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Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Amnesty International is such an important group and they do so much to help people. I've never made brisket, but a couple of times when we were in Miami pre-cruise, we stopped at this fabulous little place called Sparkly's Roadside Barbecue where I had the most amazing brisket sandwich. Sadly, post-Covid it closed and is no more. We do love burgers - in the summer on the BBQ and in the winter on the George Foreman. @cat shepardI've been doing salmon in the air fryer for some time, and as @Quartzsite Cruiser said, it comes out nice and moist. I top mine with a thin coat of Dijon mustard, topping it with panko crumbs and a drizzle of melted butter. 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. @grapau27I hope you and Pauline are soon on the road to recovery from whatever's been ailing you! @kazuthat's what I thought the "gadget" might be - a neighbour had one and loved it. @Mr. Bostonsafe travels to you today! It's a sunny, windy morning out there today, but the weather app is telling me we could reach a high of 25C (77) which will be quite nice. I didn't accomplish everything I needed to outside yesterday, as I had to take DH back to the chiropractor, then we had a couple of errands to run. Today might see the last of the repotting of plants, but only time will tell, as there's still laundry and vacuuming to do. I'm going to pass on the drink, the wine, and being a carnivore, prefer my tacos to have beef in them. I've got a couple of chicken breasts thawing that will be tossed in plain yogurt, rolled in panko & parmesan and cooked in the air fryer. I'll serve it along with corn on the cob and fresh veggies at the table on the deck tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, and generally in turmoil. Extra for all who are in the paths of storms and fires. Cheers to all who have celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Wishing all my American friends a safe and happy Memorial Day - I watched the Memorial Day Concert on PBS last night; it was beautiful and brought me to tears a number of times. I'm a stickler for sunscreen, although DH has to be reminded constantly to put it on. Player pianos certainly took the work out of it, and I'd like to have a grape popsicle, as I haven't had one in years. Another mostly cloudy day out there today, but again the temperature should sneak up to about 20C (68), which is fine by me. The trees are almost fully leafed out so we can no longer see the neighbours behind us, giving us total privacy in our back yard. Yesterday was productive; first thing in the morning I went out and purchased 4 big bags of soil and came home and started repotting. I did the 6 papyrus, 6 triple begonias, and made 4 succulent bowls. Today I have 4 large curly figs that need to be potted into larger containers and the smaller ones will go in the ones vacated by the big guys. DH did a good job instructing me where to put the plants - move them over an inch or two, turn them around, etc. LOL I know he wanted to do most of the work himself, and it really irked him that he couldn't, but I told him he was doing what was best for both of us. @dfishthank you for the pictures of River; she's so lucky to have Sue and you in her life. @Cruzin Terrisafe travels for you and DH today. Good idea to get an early start. @rafinmdI hope your friend will be okay. @kazuwhat is the special gadget Jose had? Is it one of those gardening stools/kneelers? I would love to try the drink of the day - in fact, I may make it once the temperatures get a little higher later in the season. Pretty sure I'd like the wine, but $$$ is stopping me from trying it. We've about Chinese food'd ourselves out, so the rest has been put into containers and is sitting in the freezer for another time. I like today's menu suggestion, and know we have lots of salmon, so will thaw out a couple of fillets and try a version of the first recipe which sounds quite good (just minus the kale). It's looking like salmon with chickpeas and asparagus is what we'll be able to enjoy on the deck this evening. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in turmoil, in grief, and in the paths of devastating storms and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I often make paper airplanes for the DGS's and we fly them off their deck into the back yard. The Lindy Hop was a dance before my time, but I'm not sure many of us could manage it any more! Where would we be without cellophane tape (Scotch tape)? Erma Bombeck stated the obvious and in such a humorous manner; she's been missed all these years. Yesterday morning DH was complaining about his back - the day spent on the hospital bed didn't do it well at all, so by 10:30 we were at the chiropractor's office where he had an adjustment and felt better. By late evening however, the pain had returned (not quite as bad), and when I got up this morning I discovered he'd moved to a sitting position in his recliner. I guess I'll be calling the chiro's office tomorrow for another appointment. It's cloudy and breezy outside this morning, but the forecast is calling for a high of 18(64F), so maybe, just maybe I might be able to get some of the plants put into the outdoor pots. First I have to make a run to pick up some extra bags of soil, as I always like to refresh the pots before putting new plants into them. DH's job is to sit on the