The Daily for Friday December 03, 2021

[kazu]

3 hours ago, AncientWanderer said:

What wonderful news to see first thing this morning!  @kazuJacqui, so very happy that things have taken a good turn for Jose and you.  Prayers will continue for a swift recovery and return to health for Jose.  🌤️

 

3 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

 

@kazu wonderful news!  I'm delighted for you and Jose!  Prayers for a full recovery.  What a gem of a doctor. 🙂  

 

3 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Good morning! First of all @kazu praises for the good news on Jose’s health status. 
 

Getting a late start here on the West Coast but not much happening other then house watching. Their dog seems happy to have folks tending to her needs. 
 

Plus, there is another book waiting to be read.

 

Thanks for the report and letting us know what’s happening in your world.

 

3 hours ago, sailingdutchy said:

Jacqui @kazu we are very pleased and relieved to hear from you that Jose is in good hands and hopefully on his way to a full recovery with the help of his doctor and your care . 

I have been thinking of the two of you after I saw the alarming post a number of days ago , all the best wishes to Jose to be well soon .

 

2 hours ago, JazzyV said:

@kazu I'm so glad Jose's doctor was persistent and found a treatable issue. Prayers for his recovery and for strength for you.

 

1 hour ago, Vict0riann said:

 

Jacqui, we are so happy to hear that Jose is getting treated and we hope he gets better really quickly.  We could tell how worried you have been for him.  

 

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

@kazu wonderful news, I will pray the new regimen works!  I am so glad you have such a good doctor!  

 

 

1 hour ago, 57redbird said:

@kazu  Prayers for Jose & you!

 

1 hour ago, Tbay said:

Very happy to hear your DH has a diagnosis and is on the mend.  Sending positive thoughts. Sounds like he has a very caring doctor.

 

46 minutes ago, JAM37 said:

 

@kazu Jacqui, thankful that the doctor found the cause and a possible treatment for Jose.

 

Thanks everyone for your kindness & caring ♥️

 

Jose’s FP is probably one of the tops in the area.  I am so glad I found her and she was kind enough to accept Jose as a new patient a very few months ago.  I confess, I asked for help from the NB Medical Society to get him a good doctor (his is retiring) & the magnificent lady in charge of the MD-4-MD program really stepped up to help.  👍  I am very grateful to her.  I guess Jose’s many years of service paid off 👍 

[Seasick Sailor]

1 hour ago, dfish said:

The wine marinade gives the meat such a great flavor.  When I make it, I generally just use beef and pork.  You can get the ceramic dishes that are typical for baeckeoffe in Soufflenheim.  I know people who have bought several and had them shipped.

 

Whenever I went to visit my sister in Strasbourg we would take a trip down to Colmar and spend the day just walking around Centre Ville.  I have some pottery from Colmar that I love.  The other place we always went was Eguisheim.   Our favorite winery was there and the curtain stores.  I really like Alsatian white wines, but it is very difficult to find them here in the US.  Like almost impossible.  We also enjoyed Riquewihr.   There are many small towns that are totally charming along the route des vins.

 

Goodness Debbie we would take the bus from Colmar for cheap, hike through the vineyards, and stop at many of those towns.  We've been to all you mentioned. We loved it so much. I have many nutcrackers from the shops throughout the region.

[Sharon in AZ]

Good afternoon!  Happy Friday and thank you to Rich for the Daily. It’s wonderful to see all the ships in the Caribbean. 
 

And yay to bartender day. I will definitely enjoy one in just over 2 weeks on the Rotterdam. Disabilities are near and dear to my heart. 
 

Ann @cat shepardYay!  So happy to hear Maddie is home. We had a cat go missing while on a cruise. She, her brother and the dog were being taken care of by our then 19 year old DD. I was distraught and so was her brother. About 6 weeks later I found her just 3 houses away. I knew she would freak out if I tried to pick her up so I picked her up by the scruff of her neck and dragged her back home. Brother hissed at her for days until she cleaned herself up and she just acted like everything was normal. Sadly when the brother passed away she was so sad and would cry, howl, meow for him and died only months later. 
 

Jacqui @kazu wow!  Such great news about Jose. Prayers that he continues to heal. Kudos to such an amazing doctor. 
 

Have a great day everyone!

[Seasick Sailor]

1 hour ago, Tbay said:

Very happy to hear your DH has a diagnosis and is on the mend.  Sending positive thoughts. Sounds like he has a very caring doctor.

 

And a very caring wife!

[kazu]

4 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

The flood waters are receding in the Fraser Valley, and the Trans Canada Hwy into Chilliwack has reopened in both directions.The cold weather has set in, which won’t help clean up much, but at least it isn’t adding more water.

