RMLincoln

@Cruzin Terri Terri, just wonderful to hear how much you are enjoying your cruise vacation. Beautiful pictures and places! No more dark cloud overhead!  You went through a lot before this to make it happen, and getting there!  Enjoy it all, enjoy being together!  The Best🎉 🌈

m—

I lived several years in our log cabin mountain home after we retired in 1999. We built a major addition of a real house and garage onto it in 2005, but took more years to “finish”, never fully finished! Log homes have some significant issues!  Ours was 5” logs, so only an R-5 wall between me and the winter!  And solid walls are hard to drill channels for wiring and plumbing. But I loved it and cherish those years. Eventually we sided over the logs with insulation and fire proof siding. But the logs were still the interior, loved it!  If I can resurrect pix from my old computer I’ll try to share them later. 
 

I’ll take salmon over catfish any day. Missed Mykonos due to high winds. 
 

Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort or hope. The list is long, you are all in my heart and prayers. Especially all the wives caring for their DHs in serious and grave situations! ❤️‍🩹💔. Sending out Love and Light!  
 

Cheers to those celebrating, Life is Good!  🎉
 

Smooth travels to all away. Thanks for all the great pictures.  @aliaschief stunning photos!  Take Extra care walking now with the new tweets!  Oiy! 
 

Gonna be hot and sticky today. Maybe a shower this evening to help. Wishing a Blessed Sunday to all! 
Maureen 

@luvteaching Karen, thanks for updating us. You and your son are making your decisions with loving care and caring love, hard as tge choices are. It’s a privilege to care for a loved one through the most difficult circumstances. Prayers for your comfort and rest, Dh and DS too as well as all the family. ❤️

@kochleffel Sounds like you survived well!  Tomorrow’s a new chapter! 🥂

@Vict0riann So sorry Pat is fighting infections. Hoping that turns around soon. M—

@luvteaching Oh Karen, I’m so sorry this is the turn of events for you and your DH and family. We’ll be keeping you our hearts!  My mom was in kidney failure with the docs all very grim, but she rallied and had more years ahead. Holding the best vision for you all!  Thanks for sharing with us!  Hugs for you all! 

A break in the rains this morning. Got caught in a downpour yesterday but very glad for the much needed rain here in Maryland. 
 

@kochleffel Your retirement celebration is a rite of passage. Wishing you congratulations on your achievements and many blessings ahead. 
 

@kazu May your wonderful memories bring some smiles to you on this anniversary of your ❤️!  Thank you for sharing a picture of José with us.  Hoping Ivan has a good day and can cheer you up a bit!  
 

@Nickelpenny Lovin your grand tour trip!  Thanks for taking us along!  
 

@smitty34877 Hoping for all the best!  
 

@marshhawk So sorry for your high levels of pain which is exhausting. Hope the meds help. Ice packs can bring down the inflammation by increasing the blood flow to the area of the nerve pinch. Nerve pain is horrible, I call it alien pain because it’s so different. Gentle hugs to you!  
 

@dfish I’ll study those recipes!  Great tips to compare. Sweet and Sour Chicken is a favorite of DH’s. I’d like to try it tonight, I think I have all the ingredients but will have to use canned pineapple. 
 

Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort or hope!  🙏

Cheers to those celebrating 🥂 Life is Good!  
Smooth travels to all away!  Thanks for all the beauty, history and culture from around the world shared in the photos!  What a special treat you all are every day!  💖
 

Maureen 

9 hours ago, 0106 said:

…..You may have me confused with @Nickelpenny who is currently in Denver driving home from her cruise.  I just drove from Northern Neck, VA to Baltimore, MD.

🤦🏼‍♀️.  I’m so sorry!  I really did miss something!  I’m not far from Baltimore… just south of MD 200. Loved your picture of the windy water!  M—

🎂🎉🌈 Happy birthday wishes to Roy @rafinmdMay you begin an inspiring 81st year!  
 