deck, watch me, and tell me if I'm doing it right or not. LOL @cruising sisterthank you for the beautiful photo of our sweet Murphy; she's absolutely adorable and almost 1 - how amazing is that? And your lovely DGD and the pampering; I'm sure she loved every minute of it! @Cruising-alongWhat a great time for your DGS's - you're creating forever memories for them! @Cruzin TerriHappy Angel Birthday to your mom. I'm going to pass on the drink of the day, the white wine, but the quinoa chicken bowl looks like it would be quite flavourful. As I suspected, yesterday DH forgot about my alternate birthday, and I didn't want to make him feel bad, so I didn't mention it. Early in the afternoon he said we hadn't had Chinese food in a long time, so instead of heading to my favourite Greek restaurant, I went off in the other direction and took us to a cute little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant where they have some amazing food, and only take cash. We ordered beef & greens, special fried rice, lemon chicken, S&S chicken balls and shrimp; we ate until we could barely move and had them pack the rest to take home. We now have enough leftovers that we could easily invite another couple over for dinner and all of us would be stuffed. That gives me an idea - I think I'll call Wayne and Fran to see if they would like to join us for leftovers on the deck tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in turmoil, and in the paths of devastating storms and fires. Cheers to all who have celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I wish we could go plastic free, but take a look around you and see how much of our world is made of it! I brown bagged it for most of my career; when I first joined the court, there wasn't a designated staff/lunch room, so people ate at their desks. One day a kindly caretaker came by and told me he'd made some chili in their store room and would I like to have some? He said he'd bring it to me, but I insisted on going back there with him - that began a life long friendship with the caretakers of our building. I'd often bake things and leave them in there for the group to enjoy, and there were many invitations to join them for treats or lunches others had made. I think I was the only person from the bench who was actually afforded this privilege, and it's a memory I'll take with me always. A little 5 year old girl (Tamara Keepness) went missing from a city nearby in 2004 and to this day has not been found; I can't imagine the anguish the family has been through. Sadly, her mother passed away last year, never knowing what happened to her daughter. Thank you @JazzyV for remembering my Alternate Birthday today! And thank you to all my Daily friends for your good wishes; it really makes my heart smile to read them. I'm not sure DH is even going to remember unless he actually looks at the calendar, but I'll think of a reason for us to go somewhere for dinner tonight and will leave it at that. He'll pay for it later. Ha ha ha ha. @dfishcongratulations on the addition of Addi to your extended family; she's a beauty! And THAT note! Oh my gosh, it touched my heart, as I'm sure it did yours. @MrSnuffleupagusBon Voyage; enjoy your cruise!! @RMLincolnmy goodness, ministrations 8x daily - that takes up pretty much your entire day! Is DH able to do some of them by himself, or do they all involve you? You need a break, girl! @kazuI hope you're able to get some of your pots filled; I know how much they mean to you. @1ANGELCATI'm glad Shirl is doing well so far; the cat will be a cat and make sure everyone knows it's annoyed at the change. LOL @ottahand7wow, you had a very busy day yesterday! @marshhawk I love the t-shirt!! I'm going to pass on the drink (whiskey), will let others enjoy the wine and take a wide berth on anything with olives in it. I'm not sure just what's on the menu for tonight, but I'm thinking we'll take a drive across the city to our favourite Greek restaurant where I can enjoy time with DH and a traditional Greek meal. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in turmoil, and in the paths of destructive storms and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations today. Wishing everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I have a great brother and wish we lived closer so we could see one another more often. I haven't worn my tiara since the King's coronation, but it's always ready. -.-- .- -.-- (yay) for Morse Code! Because I took shorthand for 2 years in high school (and loved it), I think I'd find it easy to catch on to Morse Code. Well it's finally sunny out there, the first time this week, but listening to the weather report, we could have showers again this afternoon. We had to turn on the space heater on the deck to keep the plants from freezing, and looking at the week ahead it seems they'll have to stay on the deck for at least another 5 or 6 days before getting potted outside without fear of frost. We heard from our friends in Temple, TX yesterday (on FB) where they had an EF2 tornado, horrible rain, hail, etc. They were spared, but there were literally cars floating down their street. Thank goodness they were safe, but sadly, there was a lot of damage around them. Yesterday should have been a quiet, relaxing day at home after the morning hospital tests, but it was filled with phone calls. Friends checking in, the TAVI director calling, and calls from medical offices for follow-up appointments. At