smitty34877

Good morning.I feel badly for the men on the roof at 32 degrees with a bit of wind and no sunshine. They are almost finished and it looks quite nice. I have not been to the port but it looks lovely. Thank you, as always Lenda and Sandi. @Quartzsite Cruiser and @StLouisCruisers. I am going to try the slow cooker version of the risotto tonight, thanks to Debbie @dfish. @marshhawk, Annie, I am sorry to hear of @catmando’s difficulties. Does the concentrator support two oxygen lines? I am worried about you as well.I hope things start to improve soon. As far as the days go, I will celebrate Joy day and that includes our Joy @SeaSickSailor. There are no haloes here! I just got three documents notarized and sent them off to a life insurance company that is of course holding up DD DH’s claim. This is for the second time,the same documents. I sort of wonder where all these things go as they don’t appear to reach their destination in spite of sending it by certified mail. Have a very good day today.

Good morning. It is 32 going up to 38 with sun and clouds. The roofers are busy and the competing pipe line diggers are jack hammering away. I have an appointment today and will be glad to leave the noise. I love gazpacho but it is only good when the tomatoes are at their best. Tortilla soup would be lovely and I look forward to the recipes. I salute miners and like @ger_77 I am too claustrophobic to even imagine doing that. I agree with the quote and wish I could visit the port. @Cat in my lap a very happy birthday! @aliaschief, Bruce, I am glad your back is improving. I snorted my coffee when I read the last meme as it was particularly funny. Have a great day everyone

Congratulations to all for a safe delivery of Maeve Grace. Very exciting!

@GTVCRUISER, Bon Voyage! @marshhawk, The utilities companies around here leave the metal plate down for ages before the holes are filled in and the street repaved. They certainly do it right in Canada and England. Today the pipeline replacement company is right in front of the house and the dogs have expressed their outrage. The shingles came yesterday but so far the dumpster is missing. The way things are blocked off now, if they did try to get here they would have to back down the street that leads to here. There is very little turning room. Fun! We like lentils here and twenty minutes sounds like a minor miracle for meal prep. Things always take longer for me. I have worn jeans most for my life. Unfortunately the size has increased with age.I have tried other things and just don’t feel like myself in clothes that younger women wear nowadays. We have not been to the port. I do remember my uncles describing the night Prohibition was repealed and the celebrations that followed. Have a great day everyone.

@JazzyV, Vanessa, I have been thinking for a while that you need more support to ambulate and I am glad you are getting the rollator and shower chair… I knew you needed to come to this decision on your own so I kept quiet.The cane is useless with severe pain like yours. I am sorry that the pain and sleep loss continue and that you are dealing with the radiator leak damage on top of it. I found over the years that facet joint pain was particularly hard to treat. I hope the MRI provides answers.

Good morning. It is sunny and 47 going up to 50. DD DH and I went twice to Aruba but not via a cruise ship.it is a beautiful place and very relaxing to stay for a week or so. Cheers for the days, a chuckle for the quote and a maybe on the recipe. This week the roof is being replaced and the roofers are delivering the shingles and a dumpster for the driveway. This is complicated because the pipeline replacement project has reached our doorstep. We are a narrow one way street and it is challenging to back a dumpster into a steep driveway. DD spoke to the policeman at the top of the access street and he has promised to let the trucks in. Oh boy. @seagarsmoker, Best of luck on the interview today! @StLouisCruisers, Sandi, oh no on the leak. I hope the plumber finds the source quickly. Also, I loved the picture of you and DH with your DD. @grapau27, I am so impressed by the response to the water main break and the recovery process in your garden. We would faint if the water or utility folks came back so quickly to repair the mess!

Good morning. We have a rainy and mild day here as it will reach the mid fifties later. My DDIL made a very good green bean casserole last week and I don’t usually like that. I will celebrate disabilities day but we must acknowledge how much further we need to go for accessibility. I live in an older city and see obstacles everywhere.We are a family that hugs, thank goodness. I did not grow up that way and it was a learned response! I took accordion lessons as a small child and learned the WTO for a recital. Of course, it was easier to sight read the music since I knew the tune! I would love the soup but probably not convince the group to eat it. Today we are getting take out and I am looking forward to the free time. @RedneckBob, Bon Voyage to you and the Mrs RNB. I am glad you have returned to cruising and will look forward to hearing about your trip. @rafinmd, Roy, I am so glad that you made it safely home and hope you continue to improve. @cat shepard, Ann, Thank you. Just last week a relative said to me that I should move to New Hampshire right away! Yikes. I had not given moving at all a thought and certainly did not ask for their perspective. I had all I could do to remain polite. Enjoy the day!

