The Daily for Monday Feb 22, 2021

[Vict0riann]

Good morning, Dailyites, and thanks to Rich and Roy, and  the drinks and recipes ladies!  Happy birthday to all those born this day!   I , too, joined the Girl Guides (or was it Girl Scouts) in Manila as a child, but then I was sent to a boarding school in Canada and did not continue.  Or maybe I was a Brownie, I can't remember.  I didn't enjoy it because it was so hot in Manila, I was not an active child...  

 

DD went shopping yesterday, and later sent me this:

 

 

Of course that doesn't really count in BC, we don't sell liquor in the grocery store.  If only she had come home with 12 bottles of wine!

 

 

 

 

[KirkNC]

Late to the party today.  Happy Monday!

[StLouisCruisers]

I was only a Brownie and we wore brown uniforms.  Girl Scouts wore green uniforms.    What color uniform did the Girl Guides in Manila wear @Vict0riann?  

[Himself]

Rich noted that today is George Washington's Birthday.  When I was a boy we got off school on This date and also on February 12, Lincoln's birthday.   President Nixon changed all of this with "President's Day."

[StLouisCruisers]

7 minutes ago, Himself said:

Rich noted that today is George Washington's Birthday.  When I was a boy we got off school on This date and also on February 12, Lincoln's birthday.   President Nixon changed all of this with "President's Day."

 

I remember celebrating both as well.  All so we could have a 3 day weekend.🤷‍♂️

[Vict0riann]

17 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

I was only a Brownie and we wore brown uniforms.  Girl Scouts wore green uniforms.    What color uniform did the Girl Guides in Manila wear @Vict0riann?  

I seem to remember brown...  so I guess I was a Brownie!   We had to do a lot of stuff outdoors, and I would sunburn terribly, I'm paying for it now!

[arzz]

😄  I had short hair last January.  I very much like short hair as it is wash and go.  
 

At that time we had decided to leave the noisy city center and move to a new home in a close in Chicago suburb.  We contracted to purchase the new home in mid January and by early February we also had a sales contract on our city center home. So ... I decided to wait for a haircut until after the move which was scheduled in short order. In the interim covid arrived.  We moved in to our new home on the day our governor closed the state:  March 20. 
 

To be quite frank sharing inside space to get a haircut did not seem to be a priority worth risking my health.  So ... I just let my hair grow, as did DH.  After all we weren’t going out or seeing anybody. If I run into any of our new neighbors we are all hiding behind masks and quickly running back to our home bubbles. 
 

DH whose hair was now long enough to pony tail finally, a couple months ago, bought a set of clippers and after internet searching about how to cut men's hair I hacked a bit on his and had a satisfactory result. 
 

My hair was way below my shoulders and straggly as it had been layered from my short cut.  Washing and drying it made me a slave to my hair. I was getting desperate - so I asked DH to lop off about four inches. He agreed, and before I could yell stop he gathered my hair into one bunch and cut it through.  Needless to say the sides are not equal in length and it is short in the middle ... but then again we aren’t seeing folks right now, and I am a little less of a slave to my hair. 😁

 

I am two and a half weeks from my second vaccine dose and then two more weeks and it is a haircut for me!  Yay!

 

Thinking of all of you today , especially rafinmd. 

[bennybear]

1 hour ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Good morning, all! I was a Girl Guide leader for many years, so Thinking Day brings back a lot of good memories. We would bring all the age groups together for a special celebration, with displays and snacks from different countries around the world. There was a song naming various countries where Scouting and Guiding existed, with the chorus ‘all over the world it’s Thinking Day.’ Someone would point out the countries on a world map as they were called out. I never thought of it before, but that’s probably what made the travel bug gradually burrow under my skin.

Happy Birthday @Av8rix, and @smitty34877take care of yourself! It’s good you have family to delegate to! @rafinmdgood luck on your appointment!
A year ago today, the Amsterdam brought us to Papeete, Tahiti on the World Cruise. It was a magical day of flowers, carved pearls, flowers, waterfalls, and spikes of black volcanic rock rising out of the jungle to pierce the sky. I left part of my heart there, and in 2023 we get to see it again!

Approaching Tahiti in the dawn.

 

Papeete, and the promenade along the waterfront.

