RMLincoln

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

Seems the rain is mostly over, maybe a few lingering showers. Warnings are for flooding in low areas and near creeks… really? after an inch of rain overnight? Seems quite pleasant around 50 today. A bit of blue sky always helps me. We’ll be heading to the eye doctor mid-day for a check on things…. seems stable now, I hope he’s not going to do anything dramatic, like cut the second stitch, but we’ll see what he says. Thanks for your continued support! The enchiladas sound so good! I miss New Mexican cuisine. But we get fed a nice variety of foods here and it’s a luxury to go to our community dining rooms for daily dinners! I resonate with the e.e. cummings quote…. to me it’s a reminder to make the most of being alive! I think everyone here does that by continuing to dream, to work towards making those dreams come true, and especially by helping each other here and all around us …. family, friends, strangers, the world. Cheers to all celebrating, Life is Good!🌈 Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort or hope.💐 Immediate prayers for Joy and Allen that something changes for the better quickly! Smooth travels for all away especially thinking of our many cruisers.🛳️ Bruce I’m sure you will have an Amazing rest of your cruise! I hope Azamara will provide some enrichment presentations during your trip around Africa. Looking forward to hearing about it but first enjoy Cairns! Stay safe and well everyone, enjoy this day of living life! Thanks for being here. Maureen

It’s been a very foggy morning! Lots of rain expected today, maybe flooding tonight in lower areas. Hoping it won’t interfere with our drive to the eye doctor tomorrow which is to our east, across some rivers and lowlands. 🤞 I salute our veterans, especially the stepsons I raised - one was army for a short time after 9/11, the other retired as a navy commander, 27 years. Thank you to all who served! On one of my first visits to Texas I bought a souvenir - a lined notepad with the heading “Things to Remember”…. top line was filled in: “The Alamo!” History is brutal. They bought time with their lives and Sam Houston did come. I still have a Periodic Table of the Elements in my kitchen, always have had. I refer to it more often than one might imagine…. mine is 2-sided with different data on each side including valance states, isotopes, crystal structure and much more. I’m a data person! Geology, chemistry, physics, yup, all of it! Yay for Aspirin! Still the best first option in a heart attack - makes the platelets slippery to keep a clot from growing. Chew up 2-4 baby aspirin and let it absorb through the mouth tissue, faster into the bloodstream than through the stomach… if you’re not allergic to it and have no bleeding disorders. I think I’d like a Hurricane, I enjoy rum and passion fruit juice! Tonight, the soup of the day is listed as beef barley, should be good! The soups in our 3 dining rooms usually are a treat for me. I’ve been told that my name is Gaelic for “little Mary”; Maura= Mary and -een is the diminutive, similarly for Kathleen and Coleen (little girl). I’ve enjoyed many visits to Hilo and the Big Island, both extended land visits and by ships. Rented cars nearly every visit. Loved seeing Lenda’s pictures of the Wiapio Valley! Got a local to take us down into it in his Land Rover in about 1985. He told us there were no trees there until the 1946 tsunami brought in seeds; hard to imagine, it’s so overgrown. His family had a taro farm there where we stopped for him to pull up a “potato” to show us. Of course, as a geologist I can’t say enough about how thrilling it was to see the volcanoes up close! Lava, steam at the water’s edge, sulphuric vents, lave tree-molds, lava-tubes…. black sand and green (olivine/peridot sand beaches! Pete’s hair strands! First time was when I was still in college, between my BS graduation and starting my MS work…. seems 100 yrs ago but it’s almost 50🤣 And more recently, the botanical gardens not far from the port are stunning! @dfish maybe ice will help reduce the swelling in your injured thumb. 👍 @Heartgrove difficult days and decisions, so much love 💔 @Nickelpenny Thank you for the Amazon experience! My DSIL had a scan yesterday, another is scheduled for Friday, treatments should begin next week. Thank you all for your caring support. Thinking of all in our Daily family dealing with their own and their family’s health needs. 🙏 for better days soon. Blessings sent too early while I couldn’t sleep. May everyone stay well and safe! Especially through their storms… those from outside and those from within! 😢 Cheers to all celebrating and cruising, Life is Good🌈 Maureen