I thought our neighbors were …..interesting! Wow

Good morning. We were encased in fog earlier and it will get up to possibly sixty later. We had a wild thunderstorm in the middle of the night that lit up the sky. Shout outs for all three days and the Borge’s quote. I wonder if using the Dutch oven keeps the splatters contained….I will investigate. I would love to visit the Cape Verde Islands and thank Sandi @StLouisCruisers for the pictures. I was glad to see that @Sharon in AZ got a good report from the doctor. It has to be difficult to have each eye responding differently. Best wishes for the second operation to come. @JazzyV Vanessa, oh my that MRI position had to be excruciating. I don’t know how you did it. I had to talk myself down off the ledge when having an MRI last year the same way you did and it seemed as if time stood still. I sure hope you get the results soon and something can be done. @dfish, Debbie, It makes me so upset that you have been waiting so long for your results and now for the surgeon to set a date. As you are well aware it is a serious situation. I do believe you are a lot more patient then I would have been under the same circumstances. Tonight I am making a chick pea and pasta dish with the teenager doing most of the work. I had put aside gravy(tomato sauce) that was meatless when I started a big pot of it last week. I am hoping that as a newcomer to being a vegetarian he will learn to combine protein and other ingredients healthfully. So far he remains enthusiastic and wow he sure can eat ! Enjoy the day today.

@StLouisCruisers, Sandi, Congratulations to Ren! It is so exciting to watch the younger ones take their first real steps into the world. I could feel your excitement from here!

@ger_77,Gerry, I am sorry to hear about your friend Wayne and his cardiac issues. Sending prayers his way. @Heartgrove,I am sorry the after effects are still with you and Sue. We found it took almost six weeks to feel “normal “ after we had it.The fatigue was the worst for me. @Seasick Sailor, Joy, I enjoy hearing about your cruise and today sounds perfect. Love sea days!

Good morning. It will be a nice day today with sunshine and temperatures up to 47.DD DH’s grandfather was from Romania so I will toast them with my coffee mug this morning. World AID’s day remains very important. Rosa Parks was a very brave woman and her actions remain relevant all these years later. I think the recipe would be a good one. Everyone likes fish here and Friday is a good day to purchase fish locally. @JazzyV, Vanessa, I know those fans are noisy but they certainly do their jobs well. I hope you can get the radiator replaced soon. I am sorry that you continue to have such debilitating pain and I wish a treatment plan for it could be done soon. @grapau27, Graham, the blue bubble was uncooperative ( after just working) but I was sorry to hear of your water troubles. I hope the beautiful garden can be saved. I am not in the mood for Christmas and the decorations and feel like a Scrooge. Most of our neighbors have pretty trees in the windows and outside lights up. Tana and I will do what we have to but enthusiasm is lacking. I admire those of you doing cards and such. Take care everyone.

Thank you so much for posting these pictures. She is truly a miracle.

Good morning. It will be a little warmer today and get up to the high forties. I do like chocolate mousse and used to make it for DD DH. Computer security is important and I worked with nurses from Barbados who remembered their Independence Day as children.I have always wanted to travel to their homeland after hearing about the beauty for so long. The VOV took us to the port and I remember a beautiful day wandering around the town. DB was with us on that cruise and he promised to send me the pictures…. I will be thinking of Roy @rafinmdas he commences traveling home. I imagine the roadways are getting crowded in Florida as winter settles in up north. All the best to all of you

@JazzyV,Vanessa, Oh no on the heat and radiator problems and the mess to clean up. We found the same thing when we had radiator troubles. The older workers knew how to fix them and there are only a few left. I am so sorry that you have to deal with this on top of the horrible pain.

Good morning. Dog walking required the full winter ensembles: big coat,hat, gloves. I thought of you @ger_77 and felt like a winter wimp as it was 25 F at that time. It will get up to 34 later. I have not been to the port and like the quote and menu suggestion today. I would love a slice of lemon cream pie and someone can have my chocolate. Tana is somewhat recovered from her latest bout of pneumonia but the toll on her breathing remains. I am fortunate to be in decent physical shape as I need to assist her with transfers and bed mobility. She has been such a trooper throughout this difficult time. Yesterday both dogs were “ guarding “ her. Dogs certainly know when they are needed. @rafinmd, Roy, I hope you are able to leave the hospital today and send you extra prayers. @marshhawk,Annie, I sure hope you got the oxygen concentrator. I don’t know how you have managed without it. Have a great day today, especially all of the cruisers!