I’m disappointed that our married granddaughter and her husband changed their plan from visiting this weekend to coming next weekend due to work issues, but they’ll be able to spend an extra day with us then so that will be grand. I made 2 pies yesterday and have squeezed them into the freezer 🤞

I’m having more friends and family becoming widows. It’s a difficult shift to make in life and there seems no way to prepare ourselves for its all-encompassing impacts. My VDH is 12 years older than I so I expect my time of widowhood will come. Until then I am more and more grateful for every day!  When we moved to Maryland from New Mexico it was very hard to start a new chapter, but my wise pastor reminded me that this won’t be my last chapter. Nothing is constant but change. Hugs to all our widowed Dailyites. Know you are surrounded by love!  
 

I/we let go so much stuff before we moved! Two lifetimes’ worth, and a lot from our mothers.  My question for each item was, “Will this enhance my life as I move forward? If no, then maybe it will help someone else.”  We gave away truckloads of stuff- clothes, kitchen wares, tools, shoes and snow boots, books and more books, record albums, old luggage, furniture, skis of every size collected for the growing kids…. No one wanted the big sets of dishes but nearly everyone in our families took something of grandma’s/great-grandma’s - a couple of place settings, a serving dish, tablecloths, a couple of wine glasses, candle holders etc. I shipped nearly 50 boxes to all corners of the country. And we still have too much stuff! 😳. 
 

We haven’t been to today’s port but enjoyed Iceland and it’s ancient parliament.  It’s quite an interesting place to visit.  Thank you for the photos Lenda. 
 

I will have leftover rockfish for supper, kinda like a sea bass. DH will have leftover meatloaf. Last night we took our heritage picnic basket 🧺 to the church picnic which moved indoors for the rain. I had a salad with cubed Turkey breast, he had meatloaf, a favorite!  It was a fun time. Today I’ll be back over there for my monthly Companioning group. And then indoor pool for hip exercises…. it’s another blessedly cool, drizzly day!  I’m so grateful!  
 

@ger_77 Gerry, I understand about not doing a cruise when the timing isn’t right. We’ve been looking but it’s just not time yet. Enjoying today!  
 

Blessings to all in need of healing (especially Nancy’s toe @ottahand7 and Roy’s non-tooth @rafinmd and Annie’s back @marshhawk) and for comfort (thinking of Jacqui @kazu and the families of tragic losses) and for hope (thinking of @smitty34877 and all those with difficult diagnoses). And all the Dailyites who contribute to the caring love and fun of this community!  
 

Cheers to all those celebrating 🥳 Life is Good!  
 

Smooth travels to all away!  Enjoy it all! @0106 how did you get from VA to Denver so fast?  I must have missed something!  Glad for you that your travels are going well! Thanks for keeping us posted. 
 

Stay well and safe everyone! 
Maureen 
 

@rafinmd Sorry you had to have dental work over your birthday celebrations. Good on you making it to 80!  Hoping I get there. DH made that milestone last birthday and I can’t keep up with him! 🤣 Enjoy tge ice cream!  

@StLouisCruisers So happy for the boys’ deep run in the tournament. They are disappointed for sure but can be sonorous if they’re accomplishments. It’s a team sport and they are moving in, hopefully to teams of their strength level. Wishing them and their families all the best. 
 

Thanks for all the photos of Montevideo and Greenwich!  Great memories. Let’s not forget that  Montevideo was the origin of the Tango!  Olé! 
 

@marshhawk so sorry your pain is from a disk, but given the right environment it can heal!  Mine did! How I healed mine was by giving them a little of everything- stretches, nutritional supplements, some good psychology and energy healing too.  
 

@cruising sister It’s hard to release the memories that dreams were made of!  You’ve made a difficult decision, not just about the car but about you! Now you can make some new dreams come true, one day at a time. Good for you!  🚘
 

Pies are done, need to keep moving forward. 
 

Blessings to all those in need of healing, comfort or hope. 
🥂Cheers to those celebrating milestones, Life is Good!  
m—

Another blessedly cool rainy day in Maryland. I am so grateful. 
Busy today, tomorrow and the weekend. This morning off to a financial meeting up in Columbia, on the way back we’ll drive to John’s Hopkins eye clinic to make sure we know the way for DHs Aug 1 surgery. Then I have yoga and tonight is church picnic, indoors if it’s raining. O night make a pie, married granddaughter coming tomorrow from NY for weekend to help with projects. 
 

