The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday June 1st, 2023

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

As I mentioned in the previous post, in 2014 on the Veendam, our tour took us to a local school and a banana plantation.  There was an unscheduled stop at the local church.  The church ladies had prepared a lunch for us which was quite good with local foods.  There was a discrete donation box, which we all gladly added too.

 

These are just a few of the imagines from the school.  The fathers greeted us with a marimba concert. 

 

This is a typical classroom.

 

The students performed their local dances for us.  Before we arrived at the school, our guide gave each of us a packet of school supplies (cost included in the tour cost).  We figured we'd give the packets to one student each.  Instead, we were told to open them and talk to the kids before giving them one item from the packet.  The way the kids converged on us, reminded me of sea gulls when you throw breadcrumbs at them.

 

This is the inside of the church.  Unfortunately, I don't seem to have a picture of the lunch.

 

After lunch, we headed to the banana plantation which is close to the border with Guatemala.  At that time, most of the workers at the plantation and packing facility were Guatemalans, as they could make more money working in Mexico.  We thought that was rather ironic.

 

Of course, the first stop was the banana plants where our guide explained a lot about them.

 

The banana stalks are first washed before being packed.  The ones that do not meet the standard for export, are loaded loose in a truck for local use.  You can see the truck in the background.

 

Those little stickers on the bananas when they get to the store are put on by hand, with at least one sticker per bunch.  They pack the bananas for several different brands.  That day they were packing for Dole.

 

Lenda

[durangoscots]

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit were not the first words out of my mouth this morning as the Chihuahua woke me up at 5:00 letting me know he had to go out....NOW!!!! Well, at least he let me know. Managed to get him out and back in without locking myself out of the house. I tried to go back to sleep, but that was a lost cause.

 

It is a little chilly in Durango. Temperature now is 40F and the sun is peeking out. We had a shower earlier just after the dogs and I made it back to the house. And there were some rumbles of thunder. The high today is forecast to be 59!!! And showers on and off. Glad to see the rain, but that is a bit on the cool side.

 

Little going on today. I have to go up the college to talk to the Director in Southwest studies about some archaeological materials in storage there. Since I have been retired for 18 years and did not do field work in the southwest in the 10 years previous to that I am not sure why they are asking me. Desperation perhaps? Doubt that I will be much help. And I hope this is the last I hear of it.

 

Susan

 

 

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

All good days today.  I'll pass on the drink and red wine, and a maybe on the meal.  I'd probably like the first recipe minus the dill.  Also would use some other white fish.  For some reason DH doesn't like Tilapia.  

 

Today will be laundry and more gardening.  Yesterday I found a Clematis that will blend nicely with my deep purple Jackmanii, and got it planted on the opposite side of the arbor.  This one is "Dr. Ruppel" and light-medium pink.

 

HAL has finally added a few more port excursions to our Grand Australia in January.  So at least maybe it's begun now.  They've had the Hawaii excursions up for months. Meanwhile we've joined more private excursions than ever -- partly because of the great roll call we have, and partly because HAL has been so slow to put theirs up.

 

@1ANGELCATI'm sorry that Ninja isn't doing well.

@marshhawk So sorry to hear that Fawn hasn't shown up. 😞  I was wondering too if your local grocery stores do curb-side pickup?  Late now I know, but something to consider.  

 

 

 

 

[dfish]

Busy morning so far.  The central air is working well, so no worries there.  Sue took her car in for work and we did our morning walk.  I did a load of clothes that are in the dryer now.  Then, we paired the garage door opener with my car.  It is one of those with the learn button, so someone had to push the button on the opener and then someone had to push the button in the car within 30 seconds.  On the third try it worked like a charm.  Now we don't have to keep moving the remote around.  Sue will have that full time since her car doesn't seem to have the pairing feature.  This was a small victory, but a big one to us.

[tupper10]

@marshhawk would you be able to give me the name of the place you loved to eat in Vancouver - we will be there this September.