Rain today and parts of the next few days. Oh well. As long as we can get to the eye doctor Thursday. DSIL is supposed to be taken to radiology today, then back to Rehab facility, I hope it’s not too hard on her and that she doesn’t make it harder on her family. @marshhawk Extra prayers for you and Chuck today. @rafinmd great news! DH will have bloodwork this months- numbers have been inching up each time. So glad you’ve had a decrease. Bubbles stopped.. oh they’re back? Maybe…. @StLouisCruisers Sandi- great news on Morgan! Extra hugs! @ottahand7Nancy, congrats on the truck deal! It’s never easy. And dealing with your arm too I’m sure didn’t help. @MISTER 67 moving is hard. It sounds like you’re doing great! I’m still not through the address changes! @ger_77I just hope Wayne stays safe. And you and DH too. It’s dangerously cold out there! @Heartgrove Sam is lucky he found you and you him! What love you’ve give him and he’s given back. Extra hugs! @Quartzsite Cruiser Happy celebrating with Steve! @grapau27 Happy memories of your dad! @Nickelpenny it’s fun to hear about the bugs! @cat shepard You are so right about patients needing advocates. Sure hope things pick up for your DS. Blessings for all on the Care list, all those in need! Toasts to those celebrating ! Smooth travels to all away, especially our many cruisers! (We’re starting to look ahead… for when the timing is right. Just grateful for every day!). Thanks all for being here! Maureen

It’s warm in north Jersey, almost 60. Gray. Will be gray and rainy much of the week. This is as far north as I’ve ever lived. When we retired we were looking for where to move to. We decided we liked the southern latitudes of the country for the sunshine, but summers could be brutal, so the high elevation of our New Mexico mountain cabin gave us cool summers…. it seemed perfect, I’m so glad we were able to enjoy it for so long…. lived there longer than anywhere. Today we’ll clean up and follow up after the great work the grandkids did for us yesterday. And pick up again on the taxes project. I fought my way through a new medical portal this morning prior to appts coming up. Making progress. DB and niece have a rotation set up to help my DSIL in the Rehab facility. Tomorrow she is to be taken by med transport to radiology… we’ll see how that goes. One step at a time. Brain injuries vary widely depending on what parts of the brain are injured. It’s all difficult, bless them and their caregivers. I just cringed at the Austen quote. Sending blessings to all having procedures and consults today, all in need of healing, comfort or hope! Cheers to all celebrating! Yay for Murphy and her family! Pulaski left his mark on this country. There’s a bridge named for him near Newark NJ, and in wildland firefighting we used a hand-tool called a Pulaski that was great for chopping roots, scraping soil, digging fire lines… the Pulaski is THE tool of the trade! 🫡

Good evening from north Jersey. It’s been busy here with granddaughter and her DH here today working on upgrades! Wonderful to see them, have them share their time, talents and energy! Quick comments: Fabulous that Baby Murphy got to go home! My dad had a cousin much older than him who was born blind, eventually taught in a school for the blind. She’d come visit us one week each summer when I was in early grade school. At one time she served as a temporary secretary to Helen Keller. I’ve never been to the Canary Islands but when I was high school my boyfriend and I dreamed we’d go there together someday - I think we liked the name, and that it seemed so magical to our imagination. Thanks for all the beautiful pictures! Blessings to all the Caregivers all in need, and all the Daiky family! Smooth travels to all away. Maureen

