The Daily for Sunday Jun 06, 2021

[Vict0riann]

@TiogaCruiser - fried green tomatoes?😉

 

Good Sunday morning, all my fellow adoptees!  I'll post here and then go to Mass, on line.  I think what would deter me most from Komodo Island would be the heat, not the dragons!  But I think at this late time of my life, I will take it off the to-do list....

 

Most of my relatives were involved in the Pacific theatre of the war.  But one uncle, also the husband of one of my mother's cousins, and my father's sister (at Bletchley) were in England.  So I will think of them today, although they didn't land in Normandy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Horizon chaser 1957]

1 hour ago, Mtn2Sea said:

One of the first stories the guide told us was about a tourist in the 60’s or 70’s who went off on his own and never returned.  Presumably, he got too close!

I remember seeing a small plaque in this memory. I believe he was Scandinavian.
Even if it was allowed, you do NOT want to wander around there without 1) a guide with knowledge of how dragons operate and a forked stick, and 2) at least one member of your party who you can outrun.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from a bright central Texas.  It looks like I'll get the driveway cleaning finished today.

 

While I don't do much gardening, I do get my exercise mowing and other yard work.  I think there are a few drive[in theaters left.  The last on I remember going to was in Delaware in 1980 while we were house hunting.

 

The meal suggestions sounds interesting as an appetizer.  I have a pot of ham and beans going in the slow cooker for today.

 

@rafinmd  Roy, good to see you fully back on the Daily.  @kazu  Thanks for covering for Roy.

@Horizon chaser 1957  Glad the shawl arrived in time for DD's birthday.  Hope she stays safe during the outbreak of Covid in Taiwan, and that she can get her shot soon.

@tjcox9 and @Mtn2Sea  Thank you for the pictures from Komodo Island.  We have not been there, but are scheduled to be their next year if the cruise from Australia is a go.  If not, we'll be there the next year.

@Cruising-along  Sorry your cousin is having problems with her kidney, and hope she gets a new one soon.

 

D-Day is definitely a day to remember all who sacrificed there lives and those who survived and made it home so that we could have the freedoms we do.  We have visited all the Normandy beaches over several visits on different cruises.

 

 

 

We were fortunate to know one of the true heroes of D-Day, Capt. Joseph T. Dawson, who never talked about his experiences in WWII. 

 

His company landed on Omaha Beach in an area that was safe from the reach of German machine gun fire.  Most of Joe's company was either killed or separated from each other.  Seeing that the plan to attack the ends of the beach would not work, Joe gathered some  soldiers he found and led them up a ravine to the top of the bluff overlooking the beach.  He is credited as the first officer off the beach, and with single handedly taking out a machine gun nest with a throw of a grenade, thus allowing others to reach the top of the bluff.  The gun nest was located where the view point at the American Cemetery is now.  The ravine was named Dawson's Draw.

 

After the gun nest was destroyed, Joe led his men to their target Colleville-sur-Mer, where he was injured.  They men hid in the church until help arrived.  He received the Disguised Service Cross for his actions on D-Day, and there is a picture in the Visitors Center of Joe receiving the medal from Ike.

 

After recovering from his wounds, Joe returned to the Big Red 1, and continued fighting through the Battle of Aachen.  His company along with another company held off the German's from a ridge, that is still known by the Army as Dawson's Ridge.  His company received the Presidential Unit Citation for their action during the Battle of Aachen. He was again wounded, and after recovering was assigned to Donavon's OSS.

 

Prior to D-Day Joe also served in North Africa and Sicily.  For the 50th anniversary of D-Day, Joe was chosen by the Army to represent the soldiers and he was also asked to introduce President Bill Clinton at the ceremonies.

 

Some of this information we did not learn until he was asked to speak at the 50th anniversary, and most of it when we visited the Big Red 1 Museum at Colleville-sur-Mer in 2011.  The curator of the museum had even gone to Corpus Christi, Texas, to interview Joe before his death in 1998.  He is still remembered by many of the people of Normandy.

 

We got to know Joe and his wife Melba, when DBIL married their daughter.  After the war, he was a geologist in the oil industry, mainly as a wildcat driller.

 

Lenda

 

[57redbird]

26 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

You are so lucky!  We live in that blasted convergent zone, it just poured all day.  I hear that relatives in North Bend didn't get any either. Edmonds looks to be the same as yesterday (where the whale watching will leave from).

We didn't get any yesterday (in Bremerton) & today it's just gray so far.

[rafinmd]

I would like to try to make the care list a little bit shorter and more focused.  @Mary229 I did not intend to leave your sisters off the list today.  Do you have an  update on how they are doing?