Good morning. I had an early appointment at the orthopedic office to check on my almost one year old new hip. I am happy to say the replacement is “perfect” and the other side is ok for now. It was nice to be told good news. The first chicken and rice dish will appear on our table tonight, thank you Debbie @dfish! Please nag your sister to get checked out. Two weeks is a long time to feel like that. Bruce, @aliaschief, I am glad that you do not have to have a surgical repair but sorry about the fracture of such long duration. Is there still pain? Lenda, @Quartzsite Cruiser, there was an interesting article in the Washington Post today about NPH and shunts. If I were technologically smart, I could send it to you but it had a lot of interesting comments from others who have had the condition. Essentially it took many doctors and years to figure out the diagnosis. I am making spinach and tortellini soup for lunch and my vegetarians can have it for dinner. It is a soup day for Tana and myself as it is cold and blustery outside.I am so glad our oil tank issues were fixed before the cold weather set in. Thanks to all who are here !

Good morning. It is a beautiful sunny day that will get up to 50 then drop to the mid twenties tonight. I took the dogs for a really long walk and they were so happy to be out and about. I will give turtles their day and remember a local NY TV show called “Soupy Sales”. There were frequent pies in the face and my brothers and I would roar with laughter. He eventually went off the air with a bit where he told kids to mail in the money to him from Daddy’s wallet. We were not dumb enough to do this but plenty of people did. i would enjoy the squash soup but I don’t think anyone else would here. I made “gravy “ aka tomato sauce this morning and just finished the meatballs and sausage to go with it. My teenager had requested this before I went away. He likes to have this with manicotti so I will get that ready next. Thanks to @kazu, Jacqui, for the update on Roy.I hope to hear he is feeling better. @aliaschief, Bruce, I hope the orthopedic issues can be resolved quickly. The knee is tricky as you know. @RMLincoln, I am sorry to hear of the passing of your good friend of many years. It is hard to get news like this when one is no longer close by. Have a great day everyone.

Thank you Ann @Vict0riann. I hope you are feeling better yourself.

Thank you Graham @grapau27. i am glad that you and Pauline had a great time on your cruise. And I do enjoy the food pictures!

I am sorry to hear the diagnosis but so glad you will be treated appropriately in the hospital. Sending prayers for you, Roy. We will keep you close.

Bon Voyage! Enjoy that nice long time on a BHB.

Bon Voyage! I am excited to “travel” vicariously.

Good morning. It is 33 heading for 50 later. It was 20 degrees in New Hampshire when I left yesterday morning. The snow had mostly melted. It was fun to watch the temperature climb as I traveled south. I had three different traffic jams to sit through in Connecticut. I thought of you Ann, @cat shepard as I drove through endless Connecticut! My DS thought your Massachusetts map was a hoot when I showed it to him. It was good to get away and made me realize how tired I really was. I am a world class insomniac and that problem has become worse in the last two months. I helped with the cooking on Thanksgiving but they didn’t let me do anything else while I was there. @kazu, Jacqui, I sent my DS the dog and socks meme this morning. I am sure the grandchildren were tired of hearing about it but all of the adults were perseverating about watching the puppy. And picking up stuff he can get into. @rafinmd, Roy, I am glad you are getting seen today. I was concerned when you described having to rest while walking with the porter and your luggage upon debarking the ship. @StLouisCruisersSandi, and Annie @marshhawk, the stomach issues sound serious to me. If they persist, please get checked out. I am a world class worrier too. DD and DSIL had their work cut out for them last week as the aide had a GI problem and did not come for two days. It is challenging because Tana remains very short of breath even with the oxygen and her mobility is quite limited. The teenager told me that DSIL was the cook for the week and he used the outdoor grill a lot. He said he helped with meal prep and I told him I would need help today for the soup that has been requested. It is ribolleta which is one of his favorites. My recipe used the Instapot which he wanted to learn how to use. Yes! We have not been to Indonesia and will pass on the cake. The recipe sounds interesting . Have a great day everyone.

We decorated the house and did the tree with a great deal of assistance from the granddog.