Rainy day in north Jersey. I’m a bit stymied. Haven’t heard from grandkids about their expected visit today🤷🏼‍♀️. Trying to roll with it but it just doesn’t feel good. A lot doesn’t feel good…. my brother’s situation with his wife being so sick I think has affected me more than I realized. It’s frustrating not getting updates from them but I won’t bug them. Not hearing from the grandkids about their visit today ti do some work here is more than annoying. And not having any friends here affects me too so I reach out to friends afar. I need to focus on “What’s good right now!” So much good! So much to be grateful for! And a good sleep last night, you’d think I’d feel better this morning! Blessings sent to all on our Care list. I’m especially impacted by what I’ve seen and read about the Texas-Oklahoma fires! Horrifying. Thank you Vanessa for including them! And us- DH is tapering down steroid drops- 2/day now, down from 4, pressure in the surgical eye is holding. I think the steroids may have been alleviating the itching reaction in the eye still on the pressure-lowering meds because he’s needing more Benadryl and the skin is more inflamed on that side. I have to remember that it’s all part of the zigzag progress path and we are doing ok! My symptoms of a pinched nerve are mild but there is work to do! Time to breathe…. @cat shepard thanks for updating us on your sister. Interesting about her diaphragm! In EMS classes they constantly reminded us that “patients haven’t read the textbooks!” Everyone is unique. She’s made it this far and she is working hard, it’ll all come together! How wonderful her son and daughter are helping you both! @ger_77 Stay safe in the storm! Sure hope Wayne’s situation improves soon. Was thinking, At least he’s not on a ship! @kazu Thanks for updating us. Give yourself a hug from all of us! Glad Ivan is with you! Thinking of Terry on weekend duty. And Melissa every day! Blessings to all in need, near and far. Please stay safe, especially in the storms. Bon Voyage Lisa! Smooth travels to all away. A good visit for Pauline! Thanks to Pennie and Bruce for taking us along! Great fun! Lifts my spirit on this gray and frustrating day. Maureen

I said my Rabbits and prayers during the long sleepless wee hours. I did get back to sleep a bit but not enough. DH also…. it happens. At least we don’t have to drag ourselves to work. Yesterday I succeeded in speaking with a person in medical records who said she will send my previous mammograms to New Jersey🤞. Then I walked to my dental appt👍. Had a pleasant supper with neighbors from down the hall before attending a fun, on-campus concert in our chapel with a neighborhood band from the adjoining town of Bloomingdale’s who played a lot of Big Band swing. It was a lovely day, no idea why we couldn’t sleep! Tomorrow we’re expecting DGD and her electrician husband to come for the day and help us with installing new lighting. It’s been about 6 weeks since we saw them but it feels like 6 months. It’ll be a rainy day but I’m hoping that won’t be an issue for them! Blessings to all in need, especially our caregivers- Terry, Melissa, Ann…. and our spouses, family and friends who are always there. Gerry you are a gem helping so many, today helping Wayne! Hoping he can improve quickly. 🥂 Happy Birthday again @aliaschief Bruce! 🎂. Hope you got to see your Sydney friends. Smooth travels to all our friends away especially our many cruisers! Thank you Sandi for your map and pictures. We went to Cinque Terre with my cousins on the 2015 cousins reunion. It was miserably overrun with people in late September. Spent 3 nights in La Spetzia. We hiked part of the steep up-and-down trail between the villages but it was difficult terrain for me and overcrowded on the narrow paths. The train station platform at Monterrosa was 6 people deep waiting to get back to La Spetzia. The boat back was delightful with the tugged coastal scenery and for me the best part! During a port call in Livorno on a different trip we took the local train to Pisa, then a local bus to the “Field of Miracles”. DH climbed the tower. We had been there before on my first cousins reunion trip in 2010, both times it rained in Pisa. The tower can be treacherous- slanted, the well-worn marble slippery with sand and wet…. I preferred time in the church and baptistery taking in the magnificent architecture, marble work and art from 1100! The sanctuary lamp hangs high overhead in the church and swings gently with the earth’s rotation, and is reported to have inspired Galileo to study the solar system. Thanks all for sharing here! Please Enjoy this day! Maureen

Rabbits rabbits white rabbits. Best of luck and good health to all. I hope I can get back to sleep! m—

