Quartzsite Cruiser

Again, I hope your vet can get to the bottom of this. It does seem puzzling. Could he have gotten into something without your knowing it the day before? I know you keep a close eye on him, but if he's anything like our dachshunds, they can be sneaky. BTW, the dosage for Ivan on the Gabapentin is the same as DH got, and I think it's the same for the Tramadol. Lenda

Dixie, that is good news. Maybe a change of food might entice her to eat. Lenda

Jack, I was surprised you have to get the prescriptions renewed monthly for Sam. I guess that's so people can't renew them and use them for themselves. When DH was on Gabapentin and Tramadol, the prescriptions could be renewed. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot, cloudy and windy central Texas. So far our predicted thunderstorms have not appeared. The only other thing is the house is clean and the towels are drying. Jake, I'm sorry there have been more layoffs at your work place. However, I like Jacqui's @kazu suggestion to wait until closer to final payment before canceling your cruise. I liked your meme today. In fact, I thought I'd saved it to used today, but I couldn't find it on the computer this morning, so I'm glad you had it to share. Annie, I hope the PT helps with the pain and doesn't add to it. I'm sending positive thoughts your way that the growth in your lung is stable and hasn't grown. It would be great if it had shrunk instead. I agree with your sentiment about idiots who fire guns into the air. It is now illegal to do so in Arizona, since a descending bullet killed a young girl several years ago. However, I'm not sure if it really stopped anyone from firing into the air. Mary, enjoy the fireworks tonight. We spent several July 4th holidays along the Oregon coast, particularly in Newport. We always enjoyed their July 4 fireworks, but it's been more than 15 years since we were there. Brenda, that must have been a monster tornado. I'm sorry for the destruction of property and loss of life for livestock, but it's good that no human was killed. I'm sorry your trip vet trip was postponed and that you how have to reschedule. Dixie, I'm sorry about Bailey not eating or pooping. I hope the vet can find a way to help Bailey so that you have more time together. The hardest thing about having furry family members is saying good bye. Jack, those are some ambitious travel plans. My head was spinning trying to keep up with them while reading about them. I know you will have a wonderful time. That is so sad about your neighbor. People who take their lives must really be desperate. Debbie, good for you for changing the plug and light switch. The has been DH's job, but I need to learn how to change them too. I'm pretty sure I can figure it out as long as I remember which wires go where. Jacqui, DH was prescribed Gabapentin on a couple of occasions, and he was supposed to take one a day for two weeks, two a day for two weeks and then three a day. They made him so dizzy and sleepy that he could only tolerate one a day, and that was still not great. After his surgeries, he was prescribed Tramadol which also made him very dizzy and out of it. Hopefully, once Ivan is feeling better, the vet can prescribe something for the pain that does not have such strong side effects. You might want to discuss this with the vet on Friday when she visits Ivan. Terri, I'm sorry that in this case Jim decided to share his cold. I hope you do not have too bad of a cold and can enjoy your cruise. Lenda

Good morning from a mostly sunny central Texas where it is 77F and feels like 77F. Our high will be 94F with a chance of thunderstorms after 1 pm. We'll see what happens. An interesting collection of days. I can compliment my mirror, but at times not the image in the mirror. We don't need to build a scarecrow since we don't have a garden. We do have a murder of about five crows that seem to like our yard. I agree with Roy @rafinmd and Tina @0106 that non-violent civil disobedience is sometimes necessary. John Lewis accomplished a lot with his "good trouble". However, the so called disobedience that ends in violence, destruction of property and injury or death is not the way to make changes. Right now, I wish time and life would slow down some. We'll pass on the meal, but might try crab cakes instead. We'll pass on the drink, but it's another Pinot Noir that I would like to try if it wasn't elusive and pricey. We have not been to today's port. @grapau27 Graham, thanks for the explanation of compliment your mirror day. @ottahand7 Nancy, I hope you catch more fish to go with the one John caught yesterday. Thanks for another picture of a beautiful iris. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad your DS could come help the family. I'm very sorry Lou had set backs yesterday. Sending positive thoughts that today he is very much improved. Please take care of yourself and try to get some rest. @kazu Jacqui, I'm so very sorry Ivan is still not doing well, and I hope he improves quickly. I agree with your neighbor that you've been through so much that you don't deserve this. However, Ivan does deserve you and your loving help. Lenda

