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Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I love butterflies; every time I see one, I'm reminded of a dear departed friend who always called them flutter-bys. I'm a sucker for potato chips, although I prefer plain ones. Pie? If I could only have one, I'd have a peach pie made by my godmother; it was the best. No, wait, maybe it was my mom's open faced rhubarb pie. Yum! You can probably tell why I never was invited into the skinny girls club. We don't have clear skies yet, but the temperature certainly has moderated; right now we're sitting at -6C with only a ripple of wind, making it quite nice outside. This morning I'm heading out to breakfast with a number of retired colleagues. It's always nice getting together to see what's happening in their lives. We never know from one month to the next how many will show up, but there are always at leas 4 of us to have a good chat. @bennybearHappy Birthday; enjoy your next trip around the sun! @StLouisCruisers and @Mr. Bostonplease wish your DB and Mom respectively a very Happy Birthday. I'm going to take a pass on today's drink, as I don't care for rye or bourbon. If someone wants to buy me a bottle of the wine, I'd love to try it! I haven't made meat loaf in a while, so will put it on my upcoming list, but I think we'll be having panko crusted chicken breasts, parmesan baby potatoes and green beans at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for all who need them, with special thoughts to all in the path of Mother Nature's wrath. Cheers to everyone with celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I used my ear muffs the other day when clearing off the driveway - I have a pair that wrap around the back of my head and find them really comfortable to wear. I've basically stopped buying real jewels - at my age, and with only grandsons, it doesn't make sense. Now if I see a bright shiny piece of Swarovski, I'm happy with that; I've always told DH I was a cheap date, LOL. Smart and sexy - well, I still feel smart, I'll leave it at that. It looks like it's going to be a grey, cloudy day out there - we're currently sitting at a temp of -15C, but there's a bit of a breeze that will make it feel colder. Sending good vibes to @kazuas she faces yet another dang storm . . . it just doesn't quit in that part of the country! @smitty34877 I hope the storm doesn't affect your appointment tomorrow. @RMLincolnI'm sorry to hear you've both tested positive - what a rotten time for it to happen. I hope your DH will be able to reschedule his surgery in the not too distant future! Take care of yourself, though, and get plenty of rest. @grapau27please wish Pauline a very Happy Birthday for me. @dfishgood luck with your appointment today. It's a friend's birthday today, so DH and I will pop over this afternoon with coffee and a cake to help him celebrate. Other than that, not a lot is happening here, so I'll be able to continue with the blanket making. I think we'd like today's menu suggestion, but there is a lot of goulash left from yesterday. I froze a couple of containers of it, but we'll be having leftovers with crusty buns at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who struggles, especially those in Ukraine and the people of California dealing with nature's wrath. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! A number of years ago when I seriously searched for my Metis roots, I used a book entitled "The History of the First Metis Nation" and with DH's assistance one weekend, we were able to trace my ancestry back to the 1600's in France. Our small town only had Brownies, no Girl Scouts. If it was late April or early May, I might plant a flower - right now we've got drifts along our driveway that I can barely see over and I'm 5'6". @Quartzsite CruiserHappy Birthday to you; wishing you many returns of the day! @Overhead Fredplease wish Mitzi a Happy Birthday as well! @StLouisCruisersI am so happy to hear your DB's medication will be covered; what a relief that must have been for the family. @luvteachingI'm sorry DH is back in hospital; hopefully this time that nasty infection will be taken care of once and for all! We are on central standard time, so we never change our clocks. We do have to be aware of other provinces, though, when making phone calls, or when traveling to them. It's nice not having to change clocks twice a year! This afternoon a friend is coming over for a while; over 50 years ago she and DH sang at her friend's wedding. Well the fellow passed away on Friday and his wife has asked if the two of them could sing at his funeral. They'll go over a number of songs, but at this point it's looking like What a Wonderful World and On The Wings of a Dove are the two they're favouring. I'm still struggling with Outlook on my new PC. I finally broke down and bought a new program for it (couldn't find the old product key) and installed it. I was able to transfer the info from the old to the new, but then was unable to receive emails. A friend did a remote and was able to fix that, but after he departed, I realized my address book was empty. Argh; there's always something. Maybe DH has it right that you can fix a computer with an axe! Some of you who are observing Lent may be able to identify with this: I like today's menu suggestion. I remember as a child, especially during curling season, the women would get together while the men curled, and would make what they referred to as goulash. It had a beef gravy type of base, rather than tomato soup for chili, but had many of the usual ingredients; ground beef, onions, beans, mushrooms, etc. Most often it was served along with a large bowl of rice. I haven't made it in ages and am pretty sure I have all the ingredients in the house, so I think I'll put together my version of it and we'll enjoy Gerry's Goulash at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, especially for those dealing with man-made and natural disasters. Cheers to all who are celebrating today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Yay for Johnny Appleseed - apples are my favourite fruit. DH has tons of tools, but none that we worship. Early in our marriage, he gave me a pink kit full of essential tools for odd jobs around the house that I quickly named the Barbie Kit. You have no idea how often I've referred to the Barbie Kit for my needs, and frequently when DH needs something, rather than going out to the garage, he brings it out as well. I've never used a fanny pack; I prefer using a cross body bag. It was a dark and stormy night last night - fortunately we didn't get much snow, just a lot of wind. As I look out the window, I can see the wind is still with us and it's just whipping around the snow that fell last night. A couple of hours south of us, however, is a different story - roads are closed, power is out in a number of communities, and the storm hasn't finished with them yet. There are still blizzard warnings and extreme snowfall warnings out for that part of the province. Today is a day forever etched in our memory; 12 years ago our son was teaching kindergarten in Japan when the 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck. He was close enough to Fukushima that he was able to capture a photo of the mushroom cloud when one of the explosions occurred. As he crouched on the parking lot with his tiny students, he saw the ground open up in front of him and close again. What normally took him a 2.5 hr train ride to get home, took 21.5 hours walking through debris and broken streets. Along the way, people offered him food, water, and if they had power, the opportunity to recharge his phone and laptop. I stayed home from work that day and had 8 different windows open on my computer, trying to get updates on the situation, and was so relieved when we finally heard from him that he, our DDIL, her family, and their friends were all safe. I will keep a candle burning today in memory of the thousands who lost their lives, and for the hundreds of thousands who lost their homes, their livelihoods. I'd like to try the wine today, but if I was making the lasagna, would probably add ground beef (we like our meat!). I think I'll bring out some salmon to bake, and will serve it with baby potatoes and green beans at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, especially those facing nature's wrath. Extra for the people of Ukraine for continued strength. