MJSailors

@Ozark_Kid John-I just read your post about you making homemade ice cream. Would you consider making garlic ice cream ?There is such a thing!😉 @h20skibumYikes! Your granddaughter is brave!😊 MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Reading,reading reading all the posts here as DH and I recover. Slow go, but getting there. I would like to have more strength, but friends who have had Covid assure me that it takes awhile to feel 100%. Wishing all here happy days especially those who are/were celebrating milestone days. @Ozark_Kid John-I have read about the kindness coming your way recently. I can only think that the kindness you have shown others has found it way back to you and DW Sharon. @Momof3gurlz I hope that things are going well for you and your hubby since the “kids” have moved in with you while their house is under renovation. The work they have planned seems to be ambitious and time consuming. Easy to say, but try to go with the flow for now. Your house will return to its’ former self once they are back in their “new” home.’ @lenquixote66I read your poem and found it had an ethereal quality. I hope you continue to create poetry if it makes you feel happy. @Sea DogI will be interested to read about the bone marrow treatment proposed for your knee. My hubby has arthritic knees with bone on bone as he played football in HS and college. He has consulted with a few orthopedic surgeons, one being a doctor that cares for NYJets players. All agree that he is not a candidate for surgery as he does not have pain and continues to be able to comfortably walk. He walks everyday for 40 minutes. A suggestion of all the doctors was that he loose weight . About a year and a half ago, he began to follow a healthy eating plan and lost fifty + pounds which he maintains. He does not want surgery! Any alternative therapy would be interesting for him to learn about should he someday be a surgery candidate. As to MRIs, I agree they are not a pleasant experience. I had one this past April to diagnose a spinal issue. Luckily, my head was out of the tube. The tech asked what kind of music I wanted to listen to during the test. I requested Motown. Not sure what music he plugged into the headphones, but it was nothing I recognized- more like No town! I was so very glad when the test was over! Hoping you get some good answers. Wishing all here a good evening! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@Silkroad Thank you for your kind words. We are recovering slowly. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@bunnyetteThank you for your thoughts. Were you the couple we saw in the hall taking your golf clubs off of the ship? We had a brief conversation in the corridor about playing golf that day. My husband was/is reluctant to pursue the matter with the golf course or the Bermuda Dept of Tourism. I have the thought of reporting the incident as something should be said to prevent anyone else being put in a similar situation. We were saddened to see the Southampton Princess closed as we had many good vacations there. It gave me an eerie feeling to see it shut down and the grounds in need of attention. Hoping you had a good round. No way would I have ever walked that course! Yes,Apollo was exceptional-I hope he did not get sick. I think he was nearing the end of his contract and was looking foreard to going home. Take care- MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@nashville15 Thank you for the kind words. We are coming along. As to a sewage smell. I had to go to guest services on Deck 3. For some reason, the elevator I took led to a cabin corridor -starboard side- to get to the guest services desk. I seem to have arrived on deck 3 near the Tuscan Grill which kind of blocks a direct walk to guest services. I mention this because I noticed a sewage smell as I was near those cabins on deck 3. We were in cabin 9062 -deck 9 starboard.No sewage smell there and we noticed none near the theater. Keep in mind, the Summit is about twenty years old. Parts can wear out and break down on a ship of that age given almost constant use. It has been refurbished nicely,as far as the eye can see. If you have a cabin on deck 2 or deck 3, you may consider rebooking to a higher deck. The crew on the ship is outstanding! I wish you a safe and healthy cruise! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Good to see you have begun posting, Norris! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Welcome home, Norris and Carol! Looking forward to reading about your travels. Take care- MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

I think you have Bimmer09 -Norris-confused with another poster . That poster was writing about a cruise out of Southampton around the UK and to Le Harve. His was a Princess cruise. Hoping that Norris does post. I always enjoy his writing and photos. MJ

@Water709 I hope that you and your hubby recover soon. Someone on this cruise’s roll call reported that he, his wife and son also tested positive with his wife having the most severe symptoms. I do understand your feelings about taking future cruise vacations. Others have gone on cruises and have remained healthy. There is, and hasn’t been, any medical explanation given as to why some contract the virus and others remain free of it. Wishing you and your husband a happy 40th anniversary! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@WestLakeGirl Summit was the only ship at Cape Liberty, Bayonne,NJ. Contact with others was quite limited there. Embarkation and disembarkation was quick and flawless. Getting off the ship, we were with fellow passengers, had brief contact with the Custom officer at face recognition and a porter helping with the bags. MJ

