The Daily for Wednesday Dec 30, 2020

[StLouisCruisers]

5 minutes ago, Himself said:

 

 

 

Hey, St. Louis Cruisers:  I loved your Photographs of the Antartic Cruise. 

 

Thank you Father!  Happy New Year to you.

[cat shepard]

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ..

[StLouisCruisers]

Oh my goodness!  The neighbors who usually have the party on New Year's Eve just texted us.  They are still going to have a small gathering at their house and we are invited to come celebrate!  Looks like they intend to have about 12-14 chosen guests come over to party.  

 

I told DH much as I love my neighbors I don't want to attend any parties tomorrow night.  We will have to decline.  Some will think us "sticks in the mud" but I don't care.  I'd rather stay healthy and visit my family next year.

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!   

 

I'm loving the Antarctica pictures as they remind me of my cruise on the Veendam back in 2011.  That still ranks as #1 in my book and I would love to do it again.  We had spectacular weather while in Antarctica which was a blessing.

 

Sister Sue got her first jab on Monday.   I haven't heard from my brother yet.  

 

No plans for New Year's Eve.   When Dad was with us, I stayed in Michigan and Sue and I put together a celebration for him.  We made all kinds of unhealthy food (makes the resolutions that much more important) and played games all evening.   Now, I just stay home.  I always thought New Year's Eve was over rated.  Most years I go to bed before midnight.  

[Cruise Suzy]

11 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Oh my goodness!  The neighbors who usually have the party on New Year's Eve just texted us.  They are still going to have a small gathering at their house and we are invited to come celebrate!  Looks like they intend to have about 12-14 chosen guests come over to party.  

 

I told DH much as I love my neighbors I don't want to attend any parties tomorrow night.  We will have to decline.  Some will think us "sticks in the mud" but I don't care.  I'd rather stay healthy and visit my family next year.

 

I'd do the same. We've managed to not socialize this long but we need to continue doing so.

[superoma]

13 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Oh my goodness!  The neighbors who usually have the party on New Year's Eve just texted us.  They are still going to have a small gathering at their house and we are invited to come celebrate!  Looks like they intend to have about 12-14 chosen guests come over to party.  

 

I told DH much as I love my neighbors I don't want to attend any parties tomorrow night.  We will have to decline.  Some will think us "sticks in the mud" but I don't care.  I'd rather stay healthy and visit my family next year.

Very wise choice, I think. I wish most people thought like that

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Daily!  Yes, bacon!  We only use bicarb of soda for baking, cleaning, or the kitty's box, and like others, don't have needles to clean up because a few years ago we switched to an artificial tree.  DH got tired of fighting with the real one, trying to get it to stand properly without falling over in the night, and keeping it watered.  This one's much easier.  Ours is still up - and will remain until about Jan 3 or so.  When does everyone take theirs down?

 

Love both meal suggestions, but don't have either in the house - no worries, there will be dinner tonight.  @Seasick Sailorit won't be turkey, LOL, I have half of the ground beef from the other night, so will turn it into a small chili for us.  Accompanied by rice and a salad will make a nice winter's dinner for us.  And wine.   Speaking of wine, this one sounds delightful, no notes of river mud, coal shavings, road tar or cement dust;😁 I think I'll try it! 

 

Prayers for everyone who needs them, and even for those who don't think they do.  Toasting with our wine glasses tonight to everyone on the happy list.  Stay well, be safe, wash your hands and wear your mask.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

 

 

[summer slope]

Tree is out on the lanai and will come in this weekend.  House lights will come down the same time.

[travelingbums]

Thank You Rich and Roy.

Thanks to all who share and care😊.

 

We are staying home for New Years.

 

Please be safe everyone.

[ger_77]

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[superoma]

New Year’s Eve will be strange for us this year. We will start the day with a funeral home visit ( very limited, by reservation, masked) for our neighbour who passed away suddenly either early Sunday or late Saturday. My dh and her brother discovered her on Sunday around noon when no one could get hold of her. Only 71. The coroner listed it as a fatal heart attack. Been neighbours for 50 years. She lived alone.

