ger_77

That's all I have time to watch today; thanks everyone, see you next time!

The tooter must have been distracted for a moment or two...

Toot! Just one.

Done!

Well that cow bell certainly woke everyone up!

I can hear Love Boat toots.

Checking in.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Here's a tongue twister to get you going today: say five times in a row, as fast as you can "Irish wrist watch". I'm not a fan of guns, although I have taken a gun safety course and know how to shoot them. When we had the farm, I needed to know how to handle a gun because there were always bears and wolves not far away. I plan on opening a new box of wine tonight, so it's kind of like opening 4 bottles at once. Well we have heat this morning, and we have a new computer, woo hoo! This computer is lightning fast (well, compared to the old one), but it comes with a wired keyboard and mouse. The old keyboard was so well used that many of the letters were blank (just like when I learned to type), but it went downstairs to DH's work desk where he'll use the old tower and monitor for a word processor when he works on his music. This new keyboard is also a little smaller, so I'm having to use the backspace a lot more often. LOL Not a lot happening here today, which is fine, considering how many trips we had to make back and forth to Staples yesterday. It's still cold out, so I think it's a good day to continue working on knitting and crocheting blankets. Of course, I'll take some time off to watch sail-away and will wave at @RMLincoln and her family as they pass by the camera. I haven't made mashed potatoes in my instant pot, but I'm sure it's quick! I have some Italian sausages thawing that will be cooked in the air fryer, and they'll be served along with some mini potatoes baked in parmesan butter and a side salad at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers with raised glasses for all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

A very late afternoon check-in. It's been a busy day - the furnace repair guy showed up about an hour after our call and determined that the little thing that condenses the water had plugged up. He cleared it and was on his way - I'm sure that little plug and cleaning it out with a bent paper clip is going to be very costly. Later in the morning we had to go out to the insurance company to renew DH's vehicle insurance and registration. While we were out, Staples called to say our computer was ready. I must say I was being quite unkind this morning when I griped about the technician being ill yesterday. Obviously it was too early in the morning, I was cold, and had not had any coffee in me yet. We picked up the new tower, along with the old one, and brought them home. Well, guess what? Our old Dell monitor doesn't have a plug that fits the new tower. Back to Staples to pick up an adaptor, but we figured for a little more (note: a lot more) we might as well get a new monitor as well. Back home with a new monitor, only to discover that the factory had neglected to pack 1 of the cords. Sigh. Return trip to get cord, back home, and woo hoo, the new tower and monitor are all functioning properly. Now I just have to figure out where all the files are that were on the old one. Looking at my post from this morning, I realize I thought the menu of the day included salmon, but it was halibut. As a child, we always had halibut on Christmas eve for dinner; my mom would dredge it in flour, salt & pepper and pan fry it in butter; I haven't had that in so long. @smitty34877thank you for including your recipe; I'm going to try it next time I cook salmon. @TAW1963welcome to the Daily; I hope you enjoy yourself here - we're an eclectic group of folks who cheer each other on with the celebrations and send hugs for those with troubles. @luvteachingwhat great news that your DH will be able to come home next week; you must be so happy! @marshhawkI understand if you're unable to post today; I'm sure it's been so hard on you and Chuck. Just know you're in my heart. That's all I've got for today - the house is warm, I've got a new 'puter and there's wine waiting for me! See you tomorrow!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Tortilla chips, yum (will be substituting them for the corn nuts), woo hoo for all the bartenders on BHB’s, and as a child, I knew Paczki’s as jam busters at the bakery. A bit of an issue this morning - at 5:05, our smoke detector began telling us it was time to change the battery. Why is it they always go off like that in the middle of the night? I’ve never had one chirp at me during the day. I endured it for about 15 minutes, then got up to deal with it. The moment I got out of bed I knew something was wrong - our bedroom was C O L D. I checked the thermostat and despite it being set to start heating up to 21C, the house temp was only 15C(59F). Of course we know nothing about furnaces, but I did get DH up to share the cold, and he went down and banged around, but of course, nothing happened. We currently have electric heaters (thank goodness we have a bunch of them) going in several rooms, as well as having the gas fireplaces (both on the main floor and lower level) going at full blast. I spoke with the company we’ve dealt with for several years for our heating/cooling issues, and they said we should likely see one of their fellows at the door within the hour. I’m still working on my iPad mini — we checked in at Staples yesterday and found that the tech who works on computers in the store had called in sick. It looks like we might not have our new computer until Monday, as I don’t think they have anyone working in the tech department on the weekend. Grrr. I’m sending @marshhawkcomforting hugs as she and DH take Neko to the vet to transition over the Rainbow Bridge. @RMLincolnI hope all your family arrives safely so you can enjoy your cruise together! I’m sure I’d love today’s drink of the day, as I love grapefruit. I’ll pass on the wine, and we frequently have salmon, but it’s Friday, so that means pizza will be on the table in the kitchen tonight. And wine. Time for me to get some hot tea into me, but we’ll send prayers for all who are in need, particularly the people of Ukraine who have been so stoic this past year. Cheers to al with celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing!🙂🙂🙂 Gerry

