ger_77

Good afternoon, time for a quick check-in. @Norseh2o I add my condolences to the others on the passing of your mother; it's hard to say goodbye to someone so dear. It was nice for her to have the entire family around her as she made her way. Keep her memories close and she will always be with you. @SuslorI'm sorry you had to cancel your trip - that's never easy, but necessary, I know. The hard part is putting everything away after waiting so long to get things in the suitcases, etc. @StLouisCruisersthoughts for you as you remember your DD DS's angel birthday today. @VMax1700 there have been many years when Mr. Celsius and Mr. Fahrenheit have met here on the "frozen tundra". It's never a good thing, but as we like to say, at least there aren't any mosquitos! Speaking of mentors today, I just found out that the dear judge who mentored me on the bench for my first 6 months passed away yesterday. He was such a lovely man who always made me think about what I was doing in my job and how to apply the law practically and fairly. I'll miss him, and will forever remember the lessons learned from him. It's getting colder and right now we have high humidity, which is unusual for this part o the world, so it feels even colder. Glad we don't have to anywhere else today - it's a time for DH to have a nap and I'm turning on the fireplace and will sit down and do some knitting. Take care everyone!

Just made it!!!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily, no matter what day it is! Beans, hmm, an unusual thing to have it's own special day. Maybe I'll have green or yellow beans today. In our family January 6th has always signified the end of the Christmas season, so any decor I have put out will find it's way back into the closet by the end of day. Any day is a good day to be a mentor for someone. Sometimes we become a mentor without even realizing it by our actions around others. We finally got some snow yesterday - it began around mid-morning and continued through the afternoon. Around 5 our snow removal fellow showed up and took care of all of it for us. DH said he felt he should have been out there helping . . . right. I was just glad someone else was taking care of it for a change. We aren't expecting any more in the next few days, but the temperatures are going to remain cold - and getting colder through next week - so what is on the ground should stay at least. I'm sending good wishes to those on the East coast who will be contending with another blast; stay safe! @SuslorBon Voyage; enjoy your cruise! Last night I found instructions on how to crochet a toque (beanie), so instead of working on a blanket, I crocheted a toque. Problem is, I made it too large for either DH or me, and I put it together so well that it's almost impossible to take apart, so it will go into the donation bag and hopefully will fit someone with big hair! Maybe I'll stick to knitting toques, as I don't even have to think about them when knitting, it's all muscle memory. And they fit. LOL Not a lot happening here today, just general housekeeping, and then around 1:30 we're meeting our friends for brunch. These are the friends we are still hoping to cruise with in February, so I'm sure most of the conversation will centre around travel. When we get home, it's time I go through my "cruise tub" - a large Rubbermaid tub with all things related to cruising in it - to see what I can take out for our use. I think I'd like today's drink - it sounds like adult iced tea! I'll pass on the white wine, and will definitely walk on by the meal suggestion. DH mentioned the other day it's time for a rotisserie chicken, so after we finish our brunch, we'll stop at the grocery store and pick one up. Later tonight we'll enjoy rotisserie chicken sandwiches at the kitchen table. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers to all with celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Did I miss @aliaschief and @DWAliaschief's departure?

Someone in one of the balcony cabins just tied one corner of a Canadian flag to their balcony and let it flop around. I thought it was disrespectful to the flag.

Our favourite!!

Nice to see Canadians onboard, but disappointing that someone just left the flag dangling like that.

Toots!

Will you be able to wave at us?

Serious departure toot!!!

There she is!

Checking in!

Have another great cruise! I'm so glad the Brazilian visa issue has been put on hold for a while; everyone on the cruise will have 1 less thing to worry about so they can enjoy their time onboard and on shore.

Bon Voyage!!!!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! We appreciate the birds around here all year round, and make sure the little pigs with wings are fed well. A few years ago I went on a keto diet, lost a bunch of weight, but as soon as I began eating carbs, it all came back. Oh well. Hurray for screenwriters - they have a tough job. The much anticipated snow hasn't appeared - at least not here. In the far north of the province (about 5 hours from here) they did get a good amount overnight, which I'm sure they'll appreciate. I just heard the weather report on the radio and it's expected that we "might" get some snow later today . . . it sounds like someone is consulting a crystal ball. @aliaschiefBon Voyage - I'm excited for you and Sue! In anticipation of our upcoming cruise, I took the time yesterday to do a detailed itinerary for our family, and a calendar for our two DGS's so they can follow along where Grandma and Grandpa are traveling. The oldest has a world map in his bedroom and he puts a pin in the location wherever we are that day, so it makes our travels fun for him as well. It's a great learning tool as well, because he usually goes online to see what country or city we're stopping at and what the highlights are. Not much happening here today, except that I have to get my nails done - they're getting too long and I keep hitting extra keys when typing. DH has to pick up his jeans from the tailor - I can sew, but they do a much better job hemming jeans than I ever could. I'm not sure about the drink, as you're using miniscule amounts - a centilitre is 0.338 of an ounce. I think I'd just use a half ounce of each, toss it into a shaker and enjoy! I'll let others enjoy today's wine, and will look forward to the recipe for today as it might be something I could use on salmon. Or not, who knows. Of course it's Friday night, pizza night at our house, so I think we'll look at a new little pizza place that opened up a couple of months ago that's not far from here for something ooey and gooey to have at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in danger, and suffering. Cheers to all with celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Thanks Dave, Leanne, and all the sail-away addicts; hope to be back tomorrow to wave to the lovely Rotterdam!

Bon Voyage for you & Sue tomorrow; enjoy your wonderful cruise!

Toots!

Are we watching for anyone's wave today?

Departure toots??

Thank you Roy!

Am I the only one who can't open .heic photos?

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! In my teens I always knew the top 10 songs on the Pop Music Charts. Tom Thumb was an accomplished performer with P.T. Barnum. DH and I enjoy playing trivia because we cover many subjects together. It's cool and dark out there this morning, but according to the forecast, by this time next week we could be seeing temps as low as -26C(14F). I just heard a weather report and there's a 55% chance of snow for tonight and tomorrow, but we aren't expecting a whole lot. Hopefully there will be a large accumulation in the north where the forests desperately need the moisture. Well my visit to the orthopedic surgeon turned out much like I suspected - the tear in my rotator cuff is small and it isn't causing enough trouble to warrant surgery. Instead, he's scheduling a cortisone shot that will take place a few days ahead of our cruise so I can hopefully experience less discomfort on the trip. What was interesting is that the surgeon's father was my dentist when I was a child, and I went to school with his older brother. We spent likely half of the visit just talking about people in our home town, and then switched to cruising, as he'd like to cruise and wants to sell his wife on the idea as well. It's official - the suitcases came up from the basement and are on the bed, open and ready to receive offerings in the next few weeks. Woo hoo! Not a lot happening here today, just a quick trip to WM to pick up some cat food, Brita filters and distilled water. That reminds me, I have to order some for the cabin on the HAL site, too. I'd like to try the drink of the day, but the name! Someone else can have my share of the white wine, and I'm sure we'd enjoy today's menu suggestion. However, I've got a package of porcupines that will go into the oven later this afternoon that will be served along with mashed potatoes and green beans at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, and in grief. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Missed it, but wish everyone a wonderful cruise!