The Daily for Tuesday Jan 19, 2021

[mamaofami]

Morning everyone. The sun is shining this morning and it’s a warm ? 39 degrees.

 

I don’t think I’ve made any new friends during this pandemic, but I am looking forward to watching a movie with popcorn tonight.

 

Yesterday was a day that I would like to forget. My friend of over 62 years was moved from rehab to hospice. She has Parkinson’s and recently fell during the night. She isn’t benefiting from rehab because she also has Parkinson’s dementia.According to her husband who wasn’t permitted to see her for three weeks, she isn’t eating and is pretty much unresponsive. After crying with him and a mutual friend, I received a phone call from another long time friend who was in a NY hospital after having a huge blood clot in her leg. She is recovering and due to go home soon, but her husband is chasing cancer all around his body for the last three years. His fingers are numb from chemo and now he needs radiation on his sternum. The hospital social worker is trying to coordinate home health care for them from Medicare and Cancer Care.

 

Sorry to be a downer today, but life keeps on happening.

 

On a positive note, only 24 and 1/2 hours to go . Hopefully, the FBI has done a good job betting the national guard and the inauguration will go off smoothly.

 

Stay safe and wear your masks.

 

Carol

Edited January 19, 2021 by mamaofami

[AV8rix]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

 And the Californians are heading to Texas and Arizona.  🤔  I know of three families who moved out of California.  Taxes must have been awful.

Umm, unfortunately they're also moving up here (Washington state, no state tax).  We're contemplating putting up a wall😉😉😉.

[smitty34877]

Except  for  my  daughter  and  son  in  law ,my  ENTIRE  family  has  left  New  York.  I  guess  we  are  diehards. In  the  "before  times"(according  to  my  granddaughter) my  husband  and  I  visited  New  Hampshire   and  Massachusetts  frequently  to  see   everybody.  We  live  in  hope  to  have  those  visits  sometime  this year.    Terry

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good morning, all! Making new friends is wonderful, if rare right now. I love popcorn! I forgot what the third day was, though.

It’s colder today and lightly overcast but no rain. We’ll take it!

A year ago today the Amsterdam took us to Rio De Janeiro on a two day stop on the GWV. It was our last stop in Brazil, and a fabulous two days. Day 1 we took a DoBrazilRight 10 hour full day tour of the highlights of Rio, which included lunch at a waterfront charcuterie restaurant. The link to my post for the day is here https://apassportinmyparasol.wordpress.com/2020/01/21/boa-tarde-rio-de-janeiro-brazil-january-19-2020/

And just a few pictures here:

 

Passing Sugarloaf mountain on our way into the harbour.

 

Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado. High above the city, he is visible from everywhere, suddenly glimpsed between buildings, above houses, anywhere you go.

 

One of the gorgeous beaches that define Rio as seen from the cable car up to the top,of Sugarloaf.

 

Interesting heart detail from the Christ the Redeemer monument. 
Copacabana Beach. One moment, people are everywhere...

The next moment, I’m standing alone for some strange reason.

 

People gathering for an evening beach party.

 

The sun sets on Copacabana beach behind Sugarloaf.

 

Returning home to our blue hulled beauty in the warm Rio nightfall.

 

Back to reality, and Happy Tuesday from the Amsterdam elevator mats!

[highland cruiser]

Good morning.  All the days are good today...especially popcorn and memory.  I am just glad that 4 great friends are in our bubble and we can get out and walk.  Weather has been awesome.  Enjoyed a walk along the ocean this weekend.  High tides and beautiful waves.  We stayed well away from the rocks...didn't want a sneaker wave to catch us!!  

Been an interesting morning...DH's dad is in ER from a fall.  Being tested for Covid again.  Waiting for the results and if DH has been exposed as he met his dad at the ER.  His dad is  99 and has memory issues so someone needed to go with him. No results from the fall yet.   I am home with the grandkids and schooling has started.  

We have a lot of contingency plans in place....time will tell what will have to be done.  

I am actually glad the grands are here...will keep me busy!  

On the bright side...Washington has opened the next tier for for vaccines.  None available in our county yet but we are on the list.  

Stay safe, looking forward to someday meeting on a cruise!!  

 

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!  It's a frosty 32 degrees this morning.  

It hasn't been easy to make new friends since Covid, but it's great having all these "virtual friends" on the Daily!  🙂  Popcorn is my favorite snack, and good memories of our cruises is all we have right now.  🙂  

 

Since yesterday I've spent a lot of time researching where to get our vaccinations -- our group (over 65) just opened up yesterday.  The rub is to find where to get it, low supplies and no appointments available.  But I'll keep trying -- even DD and DSIL are looking for us, bless their hearts.  More and more sites are opening each day, so I'm hopeful.