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I agree with others, everyone here is pretty awesome; it is interesting though, how often it is used, especially in a restaurant. "Oh, you're ordering bacon and eggs? Awesome." LOL I know there aren't any pay phone booths left in our city. My middle name - Katherine - was to honour my baptismal godmother, my dear Aunt Katie, who was a real firecracker. When I saw the wine of the day, I was taken back to the early years of our marriage when special occasions (like a difficult work week) called for a bottle of Chianti; once the bottle was emptied, it became a candle holder to be used again and again. I recall when we moved out of our first apartment, we had several boxes of "candle holders". LOL I'd like the drink of the day without the bourbon - I'd substitute vodka, or just more orange juice. As I look out the living room window, I see we had another dusting of snow last night - it came with a wind, so there are what we call "finger drifts" across the driveway. That might mean I'll have to shovel, as they'll be too hard for the leaf blower to dislodge. Our temperature is hovering around -15C, which is comfortable, and we're not having to prepare for the blizzard which is predicted to hit the southern part of the province today and possibly tomorrow. Yay! I have to do a run to the bank today and that's about all, so will continue with my blanket making. A friend of ours uses Za'atar as a topping for his home made flatbread; once it comes out of the oven, he brushes it with melted butter and sprinkles the spice on top. Yum! It's Friday night, pizza night at our house and when we were at the big box store the other day, we picked up some frozen individual pizzas. DH has already chosen his 4 cheese and I'll probably grab a pepperoni pizza to enjoy at the dinner table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, especially those in the path of the storms. Cheers to all with celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good afternoon, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I didn't have a Barbie doll, I had a petite little "Debbie" doll - a cute little redhead with an amazing amount of clothes sewn by my mom. It's a lot easier to get over it than to forget about it . . . I'm not one to panic, and have been known to keep a very cool head in some pretty stressful situation. After an event, I can crash and burn, but I'm usually able to manage through things first. I'm late to the party today - this morning DH and his son went out to the son's acreage (about 1.5 hrs away) to check on an elderly neighbour who hasn't been feeling well. DH tried calling and was unable to get an answer, so thought the best thing to do would be to drive out to see him, as he lives alone in the country. It turned out the old guy had forgotten to pay his cell phone bill, so had no service, and although he was feeling better, he didn't want to struggle through the snow to drive into town to pay the bill and get it hooked up again. I'm glad it wasn't anything worse, especially when he's by himself! When DH left the house, I decided it was time to get to work in the sewing/computer/junk room. It's hard to work in there when DH is home, because he often needs or wants to use the computer, and I like to spread things out when I'm cleaning and straightening. First you make the mess, then you clean it up is my philosophy. It turned out well, though, because I found the instructions the tech left when we had our previous computer installed - it gave detailed directions on how to import my old Outlook file to the new one (which I still have to purchase). It's amazing what you find at the bottom of a box! @Vict0riannsending good vibes for a successful surgery and quick recovery for your DH. @smitty34877I'm so happy to hear you've found someone to help you with Tana; your family has been doing it on their own for so long, you need a break. I hope she works our beautifully for you and Tana. It was a brisk -25C this morning but has warmed up considerably - there's a developing low pressure system coming up from Montana that will affect the southern part of the province - apparently we're a little bit north of southern, so will escape it's wrath. The current prediction is for about 6 to 7 inches of wet, heavy snow, along with strong winds, which will likely bring about hazardous driving conditions. Glad we're not involved in that one! I did check our forecast and it's still saying there's a 60% chance of snow on Saturday, so we'll just have to wait and see. As I'm typing this, I can see the red emergency helicopter flying past; whenever I see them, I always say a prayer for both the flight crew and whomever they may have as a patient. We always hope we'll never have to see the inside of one of them, except as a display. I'll pass on the drink of the day, but that wine is certainly within my budget! I like today's menu suggestion, as I love going to Shwarma restaurants - yum. However, we have leftovers from last night's dinner out with our friends - DH has a pork cutlet, and I still have 3 delicious lamb chops (which they sprinkle crushed pistachios on once they are cooked). There are lemon roast potatoes as well, so I'll just add some steamed vegetables and we'll have a nice dinner with very little effort at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, especially those dealing with man made and natural disasters. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Seriously? They moved up the departure time? Dang!!!!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Thanks Sandy and Vanessa for filling in for Rich and Roy every morning. I don't think I'll participate in Be Nasty Day; it just isn't my comfort zone. I'm pretty sure today is International Women's Day - working has nothing to do with it, because as we all know, every day is a working day for women. Unless, of course, we're on a BHB, then that's different. My message to all my Daily women friends is: you are strong, you are beautiful, you are enough. When I was in high school, I did proofreading for university students - it was a great way to make money and help them at the same time. It's warmed up a little bit, but we've still got that darn wind making it feel like -30C, so it's another day of bundling up when we go outside. The good thing is where we live, we have lots of sunshine, so at least we aren't stuck in gloom and doom throughout the face freezing cold. Not a lot happening today, just heading out to pick up a few groceries that we didn't need to buy in huge amounts at the big box store on Monday. Although I'd like to try today's menu suggestion, the couple who couldn't make the early Valentine's Day dinner with us are now well and want to go out tonight. We're heading to the same restaurant, and although I don't know what DH will order, I can pretty much tell you what I'm having - lamb chops, lemon roast potatoes and Greek salad. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I love cereal and when our DS was young, if DH wasn't home for dinner, the two of us would often have cereal that night. Crown Roast Pork has it's own day, who knew? Cheers for the Peace Corps once again - they deserve it. Although the temperature has warmed up about 8 degrees, today we have a strong wind that is bringing the "feels like" back down to -34C. Once again, the air will hurt my face when I have to go out. @grapau27, I chuckled when I saw the picture of snow in your yard - here we call it a "heavy frost". I keep reading about all the folks here who have terrible nights with interruptions for various reasons, well, I have a confession to make. When I go to bed, I sleep like the dead. I usually crash around 10:30 or 11 while we're watching the news (yes, we have a TV in our bedroom, and have for the past 45 years), and don't wake up (or at least become fully conscious) until around 6 in the morning. I feel so bad when I read about people who are part of the 3AM club, and feel fortunate that I'm not a member of that group. There, now I feel better, having gotten that off my chest. DH is heading out in about an hour to get a hair cut, and at noon I'm heading to the gal down the street who has a salon in her home to have her do something with mine. I told her I'm tired of looking like a shaggy calico cat. She works wonders, believe me! @RedneckBobHappy Birthday to you! @summer slopeI'm so happy to hear Bailey is responding to the medication and is feeling better! @smitty34877I hope the visit to the cardiologist goes well for your DH today. @Cruzin TerriHopefully you'll find the cause of your pain and will be able to have it treated. I enjoy Pad Thai, but DH doesn't, so I won't be making today's menu suggestion. We have lots of leftover rotisserie chicken from the big box store yesterday, so I'll be putting together a nice chicken Caesar salad that we'll enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, especially those with man made and natural disasters. Cheers to all who are celebrating today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Last month while we were on the Rotterdam, a fellow at Guest Services was in-your-face mad because his wife "still has to work on this damn cruise" and was unable to access her work account because she couldn't use the ship's internet if she had her VPN turned on. Pretty sure his blood pressure count went way beyond normal. Guest Services did their best to explain the situation to him, but he was not happy. Last I heard, he wanted to speak with the captain about it. Seriously.