Happy Birthday @ottahand7 DH. 🐟 let us know what you catch. Great your road is repaired and your boat is in!  Enjoy! 
 

We enjoyed Montevideo. They kept the old and built the new. Very lovely people. We were there in 2013 😳 on our circle SA. Hard to believe it’s been 10 yrs!  It was named for being the 5th mountain - Roman numeral V  - counted from the explorer ships. 
 

Also have enjoyed Greenwich twice. The Observatory has so much history as well as lovely grounds. 
 

Blessings all!  I’m running late already!  M—

1 hour ago, aliaschief said:

@rafinmd Roy this is the best shot of Maasdam I could get. Sad!
 

 

Thanks for the picture Bruce. Maas dam was our first HAL cruise. And not the last on her. Good memories. Wonderful to see your amazing cruise and how much you are enjoying it all!  Thanks for sharing it with us! 
Maureen  

Happy Summer Solstice to all in the northern hemisphere, and Winter Solstice to our friends in the Southern. Speaking of our friends in the South, @erewhon very glad to hear your scan was clear!  And that you are getting checked every 6 months for an early catch of anything that might need attention. 👍

It’s blessedly cloudy and drizzly here today!  I love these days!  I find them to be refreshing and refueling. Heat is not my cup of tea which is why we lived in the mountains so long.  We’re in a very dry year in Maryland, 4th driest in 150 years - I fear I brought the drought with us from New Mexico 😳. Hoping Maryland can have more moist days this summer- better for the trees, the land, the crops, the lakes, the fish and for me!  
 

@marshhawk prayers for momma Norma and all her care team and loved ones. Good job on the work-front!👏. Concerned about you though….  pain is a sign that something isn’t right. There are basically 4 causes of pain, the 4 “I”s: Infection, Inflammation, Ischemia (lack of oxygen/blood flow) and something IN the way such as a blockage. If you don’t know how to alleviate it, you might need to see someone. Hoping it’ll be resolved soon. 
 

@Heartgrove thanks for sharing the lovely photo of your sister and family. May good memories bring some comfort to your loss. 
 

@kochleffel 🎉Congratulations on your final annual meeting as executive director, and your excellent restraint at the meeting!  
 

 Blessings for all in need of healing, comfort or hope. Cheers to those celebrating!  Life is Good!  Smooth travels to all away!  Enjoy every day. 🎉

Maureen

Another busy day..  started with stopping by the on campus chapel to check on arrangements for tomorrow when I step in for a friend who is away and can’t lead the monthly centering prayer session. Then grocery shopping!  No wine in grocery stores here so I went to the County store to learn they no longer carry the moscato I can drink. I’ll try another store nearby when I’m less flustered. 

Loved ice cream sodas as a kid. Probably haven’t had one in 50 years.  Haven’t been to PNG. Probably never will. That’s ok. 
 

We saw a bald eagle while kayaking if last week. Usually they are soaring overhead but this one was perched on a bare limb. I didn’t want to spook it so the photo isn’t great but fir me it’s a great memory. 
 

@kazu sad about Ivan. Hoping he perks up soon. Loved your observation on grief. 
 

@smitty34877 just keep moving forward. One day at a time is Everything!  Gentle hugs to you and DH. 
 

@ottahand7 hope your road repair happens soon. Living in the woods is different!  Love your flowers!  
 

@kochleffel Glad your Talmud class had some levity and some bubbly!  
 

Time to pull together supper - meatloaf, kind of a treat!  We had fresh fish last night from a neighbor who shared their catch of the day- rock fish. I guess it’s a Maryland thing, from the Chesapeake Bay. A first for me.

Blessings to all!  Cheers for all the birthdays, keep ‘em coming!  
Go Ren!  And Colton!  
 

m—

I posted this late last night but here it is again. Celebrating Juneteenth!  Can’t really say Happy Juneteenth, we’ve come a long way, still more to do, but enjoy this from last night. 21 seconds of fireworks!

Sandi, kudos for Ren and the Jags. Hope they can test up tomorrow. 
 

Karen, what a stressful way to get to such a pleasant outing.  You have a lot of strength getting though this far, and you showed it today. Wonderful that you got to enjoy the concert together!  No doubt you’re tuckered, DH too!  Enjoy that glass of wine tonight!  
 