@smitty34877 Terry, We also have convolutions in our family trees. I have the greatest step-granddaughters! The older one wanted us to move closer so they could “be there” for us. She said to me, “Grandma! You’ve been our grandma our whole life! You were there for us. We’re here for you!” We really do reap what we sow! Glad you will have some help this weekend. @lazey1 Jane, I hope you can fully enjoy your cruise, and that your care team will provide you the right options. Very glad to hear you are feeling better. @marshhawk Annie, cheering you on for success with new patterns, one step at a time. Be as good to yourself as you are to others! @aliaschief Happy Birthday Bruce. Hope you can enjoy it in Sydney with your friends, such a special memory it will be for you. m—

@cat shepard Off the vent is major progress! So glad your nephew is there to help, more help coming. Wonderful if you to prepare her home. You need a “toast” and a long nap. Trusting DS’s healing will continue.

@Seasick Sailor thanks for keeping us close to heart!

The rain stopped yesterday afternoon but the clouds are with us and the temp dropped from 60s to 20s. I’m glad to be able to walk inside to my dental appt this afternoon- here all the buildings are connected by what I call sky bridges, they call them links. @puppycanducruise So sorry you lost your brother so young. @ottahand7 Good you made South Bend, not far now! Hope the weather holds for you and no surprises upon arrival! @Nickelpenny Thanks for sharing your experiences! I’m enjoying it with you! @dfish Nice to have heat working! @rafinmd Not the best news for you but not the worst either! Sounds like there will be good options if needed. We were in Port Vila Vanuatu on our way to Sydney 2013 on Volendam. We docked, walked into town through a gauntlet of aggressive vendors and walked back, tried to find a monument on a hill that nobody we asked knew about but it was mentioned in my guide book- found it behind a bank. I wish I had a picture to share of the colorful fishing boats. That’s about all I remember. We took the ship to Sydney as cheap, comfortable transportation. DH didn’t want to do the long flight in economy so I looked at business class…. that was $16,000 for the 2 of us but the cruise was only $4000+tips inside room, 21 days. An inside room was a lot more comfortable than an economy seat! We enjoyed the passage enough to do Tales of the South Pacific next! Finally got a brief update last night on DSIL, that she was stabilized enough to be moved to the Rehab facility yesterday. From there a medical transport will take her for treatments or scans. I’m sure my family is relieved because they couldn’t have managed it. It’s not clear how this next phase will play out. I made progress too yesterday, another appt on the calendar and some more medical forms filled out online. Got into the gastro portal; the radiology portal kicked me out. I’ll try again today, I hope I don’t have to call them again and wait on hold but that might be easier than the frustrating portal. DH is trying to find last year’s tax file which is not in the file cabinet…. so could it have been packed somewhere else for the move? Oiy. Today DH tapers down another notch on steroid eye drops, another step! Pressure has been measurable and holding, next week another checkup. Still on physical restrictions. It’s possible they could leave the second suture closed, or maybe open it in a month or two but we’re good for now. Thanks Vanessa, and all for your support. Blessings to all our Daily family, all on our Care list, all in need of healing, comfort or hope, and for all the sadness and strife in the world. Toasts 🥂 (It is Toast Day right?) to all celebrating. Smooth travels to all away, especially our cruisers! Maureen

@aliaschief Bruce, thanks for the great pictures from your Uluru experience. As a geologist, I’m sure I would be thrilled. As a human I doubt I could manage the heat, the 4 miles and the flies… certainly not together! Safe travels to Sydney, a fabulous place to visit! M—

