Sharon in AZ

Jacqui @kazu, I’ve been looking at pricing for the January 11th Hawaii cruise and there are still some solo cabins available if you are interested. I would love to go on this cruise but need to save up for the November TA— unless some crazy good price decrease happens.

Well well, I guess I need to read the fine print! Thank you for letting me know that this is a surge protector because I had no idea, I just thought it was an extension cord with usb ports.

Good morning and Happy Saturday. It’s cooler and cloudy this morning, must be a front coming in. Good days today, and chai can be used for more than just a tea or drink. It’s a mix of spices similar to pumpkin spice with the addition of cardamom. I use it for making homemade granola. I’ve also seen recipes for using it in cookies. Smash burgers are good but I’ll leave the smashing and grilling up to Five Guys. There is a Five Guys close to us and it’s been a while since we have been there so maybe that’s in store for this week. The quote is so true. I’m always trying to be kind and go out of my way to do that. It really bugs me when someone, especially a store worker ringing up a sale, ignores you. This happened recently at the grocery store, the cashier was talking to a coworker the entire time she checked me out. I purposefully interrupted her while collecting my bags to thank her and to tell her to have a nice day— it took two tries but she finally responded. They need to teach kindness when they train, just like they do on HAL. Jacqui @kazu, thank you for checking in with us. I’m sorry you are having so much pain and difficulty with your eyesight. I’m hoping those issues get resolved soon. Also it must be hard to decide if you should cancel your cruise. Elizabeth @Haljo1935 & DH— Happy Anniversary!! Enjoy your celebration today. Have a great day everyone!

Good afternoon! I just realized I hadn’t posted yet. I’ve been reading the Daily in spurts lately because of the huge floater in my left eye. We love fried rice and whenever I make rice I make double so I have extra for making it. I used to eat a lot of string cheese when I was working. It’s an easy snack and not messy at a computer. Today’s meal is always a great choice. I like grilled zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, onions….. I could go on and on. @0106, Tina, I’ve heard of grilled romaine but have never made it. I’ve seen some recipes for grilled Caesar Salad too. Today we are having fish tacos since I still have leftover sauce and cabbage. Lots of fish in the freezer so there it is. Whenever I have a Martini I like it shaken, just like Sandi’s DH @StLouisCruisers. The tiny shards of ice are crucial to the enjoyment. Craig scheduled his next nerve block for October and I’m hoping that they go forward with the ablation. He’s always in pain. Debbie @dfish, I hope the MRI helps the doctor diagnose what is going on and your pain is helped. Sandi @StLouisCruisers, thinking about you while you wait for your next appointment. Joy @Seasick Sailor, I’m really enjoying your pictures of Japan and your food—especially all the lobster pictures! I hope @Crazy For Catsand @Nickelpennyare okay. Happy Birthday to @HAL Sailer’s DH!! Denise @Denise T, enjoy the wedding tomorrow and your time with your family! Jack @Heartgrove, your cruises next year sound wonderful and a great idea. Vanessa @JazzyV, I hope your leg pain is less every day— you have a cruise soon! Have a great day everyone!

I have this type of plug in outlet and have taken it on at least 3 cruises in the past year, most recently on the the Zuiderdam for two weeks. I always keep it out and unplugged it when not in use.

Good morning and Happy Thursday from Jean Hook Pants on this pirate day. I’d hate to live with that name! I would like the salmon pasta salad but would leave the salmon either whole or in big chunks, and yes to adding feta. Yesterday Blue had a pawdicure and dental scaling so he was out of sorts the rest of the day. We decided to go ahead and start him on a medication for his incontinence and see how it goes. Happy Anniversary to Carol @mamaofami& Sam! Have a great day everyone!

We were on the same deck in a mid-ship Vista cabin on the Nieuw Statendam port side and really enjoyed the area. All cabins above and below so very quiet. I don’t think having a Pinnacle Suite above you will be any different than having a smaller cabin above you.

Since you are in a balcony cabin what is above you is more of a walkway area with small tables and chairs against the windows. So you might hear more movement above during entrainment hours, especially trivia times, with people moving chairs, etc. I know that happened frequently during afternoon and evening trivia on my cruise last year.