 

Glad everyone's surgeries seem to be going well -hope the recover goes just as good.  

 

Fun Fact about Simon and Garfunkel -  Paul, his younger brother and parents lived down the street from me in Queens, NY.  Art Garfunkel lived around the corner. Mrs. Simon (Paul's mother) was my 1st grade teacher at PS 164. She continued teaching even after Paul became famous and for show and tell used to bring his gold/platinum albums to share with her classes.  All of us who had her say she was one of the best teachers we ever had!!  And yes I did know Paul though I doubt  he would remember me,  I am much younger than he is, his younger brother was my baby sitter.  

 

 

[Cruzin Terri]

Well, guys, if I ever need prayers it is now.

British Airways has stopped all operations from Philly and my flight is cancelled.  We booked with AA miles and they are unable to rebook us.  We are supposed to fly out on June 17.  I have been on the phone with AA for the last 1 1/2 hours they have just come back and told me nothing is available.

Terri

[cruising sister]

5 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Well, guys, if I ever need prayers it is now.

British Airways has stopped all operations from Philly and my flight is cancelled.  We booked with AA miles and they are unable to rebook us.  We are supposed to fly out on June 17.  I have been on the phone with AA for the last 1 1/2 hours they have just come back and told me nothing is available.

Terri

Not even to another airline? So much stress. Keep us posted. Prayers!

[kochleffel]

17 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Well, guys, if I ever need prayers it is now.

British Airways has stopped all operations from Philly and my flight is cancelled.  We booked with AA miles and they are unable to rebook us.  We are supposed to fly out on June 17.  I have been on the phone with AA for the last 1 1/2 hours they have just come back and told me nothing is available.

Terri

 

AA has flights to LHR from PHL, CLT, RDU, ORD, DFW.... Is the problem that they will only rebook you onto flights that have award availability, which is none at this point? You might post about this in the American Airlines forum on Flyertalk to get suggestions from people who know more about AA policies and loopholes.

[bennybear]

Rabbit, rabbit rabbit! Need all the luck we can get!  
One of the Alberta fires is larger than the city of Red Deer, so they’re evacuating more people.  We have firefighters from New Zealand and Australia helping, thank you! 
We’re having slight amounts of rain, and there was a tornado near our RV lot.   
A few more spring blossoms. 

 

[bennybear]

45 minutes ago, tupper10 said:

@marshhawk would you be able to give me the name of the place you loved to eat in Vancouver - we will be there this September.

 

Glad everyone's surgeries seem to be going well -hope the recover goes just as good.  

 

Fun Fact about Simon and Garfunkel -  Paul, his younger brother and parents lived down the street from me in Queens, NY.  Art Garfunkel lived around the corner. Mrs. Simon (Paul's mother) was my 1st grade teacher at PS 164. She continued teaching even after Paul became famous and for show and tell used to bring his gold/platinum albums to share with her classes.  All of us who had her say she was one of the best teachers we ever had!!  And yes I did know Paul though I doubt  he would remember me,  I am much younger than he is, his younger brother was my baby sitter.  

 

 

How wonderful, I adore Simon and Garfunkel.   We spent a lot of time in Vancouver as DS lived there for 7 years, they have many wonderful Asian eateries as well.  Happy to suggest those if you’re interested? 
 

@Cruzin Terri since they cancelled, they should be obligated to rebook you.  Stand your ground.  

Edited June 1, 2023 by bennybear

[tupper10]

27 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Well, guys, if I ever need prayers it is now.

British Airways has stopped all operations from Philly and my flight is cancelled.  We booked with AA miles and they are unable to rebook us.  We are supposed to fly out on June 17.  I have been on the phone with AA for the last 1 1/2 hours they have just come back and told me nothing is available.

Terri

I would contact their corporate offices.     