@superoma 🥳 Congratulations to you and your spouse. No matter what the number of years, there are never enough Anniversaries!💞 💐Cheers to all celebrating! @cat shepard Ann, hoping your sister’s recovery isn’t too difficult and that the surgery was successful! Tonga is so beautiful. Vava’u is mostly about water activities, a lesser port. The vibe is friendly and laid-back. Thank you Sandi for the links. Good memories from our Tales of the South Pacific on Amsterdam, 10 years ago but it seems like 2 lifetimes! I will celebrate Watson and Crick, and X-Ray diffraction which was a frequent tool of mine from grad school through my career in geology. @dfish Debbie, one would expect the pipes TO the zone to be warm…. I hope you can get someone to help you figure it out. Glad you are safe after a night of so many storms. @kochleffel What great comments from your instructor! Glad to hear you are healing nicely. Will be stormy here today, gray and rainy. I plan to try a new activity group this afternoon. Then a too-early supper before I phone into a church group in Maryland. Monday I phoned into a book group in Maryland and discovers that one of our group ran into the new owners of our old condo there and invited her to the book group, so I got to “meet” her! We discussed the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society…. made us all want to visit the Channel Islands which I know several here have enjoyed! I made progress yesterday on my own medical stuff - the on-site dentist now has my X-ray images from Maryland (multiple calls and e-mails!) for my new appt, moved up to tomorrow because there was a cancellation. Yay! And I worked my way through a phone and internet system to get started with the process for a colonoscopy-evaluation appt March 15! That took hours. I had cancelled my Nov appt in Maryland because of our move but it looks like I won’t be too far behind schedule. I still need to arrange for mammo, gyn, and skin screenings. Making slow progress! DH is working taxes and financial issues - yesterday he successfully tracked down a large credit we were supposed to get from using our retirement community’s recommended movers and realtors. We were happy to use them not only for the credit but we obtained a short-term promissory note through their finance dept to avoid selling securities and had our fingers crossed our condo would close within their short timeframe- it all worked very well! DH also succeeded in obtaining 2 sets of 1099s that we expected to be forwarded by the postal service but didn’t receive. For those not familiar with US tax form numbers, we need those forms from financial institutions to report our income. We had to work with our NM banking institution where we closed our accounts in 2023… the guy on the phone said, Just log into your account! oh boy…. And the other was for the tiny pensions we get from NM for our years of service as volunteer firefighters/EMS. My online acct worked but DH’s bounced him 🤷🏼‍♀️. The whole exercise is hardly worth the run-around but the income still needs to get reported. I’m so grateful we can manage our affairs! But it seems to be getting more complicated… is that just me? Blessings to all in need, to our country, your country and for all the sadness in the world. Hoping all our Daily family stays safe! Maureen

@cat shepard Ann, thanks for updating us! Sending blessings to you both. What a day! @rafinmd Roy, some good news! May it keep coming! Weather tonight is bringing some grave difficulties to folks in Texas panhandle with a ranging grassland fire that’s already consumed 250,000 acres (almost 400 square miles) pushed by strong, dry winds; also severe storms crossing mid- and upper Midwest. I hope all in harms way can find shelter! Especially our Daily family! 🙏 m—

Sunny and warming in north Jersey, maybe 60 today? Congratulations to @Nickelpenny on becoming a Shellback! 🥳 @cat shepard 🙏 Blessings for help for your sister! And you. @Cruzin Terri hoping you get some info and help. We went to Phillip Island in 2013 while we were staying in Melbourne for a couple of days. It was an all day excursion that was mostly to see the little penguins sometimes called Fairy Penguins. No cameras were allowed. (I bought a book, not sure if it’s unpacked…). We also stopped at a small zoo where people could pay to have pictures with koalas which we didn’t do because we had already seen many in their habitat, some so close we could have touched them but didn’t. The Phillip Island penguin parade is quite a major attraction. The birds come ashore at dusk and have to cross the beach to get “home” to the dunes. The gulls and other birds harass them so the penguins bunch up and wait for just the right moment to make their run. Viewing is mostly from stands, I think it was a National Park but could be wrong. Lots of holding our breath then cheering for them! The name Fairy Penguins was shifting to Little Penguins. They are quite small, mostly 6-12”? pictures from internet: There were hundreds of birds that came ashore over maybe an hour. It was a fun time and a very long late day, about 12 hrs, pickup around noon, return around midnight. Great memories. Blessings to all in need. I’m very grateful we are able to enjoy this day! No updates on my DSIL and her husband and daughter, I’m trying not to bug them, they have their hands, hearts and brains full! Thank you all for your caring support. Maureen