Well, it was supposed to be a celebration cruise for our 40th anniversary, but things did not turn out as planned. First, I will write about the positives of the cruise. The Summit has been refitted and upgraded beautifully. The lighter color scheme, and the furnishings in many areas that offered comfortable seating were very much appreciated. We had taken two cruise previously on the Summit and realized during those cruises that the ship needed a good bit of attention. The staff and crew on the ship were exceptional! We have been cruising since 1987 and we cannot recall a friendlier, kinder and more helpful staff. Kudos to Celebrity in recruiting people who are an asset to the Summit. We were in an Aqua class cabin 9052. Apollo was our steward who took good care of the cabin and did it with kindness. The serving staff in the buffet, Al Bacio and Blu were very good. I would like to give a shout out to the young lady who served most evenings at the dessert station in the buffet. Her smile was infectious and her heart shown through while serving those cakes! I neglected to get her name and I feel remiss about that. Now, for the turn of events. On Tuesday, the first day we were docked in Bermuda, my husband took a hard fall at the Turtle Hill Golf Club on a very steep path. The result was broken ribs. This has nothing to do with the cruise or the ship. I am writing about this for two reasons. We were taken aback by the cavalier attitude of the golf course staff regarding his fall. Not going into detail here, but the reaction was not what we have come to expect from Bermudians in all our past thirteen visits to that country. Very disappointing to say the least. We managed to have a pleasant remainder of the cruise. Our activities were somewhat limited as my DH needed to rest at times from his injury. We tried to make the best of the situation. The Monday after we returned home, I was not feeling well at all. I tested Tuesday morning and it was positive for Covid. We are both recovering. We drove to Cape Liberty , so there were no air flights or hotel stays involved. We surmise that we contracted the virus on the ship. We washed our hands often-“washy washy” , used Putell, kept away from crowds and still succumbed to Covid. It is still out there. The thing is,the effects of the virus are not as serious as in the beginning of the Pandemic. My DH and I were aware of the health risks in booking this cruise. We have been very careful these past 3+ years and have remained healthy. Given that we are early seventies and I am asthmatic, we did not make the decision to go on the Summit lightly. I wanted this post to be a truthful account of our cruise vacation and givie both positive and negative aspects of such a vacation YMMV MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Have you tried to unsubscribe from the email list? MJ

@sgmn Hoping your grandson feels better soon. No fun being sick! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@lenquixote66 Keeping fingers crossed that your poem is selected! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@TravelGirlinDallas Wishing you a happy birthday! Celebrate and no counting candles! Enjoy! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@QueSeraSera A word to the wise about your wife’s birthday coming from a wife of 40 years….. I would suggest a bouquet of flowers and a dinner at a special restaurant to celebrate her day. Remember this saying-Happy wife, happy life! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@grapau27 Graham-Thank you for the anniversary greeting! You always find very happy celebratory greetings to post here! @Arzeena I am hoping that you enjoy the cruise on the Summit. Maybe it was a good thing that you rebooked the cruise for another date. There had been a Noro outbreak on the ship before we got on the ship. People were served by staff in the buffet-which I think is a good idea. Also, there were staff to remind folks to Washy,washy at the entrances of the buffet. Thank you for good wishes. @DaniDanielle A 😊 attitude helps! Thank you for the kind words! @jmh2006 I did rent clubs at Turtle Hill Golf Course and it was a very good set. The lack of concern and effort to help us did not reflect the Bermudian welcoming attitude we have so often encountered in our many past visits to Bermuda. Because of this, I would not recommend the course, but YMMV. In retrospect, I think we would have done better at the pitch and putt mini golf at the Dockyard-oh well ! @Sunshine3601Thank you for the kind words. @sgmnThank you for the kind words. Lovely photos of your trips to the Med. I visited Sicily with friends during college. I I have many good memories of that trip! It does not look as it has changed much over the years. @lenquixote66Thank you for the good wishes. I am hoping that your poem is selected. @BonTexasNYA positive attitude helps! We made a lot of lemonade that vacation 😉! @Luckynana Thank you for your reply. It seems that Covid is an unwanted souvenir from a vacation. Good that you recovered from your bout and I am getting a bit better each day. Dr said ride it out with fluids and rest-so that’s it! I do appreciate all the responses and reactions to my post. There are kind, good people in this world! I hope I didn’t neglect any posters who sent us good thoughts.This thread moves so quickly, it is difficult to keep up at times. Wishing all the posters and readers here a pleasant day! MJ 🙋🏻‍♀️