Thank you for the clarification; I apologize for the error. Instead, I'm sending healing vibes for your sweet fur baby! I've just amended my post.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Although I have a fear of dentists, my dentist is wonderful and makes the semi-annual visits enjoyable, rather than something to avoid. We always have a freezer (and 2 fridge freezers) full of food; I don't know what we'd do without them. Oreo cookies are okay, but not my favourite. Give me a good old fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookie any day. Our warm spell didn't last long, as this morning we're plunged back down into the deep freeze again with a temp of -32C. Looking at the week ahead, we're going to be cold at least until Saturday when the predicted high is -11C with snow. There isn't anything we can do about it, so we just go about our daily lives. Sending virtual hugs to @Seasick Sailor's niece as she sends her kitty over the Rainbow Bridge. That's so hard to do. This morning I have to go to my dentist's office for my 6 month check up and cleaning. The hygienist who works on me is a real dear and keeps chattering the whole time, making the scraping and chiseling much more pleasant. LOL After that we're going with DH's daughter to the big box store, as we haven't gone there in months. We let our membership lapse during Covid and haven't renewed it, as we just don't buy in large quantities any longer. We both love a good fried rice, so I'm looking forward to see what recipes @dfish has for us today. I think while we're at the big box store, I'll pick up a rotisserie chicken so we can enjoy chicken, baked baby potatoes and parmesan asparagus at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for all who are in need, cheers to everyone with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