Primary Contact
Mark Ewing
Director, Customer Relations
1 Skyview Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Markus.Ewing@aa.com

Secondary Contact
Caroline Truelove
Vice President – Reservations and Customer Relations
1 Skyview Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Caroline.Truelove@aa.com

Chief Executive
Robert Isom
CEO
1 Skyview Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76155
robert.isom@aa.com

[tupper10]

@bennybear Asian doesn't work for me due to my many food allergies, but thank you. 

[Sharon in AZ]

🐰 🐰 🐇

 

Good morning and Happy Thursday from sunny Tucson. I have been under the weather for a few days, having some side effects problems from restarting my Otezla. I had stopped taking it during my cruise (long story).  But hopefully the side effects will tapper off and I’ll be back to normal soon. I read the Daily but missed some milestones. 
 

Happy Belated Birthday to Ann @cat shepard and Jacqui @kazu.  Happy Belated Anniversary to @Horizon chaser 1957.  And Belated Birthday wishes to Pat @Vict0riann’s DH. I hope I didn’t miss anyone. If I did it isn’t intentional. 
 

The Heimlich maneuver is a lifesaver and hits close to home. While packing for our New England/Canada cruise in 2009 I was in too much of a rush and swallowed a vitamin wrong. I ran downstairs to Craig, who was in the shower, and told him the best I could that I needed help. He didn’t quite understand and said he’d be a few more minutes. I persisted and he finally realized the problem I was having. It took a few tries but he saved me. Very scary. I promptly threw away those big vitamins!

 

For those who don’t like tilapia you might try swai. It’s a great substitute and we prefer it’s flavor. Debbie @dfish, those spring rolls look amazing!

 

We had a great time with the family on Sunday evening. I was just disappointed that DGD didn’t come because she wasn’t feeling good. DGS wore a tie and we all enjoyed the spectacle when the cowbell rang and the tie was cut. Somehow we didn’t get a picture. But they stayed for the show. 

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

[luvteaching]

Good morning everyone!

 

There's a lot of noise here as DS is redoing our roof. It's 20 years old and definitely needed doing. I have a 40 yard dumpster in the driveway and we are a construction zone. 

 

DH is making improvements and hoping we can get him home here in a week or two. He stood for over 2 minutes yesterday so I owe him a vanilla shake today. First stop on the way in is Jack-in-the-Box! Now we have to continue work on the stamina in standing and then see if they can work on him transferring to the car. He's "feeling his oats" and can transfer fairly well. The staff has come in a few times to find he'd put himself in bed! Not necessarily the safest thing and one time he was on his knees beside the bed. Oh well. 

 

Have a fun day everyone! 

Karen

[RMLincoln]

@Cruzin Terri 🙏  Breathe!  I understand the frustration and anger!  It WILL be OK. Different but OK!  Keep focused on a resolution even if it’s different than expected!  Holding a vision of the best for you!  M—

[bennybear]

@RMLincoln bless you!  It is very scary, we’ve had a couple of towns destroyed before and people evacuated for months. Hopefully rain here and hopefully soon in the maritimes will help.

 

@smitty34877 I’m glad you could cope.   I do think it’s good to be home, but I think hospitals try to download care on families a bit too quickly for sure.   The nurse I have checking on me couldn’t believe that I was sent home when I was.  
 

@tupper10 oh too bad, they have one of the best Chinese and Japanese outside Asia.   But they also have excellent Italian and seafood among others.  Ask for Luigi is Michelin rated and wonderful.  Not to mention outstanding vegetarian at Acorn.   So many places really! 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by bennybear

[1ANGELCAT]

Good afternoon, the power is back on. It went off around 11am and came back on around 12:45.

 

@Cruzin Terri, sorry to hear about your issues with BA.  I hope you can resolve the problem.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon.  I got my walk in a little while ago before it got too hot.  It was mostly cloudy when I started, but the sun came out about halfway around the loop.  Still it wasn't too bad since it is still in the low 80s.

 

3 hours ago, RMLincoln said:

Rabbit, rabbit, White rabbit. 
 