 

@mamaofamiprayers for your friends and for you.

 

[highland cruiser]

Wow.. I had just sent my post about my DH's dad fall and covid test.  Results are negative.  Fall showed a few fractures but not as bad as before.  He is headed back to his assisted living.  So answered prayers before I asked!  A relief for all of us.

Thanks for letting me share.  

 

[VintageGeo]

Good morning (barely). Thanks for the Daily, and a particular thank you to @65 Gatorfor helping support such a necessary process. Another step toward the light....

We went shopping this morning to replenish Lori's supply of hot popcorn.... and came home $200 lighter. Perhaps we could use some impulse control counseling? 

 This time 4 years ago we were well into our first sea day in the Caribbean, and it had become apparent that we had found our happy place...on the deck of a ship watching the sea roll by...

 

And sunset put an appropriate cap on my best birthday ever!

 

Everyone please stay safe and healthy and lets make the last year worth all of the trouble by putting this mess in our wake. Have a great day!

 

George

 

[kazu]

16 minutes ago, highland cruiser said:

Wow.. I had just sent my post about my DH's dad fall and covid test.  Results are negative.  Fall showed a few fractures but not as bad as before.  He is headed back to his assisted living.  So answered prayers before I asked!  A relief for all of us.

Thanks for letting me share.  

 

 

Good news indeed. 🙂 

[dfish]

4 hours ago, JazzyV said:

Good morning. Thanks for the Daily.

Hard to make new real world friends these days, but lots of new online friends thanks to the Daily! I like popcorn. I think my memory's pretty good, except when I go into a room for something and can't remember what it was I went there for!

 

This is a brief post. My uveitis flared this morning in my right eye, so it's red and very light sensitive. It's hard to look at any screens or even out the window, but luckily it's cloudy here today. I'm wearing sunglasses inside and putting drops in every hour. Hopefully it will be calmed down by afternoon. I had to stop some meds for it due to side effects.

 

Prayers to the care list and cheers for the celebration list.

Stay well. Wear your mask.

I was thinking along the same line as far as friends go.   Through the Daily we've all made some great friends.  We did have the one Zoom meeting and we can hope to meet up on a blue hulled beauty some time in the future.

 

I am sorry about your eye condition.  It sounds like you know just what to do with it.  I hope the flare up is a very brief one.  

[cruzn single]

@highland cruisergood news for sure!  @65 Gator, what your process is sounds very similar to what I experienced with my vaccine last week.  Thanks, for the help in getting necessary vaccines out!

 

Quiet day for me.  I had plans for several things I needed to do, but now, I am sitting and waiting for a call from a plumber to let me know when he can send someone to address an issue.  It is nice that I rent, because my landlord's daughter said to get it fixed and send her the bill.  I "fondly" remember the days of home ownership and the expense of upkeep.  At this point am glad that I am a renter and just have to wait for the repair, but don't have to pay the bill!

 

@durangoscots, I am excited about your snow.  Tell it to come farther North.  Of course, three passes between us are open with chain and traction law in force.  

 

I am sure that I can manage a bowl of popcorn either this afternoon or evening.

 

Thanks to Rich and Ray for keeping the Daily going with lots of good information and the great lists.  A great place to make new "virtual" friends.

 

My son-in-law was encouraging me yesterday to start planning for my cruising life once it resumes.  Not sure where I want to go, as I  get so many great ideas by visiting this site and seeing so many wonderful photos of places I have not been.  

 

Have a great day everyone.

[dfish]

4 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Have you ever watched Mike Holmes' show "Holmes Inspection"?  You would be surprised how bad some of those home inspectors are.  It's a shame they can't be more strictly regulated to be sure they have the knowledge to find some of these issues.  I realize a lot of things are hidden behind walls, but there are clues to hidden problems sometimes, they just have to look for them.  I've learned a lot watching "Holmes Inspection".   It's on DIY network, next repeat episodes are tomorrow night.

I love Mike Holmes.  I don't remember Holmes Inspection, but I watched a lot of Holmes on Homes.  Then, he had another one with his kids, but it wasn't on for long.  He did some good work, especially the shows where he fixed problems in peoples' homes due to poor construction.  I learned a lot from his shows.  

Some of the others are strictly entertainment and I think people are coached in their reactions for the drama.  It isn't so concerning now on Property Brothers when they find a problem because they always find a problem and it is always very expensive.  But, somehow they manage to get everything and all those very high end finishes.  I mean, the chandeliers are lovely, but I'd never pay what they do.