 

We will  have steak for supper and at 10:30 pm watch a virtual New Year’s party on TVO (Ontario public tv) that is going out on the airwaves from the historic capital theatre here in Windsor. The theatre itself is celebrating its 100th anniversary. We hope to be able to stay awake until midnight. Texts and phone calls will come in from friends and neighbours but we will all celebrate by ourselves. 

[ger_77]

16 minutes ago, superoma said:

New Year’s Eve will be strange for us this year. We will start the day with a funeral home visit ( very limited, by reservation, masked) for our neighbour who passed away suddenly either early Sunday or late Saturday. My dh and her brother discovered her on Sunday around noon when no one could get hold of her. Only 71. The coroner listed it as a fatal heart attack. Been neighbours for 50 years. She lived alone.

I'm so sad to hear about your neighbour; may her soul rest in peace.

 

Smooth Sailing!

Gerry

[cat shepard]

38 minutes ago, superoma said:

New Year’s Eve will be strange for us this year. We will start the day with a funeral home visit ( very limited, by reservation, masked) for our neighbour who passed away suddenly either early Sunday or late Saturday. My dh and her brother discovered her on Sunday around noon when no one could get hold of her. Only 71. The coroner listed it as a fatal heart attack. Been neighbours for 50 years. She lived alone.

 

We will  have steak for supper and at 10:30 pm watch a virtual New Year’s party on TVO (Ontario public tv) that is going out on the airwaves from the historic capital theatre here in Windsor. The theatre itself is celebrating its 100th anniversary. We hope to be able to stay awake until midnight. Texts and phone calls will come in from friends and neighbours but we will all celebrate by ourselves. 

Never easy. All the more tragic when it is someone close. My prayers are with you and her family.

[puppycanducruise]

Love the Antarctic pictures, thank you for sharing.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

3 hours ago, kazu said:

 

OMG summer, this is definitely a drink for chocoholics 😱 

I totally agree!

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Thanks to Rich and Roy for their important contributions to the Daily.  I have a suggestion for the prayers list this morning.  I've just heard of the death of Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow who died of Coronavirus at age 41.  He was to be sworn into office on Sunday.

I'll include him tomorrow, although the list seems to be looking more like a book.

 

On a happier note my county is starting to vaccinate first responders.  I think they are doing it today, and the first volunteers will be jabbed tomorrow.  I doubt I will get it as there are 25 shots and about 100 applicants (certainly active EMS personnel should go ahead of treasurers) but at least the process is starting.

 

Roy

[Overhead Fred]

Mmmmm....Bacon - Especially Nueske's in Wittenberg, Wisconsin! We always stop there on our drives to and from Canada.

 

We are still deciding on what to do for New Year's Eve. We certainly won't be going out anywhere, but champagne will be served. I am tempted to try grilling a steak even if it is snowing! I also need to start the broth today for Hoppin' John on New Year's Day. It is supposed to bring good luck for the year. I didn't make it in 2020 (since we were  at Marriot's Crystal Shores in Marco Island, Florida) and look what happened!! Not taking any chances for 2021!

 

@StLouisCruisers - Your Champagne/Caviar/Vodka cruise party looks like it was great fun!

 

Here is a random orchid from the Big Island (2017 Circle Hawaii on the Oosterdam) -

Unfortunately, this orchid farm is now buried under lava.

[StLouisCruisers]

2 minutes ago, Overhead Fred said:

Mmmmm....Bacon - Especially Nueske's in Wittenberg, Wisconsin! We always stop there on our drives to and from Canada.

 

We are still deciding on what to do for New Year's Eve. We certainly won't be going out anywhere, but champagne will be served. I am tempted to try grilling a steak even if it is snowing! I also need to start the broth today for Hoppin' John on New Year's Day. It is supposed to bring good luck for the year. I didn't make it in 2020 (since we were  at Marriot's Crystal Shores in Marco Island, Florida) and look what happened!! Not taking any chances for 2021!

 

@StLouisCruisers - Your Champagne/Caviar/Vodka cruise party looks like it was great fun!

 

Here is a random orchid from the Big Island (2017 Circle Hawaii on the Oosterdam) -

Unfortunately, this orchid farm is now buried under lava.