I love strawberry margaritas and yes, I do enjoy them on every ship!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I used to keep a box of dog biscuits in my office for times when people dropped by with their pups. After a while, the dogs would come in first and head straight to the cupboard. I don’t play tennis, and digital learning has become very popular since the pandemic. While I’m disappointed to say I’m not as regal as I thought, I am pleased that I don’t have a crown. Yesterday’s visit to the dentist turned out to be a very positive one, even though I have dental anxiety, or as I call it, dentist phobia. The dentist (and not my regular one) was able to fill in the chunk I’d taken out of my molar with corn nuts, saving me a ton of money. He did warn me, however, that there wasn’t much tooth structure left, so I should be careful, because the next time I’ll likely need a crown. Duly noted! Well it looks like we won at Frigid Bingo - the entire province from top to bottom, side to side is under an extreme cold warning that extends through tomorrow and hopefully will smarten up a bit on Saturday. This is from the Severe Weather Tracker Site: @JazzyVI am saddened to learn of your BFF’S uncle’s passing. May his soul rest in peace. @Lady HudsonBon Voyage; have a wonderful cruise! @marshhawkmy heart goes out to you as you deal with Neko’s final days. That’s one of the hardest things a pet parent has to do, but you know it’s right for our fur babies. I think I’d like to try today’s drink of the day - just once - but make sure there’s a bed nearby, as it looks pretty potent. The menu suggestion sounds like it might be good on a day like today, but I brought out the remaining part of a turkey carcass from Christmas and along with a zip lock bag of frozen gravy, will turn it into a hearty turkey vegetable soup. Yesterday I made a batch of buns, so we’ll enjoy soup and buns at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for all who are in need, especially those in the path of the storms, the people of Ukraine, Türkiye(new spelling), Ukraine, Syria and New Zealand. Hearty cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂 Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I remember as a child, our whole school trooping off to church for a special Ash Wednesday service. I try to be humble every day. Did you know it’s also Margarita Day? Woo hoo! Well it’s a cold one here on the “frozen tundra”; we’re currently sitting at -34C (-29F) and with the wind it feel like -43C (-45F). As usual, we should just hunker down and stay home, but life carries on as normal. DH has a lunch meeting today, then a coffee with the guys from his band, and I have to visit the dentist at noon to see what can be done about my tooth. Both vehicles are plugged in, and DH will start mine this morning just to warm it up for a while since it hasn’t been driven in over a week. Yesterday we took our PC over to Staples so they could transfer all the files and set up our new one, so I’m working on my little iPad mini and a portable Bluetooth keyboard, so please forgive any typos I might have today. I hope those of our Daily family who are in the path of storms are safe, and that the power stays on. At least here, the power rarely goes off, even during our worst blizzards. I believe that’s because we usually get dry, powdery type snow, instead of the wet, heavy stuff that brings down trees and power lines. Not a lot going on here other than regular day to day stuff, but that means I’ll have time to work on more blankets. I finished another yesterday and started making a camping blanket for one of our grandsons. I deconstructed an afghan that was in very dark colours and thought it would be great for camping, as it wouldn’t show the dirt from being dragged around the campfire, etc. The afghan was large enough that I should be able to get 2 smaller ones out of it. I’m crocheting them in a simple pattern that can be added to as they grow, so they aren’’t stuck with tiny little ones as teenagers or adults. I’d love to try today’s wine selection but don’t think that’ll ever happen. LOL. I like today’s menu suggestion and will add it to my file, but because it’s Ash Wednesday, I think we’ll have fish for dinner tonight. Friends of ours gave us a couple of packages of fish fillets from their lake that I’ve got thawing in the fridge. I’ll coat them in panko crumbs and put them in the air fryer and serve fish along with some steamed vegetables and baked potatoes a the kitchen table tonight . And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, especially those suffering through natural and man-made disasters. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂 Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I've never had my cards read, but someone read my palm once. My mother language is English, my second language is sarcasm. It's cold out there this morning - DH will have to break out his quilted tie! We're currently sitting at -28C and there's a decent wind, bringing the wind chill temp to -36C. Apparently we're going to be having this until Saturday or Sunday, so we should really hunker down. But we won't. As soon as the dental office opens at 8, I'll be making a call to get an appointment. Then we have to dismantle our PC tower and take it to Staples where they'll transfer all the files and set up our new tower for us. We checked around the ended up purchasing an Acer Aspire with 1T of storage and a processor that will seem lightning fast compared to what we have now. It was funny, when we walked into one computer store, the clerk (who looked like he was maybe 12 years old) asked if we were gamers. DH looked and said "Seriously, do we look like gamers? I still rub sticks together to make fire." I added "And he thinks you can fix a computer with an axe". It's Shrove Tuesday, so I'll be passing on today's flank steak recipe - but @dfishthanks for your Dad's marinade; I'll be tucking that away in my file. It'll be pancakes, syrup and bacon at the kitchen table for us tonight. And wine. Prayers for all who are in need, especially those with natural and man-made disasters. Hearty cheers to all with celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! 🙂 Gerry