Annie, thanks for checking in. I'm sorry you are still having so much pain. I hope it gets better soon. Sharon, it's been so long since I made purple hull peas, but I think I used the frozen ones. I don't remember seeing the dried ones in the store recently. I stopped making them when DH said he didn't really care for them. Terri, I'm sorry the weather isn't good today. Kristiansand is a lovely, walkable town in good weather. IIRC, we took the little tourist train from the pier, then walked around. Enjoy your spa day. I hope Jim is feeling better. Lenda

Sharon, as I mentioned before while purple hull look like black eyed peas, they do not have as strong a flavor. I think they are an east Texas or southern food. My BIL intoduced me to them about 30 years ago. Lenda

Good afternoon. Once our rain, of which we received about 1/2 inch, moved on, it warned up into the 90s, and while it is cloudy to the south, the sun is shining to the west. @durangoscots Susan, I hope they find the hiker. I also hope there are no fireworks. The laser shows we've seen are spectacular, and a lot quieter, which the dogs should like. Oh no about the fires in southern Colorado. I hope they are extinguished soon. @luvteaching I'm very glad your son is helping you. I'm also happy you have some good memories of Phil. ((((HGS)))) @kazu Jacqui, I'm very sorry Ivan is having problems again. I hope the medicine helps, and that the vet can get to the bottom of his problems on their next visit. Try to get some rest, and even more difficult, try not to worry too much. @Seasick Sailor Joy, I hope you are not too banged up and sore today. I'm glad that Allen wasn't hurt. I can't help wondering if it would be possible to change the front steps to a slope or a ramp? I also hope the doctor visits this week give you some answers. Great news on extending your cruise. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I hope you are able to dock tomorrow. Kristiansand is up a bay a ways and should be protected from the North Sea. I hope Jim feels better tomorrow. @bennybear Brenda, I'm sorry there was more hail damage than you first thought. Those were some large hailstones. Thanks for sharing the pictures today. An added note about purple hull peas. While they look like blackeyed peas, I've found their flavor to be milder, which I like better. Lenda

To celebrate World UFO Day Lenda

Good morning from a gloomy central Texas. We have an heavily overcast sky with even darker clouds to the west and north of us. It is currently 75F and feels like 75F with a 4mph breeze. Our high is predicted to be 91F, but I have a feeling that like yesterday we'll be warmer than predicted. It was pleasant when I took my walk a few minutes ago, but I heard thunder and saw lightning across the lake. While it looked like the worst was moving to the northwest, I didn't do a long walk and even felt a few small raindrops toward the end. The forecast and the radar show the rain missing us as usual. Lately, most storms go around the lake, so I'll leave the sprinkler system on until and unless we get a go rain. Of course, for us to have best chance of rain, I should have waited until today to mow. 😁 I really don't want to celebrate I forgot day because forgetting is getting too common around here. UFOs have always been interesting, and many have turned out to be test flights of new items, which are denied by the armed forces. We have been by Area 51 and stopped in Rachel, NV, at the Area 51 Alien Center. We've also spent the night in Roswell, NM. We saw some strange earthlings in both places but no aliens or their spacecraft. Special recreation for the disabled is very important and gives the participants a sense of belonging and accomplishment. As far as today's quote, character does develop in life, but it can also use guidance at times. The mushroom risotto in the recipes Debbie @dfish provided look good. While I haven't made risotto, I have made mushroom rice with other vegetables added. We'll pass on the drink. The wine description makes me want to try it, but the price doesn't. We have not been to Olbia or any place else in Sardinia. Maybe someday. 🤞 It is interesting that Europeans first visited Minnesota in 1679, and "named" a town after their leader. 😉 The news from Baltimore is horrific, but unfortunately it's becoming all too common. Something needs to be done to curtail these mas shootings, but there is no agreement on how to do that, just good and bad ideas. @Cruzin Terri Terry, I'm sorry the weather did not cooperate and you had to miss Skagen. I know you were looking forward to visiting the museum again. I guess it's time to book another cruise to the ports you missed. I hope the weather improves and does not cause any more problems. @ottahand7 Nancy, that is good news the toe is healing nicely and the toenail will regrow. @cruising sister Lorraine, I'm sorry about your aunt's fall and grim prognosis. Hoarding is getting to be a huge problem. I'm glad you are letting others handle the situation even though you want to help. @Nickelpenny Penny, enjoy your day in the mountains and the cooler air. Safe travels. The weather forecast was wrong --- again. It just started raining heavily. We need all the rain we can get, and today is a good day for it since we're not going anywhere. It's still raining hard, so maybe I can turn off the sprinkler if I remember to do it. 🤣 So far we've gotten about 0.4 inches of rain. Lenda