 

Flowers too beautiful to be real!

 

Touring in an open sided 4wheel drive, feel the air, smell the flowers, shelter from the rain.

 

We drove under forest canopies of these.

 

 

Off the beaten path, with vistas of volcanic rock and waterfalls.

 

And more waterfalls.

 

And still more waterfalls.

 

The downpours that cause the waterfalls.

 

In a hurry? Grab a waterfall to go!

 

A ceremonial conch at the site of an ancient temple.

 

A blast from the Arahoho Blowhole. It sounds like a dragon sleeping under your feet.

 

A doorway carving near the market back in Papeete.

 

My souvenir- a black pearl formed around a seeded core of turquoise, and carved after harvesting to show glimpses of the gemstone inside. The picture does NOT do it justice!

 

And all too soon, the Amsterdam calls us home and leaves this magical place.

 

And of course, she wishes us all Happy Monday!

 

Oh those photos were so beautiful!  We had our fall visit cancelled last year.   We’re really hoping that they offer some round trip Tahiti cruises again in the dry season.  

[StLouisCruisers]

I've been cutting DH's hair with clippers for a long time now.  Ten years ago he went to a lady barber in our small town and she would use clippers on him.  One time he went in and she was talking and forgot to change the cutter blade on it and started right down the middle, leaving him with shorter than usual hair.  After a few more visits he thought why don't we buy our own clippers?  He trained me to do the cutting - first the 1 1/2 cutter blade all over, then the 1 cutter blade all around the neck and ears, blending it in.  I use a special neck trimmer on his neck where I swear men's hair grows the fastest.  We never go to a barber anymore - I'm the barber!!

[dfish]

4 hours ago, superoma said:

I don’t like couscous si I would substitute quinoa in this recipe. Not sure how that changes the carbs, though and I am too lazy to go look at my package of quinoa

Not much difference in carb counts, but the quinoa has more fiber, protein and fat, all of which help with the carb metabolism.  The combination of the grain and the sweet potato makes this dish a no go for me.  

 

@Av8rix  Happy, Happy Birthday!   

[dfish]

Five years ago today my mom passed away.  I was looking through photos this morning and came across a couple from our cruise to Alaska.   She had an absolute blast!  

 

 

 

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!  
 

Sending  good wishes to @rafinmdfor a good appointment and to @Av8rixfor a happy birthday!  
 

We too are being super cautious and haven’t had a haircut in over a year, and DH has rock star hair, lol!  Could be very late spring before we get vaccines here.   I had cancer surgery very early in the pandemic and have been told to be very careful.  I head off to the hospital for an MRI this afternoon,  will be wearing my KN 95.   Next few weeks more follow ups at another hospital, so will be grateful to get this done.  
 

So happy the weather has improved here,  enjoyed seeing our family outdoors to celebrate a few birthdays!  
 

[lcand1923]

1 hour ago, dfish said:

Five years ago today my mom passed away.  I was looking through photos this morning and came across a couple from our cruise to Alaska.   She had an absolute blast!  

 

 

 

 

dfish,

 

The Anniversary of a Loved One's passing is always rough.  Thank you for posting this wonderful picture of your Mom and you on the Alaska cruise.  It brought a smile to my face.

[ger_77]

Good afternoon, I just thought I'd check in and let you know the "frozen tundra" is melting - we're currently enjoying +4C (39F).  Water is running down the streets, and we've just spotted some leaks on our deck roof . . . out come the buckets!    What a change from last week when we were hunkering down in -45C wind chill values.

 

@Sharon in AZI'm with you on the Bonine.  On our first cruise ever in 1989, I was basically sick in bed the first 2 days of the 7 day cruise.  I had brought along Gravol and Dramamine, but they just made me sleepy, and I was losing ground fast.  DH went to the shops onboard where one of the clerks told him to try the Bonine.  Seriously, I was up and out of the cabin within an hour of taking the first one.  Now it's like my credit card, I don't leave home without it!  I've always suffered from motion sickness, so I make sure I'm prepared; Bonine has certainly made the difference in our cruising life. 