@bennybear do you have an update on your SIL.

 

I will normally leave loved ones of dailyites on the care list for 7 days after their deaths.  I think @NextOne will be coming off the list tomorrow.

For some of the people in long term stable situations I may go to keeping them on in some kind of a rotation.

 

Roy

[Vict0riann]

21 minutes ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Even if it was allowed, you do NOT want to wander around there without 1) a guide with knowledge of how dragons operate and a forked stick, and 2) at least one member of your party who you can outrun.

 

As regards No. 2, that would be me, haha!   So I won't be there...

[sailingdutchy]

Being born in the Netherlands a couple of weeks before Liberation Day which was on May 5th in our part of the country  we are forever grateful for the young men and women who took part in the  D-Day invasion in 1944 .

 On our cruise on the Rotterdam from Florida to R’dam we had a fantastic tour from Cherbourg with a historian to the beaches of Juno and Gold. Thank you to all of the forces that took part in this ! We Will Remember ! 

 

Generals De Gaul and Montgomery’s headquarters  June 1944

 

 

The concrete caissons are still there in the water …..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canada House 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony  , sailingdutchy , a proud and grateful Canadian 

[Damcruiser]

6 minutes ago, sailingdutchy said:

Being born in the Netherlands a couple of weeks before Liberation Day which was on May 5th in our part of the country  we are forever grateful for the young men and women who took part in the  D-Day invasion in 1944 .

 On our cruise on the Rotterdam from Florida to R’dam we had a fantastic tour from Cherbourg with a historian to the beaches of Juno and Gold. Thank you to all of the forces that took part in this ! We Will Remember ! 

 

Generals De Gaul and Montgomery’s headquarters  June 1944

 

 

The concrete caissons are still there in the water …..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canada House 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony  , sailingdutchy , a proud and grateful Canadian 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

I forgot to mention our good news.  Younger DD and SO have officially adopted  their foster dog, Beyoncé, who is now named Beatrice, but goes by Bee.  She reminds me and older DD of their dog Molly, so we were not surprised at the news.

 

Lenda 

[Vict0riann]

Nice pictures, Tony, @sailingdutchy.

 

Last year, DD gave me a start of a white peony, this year it is blooming -

 

 

[rsldonk]

Thanks for the daily. 

[lindaler]

Thanks Rich for the daily. Thanks all who contribute. Thanks @cat shepardfor adopting me into the family. 
I have a gardening question. I see all the bunches of peonies in vases but mine have other buds so close to the open one I never get long stems. Do people just cut off the unopened buds or is there another trick?

[bennybear]

Good morning,  special thanks to  Roy  and Jacqui for our care and celebration lists.  
@rafinmd my DSIL is waiting for her surgery date,  I can’t help blame Covid for what seems like a longer wait.  She will then have Radiation and possibly chemo depending on final pathology.  I think the wait is the toughest time.  

@Cruising-along sending positive thoughts for your cousin.  What a tough situation! 

 

Normandy will be forever in my mind, seeing those beaches and the Canadian cemetery was overwhelming.  
 

I think I will go to the pink  beach if I’m ever in Komodo, yikes!  

Our weather has been insane, plus 35 one day, 13 the next with a tornado nearby!   I had to shelter all my plants and the newly planted peppers!  
 

 

[Seasick Sailor]

6 minutes ago, lindaler said:

Thanks Rich for the daily. Thanks all who contribute. Thanks @cat shepardfor adopting me into the family. 
I have a gardening question. I see all the bunches of peonies in vases but mine have other buds so close to the open one I never get long stems. Do people just cut off the unopened buds or is there another trick?

 

Hi Linda,

We lived in Illinois and my mom had dozens of various peonies. Some were bushy and some tall and straight. Here's an article that is as close to what mom did when cutting. She left the little hard balls on and they bloomed too.

 

For flowers you plan to cut and enjoy right away, cut buds when they're still somewhat closed but soft. They should feel almost like a marshmallow. To get a little more life out of your remaining buds, simply cut them before they're open, ideally when they are tight and still hard like marbles.

[kazu]

32 minutes ago, lindaler said:

I have a gardening question. I see all the bunches of peonies in vases but mine have other buds so close to the open one I never get long stems. Do people just cut off the unopened buds or is there another trick?

 

Along with the good advice from @Seasick Sailor you can cut the stems and take the buds with it - especially if they are prone to open.

 

Just don’t take too many stems/branches off your peony.  And of course, watch out for ants.  The one advantage to taking them as buds (as long as they are ready) is that there is less risk of ants and they open in no time 🙂 

[GeorgeCharlie]

In memory of D-Day, the following is taken from part of the review I did covering our visit to Normandy in 2019.