DH had a good exam at the glaucoma specialist’s. His field test showed stable. Stable is great!  His vision loss zones are no worse!  We brought the new tonometer to check against their readings. It’s not really off, maybe just a smidge high, but she had some high readings too, coached him to not hold his breath while doing the measurements. He won’t clear the waitlist for surgery in June- there are others in more urgent need - so he can wait till August 1. I’m very relieved!  Thank you all for your support!  And he is SO much better with fewer meds that he’s down to only 1 Benadryl to take the edge off the itching from the meds. I’m calling that Amazing!  
Maureen 
 

 

 

Maureen, I'm glad your DH had a good exam at the doctor yesterday.  Since he is not able to get on the waitlist, I'm glad he is stable enough to wait for the surgery in August.

 

2 hours ago, durangoscots said:

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit were not the first words out of my mouth this morning as the Chihuahua woke me up at 5:00 letting me know he had to go out....NOW!!!! Well, at least he let me know. Managed to get him out and back in without locking myself out of the house. I tried to go back to sleep, but that was a lost cause.

 

It is a little chilly in Durango. Temperature now is 40F and the sun is peeking out. We had a shower earlier just after the dogs and I made it back to the house. And there were some rumbles of thunder. The high today is forecast to be 59!!! And showers on and off. Glad to see the rain, but that is a bit on the cool side.

 

Little going on today. I have to go up the college to talk to the Director in Southwest studies about some archaeological materials in storage there. Since I have been retired for 18 years and did not do field work in the southwest in the 10 years previous to that I am not sure why they are asking me. Desperation perhaps? Doubt that I will be much help. And I hope this is the last I hear of it.

 

Susan

 

 

 

Susan, I hope you get some much needed rain even though it is cooler than normal.

 

2 hours ago, tupper10 said:

@marshhawk would you be able to give me the name of the place you loved to eat in Vancouver - we will be there this September.

 

Glad everyone's surgeries seem to be going well -hope the recover goes just as good.  

 

Fun Fact about Simon and Garfunkel -  Paul, his younger brother and parents lived down the street from me in Queens, NY.  Art Garfunkel lived around the corner. Mrs. Simon (Paul's mother) was my 1st grade teacher at PS 164. She continued teaching even after Paul became famous and for show and tell used to bring his gold/platinum albums to share with her classes.  All of us who had her say she was one of the best teachers we ever had!!  And yes I did know Paul though I doubt  he would remember me,  I am much younger than he is, his younger brother was my baby sitter.  

 

 

 

Wow.  That is interesting about your close encounter with a famous person.

 

1 hour ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Well, guys, if I ever need prayers it is now.

British Airways has stopped all operations from Philly and my flight is cancelled.  We booked with AA miles and they are unable to rebook us.  We are supposed to fly out on June 17.  I have been on the phone with AA for the last 1 1/2 hours they have just come back and told me nothing is available.

Terri

 

Terri, I'm sorry about the flight cancellation.  It's late, but even though it would cost you money, have you tried booking flights with the cruise line?  I don't know about Oceania, but HAL often had (pre-covid) decent prices on business class flights to and from Europe.  Is it possible to take an AA flight on a different day?  I hope AA is crediting your miles back to your account.  I wish I had a better answer for you.  

 

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

Rabbit, rabbit rabbit! Need all the luck we can get!  
One of the Alberta fires is larger than the city of Red Deer, so they’re evacuating more people.  We have firefighters from New Zealand and Australia helping, thank you! 
We’re having slight amounts of rain, and there was a tornado near our RV lot.   
A few more spring blossoms. 

 

 

Brenda, I hope they can get the fires under control soon and put out as quickly as possible.

 

1 hour ago, Sharon in AZ said:

🐰 🐰 🐇

 

Good morning and Happy Thursday from sunny Tucson. I have been under the weather for a few days, having some side effects problems from restarting my Otezla. I had stopped taking it during my cruise (long story).  But hopefully the side effects will tapper off and I’ll be back to normal soon. I read the Daily but missed some milestones. 
 