@Norseh2o I can’t imagine flying from France to SeaTac, getting to Whidbey and turning around the next morning to get to Ballard!  We have family on Whidbey, and had family that went to Ballard HS… like maybe 70 yrs ago!  Always loved going to the locks there!  But y’all need some serious rest!  
 

We had amazing Juneteenth fireworks tonight!  I’ll try to add a clip. m—

@durangoscots 🎂 Happy Belated Birthday 🎉. You are an inspiration to us!  
 

@Cruzin Terri So happy for you that you made it to London, your “new” plane tickets worked, your travels were pleasant and now your bags have all reunited with you, in your hotel room where you can finally breathe!  And rest.  Enjoy the stay in London!  
 

Happy Fathers Day to all who celebrate it and to Fr David too!  Nice to have him back with us!  
 

It’s a quiet day here. I made cinnamon rolls for DH but they didn’t rise right… it took me years to learn to cook and bake at 8700 ft, now I guess it’ll take as long back near sea level!  No picnic today but maybe Thursday as there will be a church picnic that afternoon. It’s a jam-packed week ahead ending with the married grandkids coming. DGD will help be pull stuff down from upper shelves in closets and start getting rid of some more. We brought more from NM than we should have partly I guess because we ran out of time, partly because we used our energy to tackle the bigger jobs. It’ll be a couple more years here but I’m finding that the years go by more quickly but the work more slowly. 

We looked at cruises yesterday but decided to wait till the timing is right. Counting my blessings!  DH has had good eye pressure readings with our at-home tonometer while on just the one eye drop med, and the eyes and skin are still improving with hardly any inflammation and allergic reaction- long haul since April 2022. Were not on the surgery docket for tomorrow , those went to folks in urgent need. We’ll wait of his August 1st slot and hope everything stays good. The eye that got the stent in late March consistently has lower pressure so it seems to be working!  🙏

@luvteaching Wonderful to hear DH is improving steadily. One day at a time is Everything!  
 

@smitty34877 Happy early birthday to DH!  🎂. We’re all on your side😉👍
 

Blessings to all in need, and Cheers to all celebrating. Safe travels to all away. 
 

Thanks everyone for all the amazing photos!  
Go Ren!  ⚽️🥅

Maureen 

@StLouisCruisers Sandi, I’m sad to hear doctors seem unable to help you DF’s brother. I believe there is always hope. We went to Houston to MDAnderson when DH was diagnosed with cancer because a friend from my church had such amazing help from them. She was told by her local doctors that with her stage 4 cancer there was nothing they could do. She was a retired OR nurse and wouldn’t accept that news. MDAnderson performed surgery, provided chemo and then radiation. That was in late 2018/2019. She’s doing great!  It wasn’t easy but she’s a Star in my book!  I will pray for their guidance!  And hope!  
 

Our two granddaughters are CNAs, certified nursing aids. That has opened doors for them. One was a live-in caregiver for 3 years. They are working in other types of jobs now but they keep their certifications up to date. 
 

Prayers for all involved with the horrible crash in Manitoba. It’s staggering. My last initiative with my NM fire department was to develop response plans for MCIs, mass casualty incidents. I worked on it for a year. It was the type of work I couldn’t have done with only 5 or even 10 years experience because it takes such a breadth of systems- approach understanding.  I hope they never need the operations charts I designed for them because it’s all to human to be overwhelmed: Incident Command and Communications; EMS and Transport; Fire Response; Site Logistics. It’s a complex response needing every aspect of response coordination and safety: triage and extrication of wounded; fire response, suppression and containment; road closures but ambulance pass-through, coming in and going out; communications with outlying areas, responders, hospitals and news media; coverage for the “normal” calls still coming in; helicopter landing zones; accountability of patients and scene personnel; chaplains; morgue and coroner; scene security of crime investigations; police coordination and securing during afterwards. It’s a response team’s nightmare but each one will rise to do their best beyond themselves. I keep in mind that all the seniors on the bus were out touring and enjoying life!  It’s a bit of consolation I hope their families can take solace from. 
 

@smitty34877 I’m so glad your appts are coming up quickly. Keep moving forward!  The Cape awaits— when the timing is right!  
 