Snow flurries this morning! Looks like Oostersam may be in the Beagle Channel today? We went through it on Carnival Splendor when she was repositioned from CA to NY, 2013, too big for PC locks then so rounded Cape Horn. Our trip through the channel had a low cloud ceiling which made us feel even more closed in by the glaciers. The crew brought out blankets and we stayed out on deck wrapped up for hours. @summer slope May it be short and successful. @StLouisCruisers Blessings for Morgan getting through today, another step getting through this traumatic event. And YaY for Ren and his team! May his parents enjoy their special time. @dfish we too had a valve not opening in our zone heating system. But it wasn’t the valve, it was the wire to it. DH replaced it but not easy fishing it; I hope your fix is easier. We always kept a spare valve (mountain-living back-ups!) but never needed one. But changing out a valve should be quick once they get the right parts. 🤞 @JazzyV Thrilled that you are having improvement! I hope you are able to sleep. So far my attention to my pinched nerve is having a positive effect. In Maryland I had an MRI and saw a spine doctor at the suggestion of the hip doctor who said my hip pain wasn’t something he could fix with a replacement. But the spine doctor found a weak area and had “big plans” for me. I wasn’t having any nerve-type symptoms so I put that all aside then. Now we need to stay focused on DH’s eye surgeries and full recovery so I’ll be trying some things I learned years ago when I had neck disk issues and got through all that without surgery 🤞. Of course I was much younger then! One day at a time is everything! Blessings sent for all in need of healing, comfort or hope! Cheers for those celebrating 🥳 Smooth travels to all away! @Cruzin Terri, best of luck at Mayo! Maureen

@travelingbums That should be absolutely automatic on the refund, like when the ship misses a port and accounts are refunded for port taxes and excursions. And I would hope that Princess dies more. Also hope you were able to enjoy (salvage) done if your European trip!

Thank you Graham! Looks exciting! I’m thinking ahead to later in the year hoping we can do even a short cruise. @Denise T It’s grand to be planning ahead, and I hope you can still consider options that include Canada. m—

Bon Voyage @Lady Hudson! Looking forward to your thoughts on your experience. We have not been on RCL but they cruise from Bayonne NJ within easy reach of us, so maybe! Anthem is a mega ship and we’ve heard people say they loved it but I’m hesitant after our difficulties getting on and off NCL Joy with close to 5000. The ship was great, the overall experience left me not wanting to cruise on her again unless I don’t intend to get off anywhere. I hope you have a grand time! Been awake since 3-something, hoping to get a bit more sleep? Or a nap later. Not in pain, just tentative and a bit brain busy. We went to a movie last evening and movies stay with me, often takes me days processing them. My niece updated us yesterday on DSIL. They hope she’ll be stable enough to be moved in a day or two. She’s received more blood so not as “out of it” but that also means more difficult. Blessings to all! I hope everybody’s day is good, or night depending on where you are! I’m going to visualize ocean waves and see if I can drift off… Maureen

@Haljo1935 I’m sorry you lost your brother. Having been through bouts of acute depression I learned some about brain chemistry. I’m fortunate to be on a better path! @smitty34877, Terry, I’m so glad to hear you took a break! Some blue sky showing! m— Sandi, condolences and prayers for you and your friends. Thanks for news from Annie and Chuck.