Jacqui, there was no offense taken. As I said, we didn't check the tide tables the first time we went to Truro, but it worked out since we saw it at very low tide. After living in Corpus Christi, TX, for five years, we should have remembered to check the tides. We went back to the Reversing Falls the second time because we checked and learned they were going the other way. I think DH has video of both times that show the difference better than my pictures. I still want to get back to Saint John some day. Lenda

No problem, Roy. I saw your pictures on Sandi's @StLouisCruisers link for the other time when Halifax was the port of the day. When you didn't repost them, I decided to hunt for mine, as that is an important part of Halifax history. Lenda

I found two Canadian themed memes today, that I thought were appropriate for Canada Day even though it is a bit early for July 4th.. Or course, the are also appropriate for the US, too. Lenda

Jacqui, as I said, we saw the Reversing Falls twice, and IIRC, once the tide was going out and once it was going in. It took two tries to see the bore tide. The time before we aw it, it was basically a small stream with a lot of yucky mud. The next time, we checked the tide tables first. Lenda

We've had some wonderful and varied pictures of Halifax and the surround area posted today. I just noticed that no one who had previously posted pictures of the Fairview Lawn Cemetery and the graves of the passengers from the Titanic had posted them today. Our visit there was very moving, even with a tour a few rows away from us. This is the grave of Joseph Dawson, who was a passenger on the Titanic. According to Google, after the movie Titanic was released in 1998, girls flock to the cemetery and leave flowers, coins and trinkets. Lenda

Good morning again. At least, it is still morning when I'm starting this, but it will be afternoon before I finish. I was outside before 8:10 and finished with the yard before 10:30, so it wasn't too bad doing the yard today. Finally, it was a day when all I did was trim and mow the grass, and blow leaves and grass off the sidewalk, patio and port. I'm now presentable again and the morning chores are finished. According to the computer it is 92F outside. Maureen, I'm glad you are getting some help sorting through things. It's not easy as I've found the last three years while we have been in Texas much more than normal. I'm trying to get things sorted and some tossed so that the DDs won't have so much to face later. I really should get rid of some things that I have just in case, which hasn't happened in decades. 🤣 Nancy, I hope the fishing is even better today. The batter does look light and crispy. Terry, I'm glad that Tana's friend will be there to help today. I hope that you found Lou much improved today and in better spirits. I'm also glad that the air quality has improved. Bruce, I could not like your post since I know what you are facing with the heat index. I try to get everything done outside early in the day or about sunset. Jacqui, we did go to Truro to see the Tidal Bore. With the distances and timing of the tide change, it was the best option. In 2004, we had planned to rent a car and take our tablemates with us to a different location to see the tides. The day we were in Halifax, it was a miserable day which became a sea day. We were in Saint John twice in 2004 on the same cruise, and we made a point to see the Reversing Falls on both days. My pictures don't do them justice. We still haven't found another cruise at the time we want to cruise that will take us back to Saint John. Terri, I'm sorry you were given bad information about the Nobel Peace Museum. It was an interesting place to visit. I mentioned the other day about the City Hall where the Peace Prize ceremony is held. If you make it back to Oslo, it is also an interesting place to visit, and it's a short walk from the Nobel Peace Museum. I found some pictures taken in 2011 that you might be interested in seeing, and hopefully, you will be back to Oslo some day, and can visit the museum and City Hall in person. The first picture is the outside of the Peace Museum, and the second is the display as you enter the building. Each screen has a picture and information about a Nobel Peace Prize recipient beginning with the most recent. These two are the front of City Hall and the great hall where the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held. Vanessa, I'm glad your air quality is also improved. I hope your thumb gets better soon. Debbie, I know what you mean as our house is very quiet after the DDs and their guys leave when visiting. Lenda

These pictures are of our visit in 2009 on Tahitian Princess, 2013 four stops on b2b2b2bs on Veendam, and our final visit in 2019 on Veendam's TA. Just a few pictures from 2009 In 2013, we drove north from Halifax to close to the end of the Bay of Fundy, since we wanted to see the bore tide, which was not very tall, but your could hear it long before you could see it. Most of my pictures from 2013 are duplicates of ones I've posted or that others have posted. These were taken as we sailed to the next port. The second one is Ft. McNab on McNab's Island. In 2019, we walked along the board walk on a breezy, sunny day. It was a pleasant walk, seeing the sights and the many statues. This statue was to honor all the men who serve or had served in the Canadian Navy Lenda