[lcand1923]

One of the beauties of the Daily is that all of us -- even infrequent posters like me -- feel as if we have made a LOT of new friends.  I will read a post about someone having a problem or concern, will say a little prayer for them, and then rejoice when things work out alright.  I do the same for old friends, sooooooo -- Thank You, New Friends!

[Red Haired Lady]

Maasdam - January 2020 - Tauranga, New Zealand

 

After missing the stop at Norfolk Island, Australia, our next port was Tauranga.  This was where I joined a mini-bus tour.  Our first stop was a kiwi plantation. They told us about the new pink-flesh kiwi fruit but there were none for us to sample.  The one on the left with the smooth skin is the pink-flesh variety.  Have not seen them in stores where I live. I bought a jar of kiwi relish.  Have not opened it yet.  Waiting until I get my Covid shot and will celebrate by opening it.

 

 

Kiwi fruit growning on vines.

 

And then when we got to Rotorua we went to the geothermal lakes and mud pools.  

 

Our final stop was the Maori Village of Whakarewarewa. And I will not attempt to spell the Maori name for the village, but you can read it for youself below.

 

We had lunch here and then saw a performance.

 

Back to the ship.

 

And we sailed away with a lovely sunset.

 

[XBGuy]

What day is this?  I forget.

 

Whatever.  Well, winter hit, today.  It's 63 Fahrenheit degrees outside as I am sitting here at my computer.  I'm going to have to get out the long sleeved shirts pretty soon.

 

Excellent pick on the wine of the day.  Washington gets a lot of rightful recognition for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling wines, but I think their Merlots are even better.

 

Long Shadows has an interesting winemaking philosophy and operation.  They actually engage different winemakers--all of whom are very distinguished--to make different wines.  The Pedestal Merlots are made by Michel Roland who owns several wineries in the Right Bank portion of the Bordeaux region and consults to many other wineries--both Old World and New World,  Right Bank wines are blends from multiple grape varieties, but Merlot is the most important and tends to be the dominant component.

 

If there are any Cabernet Sauvignon fans out there, the winemaker for the outstanding Long Shadows Cabernet Sauvignon bottling, called Feather, is Randy Dunn, owner of the epnonymous Napa Valley winery.

[kplady]

Good (I hope!) afternoon!

 

It was a very unexpected morning - DS was in a minor car accident on his way to work (rear ended by a young lady who stepped on the gas instead of the brake at a red light!)....so he borrowed his brother's car, and I had to go to the collision shop (the car was towed there) to take care of paperwork. Luckily he was not at fault, so hoping the repairs go smoothly.

 

On this date 4 years ago we were at St. Maarten on the Oosterdam.  We stopped at a beach bar for a beer, and ran into two of my DH's friends from home!!  Small world!!

 

I'm sharing a photo of our blue-hulled beauty from the beach bar, and a sunset picture from the catamaran cruise we took that evening.  Enjoy!

 

Stay safe, hope everyone gets their shots quickly with no effects....so glad to have all my new virtual friends to keep up with on our Daily news feed!!

 

Laura

[TheKingD]

I am also celebrating the new friends on this message board.  Thanks for all the good cheer and the connection we can have, even over less cheerful topics.

 

@Gator65, thank you for your work with the vaccination clinic.  We are also in NC, in Charlotte, and we are in the over-65 age group but we are at the lower end.  We have our appointments for the first shot in about a month, because once the priority changed and we are in the queue, most of the earlier appointments were snapped up and the phone lines and online scheduling were overwhelmed.  The Charlotte Motor Speedway is hosting a community event this weekend, and even those appointments were snapped up quickly.  I am curious about how a school or other non-medical facility has the equipment to keep the vaccines at the correct temperature.  Our appointments are at a drive-through clinic in the parking lot outside one of the hospitals, but we are wondering how your clinic kept things cold enough.  You are an angel flying close to the ground for helping.

[Overhead Fred]

1 hour ago, VintageGeo said:

And sunset put an appropriate cap on my best birthday ever!

 

Happy Birthday George! Looks like a great place to celebrate it!

[cat shepard]

2 hours ago, mamaofami said:

Morning everyone. The sun is shining this morning and it’s a warm ? 39 degrees.

 

I don’t think I’ve made any new friends during this pandemic, but I am looking forward to watching a movie with popcorn tonight.

 

Yesterday was a day that I would like to forget. My friend of over 62 years was moved from rehab to hospice. She has Parkinson’s and recently fell during the night. She isn’t benefiting from rehab because she also has Parkinson’s dementia.According to her husband who wasn’t permitted to see her for three weeks, she isn’t eating and is pretty much unresponsive. After crying with him and a mutual friend, I received a phone call from another long time friend who was in a NY hospital after having a huge blood clot in her leg. She is recovering and due to go home soon, but her husband is chasing cancer all around his body for the last three years. His fingers are numb from chemo and now he needs radiation on his sternum. The hospital social worker is trying to coordinate home health care for them from Medicare and Cancer Care.