It’s still rather gray here in north Jersey, getting to high 30s today, but no rain or snow! Maybe some sun later? We do make our own happiness! Or unhappiness. Doesn’t mean there aren’t rough patches to get through, hopefully with a little help from our friends! @JazzyV you are not on our Care List! And I think you should be. Again no word yesterday from niece on DSIL. I expect we’ll connect this weekend. DH is on a lower frequency of the steroid drops, tapering down, so the pressure in that eye is very low - the steroids kept it up a bit to where it was still measurable on our home device. Low is good but too low isn’t. It’s such a zigzag but it all seems to be working. We are feeling more confident, and so grateful! The itching is much less, getting by on just 1-2 Benadryl per day while he’s still using the meds in the other eye (scheduled for surgery April 23). 🤞 @StLouisCruisers thank you for the port pix, we called it Z-town! We were there so long ago on Oostersam that I really don’t remember it much. I do remember the old Regal Princess which was our 2nd cruise, 2004; we went from San Diego through PC to Ft Lauderdale. The casino was top front, viewing forward, and people were 6 deep trying to see the locks through the few windows. DH and I found a great spot outside at a corner railing in some shade and spent many hours there taking it all in. It was a perfect spot where we could see forward and a bit to the side. Good memories! I’ve apparently developed what I think is a lumbar pinched nerve, huh! Early signs. I will be thinking my way through what I’ve learned about dealing with these kinds of issues from neck disk problems twenty years ago, hoping I can get back on track! 🤦🏼‍♀️ I really don’t need this now! Bon Voyage 🛳️ and welcome home; smooth sailing to all our cruisers. Thanks for sharing with us. @ottahand7 Nancy and John: Don’t get lost in the Villages! Safe travels! Blessings to all in need, our country, your country and for all the sadness in the world. Enjoy something today! Thanks all for being here! Maureen

It is solid gray/grey here today… either way you spell it it’s dreary looking out there. Rain overnight but not cold! A good day for us to start taxes! We are still missing one pair of statements - our volunteer firefighter state pensions which are minuscule as pensions go but I’m glad we get some acknowledgment for our 19 years of service, and we still must report it. So that’s an early hurdle to chase. Happy Birthday @lindaler 🎉 Condolences @bennybear to you and your friend in such a heartbreaking loss. Coronado camped for 2 years starting in 1540 just north of where Albuquerque is now, along the Rio Grande. While we were working in Albuquerque we lived just up the hill from the encampment site which is now Coronado State Park, part of the Town of Bernalillo now the county seat (and center for the county fire department we served in in the rural area after we retired and moved into our mountain cabin home). 1540 was the beginning of the European invasion of lands that had been lived in for a thousand years. As in much of history, invasion became brutal and the many puebloans in the region suffered atrocities. Coronado is not celebrated by everyone. But he picked a beautiful site at the foot of the Sandia mountains and, of course, the river was the lifeblood of the arid region. Viewing east from the top of the hill, the dark area at in the bottom would be the trees along the river banks. We often camped at the state park with our 5th wheel trailer (caravan to some) the night before our return home so we could arrive in daylight rather than what I came to describe as “cold, dark, hungry”. Getting the mountain home restarted took several hours and a lot of energy to get fires going to heat the structure before starting water pumps etc. It was good for them, not for now! Blessings sent to all in need, especially our care list. Thank you Vanessa! DH had a good checkup at eye doctor yesterday! Return in 2 weeks. The surgery eye is coming along slowly but well. I am thrilled that they seem to have found us a path to save his vision and save him from the misery of the itching caused by the meds. Wishing for relief too for Vanessa, Jane, Chuck, Maurice… all our daily friends who are suffering! No updates last night about my DSIL, I didn’t ask, they all need some rest. 🛳️ Smooth travels to all our very many cruisers! Yay for Kangaroo Island! May you all stay well and safe. Cheers to all celebrating, Life is Good 🌈 Thank you all for being here with your caring support, heartfelt sharing and beautiful pictures! Enjoy something today! Maureen

Back from eye doctor 👍. All seems on track, feels so much better than last week! Brenda, so beautiful. I’m sorry about losing your friend. Roy, I’m glad you are being closely followed, no surprises. And I never tire of reminiscing about your exceptional journeys. Thank you. Pennie, I haven’t been to either Trinidad or Tobago, thanks for the photos. Stay safe and healthy! I love the Helsinki Church in the Rock! I’m a geologist, how could I not love it! 😜 Thanks to Tiny, Lenda and Sandi for sharing. Jacqui, I hope you get a bit of warmth soon. Vanessa, please rest, don’t overdo. Thanks for updating us. Paul, thanks for giving blood. I haven’t been a regular donor fir a while but I’m thinking I might be able to in my new environment. Graham, I love sitting your car at the shore! It’s such a “happy place” no matter what storms swirl here! Thank you, you bring smiles. m—