least they stopped by 5PM so the evening was quiet and DH was able to get to bed early. @Heartgrovewishing you a very Happy Birthday with many more healthy and happy returns of the day! Not a lot happening here today, will likely do a quick grocery run and that's about it. Our lawn guy came yesterday between rains and was able to do a nice job on all of them, so we're good for another week. I'd like to try the drink (I've written out the recipe for testing purposes), would really like to try the wine, but I'm not that wealthy, and ooohhh my, you had me at chocolate!!!! I haven't made a German chocolate cake in years, but might just put something together this weekend if the mood strikes. Although it's Friday night and usually pizza night, we have so many leftovers from DSIL's dinner (ribs, wings, fresh vegetables & dip, a mixture of potatoes/green & yellow beans/red peppers and rhubarb cake) that we're going to just reheat them and enjoy that at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, and in the paths of devastating storms and wildfires. Cheer to all who have celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! A best friend in law is becoming best friends with your friend's best friend. Sort of like becoming your own grandpaw. LOL Like many of you, I have too many fillings/crowns to be tempted with taffy. Turtles are the only reptiles I don't hate - I do love watching nature shows when the little ones make their way from the nests to the ocean for the first time. To begin with, thank you all for your well wishes, prayers, and thoughts for Maurice's surgery yesterday. The internet was spotty in the cardiac short stay area, so I couldn't get online and read yesterday's FR&D. Once finished with this post, I will go back and read it. DH's surgery went well; after a rather sleepless night (always wondering if the alarm would really go off!) we arrived at 6:30 to admitting and he was taken to the OR at 9. He was back in the room by 11:30 and spent the rest of the day attended to by the most amazing nurses. The doctor came by around 6:45 and said the surgery went "wonderfully" and after checking his echo-cardiogram (which he said looked really nice), said DH could go home. By the time we got the discharge papers, etc., we wobbled into the house around 8:30. Neither of us was really hungry (they fed DH at the hospital); all I wanted was a bowl of cereal and we were in bed by 9. I don't remember my head even hitting the pillow; I think I went straight from conscious to coma. This morning we have to back to the hospital for a follow-up blood test and ECG, and hopefully that will be it. Something I didn't know, is that DH can't have any dental work done for the next 6 months, and when he does, he has to take antibiotics for 7 days - even for a cleaning! Interesting. @smitty34877please wish Tana a very Happy Birthday from her Canadian friends. I hope she's buoyed by all the well wishes for her special day. I'm going to take a pass on the drink of the day, will let others enjoy the white wine, but I do like the menu suggestion. DH's sister messaged me at the hospital last night and said she would like to provide dinner for us tonight - thank goodness, as I don't know what I'd cook, nor sure if I have the energy today to do much more than exist. Adrenaline crash really is something. Whatever my DSIL brings will be what we enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! We've had a lot of false raptures - Y2K, the Mayan Calendar, etc.; if/when it happens, there's not a whole lot anyone will be able to do about it, so go ahead and enjoy life. I need a patch that will do all my housework/spring cleaning for me - anyone got an idea where I can buy one? I make tea for us every morning; in fact, I told DH I had to book another cruise because I was out of Bigelow's I Love Lemon tea that I normally drink on a BHB. He just rolled his eyes, so I ordered more from Amazon. We've got a grey, cloudy, rainy day in the offing today. Because we heard it was only going down to +3 overnight, we decided to leave all the plants on the deck last night rather than bringing them all into the house. We closed all the windows and closed the heavy curtains, hoping that would suffice to keep the heat in - as I look out this morning, everyone looks happy out there, and it's still raining, so it means it didn't freeze overnight. Yesterday, to get DH out of the house, we took a drive to a couple of grocery run pop-up greenhouses to see what we could find. I drove around all of them so DH could get a good idea what was there and if he saw anything that piqued his interest, I went to inspect. It turned out to be a good method, because at the end of a couple of hours we had the back of the Ford Escape filled with plants and now we just have to wait for good weather so I can put them in our outdoor pots. Thanks for your thoughts on DH; he had a bit of a cough yesterday morning, but that was it for the majority of the day. He's been continuing with the Tetley Immune Tea, oranges and zinc, and hopefully he's got it under control. I didn't hear him cough last night, but that's not unusual - I sleep like the dead most nights. I'm pretty sure tomorrow will be a "go" for his valve replacement. @JazzyVyou're going to be a tired girl by the end of the day; would you consider heading out to your car and having a nap later, rather than sitting in a hospital waiting room? @kazusending prayers for answers about