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[1ANGELCAT]

Not blue hulled beauty but PEV sail away starts at 4:30 with APEX then 5:00 for Odyssey and finally Princess at 9:00

[rafinmd]

It looks like a long road ahead.  There are 3 issues going forward.  The immediate problem is that my mitral valve has a defective flap.  Secondary to that is that there is a calcium buildup in the area which makes the repair more difficult with less assurance of success.  The final issue is my ongoing lung disease which always looks bad on the tests although it has impacted my quality of life far less than the tests show.  Their recommendation was replacing the valve which is still in the clinical trial stage and not as quick to get into.  They were also concerned that the lung issues may exclude me from the trial.  The next step will be a CT scan of the heart which will be done as an outpatient, probably in the 10-14 day time frame.

 

Roy

[cruzn single]

@dfish, love the picture of you and your Mother.  Cherish your happy memories, even on the days that bring tears.

 

@ger_77,happy for your “thaw” but sorry about leaks.  Always something.

 

Happy Birthdays to those celebrating today.  How nice to share a birthday with a famous president.

 

Already 2 Zoom calls done today.  Seems like this is a week of calls, so that will keep me busy.  I will try to find some other small projects to fill in the rest of the time.  
 

Just saw Roy’s update.  Hope that things will work out on the trial, if that looks promising.  Know that prayers are being sent your way.
 

Have a great day, everyone!

Edited February 22, 2021 by cruzn single

[ger_77]

@rafinmdat least you know where you stand, and there are options.  Take it one step at a time with the CT scan of your heart, and go from there.  Live each day to the fullest, and hope for the best - as we will be doing for you.  Take care.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[Cruise Suzy]

21 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

It looks like a long road ahead.

Take care.

[superoma]

22 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

It looks like a long road ahead.  There are 3 issues going forward.  The immediate problem is that my mitral valve has a defective flap.  Secondary to that is that there is a calcium buildup in the area which makes the repair more difficult with less assurance of success.  The final issue is my ongoing lung disease which always looks bad on the tests although it has impacted my quality of life far less than the tests show.  Their recommendation was replacing the valve which is still in the clinical trial stage and not as quick to get into.  They were also concerned that the lung issues may exclude me from the trial.  The next step will be a CT scan of the heart which will be done as an outpatient, probably in the 10-14 day time frame.

 

Roy

Wishing you all the best as you move forward. You know we are all rooting for you.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

26 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

It looks like a long road ahead.  There are 3 issues going forward.  The immediate problem is that my mitral valve has a defective flap.  Secondary to that is that there is a calcium buildup in the area which makes the repair more difficult with less assurance of success.  The final issue is my ongoing lung disease which always looks bad on the tests although it has impacted my quality of life far less than the tests show.  Their recommendation was replacing the valve which is still in the clinical trial stage and not as quick to get into.  They were also concerned that the lung issues may exclude me from the trial.  The next step will be a CT scan of the heart which will be done as an outpatient, probably in the 10-14 day time frame.

 

Roy

I’m sorry to hear there are issues that will make recovery a long road. Here’s hoping that the road will be a smooth one with no unforeseen bumps.

[dfish]

27 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

It looks like a long road ahead.  There are 3 issues going forward.  The immediate problem is that my mitral valve has a defective flap.  Secondary to that is that there is a calcium buildup in the area which makes the repair more difficult with less assurance of success.  The final issue is my ongoing lung disease which always looks bad on the tests although it has impacted my quality of life far less than the tests show.  Their recommendation was replacing the valve which is still in the clinical trial stage and not as quick to get into.  They were also concerned that the lung issues may exclude me from the trial.  The next step will be a CT scan of the heart which will be done as an outpatient, probably in the 10-14 day time frame.

 

Roy

 

Well, the good news is that you know exactly what needs to be done.  The good news is that your cardiologist knows how he wants to proceed.  The bad news is that it is a bit more involved than what any of us were hoping for and that is quite daunting.  But, more good news is that you have a huge fan section cheering for you and praying your way to restored health.  

[cat shepard]

@rafinmd

 

I will just add to what your other rooting fans have said - by saying good thing you have remained as active as you are. That can definitely push the odds of success in your favor!

 

Prayers for a smooth and successful procedure. 
 

Ann

[Cruising-along]

@rafinmd Let me add my best wishes  for a successful procedure and full recovery.  We're all rooting for you.

[summer slope]

@rafinmd prayers and virtual hugs.