Oh my gosh, what sad news; how awful for his family and friends. Depression is awful; we have to make mental health as important as physical health, instead of treating it as something that people shouldn't talk about in public. May his soul be fully at peace now.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Welcome back @StLouisCruisers! Happy Presidents Day to my friends in the US; we will celebrate Family day here on the "frozen tundra" with many other provinces. As @kazuindicated, it's really just a way to get a long weekend during the cold winter months, but every little bit helps. I love cherry pie, and will make a cherry something today, as I know I have a can of pie filling in the pantry. I'd gladly shout Hoodie Hoo several times over if it helped clear off the snow from the driveway! The snow began late yesterday afternoon and while we were having dinner last night, we saw what we described as "big chunks" of snow falling straight down. It was quite lovely, but we knew it meant likely a lot more would come down by morning. Looking out at the driveway (which has a bunch of bunny rabbit tracks on it), it looks like there's at least 3 inches that will need to be shoveled. I'll wait until it gets light out before venturing out. I think it's light snow, not the wet, heavy stuff. @ottahand7I'm so glad your house was alright, and that there are neighbours who are watchful while people are away. Strange time of night to be delivering things, though! @kazuI hope you're able to get all your paperwork done today; that will be a big load off your mind. @JazzyVyou are very sweet to put me on the care list, but it's only a tooth. I thought I'd call the office first thing this morning, but realized it's Family Day and all the medical and dental offices will be closed. Oh well, another day of eating soft foods and being careful certainly won't hurt me. We went to a couple of places yesterday looking for a new computer; I thought after all these years, the prices would have come down lower than they are. Today we'll head out to Best Buy to see what they have and then we'll make a decision on what will end up on our desk. I know I'd like today's menu suggestion, but DH doesn't handle heat well, so I think I'll take a pass on it. When I went down to the deep freeze, I noticed we still had a couple of containers of chili in there, so that's what we'll be enjoying at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, especially those experiencing natural and man made disasters. Cheers to all with celebrations going on. Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂 Gerry

Well it's been short and sweet for me, but it's time to head out. Thanks everyone, see you next time!

It's good to see so many people on deck enjoying sail-away.

That's the sound we've been waiting for!

Toots!

Definitely the PP today!

Late to the party, but early enough to see the Nieuw Amsterdam. We were out looking at prices for a new PC desktop; our 7 year old Dell just isn't doing it for us any more.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I like the combination of chocolate and mint, well, chocolate and anything, really. The battle of Iwo Jima was horrific with loss of life on both sides. I wonder if any females were involved in the naming of today's honouring the women veterans? Interesting. We've got grey skies, but moderate temperatures today, only -19C and no wind, so it should be nice when I go out to blow off the skiff of snow that came down overnight. It won't take long, so that will give me more time to research a new desktop computer. Ours is on it's last legs - this morning it literally took 15 minutes to come on once I pressed the switch. Then, I'd begun my post and it froze. I checked, and I can't update to Windows 11, so that's another sign that it's time to pass this one on to someone who can take it, refurbish it, and give it to a school in need. On another note - yesterday while watching sail-away, I had a package of corn nuts (which I haven't had in I don't remember how long), and was munching on them while enjoying seeing the ships. Suddenly I realized there must have been a stone or something in the mix, so I quickly spat it out into a tissue. Unfortunately, it was part of one of my molars. The good thing is that I don't have any sensitivity, but it still means that I'm likely looking at being turned regal once more with another crown. LOL I'll be on the phone first thing tomorrow morning when the dental office opens to get an appointment to have it repaired. @grapau27I'm sorry to hear about Sarah's friend passing away; please pass along my condolences to her and her friend's family. @kazuI do hope once the insurance company receives all the documentation, that they process your claim quickly - you don't need any more hassles in your life! Quick thinking to get your driveway guy to bring up your begonias . . . well done! @ottahand7I hope your house is safe, and that your missing clothes are soon located! Special thoughts going out to President Carter with prayers for an easy and peaceful transition. He did so much for so many for so long. I know I'd like today's menu suggestion, but in light of the fact that I'm sticking with soft foods, I'll tuck the recipes away for another day. DH said he'd like something light for dinner, so I've got another salmon fillet and oven fries that I'll cook up for him and I'll have the remainder of the borscht from yesterday at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for all who are in need, especially those with natural and man-made disasters. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂 Gerry