Happy Belated Birthday to Ann @cat shepard and Jacqui @kazu.  Happy Belated Anniversary to @Horizon chaser 1957.  And Belated Birthday wishes to Pat @Vict0riann’s DH. I hope I didn’t miss anyone. If I did it isn’t intentional. 
 

The Heimlich maneuver is a lifesaver and hits close to home. While packing for our New England/Canada cruise in 2009 I was in too much of a rush and swallowed a vitamin wrong. I ran downstairs to Craig, who was in the shower, and told him the best I could that I needed help. He didn’t quite understand and said he’d be a few more minutes. I persisted and he finally realized the problem I was having. It took a few tries but he saved me. Very scary. I promptly threw away those big vitamins!

 

For those who don’t like tilapia you might try swai. It’s a great substitute and we prefer it’s flavor. Debbie @dfish, those spring rolls look amazing!

 

We had a great time with the family on Sunday evening. I was just disappointed that DGD didn’t come because she wasn’t feeling good. DGS wore a tie and we all enjoyed the spectacle when the cowbell rang and the tie was cut. Somehow we didn’t get a picture. But they stayed for the show. 

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

 

Sharon, I was glad your DH was there and could save your life.  I'm sorry about the side effects of your medicine.  I hope the ease quickly.

 

30 minutes ago, luvteaching said:

Good morning everyone!

 

There's a lot of noise here as DS is redoing our roof. It's 20 years old and definitely needed doing. I have a 40 yard dumpster in the driveway and we are a construction zone. 

 

DH is making improvements and hoping we can get him home here in a week or two. He stood for over 2 minutes yesterday so I owe him a vanilla shake today. First stop on the way in is Jack-in-the-Box! Now we have to continue work on the stamina in standing and then see if they can work on him transferring to the car. He's "feeling his oats" and can transfer fairly well. The staff has come in a few times to find he'd put himself in bed! Not necessarily the safest thing and one time he was on his knees beside the bed. Oh well. 

 

Have a fun day everyone! 

Karen

 

Karen, putting on a new roof is a big job, and also one that keeps on giving.  We found old roofing nails in the flowerbeds for a couple of years after our roof was replaced.  I'm glad you DH is making such good progress.  

 

Lenda

[grapau27]

5 hours ago, ger_77 said:

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit!  Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  I had to use the Heimlich maneuver on a fellow in the Lido a number of years ago.  I try to say something nice to someone every day; you never know what people are going through.  We know a couple of DARE officers; they do a great job in the schools and community.  On the other hand, I dare you to find a word that rhymes with orange.

 

A beautiful June morning out there today with a breeze and temps that are predicted up to +28, high humidity, and possible showers later in the afternoon.  We had thunder roll through last evening, but didn't get any rain, so we'll see if today brings any.   We turned off the A/C around 7 last night and about 9 opened all the windows - slept that way for the first time this year.  

 

@mamaofami hearing about the critters around you brought to mind a scene from a Disney movie!

@JazzyV thank you for adding DH to the care list, that's so kind of you, but I think this will be ongoing, so he can be moved to the rotation instead.

@1ANGELCAT sending love to your little Ninja cat.

@kazu the fires as we've seen on the news are devastating!!

@dfish One way to check the outlet is to bring in an extension cord and plug in the A/C unit; if it turns on, it's the outlet.  If not, a new A/C unit is in order, but whatever you do, don't use the extension cord to power the unit, as it's a fire hazard.

@marshhawk sorry you're dragging; hopefully you'll rebound soon!

@aliaschief safe travels to you and @DWAliaschief!