your foot today. @Heartgrovethanks for the photo of Sam yesterday; although I'm more of a cat person, I can see why you love him so much - I would, too! @StLouisCruiserssorry to hear you've got a cold - like you need that on a cruise! @ottahand7the other day you mentioned vole damage; this winter we had voles create a mess on our front, side and back lawns. We've been in our house for 41 years and have never had them before - I've bought lawn seed to cover the patches they carved out and will have to figure out what to put on the lawn before next winter so they don't come back. I've heard that garlic water deters them, but that would involve lots of garlic! LOL @Haljo1935good luck at the doctor's today. @Quartzsite CruiserI'm glad you had a good number of hours of sleep - hopefully the extra pain meds keep you comfortable. Not much on our agenda today, just kicking around - DH will work on his book, I'll do some laundry and work on more blankets. I counted up and I've got another 15 ready to go whenever I decide to take them over to the distribution centre. I'm not sure about the drink of the day, will let others enjoy the wine, but I do like the recipes for today's menu suggestion. We eat a lot of salmon, so looking at the recipes, I'm going to thaw a couple of filets and will likely make the second recipe, accompanied by mashed potatoes and green beans that we'll enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in pain, in grief, in need and in the paths of destructive storms or fires. Cheers to all who have celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I'll celebrate Eliza Doolittle, will respect the religious beliefs and won't draw Mohammad, and have a dear friend who worked in Human Resources for most of her career - not an easy job. Happy Victoria day to my fellow Canadians - I hope you enjoy this long weekend! It's a cloudy, windy morning out there for us and according to the forecast, we have a 65% chance of rain today. Last night the temperature went down to +1 so we covered the Boston fern and dipladenia that DH decided to put out yesterday; the rest of the plants came in and are hanging out in the dining room. @Heartgroveoh my gosh, my heart hurt when I read that Sam fell down the stairs; that's sad. @kazuplease take it easy and only do a little until you can find out exactly what's wrong with your foot! @57redbirdI've been meaning to ask how your mouth is after your major dental implant surgery? I hope it's healing well. @Quartzsite Cruisergood luck to you at the dentist's this afternoon. We heard from DH's daughter yesterday (she was flying to PV for dental work); the plane was delayed in Calgary because just before the aircraft was to depart, someone decided they didn't want to go to Mexico after all. Who does that??? The flight was delayed 1.5 hours while they took all the luggage out to find the reluctant passenger's suitcases. She was not impressed, nor would I have been! Before Christmas DH and I decided that we didn't need anything, so we purchased tickets to "It's a Kinda Magic", a tribute to Queen - I bought the tickets as soon as they were available so we were able to get 2nd row from stage, directly in the middle. Well, the concert is Friday night and I'm certainly not going to be taking DH out to mingle, push and shove at a large venue like that right after his surgery, so I'm giving the tickets to our friends Wayne and Fran. I'm sure DH has totally forgotten that we even had them, so I'm not even going to tell him about it. Although Wayne was insistent about paying for them, I declined, saying rather that they could take us out for dinner once Maurice was feeling better. I will definitely accept the drink of the day (my go-to cocktail in the summer), will pass on the wine, and we have salads at least 4 times a week, often using spring mix with whatever else is in the fridge. Wayne wanted us to come over for a burger barbecue today, but knows DH is isolating, so he said they would barbecue and deliver dinner for us tonight - how sweet is that? I'm sure we'll enjoy whatever he and Fran cook up for us at the table on our deck tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, or in the path of destructive storms and fires. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! The Boys & Girls Clubs do great work for inner city children and we support them fully. I don't think I need to be tested for hepatitis, as we've had shots for all kinds. I had no idea what May Ray day was, thanks for the explanation. I always enjoyed Jay Leno's humour; often it was intellectual and not vulgar at all. The dining room table and floor are covered in plants as the forecast for last night was only +2C (35) which meant because we are a bit lower, the plants could have frozen, even on the deck. Thankfully we haven't bought all the baskets, etc., for the yard, or we'd have had a full kitchen as well. I think next weekend (after DH's procedure) we may go out and buy the rest of the plants that are needed. DH's daughter and a friend are flying to Puerto Vallarta today so the DD can get dental work done (apparently it's less than half the cost, even with flights and hotels). At 4:15 this morning I received a text from her saying they were at the airport. Normally I turn my phone off before going to bed, but last night I forgot, so I've been awake for a while already and think a nap is in my future this afternoon. @1ANGELCATsending prayers for your friend