 

Sorry to be a downer today, but life keeps on happening.

 

On a positive note, only 24 and 1/2 hours to go . Hopefully, the FBI has done a good job betting the national guard and the inauguration will go off smoothly.

 

Stay safe and wear your masks.

 

Carol

Carol, I will say a special prayer for your friends, their families and you.  Never easy in the best of times, the pandemic makes everything harder to handle.  

[cat shepard]

1 hour ago, VintageGeo said:

Good morning (barely). Thanks for the Daily, and a particular thank you to @65 Gatorfor helping support such a necessary process. Another step toward the light....

We went shopping this morning to replenish Lori's supply of hot popcorn.... and came home $200 lighter. Perhaps we could use some impulse control counseling? 

 This time 4 years ago we were well into our first sea day in the Caribbean, and it had become apparent that we had found our happy place...on the deck of a ship watching the sea roll by...

 

And sunset put an appropriate cap on my best birthday ever!

 

Everyone please stay safe and healthy and lets make the last year worth all of the trouble by putting this mess in our wake. Have a great day!

 

George

 

 

Happy Birthday!

[cat shepard]

1 hour ago, highland cruiser said:

Wow.. I had just sent my post about my DH's dad fall and covid test.  Results are negative.  Fall showed a few fractures but not as bad as before.  He is headed back to his assisted living.  So answered prayers before I asked!  A relief for all of us.

Thanks for letting me share.  

 

Wow, that was super fast!

[TheKingD]

17 minutes ago, TheKingD said:

I am also celebrating the new friends on this message board.  Thanks for all the good cheer and the connection we can have, even over less cheerful topics.

 

@Gator65, thank you for your work with the vaccination clinic.  We are also in NC, in Charlotte, and we are in the over-65 age group but we are at the lower end.  We have our appointments for the first shot in about a month, because once the priority changed and we are in the queue, most of the earlier appointments were snapped up and the phone lines and online scheduling were overwhelmed.  The Charlotte Motor Speedway is hosting a community event this weekend, and even those appointments were snapped up quickly.  I am curious about how a school or other non-medical facility has the equipment to keep the vaccines at the correct temperature.  Our appointments are at a drive-through clinic in the parking lot outside one of the hospitals, but we are wondering how your clinic kept things cold enough.  You are an angel flying close to the ground for helping.

I just realized I tagged the wrong Gator - it should be @65 Gator.  I'm a TarHeel, so I got carried away - sorry!

[65 Gator]

31 minutes ago, TheKingD said:

I I am curious about how a school or other non-medical facility has the equipment to keep the vaccines at the correct temperature.  Our appointments are at a drive-through clinic in the parking lot outside one of the hospitals, but we are wondering how your clinic kept things cold enough.  

Hi from the coast...  It is actually easier than it seems.  The vaccine is STORED at -80° but, just prior to use, it is THAWED at just above freezing and is good for 120 hours at that temperature (about 5 days).  If a facility doesn't have ultra-cold storage, dry ice can be used in a rural setting but the 5 day shelf life of thawed vaccine is usually sufficient.  Once thawed, however, it cannot be refrozen.

[bennybear]

Good day and thanks all! 
 

Giggling as the property brothers are also Canadian.   Must be our cold winters that gets one to contemplate Reno’s!    I have done more than my share lately.  They are filming a forever home show in our area, tempting!  
 

Minus 17 C ok here,  unless there’s wind!  I just don’t do minus thirties or below🥶

 

Keep  safe everyone! 

[StLouisCruisers]

I've gotten updates on my four relatives with Covid today.  My MIL is out of quarantine since this morning at the nursing facility and back in her own room.  She is not hungry but they are giving her liquids, Ensure, and will try to tempt her with some soft foods.  She has a cough so they don't want to give her anything that might cause her to cough or choke.  She also has some chest pain, but does not have pneumonia or bronchitis so far.

 

I spoke with my sister a bit ago and she is hanging in there but after about 20 minutes or so on the phone starts to feel winded so I told her to just rest.  She thinks her taste/smell will be back very soon.  My two nephews decided to go outside for a walk together.  The fresh air and a little exercise will be good for them.  The eldest just got a letter from the Health Department saying he is now officially out of quarantine so he can go back to work whenever he feels like it.  Sister and younger nephew will probably follow him out of quarantine in the next 2 days since they tested positive later than nephew #1.  

 

Please, no more positive Covid tests for this family!  Thanks everyone for your support and I think it is safe to take them off the prayers list.