TheKingD

I agree with @ger_77 about having to look up the Greek alphabet.  I knew that Alpha was first and Omega was last, but I couldn't come up with Zeta's place in line!  While I was looking things up, I also looked up hermit cookies, and I could definitely have those after the meal suggestions, along with Gerry's tomato/cheese buns.  And wine.

I’m glad to see Rich up-and-at-em early this morning as Zeta blows by.  She is headed our way and her winds could wreak havoc on our trees and power lines.

Thanks to all for the lovely thoughts and distractions.  My moments on this board every day are like a breath of fresh air.

stay safe and kind.

It is so good to have plenty of birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate!  Yesterday was our 10th anniversary and I’m glad to be in such good company with lots of happy years ahead for all of us.  Cheers to all of us - everyone celebrating and all the well-wishers too!🥂😷

Thanks to all the kind people here.  I hope everyone stays safe and cheerful.

Thanks to all my new friends here, I can start every day with good cheer and optimism.  And it gets better as the day goes along!

This Carolina Girl could have pulled pork for dinner over and over, and a nice Sauvignon Blanc always goes with it.

Stay safe and kind.

Cindy

We had the high dose flu shot, and our pharmacy recommended it for 65 and older people.  They kept running out of it because all the seniors rushed in to get it.  I had no side effects afterwards, which is unusual because I usually react to everything.  The shingles shots both did a number on me, but that might mean it is really working!  

Is it the Electoral Palace in Koblenz?  We were on a Crystal River cruise on the Rhine, and they had an evening performance there for us.  

34 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

I just want to let this group know that we have decided we need to take a road trip to Missouri to visit DH's 94 year old Mother who is in a senior living facility.  Her dementia has worsened and we haven't been able to visit all year due to restrictions caused by the COVID crisis.  But due to her condition and our distance from her we have received permission to see her (suitably attired in PPE and after a health screening).  So I may not be on Cruise Critic for the rest of the week.  Don't want anyone to worry!  LOL  😷

Oh, bless your heart!  I wish you the best, and we are kindred spirits in this adventure.  My DH's 101 year old mother is also in a senior living facility, and they have just started to let visitors in, with lots of rules, and we have to make an appointment.  We have had some FaceTime with her, but I think that may have confused her, and we will hopefully get to see her this week.  Please take good care, and report back in when you have a chance.  This has to be really hard on people like those dear ladies whose worlds had already gotten so small.  

3 hours ago, Overhead Fred said:

 

We love this table! It is quartersawn white oak and is big, it can handle ten with no problem. The top is one piece - no leaves. We bought it in Bowmanville, Ontario, a lovely town east of Toronto near the 401. We got a really good deal - it had been on the showroom floor for a long time & they wanted to get rid of it. It was probably too big for most folks. Luckily, we had a perfect spot for it. 

 

The runner in the picture came from St. Remy de Provence, purchased during a stop on our 2018 Koningsdam transatlantic.

Is that a wooden vase/carafe or a pottery one?  That and the runner are such gorgeous fall/Thanksgiving pieces on top of that table.  And the simple place settings allow the other decor to be stars of the show!

28 minutes ago, Ichiban Nekko said:

We would love to have both of you. After this virus has been eradicated might be better timing. And if you have a private jet, we have an airport here in Culpeper, LOL! And you don't have to do dishes. Wine is like Paris: always a good idea, LOL!

John and I want to come too!  We are within driving distance but I'm afraid I'm miss dinnertime!  I have wine too.

I am so sad I missed my Danube cruise earlier this year, and these pictures are really making me hope for another chance sometime!  We had such a great time on the Rhine cruise last year, and I'm sure the Danube would be great too!  Thanks for all the pictures and history tidbits.

Notamermaid, we very much look forward to seeing your posts in the message board.  Thank you for your pleasant messages, even with the gloom and doom, and stay kind.

All our best,

Cindy & John

11 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I made the harvest chicken late last week. Did the chicken and rice in a crockpot, then added freshly roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potato prior to serving. We love the concentration of flavors that occur with roasting. DH said to put it on the repeat list. 😀

Tioga, if you ever decide to adopt a 66-year-old, I would like to be the first to apply!

I love the kitchen, and I also love the painting on the wall back in the hallway!  Sending prayers for your friend and all her loved ones.

Notamermaid, I like the idea of a quiz game too.  Some of the other message boards on CC have occasional games that are mostly spontaneous and it is fun and it certainly takes our minds off gloomy news!  I have made some new friends on those boards, but you are the only one who has invited us to Würzburg!

1 minute ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Picking up a discussion a few weeks back:

@TheKingD How do you like your ice cream machine?

 

May I ask which one you got?  I went to complete my purchase yesterday and Amazon is currently out of the model I was planning on getting (whynter 201sb). I chose that one thinking it might be direct drive ( due to the shape). Am now considering the 200LS.
 

Keeping the sleeve in the freezer is getting old and taking up space. And sometimes I get a “hard crust “ around the inside. Am looking for better, more consistent texture.