@Cruzin Terri No more dinners to make! 🎉. 41 Yays! Blessings for all smooth travels!  
 

Thank you all for the encouragement, fun, knowledge, support and beauty shared here!  @ottahand7 your irises are magnificent. Thank you for sharing. 🙏Blessings to all in need of healing, comfort, hope or direction. 🍾 Cheers to those celebrating. Life is Good!  🌈

Smooth travels to all who are away. Enjoy every day!  
Maureen 

Good evening from Maryland. Wore myself out kayaking yesterday but saw a bald eagle and other wildlife!  And today was full again, still straightening out accounts, which will go on for months but we’re making it all happen!  

@Cruzin Terri Had to send best wishes for a smooth final packing and travels. Have a grand time!  
 

@kochleffel Congratulations on your Panama booking!  
 

@cruzn single It’s been a tough recovery but you are using the time well to evaluate your options. We had to also after DH’s cancer treatment. It was hard to move but the right choice!  We came to a place closer to family, more fun and much much less maintenance. And we will likely move again in a year or two to be much closer to the grandkids who will eventually watch over us in the future. We’ve used our current location as a learning experience and a stepping stone. There is nothing I got rid of that I miss!  I passed things along to folks who could use them, and hard as the sorting and finding paths forward were, it felt good. And we will be doing it again.  Happy for you that you are healing, you have help, and you have direction!  
 

@cruising sister Change isn’t straightforward and nobody else has the answers that are best for you. It’s your path, your life, and you are in charge of doing it in your time. We’re here for you!  Give yourself a loving hug!  
 

I enjoyed learning about Lerwick. Thanks to all the contributors and for the beauty shared too.  
 

Thanks @grapau27 for the Magna Carta lesson. There is an original copy we saw on exhibit here in the Smithsonian Archive, one of 4 originals so I shouldn’t call it a copy. Very impressive!  A turning point of our development. 
 

Prayers lifted for all those in need and celebrating.  Life is good!  Whether I get to post or not, the blessings go out.  

m—

🌈🎉🍾🙃🎂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY @catmando 

Hoping it was a great day and a delicious dinner. Wishing you a healthy and inspiring year ahead 🗓️. It’s a perfect day to start a new lifestyle.  You’ve done hard things before, you can do this 👍

You have the rest of your life ahead of you!  Enjoy it all!!  
 

@St Pete Cruiser  Sorry it’s such a long recovery. Keep moving forward!  
 

@Nickelpenny Lovin that OV!  👏

@dfish safe travels. Beautiful photos of the lakes side. 
 

@ger_77  Those shirts are treasures and you deserve them. 
 

@ottahand7 An otter and a wolf!  Wow, rare and special happenings. 
 

Prayers lifted this morning. Blessings for a good rest for all tonight…. 
Maureen 

I was on a cruise around South America. One couple was getting off in Ecuador to live there. They brought all their luggage filled with stuff. 
 

I’d think you’d need the correct immigration documentation, and if you need a deviation for disembarking at a port other the ship’s destination that needs to be requested well in advance. 

I don’t understand why, after cruising Celebrity twenty+ times, you booked HAL. Why didn’t you stick with Celebrity?  What attracted you to HAL?  Only you can answer that. 
 

Most cruisers on this HAL  forum have cruises on HAL. Some are new and ask about specifics. But we all have things we like and things we don’t like on HAL and other lines that many of us have cruised on. 
 

If you have specifics you’d like compared, this group will give it our best shot. But for us to guess why you booked HAL instead of Celebrity, and what makes you hesitate is a stretch. Did I miss something?  Maybe I did. 
 

We like Celebrity too. But what do YOU need?  
Maureen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @Denise T

My best girlfriend and I were the same age. She died at 59. It was a tough time turning 60 without her. Life is Good! Celebrate it every chance you have!!  Wishing you an inspiring year ahead!  
 

@Heartgrove very good news!  We’ll hang in on the next results. 
 

@Nickelpenny great upgrade!  You’ll love it!  Glad you’re aboard. 
 

Blessings all, especially those struggling. 
 