 

 

Thank heavens some of the water is receding.  Prayers for everyone affected in B.C.  It’s such a sad situation. 😔 

 

4 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

 

Monday we go to our great niece’s performance in the Nutcracker. It’s an annual event and this is her graduation year, so it’s her final performance. We wouldn’t miss this one for hell or high water, both of which we’ve already had anyway.

 

 

Don’t blame you a bit.  Safe travels and enjoy her final performance

 

3 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

We're busy packing and preparing to leave early in the morning for the airport.  We'll be in NC for a week, and then with all our kids in CA for 5 days.  Will check in when I can.  I'm thankful I got the antibiotics for this sinus infection -- it's showing improvement after a few days and now I can fly tomorrow with less worry.

 

Safe travels!  I hope you have a great time and family visit.

 

3 hours ago, JazzyV said:

BFF took off his eye bandage today. Doesn't look too bad to me, but he thinks it looks "nasty" (he doesn't tolerate looking at medical stuff too well, unlike me). The eye is sewn shut and now he puts antibiotic cream on it, and has to protect the area from the sun. I suggested he wear an old cataract shield over it at night, so he doesn't accidentally do something to the skin graft.

 

Good suggestion.  Bless you for taking care of your BFF ♥️ 

 

2 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

Hi Roy, we are sailing out of Tampa on the Dawn.  Our first stop is Key West, hopefully that happens but I have my doubts.  After a stop at their private island we will be in Aruba and Curaçao.  One stop was cancelled which is to be expected in these times.

 

What HAL does better precruise are the booking perks.  Free at Sea isn’t so free.  NCL tacks on gratuity for the “free” beverage package and the “free” dinners on the booking ahead of time.  Free wifi is for guest 1 and not guest 2.  Guest one gets 250 minutes or you can upgrade to unlimited.  The $50 off excursions is for Guest 1 only, guest 2 pays full rate.  To try and get an upsell/upgrade you must bid on the category but can’t select cabin.

What we liked is that they are testing at the pier.  If HAL offered this, even at a cost, we’d be sailing with them.

 

I’m trying to be positive and our friends think we will have a good time.

 

That’s very helpful, Jake.  Thanks so much for sharing 👍 

 

2 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

Well we had an 8:30 appointment for a Rapid Test. Pulled up five minutes early, sign on door  that they were closed unexpectedly! But read down further for those with an appointment (Sue and I) to call a phone number. A technician showed about 15-20 minutes later. We were told results around 9:30. Finally got them about about 11:15. Negative results so good to go.

 

YAY.  that’s one test we all want to fail 😉. Safe travels and have a great time!

 

2 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

I hope there are no kittens in Maddie's future...😉  Glad she made it back home.

 

Hopefully Maddie was spayed and there’s no risk of that 🤞 

 

2 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

We are still planning to head south on Monday, the BC news says the land border restrictions have not changed, so we are hoping we can get across.  If not, we'll  come back home, but there are a lot of packages in DD's mailbox in Blaine waiting for pickup.  And I do have designs on Trader Joe's!   Hoping we can stay ahead of omicron and make it back safely...

 

Hope you can cross successfully and accomplish all you need to.  More importantly hoping you can stay safe and return without an issue 🤞 

 

1 hour ago, dfish said:

• He got my email because I know him from some organizations in town that we both belong to.   
• In the past he has been a very nice and considerate person.
• When it became obvious that he wasn't going to move, I told the pool staff I would take the next lane, although not optimum, in order to not create a scene.  They would have had to get in the water and physically drag him out.  
• He was pretty obnoxious to me, which is out of character for him.  
• I think he really thought he had a reservation, although he's given me three different versions of how he reserved the lane - that morning at the main desk, last week online and last Tuesday.  

This is what leads me to think there might be a physical problem going on with him.  Since his behavior yesterday was way out character, it made me think of high blood sugar or early dementia.  That is the process that I was mentioning.  I also think he can't hear well and may not have understood what they were saying to him.  He kind of fits under today's heading of disabled.  If any of what I was suspecting is true, he is having a harder time than I am, especially if it is a form of dementia.  There but for the grace of God go I.

 

I join with the others in admiring you for your generosity and understanding ♥️ 

 

29 minutes ago, dfish said:

Ok, I can't believe I did this.  I just called and booked a cruise for my sister and me over Christmas 2022.  That will make 3 cruises for next year.  I usually go every other year.  