TiogaCruiser, we got the Whynter201SB, and we are thrilled.  Its capacity is about twice what my old Cuisinart was, and I am still learning how to best use it, but two times an old recipe fills it too full, especially with add-ins.  I am old-school with recipes, and I started with traditional recipes with the egg yolks in the custard-based mixture, but then I tried a mint-chocolate chip recipe with sweetened condensed milk.  All are really good, and I was amazed at how much we all liked the easy recipe.  I also learned that if I go to the effort to make the cooked custard with the egg yolks, I make about 2 1/2 recipes, and since the machine doesn't require any "down time", I can just churn it in two batches in the machine back-to-back.

I know what you mean about a hard crust, and I have not had that at all.  The machine turns itself off when it knows it is ready, and I think it will then switch over to a "freeze" mode, but we are always ready to sample it, and might have some right away, but it is better if we put it in a container in the freezer for a little while, and it is really good the second day.

I know you were concerned about the space it takes up, and I keep mine in my pantry on the bottom shelf where I have enough space between shelves.  It is sort of heavy, maybe about as heavy as my KitchenAid stand mixer, but it is easy to set up.

I don't know what direct drive means so I can't advise about that - sorry.

We got ours from Amazon, and it came in about 3 really large boxes, all very well packed and exciting to open!  Some of the reviews mentioned being careful to keep it upright in shipping, and I have no idea if that is how ours came, but we set it up and used it within several hours, and we did not have any issues.

Good luck with your decision, and I look forward to a full report!

One of my long-time cruise buddies and my "Maid" of Honor at my wedding told people for years that he was 48, and I finally said, "Bill, we all know you aren't 48!"  He said his mother who never aged had a great tidbit - you get to stay the age of your birthday year.  The only thing I didn't like about that is that I have to be 4 years older than he is. 

Good morning, dear friends far and near.  I love my coffee, and I have never met a cookie I didn't like.  I am perilously close to what some might call elderly, but definitely young at heart.  Thanks for the goodness in these postings - Roy's suns, wine, Seasick Sailor's cartoons, new people posting, poetry, flower pictures, genuine caring, and just what the doctor orders every morning for this eternal optimist growing a bit weary of everything.

Thanks to all.

Cindy

Notamermaid, "despairing" is such an appropriate description.  The stories of loss are heart-breaking all around.

Take good care and stay kind.  And we are looking forward to seeing you in Würzburg.

XO

Cindy & John

Good morning, dear people.  All the good cheer is a welcome way to start the day!  Prayers and shout-outs for all on Roy's list.

I love seeing Jacqui's dahlias, and we have tried planting those, but our weather is so hot that we were not successful.  Our patio is inside a brick-walled courtyard and I think it is even hotter there, so we stick with low-maintenance plants and we have added some glass sculptures to bring color.  The artist is a Seattle-based young man, but he comes to North Carolina for various art studio tours, and we started collecting his pieces several years ago.

We had shredded pork last night, even though we could have it over and over and not get bored.  Sometimes we have it with spicy schug sauce that we started making after having it at a Mediterranean restaurant.  It is different from salsa verde and equally as good.

Stay safe and kind everyone.

Cindy

Notamermaid, count us in too!  We are in Charlotte, so we will meet up with your friend and all come together!

2 hours ago, tamsno said:

Good morning and thanks to all the Dailyites.

One of my favorite cruise quotes is  "Is Sitting on deck with a drink and a book doing something or doing nothing?"

I would gladly be sailing on any of those ships today to any of those great ports doing something or nothing. 

Prayers and Cheers to women, elephants and especially Hobbits!  

Stay safe everyone.

Cindy

Cindy, one of my cruise buddies used to tell me how much he loved a cruise, because you get to just sit around and do nothing, and when you are finished, you get to rest!  Those were the days.

Stay kind everyone.  Prayers and cheers all around.

Cindy

This is what I tried to post - 

4 hours ago, notamermaid said:

"Emotional need for normality"

Notamermaid, we are still following your posts, along with posts from Steamboats, even though we took refunds from our cancelled Danube River cruise, and we are interested in seeing how your parts of the world are dealing with everything.  We appreciate your wisdom and your insight.

One of the other posts I have been following often has cute cartoons, and the people are also very kind and wise.  This was a cartoon from a week or so ago (somehow I didn't get the cartoon to post - I'll try it a different way!)

Quote

 

Good morning and thanks for all the cheery words and pictures.

I agree that Seasick Sailor's door has a Frank Lloyd Wright motif, and I appreciate that classy look with clean lines.

Seeing Roy's picture of the gorgeous sunrise in Rocky Mount makes my mouth water, because Rocky Mount is several hours away from us, but sometimes we make a special trip there, because the old-timey grocery store has a butcher shop in the back that sells store-made sausage that is legendary.

I have leftover salted caramel ice cream from last night that might suffice for butterscotch pudding for tonight.  My new machine makes a lot more than my old machine, so we have plenty more.  I put chopped up Twix bars in it because DH like add-ins, and it was really good.

Have a good Saturday, and stay kind.

Cindy