Tomorrow will be busy again. Catch up soon I hope. 💤 

Yay Mary Kay! @cruzn single Thanks for the update. Hope you can get some rest to help your healing. 

I’ve been distracted… have we heard from Mary Kay?  
 

@Cruzin Terri I’m confident you’ll do fine with clothes you have for those rare cooler days in SC. Go enjoy!  If you get wet you’ll dry out, and if you get cold, go warm up…. it’ll all be transient and part of a fabulous trip!  
 

@durangoscots Thank you Susan. Counting our blessings. We learned some important things about account security restrictions beyond Lock Down, especially important for our investment accounts. 
 

I wish everybody’s problems could be resolved too!  
@JazzyV Hoping your blood work comes in ok, or shows anything that can be addressed to help you feel better. You can take our bank issues off the Cares list, grateful for all the support and encouragement here!  Keeping DH’s eye issues on the rotation is appreciated!  Surgery August 1. 
 

I’m loving the pictures of this lesser visited port today!  Already forgot its name!  Beautiful place. Thank you all for sharing. 
 

Annie @marshhawk I’m not surprised about your fatigue, but I am getting more concerned about your breathing and coughing. 🙏 

Good morning. Air quality Index is under 100, much better!  Maybe even a shower today to rinse out some more of the particulate. 
 

Things are looking up and resolving with our banking issues. Talked with the case manager yesterday , new account, money transferred into it👍 👏🌈 We finished almost all the transfers. It’s been quite the week but we’re getting through it. 
 

@superoma Congrates on your excellent progress. 
 

@Cruzin Terri Thanks for expanding on the estate issues. It’s all way too long. You are a trooper for hauling yourselves through it.
As for clothes for Norway and the Baltics:  Your SC wardrobe will work fine. As suggested, layers is the key. You will want under layers, middle layers and outer layers. For the coldest places you’ll want under layers like leggings and a knit top you can wear under a shirt. Middle layers would be your normal clothes for cooler SC weather. For Outer layers you need something rain and wind proof like a rain jacket. I didn’t want to pack a fleece, too bulky, so for Norway’s North Cape I added an extra shirt to my layers: an under layer knit top, a t- shirt, a long sleeved warm shirt like a flannel, a rain jacket. Leggings under my jeans-type pants. I used a thin gauzy scarf around my neck and a close fitting fleece cap. And lightweight gloves, even gardening gloves if you don’t have gloves. If you don’t have a fleece hat use a scarf around your head. My rain jacket has a hood that I pulled up over the scarf and hat. North Cape was brutally cold with such strong winds we had to hold on. But that was the worst and the vast part of the time you won’t need it all. Sturdy shoes are a must, probably a second pair of some type of shoes so one pair can dry out when the primary pair gets wet. I have very utilitarian Teva lace-ups that are rainproof but if you don’t have rainproof consider taking a backup. I hope this helps. Some people had parkas but no way was I going to pack such bulkiness. I did fine with layers in the fall. You’ll be there in midsummer, long long sunny days, no cold night. You’ll need the rain jacket anyway, just add some leggings and a good under layer top, scarf to wrap your neck against the winds, and light gloves. I also saw women with ear muffs but I doubt you have any in SC!  You’ll have a grand time!  
 

Blessings to every one of you and all on our Care List, thank you Vanessa, all in need of healing, comfort or hope!  Protection for all impacted by the fires and the smoke!  Patience and strength for those dealing with extra-ordinary happenings. One day at a time is Everything!  It’s hard to remember there’s a horizon when you’re in the bottom of the trough but another wave is coming to lift you up!  
 

Cheers to all celebrating Life is Good!  Smooth travels to all who are away!  
Maureen 
 

@summer slope 

@smitty34877 

@Heartgrove

@Vict0riann

@Cruzin Terri

@kazu

@JazzyV

@marshhawk
🙏 Blessings for you all and all the Dailyites in need. 
 

We’ve dealt with the cancer diagnosis 2019, treatment that took us out of state to MD Anderson for 15 weeks. We’ve made it this far! 🙏. No matter what, one day at a time is Everything!  
 

And thank you for your concern and support for our needs too for recovering from our banking account fraud strike. We made more progress today, maybe more tomorrow. But tonight was a good time for a little lite wine!