Dixie, I was sorry to hear that you’ve been dealing with this pain but hopefully something that can be repaired soon. Sandi, thank you for sharing this with us. I hope the next 20 days go quickly by for you. Waiting is always stressful. Praying for you! Gosh Tina, I am so sorry that this happened to your DH. It sounds like he was in good hands. I’m sure you are both happy to be home. Thank you for sharing with us. And I also loved your penguin pictures.

Wow, those are big! I’m surprised they grow that big. I had an aunt and uncle who had an avocado orchard in Southern California and when they retired in the 80’s moved to Kona to grow avocados. They said that the growing conditions were much different in Kona. I think they started growing macadamia nuts too. Joy! Such great news! Enjoy your cruise!

Good morning and Happy Monday. It’s been humid lately and we had rain with thunder yesterday evening. Blue hates going out in the rain and also after it rains. He even avoids the rocks. It’s a struggle. Craig just left for a morning drive. He usually goes to Sonoita, he loves the area, sometimes he even goes to Patagonia. The days are good, I especially enjoy guacamole. Pass on the drink but I’d drink a little bit of sherry. The meal is great but we are having fish tacos today. I’m trying out a new recipe that uses a mayonnaise based sauce to baste the fish while it cooks and it also becomes the sauce on top of the finished tacos along with shredded cabbage and avocado. I made a black bean and corn salad to go with lunch yesterday and we will have that as a side. I hope everyone has a great day!

Bon Voyage!

Thank you! I’ll have to check them out.

I use meclizine regularly but take extra precautions on rocky cruises. My suggestion is to not look outside at the horizon, especially if in the far forward (like the Crow’s Nest) or aft (like the MDR). I know it sounds counterintuitive, but trust me, watching the bow of the ship sink down and the ocean rise up messes with your equilibrium. If it’s rolling and pitching you will find me inside away from any outside view. Singles?!? I need to know more. Are they shelf stable? I actually prefer baking in grams rather than ounces but usually when I’m baking bread. I don’t make many cakes. Yours sounds delicious! I’m glad it turned out well. Did you have to add fresh apples?

Good morning! Good days today and I like the meal suggestion. I might try recipe #3 but add the side salad from recipe #1. No on the wine and drink. The quote is funny but not true for me. Gerry @ger_77, I love the birdhouse! Such detail and such cuteness. Tell Maurice he is very creative and talented. I found the miniature birdhouse too. BTW, we met a couple from Saskatoon at the M&G on the Zuiderdam cruise who are from your area. They live outside the city if I recall. I have some errands to run today that Craig can’t do (he’s great at shopping and running errands and spends less money and time than I do). One is to buy DM’s creamer. She’s very particular about it— has to be Italian Sweet Cream. I took her to an appointment on Wednesday and she was so happy that I was home. She looks forward to our outings. Have a great day everyone!

Carolyn & Terry @smitty34877, I downloaded 4 episodes of the current season to watch on my 5 hour flight to Phoenix and watched all of them. I was mad at myself for not downloading all of them! Now I’m mad that I only have 3 episodes left! Joy, yes I do enjoy going to the wine tasting especially when I get the invitation that it’s complimentary. I will say it really depends on the personality of the sommelier (or whoever leads the tasting). I was very disappointed on the Volendam last April because I felt the person leading didn’t have control and talked about the same thing over and over again. A few weeks ago on the Zuiderdam it was very good and entertaining. Carol, thinking about you and Sam and hoping his pain is helped with hospice. Wow Elizabeth, you just can’t get a break with those darn stones. I’m glad your doctor is on top of everything and helping. Debbie @dfish, great picture of River!

Lenda, on our mutual Hawaiian cruise we ate dinner every evening with a couple from Montreal and they really enjoyed the whale watching in Maui and said they saw lots of whales. Craig went in Kona and saw nothing. Also, we did the glass bottom boat in Kona and really enjoyed it and I think that was when the earthquake happened. Debbie @dfish, I highly recommend the farm excursion in Hilo (can’t remember the exact name). I think I mentioned it to you before. Vanessa @JazzyV, I had issues with CC this evening too. I’m so glad you are home and I’m sure your leg will feel better soon. Roy @rafinmd, it sounds like you have been very busy! Get better soon! Annie @marshhawk, I agree with what others have recommended about putting an eye ointment in at night and possibly taping it closed.