These are a few of my pictures from our b2b on the old Regal Princess NYC to Montreal and back cruise. We had two stops in Halifax, but I only have pictures from the first stop. The second time it was raining hard and very windy, so it turned into a "sea" day. We rented a car on the first day. I have the obligatory pictures of the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, but there are a lot of people in them. Instead, this is a fishing village near Peggy's Cove. A few miles past Peggy's Cove is the memorial to Swissair flight 111 which crashed into the ocean on September 2, 1998, killing all on board. Our final stop that day was the Citadel. Halifax from the Citadel. Lenda

🐰 RABBIT 🐰 RABBIT 🐇 WHITE RABBIT! To all the Canadian Dailyites, I hope you have an enjoyable Canada Day. An early good morning from a partly cloudy central Texas. It is 75F at 6:55 am with a predicted high of 96F. The heat index may still be in the triple digits this afternoon, so I'm heading out early to trim and mow the grass. The areas that are watered are growing very fast, but the part in the back that is not watered and is a utility right-of-way has turned brown with our lack of rain. So there's a little less grass to mow. 😁 Chicken wings are good, and I really like the barbecue wings. I am not a good joke teller, but I enjoy a good joke. Those devoted to to duty should be honored everyday. Zig Ziglar's quote is pretty much true. I like salads, but someone else can have my Greek salad, which is my least favorite salad. We'll pass on the drink. The wine sounds interesting, but the price is a bit high. We have been to Halifax at least eight times if IRCC. I'll look for my pictures in a few minutes. July 1, 1867, was a momentous day for Canada. @kazu Jacqui, I hope your rain stops for a while, and moves to the areas where the fires are. @ocean sounds Your cruise sounds interesting. We saw the ship when we were in Ny Alesund in 2016, and it looked nice. A true story -- DH used to use his laser pointer to amuse our cats with the red dot. A couple of years after starting this, he discovered that someone had gotten a patent on using a laser light to entertain cats. Lenda

Annie, I forgot to say that I'm glad your back is feelng better, and I hope the hand improves soon. Lenda

The splash park,would have felt,good this afternoon Welcome to the good life. Vaneesa, we think the new battery wiil solve the problem. DH thinks the old battery hadna bad sell. L3nda

Thanks for the information, Graham. Lenda

While I knew that Oriana was an old ship compared to the newer ones, I did not realize she had been sold. She was relatively new when we sailed on her, and she was a lovely ship. Do you know who bought her? Lenda

Our sincere condolences to Chris's widow and family along with you and your family on Chris's passing. Lenda

Good afternoon. It seems the third time is the charm, at least with the wonky battery. The first two times it was checked the code read needs charging. Today in big red letters it said bad, replace. Since we got the battery February 28 and the date code was 12/22, we got a new battery for free. Of course there was as quirk as I had to pay the core charge, then after a few more clicks on their computer, the core charge was refunded. Hopefully, we now don't have to worry about the battery for several years. Gerry, I love the new door. The color goes well with the house. I'm sorry about the dents, but hopefully they can be pulled out. We still have a large dent in the back door where the heavy 8 foot ladder fell into the door when a big gust of wind blew it over. The ladder is now bungeed to a post in the port. 😁 The best display of the Perseid meteor shower I've seen was about 10 pm in Price, Utah, when I took the dogs out for the last time that night. The meteors were "flying by, every few seconds. Jake, I hope the blood work shows that Jasper's problem is his thyroid. Medicines can do wonders for thyroid problems in cats and humans, as I've learned first hand. Karen, thank you for checking in, and it's good to know you are doing well. It's nice that you have your son and friends to help and to keep you company, but who give you "me" time when needed You have all your Daily family here for you too. ((((HUGS)))) Lorraine, that is good news that Murphy is doing all, and that her parents can do normal baby stuff with her. Best wishes and positive thoughts for a safe and successful surgery next Thursday and for a quick recovery. We have had a couple of crazy neighbors, one who got mad at us when we asked her to try to keep her dogs from barking since they were outside our DD's window when she was a baby. She thought we were unreasonable and were the problem. Her husband on the other hand, was a very nice man, who we wondered how he put up with her. Another neighbor called one night to complain about our orange cat doing their business in her yard. She wouldn't listen to me that yes we had cats, but not and orange cat. I can't honestly say our cats did not use her yard as a litter box. BTW, our lot here has been surveyed three times, and none of the surveys agree on the property lines. Fortunately, we get along with our neighbors. Graham, things must have changed on P&O since 2000. On the 2000 world cruise on Oriana, there was a room dedicated to classical music, and it was packed almost every night. Lenda