@Arzeena Well, since you asked about the Bermuda cruise, I will try to give a condensed version. Some may have called it the Voyage of the Damned-however , DH and I chose to make lemonade from lemons. Here it goes- Embarkation in Bayonne, Port Liberty was a breeze. The Celebrity Summit has been refurbished beautifully. We were on the ship in 2019 and it definitely showed wear and in need of a new,brighter color scheme. We were in Aqua 9052 and found the cabin comfortable with plenty of storage and a good size bathroom (for a ship). All was going great until Tuesday. I planned to play golf at Turtle Hill Golf Course on the grounds of the Fairmont Southampton Princess on Wednesday. Due to a rainy forecast , we changed the date to Tuesday. During the cab ride to the course, we found out that the hotel had been closed for some time in anticipation of renovations. As we drove up the hill, the hotel looked eerie and quiet as we had so differently remembered it during past stays there. We checked in to the pro shop and a young fellow bought around the golf cart and clubs for me to use. My DH said that I should drive the cart and have some fun with it. The worker gave us minimal instruction on driving the golf cart and we took off-slowly. I stopped the cart at the area of the first tee, but realized I could not park the cart as there was no parking brake. I held my foot on the brake to keep the cart still while my DH walked up the steep path to get further instructions. He returned with a bleeding elbow and grass stains on his shirt, followed by the young worker. I realized that my DH had taken quite a fall on the path as it was such a steep incline going down the path that he lost momentum and fell hard on the path. The worker showed me how to set the golf cart and said he should have explained it more clearly and inquired if DH was okay. My DH encouraged me to play on, but after finishing the first hole, I decided enough was enough and that we were returning to the ship. I called the pro shop to help us up the step path. Another worker approached us in a golf cart and said we had to walk up the path. He did not offer us a ride in the golf cart. I was so rattled at this point that now I realize I should have insisted on getting rides back to the pro shop. We made it up the hill with my DH in pain. At this point I will mention that we are 70 and 72. The manager of the golf course credited the greens fees and called us a cab as my DH refused medical assistance there. He was reluctant to be taken to the hospital as he was considering implications of what a visit to the hospital may incur. The cab driver took us very close to the gangplank and we got DH settled in the cabin. He took it easy for the remainder of the cruise, getting rest and Tylenol. He has been improving each day and has had broken ribs before which basically heal themselves. We enjoyed the ship during the following days as much as possible. We participated in some trivia, Deal No Deal, roulette, dinners in Blu and taking in the beautiful views from the ship. It was our 14th visit to Bermuda, so while we missed doing some things there, we were content to stay on the ship. Since it was to be a celebration cruise for our 40th anniversary, my DH wanted to buy me a ring. We selected a pretty blue and white diamond white gold ring. It was a pleasant experience and a loving gesture on DH’s part. We were so impressed by the staff and crew. Their hearts and kindness shown trough so many times. We have been cruising since 1987 and we have never encountered such a hard working, pleasant and warm hearted staff. Kudos to Celebrity for that! Disembarkation was a breeze also. Unfortunately, I was not feeling well on Monday afternoon. Yesterday, I felt worse-tired, weak, no appetite and some tummy issues. I took a Covid test and ,yes, it came up positive. I have a video visit with our Primary Dr later this afternoon. We anticipated that this could happen. I seem to have a mild case and I will recover. As I said,my DH is recovering also. Upon our return, he did all the laundry and put all the travel items back in their places. He is a keeper! After 40 years, we have learned to roll with the punches. We will look back on this cruise with some good memories and even laugh at some of the happenings-probably after we feel much better! Wishing that you are all feeling well,safe and loved. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@grapau27 Graham-The videos from the fjords were lovely! Glad that you and Pauline were able to enjoy the scenic ports and the cruise. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@Btimmer Interesting recap of your Regal Princess cruise and travels in the UK. Kudos to you and your DW for covering so much ground in each port. For a couple celebrating a 55th wedding anniversary,you both seem to have great strength and stamina! Wishing you continued good health and interesting days. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

It has been our experience that the robes are made of a waffle kind of cotton. Supposed to fit all sizes, but I have always found them to be skimpy although I am a size 10-12. DH doesn’t even try to wear one. Things may have changed though. YMMV MJ

Graham- You and Pauline are lovely too! @HBE4 As a fellow New Yorker, I understand your point of view! A very dear friend moved from LI to Tennessee about a year ago. She and her hubby moved due to her SIL being transferred for work. She misses LI even though they live in a lovely area and are enjoying being near their two grandsons. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Dani-I am saddened to hear that violence has erupted near your home again. Absolutely nothing can be gained by such actions, yet there are people in our world that continue to cause devastating harm. I am hoping that issues can be resolved and that you, your DH and family and friends can have peaceful days soon. I think everyone on this thread appreciates hearing from you. Maybe it is a consolation for you to know that so many people from different countries and different walks of life have you all in our thoughts and all wish relief for you. Take care MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Graham-You have a lovely place to relax. I do understand about family divisions. I can’t understand when they happen and, I admit to being envious (a little bit) of families that have strong bonds, being happy with each other. When DH’s father passed in 2007, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law made it clear to us that they wanted to sever familial ties with us. MIL severed ties with her brother and sister many years before she did the same to us. So, she had the pattern of having hardness of heart. My DH has a forgiving nature, so he has forgiven his mother ( who passed in 2009) and his sister. However,sometimes I have difficulty with their actions as I know they hurt my husband. Thankfully, we have lifelong friends who are family and we go on with our days. I think that you and Pauline have found consolation with the relationship with Sara, and she finds comfort from the love and support you give her. While I realize no one has a perfect life, it seems that you and Pauline have a good life filled with love. I can say the same for DH and myself. Take care MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Graham-Good to see you enjoying some sun in that beautiful garden! The grass and trees/shrubs look very lush. Do you employ landscapers or tend the garden yourselves? My DH and I used to care for our front and rear yards for many years and enjoyed the work. About six years ago though,we thought it was time for us to hire gardening help. We have been in our home for thirty-nine years. We were a bit older than you and Pauline when we moved into the house though! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️ I am adding two views of our front yard with flowers in bloom. Waiting to see what they will look like this year. The Spring has been a bit chilly, so the blooms may be a bit delayed.