Shirl; it can't be easy for her or her son. I hope she's able to have a smooth transition into a facility that will provide the care she needs. @Cruzin Terrisorry to hear you've been under the weather, I hope you're on the road to recovery now. @dfishI love the furniture you've chosen - along with the fire table, it makes for a very inviting place to relax at any time of the day! @JazzyVI was thinking about how early you have to pick up BFF to get him to the hospital - would it be an option for you to stay at his place overnight, rather than getting up in the middle of the night to pick him up? @marshhawksounds like Momma Cat is really into tough love!!! @Mr. Bostoncongratulations to your nephew on his graduation! Not a lot happening here, we're just going to continue with the juices, fruit, and whatever else we can to help get rid of DH's cold. So far he's not really coughing, so that's a good thing. I may go out for a walk to the park later this afternoon, depending on the weather. I'd like to try the drink of the day, do enjoy Merlot, and will take down the recipe for the salmon (minus the avocado) for future reference. DH has requested burgers for dinner, so I'll thaw some ground beef and put a couple of patties in the George Foreman that will be served along with pan fried potatoes and a side salad at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I'm so glad there's a vaccine for HIV, can take or leave Reeses, and can't begin to tell you the number of museums we've seen over the years - all of which are great reminders of the history of the areas. It's a cloudy, windy day to start the Victoria Day long weekend, and I know a lot of people are headed north to Prince Albert National Park to start the camping season. I really hope they've got cold weather rated sleeping bags, as it's going to be very chilly at night, with temperatures dipping below freezing tonight and tomorrow. Those in trailers will fare better with their heaters and furnaces. Glad we're no longer camping and can just stay home in the comfort and warmth. DH says his idea of camping now is staying at a hotel that doesn't have room service. LOL @Norseh2owishing you and DH a very Happy Anniversary - love the past and present photos, you both look great! @kazuI really hope your foot starts showing signs of improvement; I can't imagine trying to drive with your "good" foot feeling so awful. Thanks for all your good wishes for Maurice to get rid of this stupid cold. Yesterday I spent some time at the grocery/drug store getting everything I could find that had properties to boost the immune system and knock out a cold. I had all manners of vitamin C - fruits, juices and pills, along with zinc lozenges and a tea with lemon, echinacea, and added vitamin C. I kept the liquids flowing all day for DH, and of course because he's on a diuretic, he kept them flowing, too! I think he slept better last night, wasn't quite as stuffy, but will keep the regime going today to battle the cold out of him. I think I'd like to try the drink( the pineapple juice would make it taste tropical), would like to try the wine, and we do enjoy asparagus, so that's a recipe I'll tuck away for a hot summer day as a side dish. We've got a big pot of chicken soup to go through, so I'll be serving that up again for dinner along with fresh from the bakery sourdough bread at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Bon Voyage; have a wonderful time!!!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Interesting info about graduation tassels, I usually use walnuts in Christmas baking, and a dear departed cruise friend of ours always drank Pino Grigio. Well, it had to happen - DH caught a cold. Sigh. He started feeling it coming on last night, and this morning he's all stuffed up and feeling punkish. I've made him a big cup of tea with lemon and honey, and will continue that throughout the day. He's going through tissues with wild abandon, and is about as happy about everything as I am. I'm going to make sure he has lots of showers to keep everything open and flowing, and think I'll do a run out to the store and pick up a rotisserie chicken to strip and make a big pot of chicken soup. Any other suggestions? @smitty34877I'm glad you're getting family for the weekend who can help relieve your heavy burden. @marshhawkby your descriptions, I can tell you absolutely adore the kittens; you really have such a big heart. @dfishcan you go online to find instructions on how to put the box together? Yesterday I made the blueberry lemon loaf from the menu suggestion of a couple of days ago, and it's delicious! I didn't have any full fat Greek yogurt, so just used a couple of individual containers of Activia, and it turned out well. I didn't use the lemon glaze though, which would have given it more lemon flavour, but it's quite delicious on it's own. Not much happening here except dealing with DH's cold. I'm going to pass on the drink of the day, have consumed a lot of Apothic Red, but the option of having a blueberry almond tart for dinner is quite appealing! It's Friday night, pizza night, but I think we'll forego that in favour of big steaming bowls of chicken soup at the kitchen table tonight. And wine - for me. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

This one is already proving to be popular

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They've been available for a while and many of us have already booked our TA crossings.