That's all I can do for today; thanks everyone, see you next time!

Game players and cosplay.

Looking at some of the costumes, I remembered it's a gamers and cosplay charter. Lots of fun to be had, I'm sure.

We have toots!!!

Sound is back, just in time!

Has anybody else lost the sound?

Big growl now.

Regal Princess is dropping lines.

Checking in.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I don't have multiple personalities, but I've had multiple names over the years. Pretty sure I wasn't named after anyone. My uncle was the projectionist at the theatre in our town; I remember going into the room with him and amazed at the size of the film reels. I love the quote and hope I'm one of those friends. Well it's dark and cold outside right now; we're sitting at -20C with a wind chill of -29C. We're only going to go up about 4 degrees, so there won't be any outdoor activities happening for us. What I have noticed, however, is that it's still daylight at 5:30PM, so that gives me hope that spring will eventually come. LOL I know many of my Daily friends are non-drinkers, and I hope this doesn't offend you. A friend sent it to me late last night and it threw me into fits of laughter. The last thing I remember before falling asleep is giggling about it. DH laughed, but thought I was nuts because I couldn't stop laughing. Okay, I just have to share this with you - our DS sent me a message about a conversation he had with our 3 year old grandson. It went like this: Parker: Wanna go to Grammas. Dad: Why's that? Parker: Gramma loves me. Dad: What about Mommy, Daddy, and big brother, don't we love you? Parker: Yah, but Gramma loves me a lot. - I pretty much melted. Can't wait to see them next month when we head to Calgary for his big brother's birthday. I usually make a pot roast either in the oven or slow cooker (mostly slow cooker), but haven't used the Instant Pot for one. I like the smell in the house when it's cooking, and think we'd miss that if I used the IP. I don't have to worry about what to make for dinner, as DH's daughter has invited us over for dinner tonight. Pretty sure we'll be having ham and scalloped potatoes (a specialty of hers), at her dining table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Well folks, that's it for me today. Thanks everyone, see you next time!

Great long toots!