medicaid program for their poor; these are separate from federal Medicare for workers 65+ which has choices for if you sign up for all parts (A,B,D-drugs, or a part C- contracts with private insurers for more comprehensive “Advantage”plans). It’s especially difficult for newcomers to grasp how complicated our many governments are here, yet there seems to be enough good here to continue to attract hopeful and hardworking people like my ancestors…. which will bring me genealogy… but before I go there I want to say that my heart goes out to everyone dealing with our difficult, often broken, sometimes dysfunctional medical system. I have seen people suffer as they fall through its cracks, and been there when they died, especially those who needed and deserved mental health care. I will leave my tears😥 here, not my other thoughts and ideas which belong elsewhere. We haven’t done a lot of genealogy but enough to try to understand why our ancestors came here. We have English Lincolns and Irish Kennedys in our “family tree”; others from Cornwall, Prussia, France, Italy. Some came very early 1700s others late 1800s. It’s been fun and meaningful to visit some of our ancestral lands in our travels here and abroad. We immersed ourselves in Cornwall for 10 days finding graves, homes and workplaces of DH’s great-grandfather, and his grandfather before he left his family to establish himself here, then had them come two years later, a wife and 6 children! I can’t imagine. We visited the South Dakota homestead farm where DHs father was born. And colonial locations in Virginia and West Virginia of the Roane family (as in Roanoke) that eventually adopted my mother in New York. Heritage is such a meaningful addition to travel! ✨Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort, direction or hope, all our Care list. 💐Cheers to those celebrating! 🌈Smooth travels to those away. Eager to hear @aliaschiefBruce’s report on Azamara’s options! ⛈️❄️Please take extra precautions to stay safe and well during the difficult weather. Maureen

Some sun today, Yay! Not enough sleep, came out and eventually slept in the recliner so maybe tonight I’ll be tired enough to sleep better. I love all the International Women’s Day posts! My middle name is special to me… my sister born before me died as a baby from a sudden illness and mom was getting old for pregnancy in that era… she prayed for another daughter and named me for her favorite saint. We spent a thrilling day visiting Great Barrier Reef by excursion boat from Cairns. I did it all - snorkeling, plus dry viewing from semi-submersible sub and staircases in huge plastic tubes. The excursion boat took us to a floating base that had everything. It was a magnificent experience. It was part of our 6week stay in Australia from Cairns to Tasmania including stays with two sets of cruise friends. We cruised from CA across on a repositioning instead of flying, then cruised from Sydney over to and around NZ for 4 weeks there, all part of 4 months in the Pacific. So many once in a lifetime experiences and Great Barrier Reef is high up there! DH’s eye check went very well. Doc looked at it through his instrument and said, It looks beautiful! Pressure is good, continue tapering steroids, come back in 3 weeks. But continue the physical restrictions… DH wasn’t too happy about that but the eye is still vulnerable. Well, we sure don’t want to damage it! And we’ll go through this again with the next surgery for the other eye but we’ll get there! Amazing! Absolutely Amazing! is all I can say! On the way home we navigated to my next two upcoming appts so we’d be familiar with where they are. We got home just in time for my zoom yoga. After that I was tired, by bedtime I was sore. Blessings to all in need! Toasts to all celebrating! Strength and a good day for all the caregivers. Great to hear Ann’s DS showing strong improvements! And Sam too! And Morgan getting to a new place! And Lauren getting the care she needs. Smooth travels to all away! @aliaschiefBruce: Wondering if there’s an option to get off in Dubai, do a month of touring on one’s own then rejoin the ship in Venice? Thanks all for being here! See something special today ! Maureen