 

We're off this morning to have breakfast with a couple we haven't seen since they left in October to live in Victoria, BC for the winter.  It'll be good getting together to catch up on things over a leisurely breakfast.  After that there's groceries and then making sure we're home in time to turn on the A/C before it gets too hot.  I'm going to try one of the menu suggestions tonight, but will cook salmon in the air fryer on the deck.  It's looking like salmon, asparagus and a tomato/cucumber salad on the deck tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for all who are in need, especially for those affected by the fires and the firefighters, and the people of Ukraine.  Cheers to everyone with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

 

Several years ago a lovely lady customer of mine choked and died in her shop but sadly no one was able to help her with the Heimlich maneuver.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Sharon in AZ said:

🐰 🐰 🐇

 

Good morning and Happy Thursday from sunny Tucson. I have been under the weather for a few days, having some side effects problems from restarting my Otezla. I had stopped taking it during my cruise (long story).  But hopefully the side effects will tapper off and I’ll be back to normal soon. I read the Daily but missed some milestones. 
 

Happy Belated Birthday to Ann @cat shepard and Jacqui @kazu.  Happy Belated Anniversary to @Horizon chaser 1957.  And Belated Birthday wishes to Pat @Vict0riann’s DH. I hope I didn’t miss anyone. If I did it isn’t intentional. 
 

The Heimlich maneuver is a lifesaver and hits close to home. While packing for our New England/Canada cruise in 2009 I was in too much of a rush and swallowed a vitamin wrong. I ran downstairs to Craig, who was in the shower, and told him the best I could that I needed help. He didn’t quite understand and said he’d be a few more minutes. I persisted and he finally realized the problem I was having. It took a few tries but he saved me. Very scary. I promptly threw away those big vitamins!

 

For those who don’t like tilapia you might try swai. It’s a great substitute and we prefer it’s flavor. Debbie @dfish, those spring rolls look amazing!

 

We had a great time with the family on Sunday evening. I was just disappointed that DGD didn’t come because she wasn’t feeling good. DGS wore a tie and we all enjoyed the spectacle when the cowbell rang and the tie was cut. Somehow we didn’t get a picture. But they stayed for the show. 

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

I'm sorry to hear you have been unwell recently.

Well done Craig for being able to do the Heimlich maneuver and save you Sharon when the large vitamin tablet was stuck in your throat.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

10 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Several years ago a lovely lady customer of mine choked and died in her shop but sadly no one was able to help her with the Heimlich maneuver.

 

How sad.  It must have been very frightening for her.

 

Lenda

[grapau27]

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2013 Blount cruise from New Orleans to Saint Petersburg.  On June 1 I woke up South of Washington on Amtrak's Silver Meteor:

 

 

Roy

[GTVCRUISER]

Good morning from San Diego

[kazu]

7 hours ago, NextOne said:

Getting my covid booster today, among other things.

 

 

Yay 🙂. Good for you!  

 

 

7 hours ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

   My sweet Ninja is not doing so well and keeps losing weight even though he is on medication.  I think he’s missing Fluff💔🐾

 

Oh dear on Ninja 😔. I hope it is just a bit of a grief thing 🙏🏻. Ninja is probably heartbroken like you 💔. Hopefully you and time will be all Ninaj needs 🙏🏻 

 

 

6 hours ago, cruising sister said:

Funny how no jet leg on the way over but dragging now that I am  home. It will be a beautiful day here and I am meeting my friend who lost her son today for lunch. There were be lots of tears on both of our parts I am sure. 

 

Your trip is over so it is natural to be tired.  And being solo, you’re back to being on your own instead of people out and about. It has an affect - at least, it does on me.  Hopefully you pick up quickly 🤞 

 

So sorry to hear about your friend’s son 😔. Glad you are doing lunch with her - she will appreciate your caring and hopefully gain some strength from you 🤞 

 

 

5 hours ago, smitty34877 said:

We muddled through last night and today things are somewhat better.I think patients  are sent home a tad too early...Suffice it to say it is

a good thing DH is not a big man and I know how to lift and transfer!

 

I agree - patients are ofen sent home too early.  Kudos for you for being able to help him but please get help if you need it.