Happy Birthday to your dear DM! I’m thankful that I have my DM still with me at 95 as I am sure you do too. Your carrot cake sounds delicious.

Good evening! Spent the day working on stuff but feel like I haven’t done much. Craig had some injections into his back before a possible ablation. So far he’s doing good. He tried to make pizza while I was on my cruise but says it didn’t turn out well so today I showed him the way I make pizza. Not sure he’ll ever remember but at least I tried. Ann @cat shepard, I’ll echo what others say about Heathrow— more time between flights is better. We had about 2 1/2 hours one time and barely made it. Agents were calling out flights while we were in the security line and putting them at the front of the line, including our flight. Very stressful. Maureen @RMLincoln, I had my cataract surgeries one week apart. The doctor said it was the best for my situation, severe nearsightedness, so I wouldn’t be out of commission for long. Jacqui @kazu, I’m glad your doctor has moved your surgery up and that you will have it done soon. I didn’t drive for quite a while, about 3 weeks, because I didn’t feel comfortable. Everything looked so different and bigger and brighter! It’s amazing what we get used to over time— like seeing poorly. Debbie @dfish, recipe #1 looks great! I’ve saved it for a cooler day. BTW, I’ve been researching French Onion Soup recipes and have several I want to try. Wow, and this from a non soup person! Have a good evening!

Bon Voyage! ⛴

Good morning and Happy Wednesday. Never forget! I worry about younger generations forgetting about 9/11 and other devastating events in history. That day I was getting DS ready for high school and had the TV on in the background and started listening to the reports. I would definitely make today’s meal and have made something similar. Since I’ve been home I haven’t been very organized with planning meals. When I got home Saturday night I had a huge new floater and a flashing when I blinked in one eye. I was told when I had my cataract surgery to be seen asap if that ever happened due to my severe nearsightedness and now cataract surgery history. I even had to get a clearance from the retina doctor before surgery. So Monday morning I called and saw the retina doctor and had the most thorough eye examination I remember, it was almost painful. And I had two different doctors examine my eyes, yikes. Anyway, nothing was found. Retina doctor said 85% turn out okay and I was one of them. I do have to be seen again in 6 weeks because sometimes it can get worse. Good thing is that the floater is getting smaller and I only see the flash now when it’s really dark. I have not adjusted to my time zone yet and am still waking up too early. @XBGuy, you were asking about reasons for upgrading your iPhone. I recently upgraded from an iPhone 6 because certain apps were no longer being supported and/or updated. The kicker was when we purchased our new vehicle in April and I couldn’t even install the app on my iPhone. I really wanted it because it does cool things like starting the car remotely and routine maintenance notifications. Now that I have the new iPhone I love it. The biggest difference I’ve noticed is with battery life. Better photos and facial recognition is a big plus too. Have a great day everyone!

I had a large swivel mounted TV on the Zuiderdam last week. Inside cabin, aft, Deck 7: It moved very well and I was able to get it moved so it was easier to see while in bed.

Without asking I recently received an offer to reschedule one of my Zuiderdam 7 day cruises. Several options were offered. I would have rescheduled but I was on a B2B. I don’t remember when I received the email but it was approximately 2 weeks before sailing. The offers went quickly because someone on our roll call had tried and all had been taken.

Happy Anniversary Annie @marshhawk & Chuck @catmando!! Sandi @StLouisCruisers & Dennis, Happy Belated Anniversary wishes. Sorry, I wasn’t able to post on your actual Anniversary. Saturday was a long day of traveling home, across the country from Boston. It was very nice to be home but gosh do I miss being pampered by all the crew. The Zuiderdam has such friendly staff and crew. My delightful cabin stewards were always popping in and out of other cabins to talk to me. Even the immigration process on Friday went smoothly, although the agents were grumpy. Debbie @dfish & Sue are a delight to sail with, and I enjoyed meeting Jake @Crazy For Cats & Juan. Have a great day everyone!

Hello from the beautiful Zuiderdam! We had a busy day. We took the excursion to the Bay of Fundy, Explore the Ocean Floor. I believe we were the last excursion back to the ship, 15 minutes late. Someone told me the Captain announced the ship was waiting for passengers. Thank you all for the Happy Birthday wishes for my DM. I was able to call her during the excursion but I had to time it right. The 4 hour difference is difficult to figure out. She’s 95 today and spry!!