 

The main stop for our tour was the Normandy American Cemetery which is located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach.

 

The 172.5-acre cemetery contains the graves of 9,387 United States military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. Burials here also include the graves of Army Air Force crews shot down over France as early as 1942. Another 1,557 names are inscribed on the Walls of the Missing. 

 

Main walkway into the Cemetery.

 

 

A photo taken from the Cemetery looking down at Omaha Beach and the hill the soldiers had to fight their way up. So peaceful looking these days.

 

There are 307 unknown burials, three Medal of Honor recipients, and four women. Forty-five sets of brothers are commemorated or buried in the cemetery, including 33 who are buried side-by-side. A father and son are also buried alongside each other. The burials are not separated by rank; officers and enlisted men are interred side-by-side.

Regrettably, the main areas of the Cemetery were closed to the public while we were there because they were in the process of preparing for the 75th Anniversary ceremonies.

Main stage area.

Protecting the grass areas.

Every grave is marked with a white marble headstone: a Star of David for those of the Jewish faith, and a Latin cross for all others. The backs of the headstones are inscribed with the service numbers of the decedents. As we were not able to enter the Cemetery, we were only able to view the backs of the headstones.

 

 

 

If you look close at the bottom of the headstone, you will see the service number.

NOTABLE BURIALS 
 Lesley J. McNair. U.S. Army general, one of the two highest-ranking Americans to be killed in action in World War II. 
Jimmie W. Monteith . Medal of Honor recipient. 
Preston  and Robert Niland. Brothers who inspired the film Saving Private Ryan. 
Frank D. Peregory. Medal of Honor recipient. 
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Medal of Honor recipient, son of President Theodore Roosevelt. 
Quentin Roosevelt. Son of President Theodore Roosevelt; World War I aviator killed in action in eastern France. After the construction of Normandy American Cemetery, Quentin was reburied next to his brother.

[smitty34877]

@rafinmd,We appreciate  Tana being on the care list but I doubt her situation will change until she has a more  definitive  diagnosis.Please do what you think is  best.At the moment she is more stable than earlier in the week. Thank  you so much.

[TiogaCruiser]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

How hot is it where you are?  Or cold?

 

The best temp for tomatoes to ripen is 68 - 77 Fahrenheit.  When temperatures are above 85 F or drop to  50F or below, they won’t ripen.  they put their energy into their leaves.

 

I found a website that might be helpful to you: .https://getbusygardening.com/tomatoes-not-ripening/

 

Hope this helps.

Thanks. 
I bet it was the heat. We were well above 85 most of the summer. Which means I probably don’t have any control on that happening again. ☹️
 

And thanks for the link!

[LawDog61]

I greatly enjoy reading live blogs/reviews and FB accounts of life onboard the cruise ships. (Thanks Roy and Copper 10-8😀). Finally, that is starting up again.  Over on the MSC board there is a live onboard review of the first 7 day cruise for the Virtuosa. That will have to hold me for a while.

[mamaofami]

please pray for my husband, Sam. He went by ambulance to the hospital with what I think is a stroke.

 

Carol

[rafinmd]

40 minutes ago, smitty34877 said:

@rafinmd,We appreciate  Tana being on the care list but I doubt her situation will change until she has a more  definitive  diagnosis.Please do what you think is  best.At the moment she is more stable than earlier in the week. Thank  you so much.

Thanks.  For now I'll include her on a rotating basis.

[Cruise Suzy]

9 minutes ago, mamaofami said:

please pray for my husband, Sam. He went by ambulance to the hospital with what I think is a stroke.

 

 

Take care.

[Vict0riann]

13 minutes ago, mamaofami said:

please pray for my husband, Sam. He went by ambulance to the hospital with what I think is a stroke.

 

Carol

 

So sorry.  We'll be praying for him.

[rsldonk]

14 minutes ago, mamaofami said:

please pray for my husband, Sam. He went by ambulance to the hospital with what I think is a stroke.

 

Carol

Best wishes to a speedy recovery 

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I would like to try to make the care list a little bit shorter and more focused.  @Mary229 I did not intend to leave your sisters off the list today.  Do you have an  update on how they are doing?

@bennybear do you have an update on your SIL.

 

I will normally leave loved ones of dailyites on the care list for 7 days after their deaths.  I think @NextOne will be coming off the list tomorrow.

For some of the people in long term stable situations I may go to keeping them on in some kind of a rotation.

 

Roy

Thanks for drumming me up.  I have been so swamped lately.  She had her first treatment Friday and asked to rest privately this weekend.  I will call her tomorrow.  Thanks for asking.