 

 

4 hours ago, RMLincoln said:

DH had a good exam at the glaucoma specialist’s. His field test showed stable. Stable is great!  His vision loss zones are no worse!  We brought the new tonometer to check against their readings. It’s not really off, maybe just a smidge high, but she had some high readings too, coached him to not hold his breath while doing the measurements. He won’t clear the waitlist for surgery in June- there are others in more urgent need - so he can wait till August 1. I’m very relieved!  

 

That is really great news!  Happy to hear his medications are reduced, too. 👍 

 

 

4 hours ago, RMLincoln said:

 It’s really hard for me… I spent too many years doing that. We were evacuated just weeks after we moved full time to our mountain cabin. Had just joined the fire department, we were total newbies!  Became experts over the years in so many aspects of living in fire country and fire response.  We built a fire-hardened house, taught workshops to the community, I wrote fire awareness columns in the local newspaper, DH developed analyses for the fire department to more efficiently shuttle water… worked so many jobs from Initial Attack to staffing Incident Command Posts, Radio Comms, Food Logistics, Weather,  Community, just about everything needed on so many fires, all sizes. Every big fire starts as a small one. Our worse fire raged overnight at faster than an acre a second..  43,000 acres in the first 10 hrs. Friends lost homes. We sifted through their ashes with them. I attended the memorial for the 19 firefighters who died in Arizona, met pregnant widows, felt the reverberation of 150 bagpipe and drum ensembles playing Amazing Grace…. It  was our life’s work for nearly 20 years, all after retiring, all volunteer. And I tear up just thinking of all involved. So when I say my heart goes out to them all… you’ll understand how I mean that. 

 

God bless you for your work helping ♥️ 

 

 

3 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

@marshhawk So sorry to hear that Fawn hasn't shown up. 😞  I was wondering too if your local grocery stores do curb-side pickup?  Late now I know, but something to consider.  

 

 

Good suggestion on curb side pick up.  It still exists here and I do use it for the one big store that I am still not comfortable in - far too crowded.

 

 

2 hours ago, tupper10 said:

Fun Fact about Simon and Garfunkel -  Paul, his younger brother and parents lived down the street from me in Queens, NY.  Art Garfunkel lived around the corner. Mrs. Simon (Paul's mother) was my 1st grade teacher at PS 164. She continued teaching even after Paul became famous and for show and tell used to bring his gold/platinum albums to share with her classes.  All of us who had her say she was one of the best teachers we ever had!!  And yes I did know Paul though I doubt  he would remember me,  I am much younger than he is, his younger brother was my baby sitter.  

 

That is absolutely amazing!  What fabulous memories 👍 

 

 

2 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Well, guys, if I ever need prayers it is now.

British Airways has stopped all operations from Philly and my flight is cancelled.  We booked with AA miles and they are unable to rebook us.  We are supposed to fly out on June 17.  I have been on the phone with AA for the last 1 1/2 hours they have just come back and told me nothing is available.

 

WTH?  They should be offering to put you on an alternate air line, IMO.  They should have lots they code share with.

 

 

2 hours ago, bennybear said:

One of the Alberta fires is larger than the city of Red Deer, so they’re evacuating more people.  We have firefighters from New Zealand and Australia helping, thank you! 

 

OH NO!  That’s just awful.  So glad to see hear you are getting help.  You need all you can get.  😔 

 

 

1 hour ago, luvteaching said:

DH is making improvements and hoping we can get him home here in a week or two. He stood for over 2 minutes yesterday so I owe him a vanilla shake today. First stop on the way in is Jack-in-the-Box! Now we have to continue work on the stamina in standing and then see if they can work on him transferring to the car. He's "feeling his oats" and can transfer fairly well. The staff has come in a few times to find he'd put himself in bed! Not necessarily the safest thing and one time he was on his knees beside the bed. Oh well. 

 

It sounds like your DH is making really good progress.  👍. I can’t blame him for trying.  

 

Glad to hear that your DS is helping you with the roof 👍