 

Please, please make your Hoppin" John this year!!  I don't know what that is exactly but it doesn't matter.  We need better luck this coming year.

 

The party on deck in Neumayer Channel was a blast.  On other days we all attended an Expedition Team meeting in the theater at 6:30 to go over the next day's schedule in Antarctica.  But we were having so much fun they made an announcement that the meeting was cancelled.  Group color order were simply announced and that was that.  Dinner on the ship was always 7 pm to 9 pm in the main dining room so most of us hung around till time to go to dinner.  

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning.  Celebrating UT's win last night in the Alamo bowl.  Sorry that Sam Erlinger, qb, was injured, but Casey Thompson, who replaced him, was outstanding.  Toward the end of the game, a graphic comparing the two qb's game stats, showed Casey out played Sam.  Not sure how much time either played.

 

Our plans for New Year's Eve are the same as usual.  We will stay up until midnight and toast the new year with champagne (actually sparkling wine).  We have hosted one NYE party to usher in 2000.  All but two couples stayed until midnight.  We've been to two parties, one lasting until midnight and the other was 6 pm until 9 pm.  The hostess was planning it for 9-midnight, but too many invitees said 9 pm was their bedtime.  😁

 

I already have the blackeyed peas for New Year day, and will get the cabbage today or tomorrow.  In Texas growing up, the good luck food was blackeyed peas.  A few years ago, our SIL who is from Louisiana, told us cabbage was for good luck there.  Now, we have both.  Hope they work better in 2021 than they did in 2020. 😁👏

 

Lenda

[kazu]

1 hour ago, superoma said:

New Year’s Eve will be strange for us this year. We will start the day with a funeral home visit ( very limited, by reservation, masked) for our neighbour who passed away suddenly either early Sunday or late Saturday.

 

How sad.  She, her family and you & your neighbourhood will be in our thoughts and prayers.  May she RIP. 😢 

[Norseh2o]

The Christmas decorations will come down on the Epiphany, January 6, our tree will remain up and decorated (it is a human-made beauty) until we complete the vaccine process.   My mother (100 & 1/2 years old) decided not to decorate this Christmas so the grands and great grands made her a felt tree with homemade decorations.  What fun for the creative side of the kids, and each day during the weeks of December, she received spectacular mail from many parts of the wonderful world.   

Edited December 30, 2020 by Norseh2o

[kazu]

2 hours ago, ger_77 said:

Ours is still up - and will remain until about Jan 3 or so.  When does everyone take theirs down?

 

We don’t turn off our lights or take decorations down until Epiphany.  

 

2 hours ago, summer slope said:

Tree is out on the lanai and will come in this weekend.  House lights will come down the same time.

 

Now we know you are in Florida 😉. It is way too cold to try to take down lights here.  Plus they are so stiff from being frozen, it’s nearly impossible to manipulate them.  We just turn the lights off and when it warms up, the lights will come down - most likely that will be spring 😉 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Our decorations will come down Friday or Saturday.

[cruisemom42]

So much to comment on today!

 

YES to bacon, to lobster, and to today's wine (though possibly not all at the same time!).

 

Roy, your sunrise photos remind me that while not every sunrise is gorgeous (just like not every year is one to remember fondly), the sun does continue to rise every day and we keep moving forward. My hope for early 2020 is that the vaccine distribution systems will get more coordinated and efficient, and the speed will pick up.

 

The ice "sculpture" below is gorgeous -- it looks like something that should be on a pedestal in the middle of the pool, am I right?  To me it looks like an abstract fish with its tail up.

 

3 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

 

And the seal and penguin pictures -- marvelous!

 

For New Years eve we were casting about for something different, a bit celebratory but above all SAFE to do. We decided to order (for take-out) a Peking duck with all the accompaniments -- we have a fantastic nearby neighborhood with many authentic Asian restaurants and businesses, this would be from an erstwhile butcher who is famous locally for his (Chinese) smoked and BBQ meats. And it pairs well with champagne. 🍾

 

EDITED TO ADD:   Oops, I knew I would forget something. The photos of the two ships crossing paths in the Antarctic are priceless!

Edited December 30, 2020 by cruisemom42