SusieKIslandGirl

@0106What tour did you take to see all the wonderful sites in your photos? That is one area of Europe we haven't seen and is on our "do it soon" list. Thanks for reporting and the photos.

@dfishI feel your pain, in more ways than one. Epidural spinal injections did help but it took a bit of time. And I’ve been working on a quilt that my daughter wanted. It’s driving me nuts-not only do the colors form a diagonal “V” that meets in the middle from each corner but the bottom 1/2 has to mirror the top 1/2. And now my knee hurts from all the back and forth. Yep, getting old.

Last in the list is White Chicken Asparagus Lasagna.  What can you come up with?  

Costco meat lasagna-after making home made too many times, I take the easy way out

@quilty964One more vote for Bosch-quiet and love the top 3rd rack for small utensils.

When you log onto your account choose the Beverage Package tab. On the left side are the various options so choose water. You can then select distilled water for $2.95/gallon.

Jacqui, so glad your time in Amsterdam went well-and thanks for the photos. Reminded me of the great time DH and I had there last May after the Norway cruise. Have a great cruise and stay well!

 I do believe DH had SS deducted. What really irks me is I won’t be able to ever claim on his account, if that’s where life leads us. I was glad when we both didn’t end up teaching for the same district but now I see there were other drawbacks. I guess life is never perfect, is it?

@Cruising-alongWhat is the name of the blackberry killer you use? And where do I find it? Is it safe around some bigger trees? The blackberries seem to invade everywhere. Thanks!

And I'm very confused about teacher retirements and Social Security. Is it each state that determines the deduction? I don't think DH has a reduction but now I'm not sure. As a Civil Service retiree with just enough civilian work time to qualify for SS, my Medicare is paid and I receive $54/month-whoopee! It will be time to celebrate if the windfall and offset provisions are eliminated.

4 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

The older I get the more I dislike the term "elderly".  I don't mind being called a senior citizen, but something about the other word just sounds....old. 🤣  I'm all for frugal fun though.  🙂  

I so agree. I took a class called "Tai chi for the elderly" that was a trial to see if it would help back pain. It was a good class but I told the leader that it should be renamed. You had to be 65 to be included but most of us felt anything less than at least 85 wasn't elderly. But then again, it's birthday month so I'm getting there a little too quickly (but still a few years to go!)

Time to hit the weeds in the garden while the sun is shining. Have a great day!

I realized last night that my last couple of posts didn't post-or at least, I can't find them. Computer glitch or user error??

We ended up cancelling the Alaska cruise after putting $29,000 into the rental house-ouch. New roof, painting, gutters and back porch. It's next door so at least I can appreciate the fresh view. My niece lives there and she chose a limey green door to go with the medium dark gray and white trim.

I did get to travel with 3 friends last week-probably our last trip together. We've been traveling together for 30 years to conventions and meetings-now all of us are retired rural mail carriers. Cheri has finished her last chemo option but may start a new treatment using a T cell transfer. She's fought the ugly ovarian cancer for over 9 years, which has been amazing. We drove over 3200 miles, saw 6 National Parks and were still talking after 11 days together in a minivan.

The rain has finally returned to the Pacific Northwest. 2 1/2 inches for the month with 2.33 inches in the last 7 days and just over 1" in the last day. Not a lot by some standards, especially some of the major storms lately on the East Coast but finally something here. Take care everyone. (and I apologize if this is a repeat.)

Jacqui, please come back in one piece, without a cast or wheelchair! 😊 Have a great cruise. (Now I better not have jinxed you 😮!

For our Norway cruise last May, not too many weeks before departure, I noticed that the Vista suite was less than what we paid for a regular verandah. I called my big box TA and had them ask about an upgrade. Nope, nothing available. Duh-I called again asking for an upsell, knowing that the price was actually less. We got the Vista and kept all our perks, including the OBC, at no extra cost. We didn't receive any credit for the drop in price but I was happy with the nicer cabin.

Also, check with your home bank that issued your ATM card. Many have partner banks in other countries so you can avoid extra charges. I know Bank of America has one in Australia. We used it quite a bit.

@durangoscotsSusan, CC isn’t liking me. I saw that you replied to my question but I “didn’t have permission” to read the reply. Weird!,

Just the beets, no cheese or walnuts, short rib gnocchi and orange blossom tart. On a road trip with 3 friends so guess I’ll always be late for dinner. Almost forgot to add some Bailey’s.

Caesar salad, no anchovies thank you, stroganoff, and lemon cheesecake w/o blueberries. And those yummy looking carrots. Thanks for doing this. It’s fun!

Let's start with a lemon drop, then the baby beets, prime rib-end cut if possible and the ricotta raspberry tart. YUM!

13 hours ago, Cruisercl said:

So, do you have any experience with calling about this, which is what my question was?

Yes, I did call and was told that it had reached capacity and wasn't available. It was for an Alaska cruise that was still many months away. I was surprised it wasn't available that far in advance.

Late to dinner again-but isn't today Be Late for Something Day?

I'll try the arugula, artichoke and barley salad, Wiener style (huh?) Schnitzel, and the Almond fruit cake, along with the Aperol Spritz.

Yikes, I'm late to dinner. I'll start with the shrimp cocktail, nothing standing out for the main so probably the tenderloin, and cherry crisp for dessert, extra ice cream.

And I agree, this is fun. Thanks for continuing!

OK, now I'm hungry and I'm the one who has to fix dinner.

Margarita, French onion soup, pork medallions and lemon torte with maybe a decaf coffee and Bailey's to finish.

I think you escaped the rain. It started about 4:15-a wet, misty drizzle. But we need it! Have a great cruise.

9 hours ago, Cruisercl said:

Do you know if you can call in advance to see if it is available?

TIA. 😊

I think the only way to apply it to your cruise is to call. Then when you have all the details, you can say yes or no.

2 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

 

Bought two from Amazon and paid $55 for the Purple and $60 for the Blue bag. It is the: "TPRC 15-Inch Smart Under Seat Carry-On Luggage with USB Charging Port, Telescoping Handles." It is of decent quality and has a strap on back so you can piggyback it on a larger bag. The handle extends to 40 inches. I am not sure that it would be considered small enough for an underseat bag on some airlines. We are flying SAS which requires smaller dimensions so it will just be their carryon bag. The nice thing is that they can wheel it instead of carrying it.

 

- Jack

 

 

My new underseat bag arrived yesterday. Looks very similar but has 4 wheels. I used my previous one a couple of weeks ago (it's a dragger-2 wheeled) and my shoulder was very sore by the time I got home.

If you decide to do the lowest cabin grade and upgrade with Club Orange, call to make the upgrade as soon as possible. It is a capacity-controlled option. 

@ger_77Gerry, I've been dealing with the positional vertigo for over 30 years (yikes-didn't realize it had been that long). It comes and goes, luckily not often but still tired of it. When it gets very bad, the physical therapist helps with exercises and I'm good to go. Hate the feeling though, going through them. Sort of stomach churning-ugh. Hopefully your DH has the one episode and is done with it.

Sun is back and not enough rain yesterday.