 

YAY 🙂. Enjoy that Christmas cruise 🙂. Life is too short to not take a couple of extra cruises when the opportunity presents itself 👍 

[cat shepard]

2 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

 

I hope there are no kittens in Maddie's future...😉  Glad she made it back home.

 

 

Happy to report that Maddie is spayed. 

[kazu]

8 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

 

Jacqui @kazu wow!  Such great news about Jose. Prayers that he continues to heal. Kudos to such an amazing doctor.

 

Thanks Sharon.

2 minutes ago, cat shepard said:

Happy to report that Maddie is spayed. 

 

I figured she was.  Responsible pet owners take care of these things and her owners sounded like good ones 😉   

[StLouisCruisers]

Good afternoon friends!  My, oh my, I've been here at our hotel in Winter Garden, FL for over an hour trying to catch up on the Daily.  It really does take a long time to catch up when you arrive later in the day!😵

 

We had a nice drive today and arrived safely.  This morning I saw some pecan trees in Georgia, then we saw the cotton fields.  I took some pictures as we flew by on the interstate.  I think the cotton plants are so cool!

 

Of course here in Florida you pass by the orange trees (and vineyards).  We're in a room far from the sports teams so hopefully we can get some sleep tonight with less hall noise.  DGS came to our room to give us a hug and I swear he looks like he's grown 4 inches since we saw him in June at the St. Louis tournament.  Nearly 6 feet tall.  He and his Mom flew in yesterday, and DS and my other DGS are landing shortly so we will all be together soon.  Ren has a game at 6 pm so things will start getting busy here shortly.  Just wanted to check in.  

 

But first, @kazuI'm so pleased and excited to hear about the fantastic doctor and treatment plan they have for Jose.  Praise the Lord for listening to all our prayers!  Thanks to @cat shepardand @JAM37for your good wishes for our trip and Ren's games.  These teams are the best in the country so really tough competition.  I'm sure each team deserves top honors.  The first team he plays is from Utah.

 

 May I also say great to hear Maddie decided she'd had enough of the wild life and headed home. 🐱 @Mtn2Seaand @sailingdutchythank you both for the fine pictures taken in Semerang.  We have not visited that port but Indonesia is a visually beautiful and colorful vacation spot. 

 

Prayers and cheers for all on our lists today and maybe tomorrow I can arrive earlier in the day.  Take care everyone!

[Sharon in AZ]

3 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

What we liked is that they are testing at the pier.  If HAL offered this, even at a cost, we’d be sailing with them.

According to Seth’s live yesterday HAL is going to start testing at the pier at Ft Lauderdale for those who are unable to test or have inconclusive tests.  I think it’s $100.  I’m not sure of all the details but I’m sure it’ll be on the website. 
 

We are still going to do ours at home and have back up at home tests but it’s nice to know that they will start offering testing. 

[Sharon in AZ]

2 hours ago, dfish said:

Hi all,

 

Many thanks to @JazzyV, @Cruising-along, @summer slope, @cat shepard, @TiogaCruiser, @puppycanducruise, @kazu and all who expressed support for my encounter yesterday at the pool.   A couple of things:

• He got my email because I know him from some organizations in town that we both belong to.   
• In the past he has been a very nice and considerate person.
• When it became obvious that he wasn't going to move, I told the pool staff I would take the next lane, although not optimum, in order to not create a scene.  They would have had to get in the water and physically drag him out.  
• He was pretty obnoxious to me, which is out of character for him.  
• I think he really thought he had a reservation, although he's given me three different versions of how he reserved the lane - that morning at the main desk, last week online and last Tuesday.  

This is what leads me to think there might be a physical problem going on with him.  Since his behavior yesterday was way out character, it made me think of high blood sugar or early dementia.  That is the process that I was mentioning.  I also think he can't hear well and may not have understood what they were saying to him.  He kind of fits under today's heading of disabled.  If any of what I was suspecting is true, he is having a harder time than I am, especially if it is a form of dementia.  There but for the grace of God go I.  

 

@cat shepardHow wonderful that Maddie has come home.  

Debbie, only a kind hearted soul such as you could see these possible reasons of his reaction. God bless you!  We should all strive to be more understanding when confronted with negativity. 
 

BTW, how is Tim doing today?

[Cat in my lap]

6 hours ago, Mtn2Sea said:

The CC gremlins seem to be settling down, at least some.  I haven’t posted any photos in a while, but decided to try today since today’s port of the day is a fascinating stop.  We were on the Amsterdam in 2019 when we stopped at Semarang Java Indonesia.  We took the ship’s excursion to Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist Temple.  The trip included a train ride through the countryside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rafinmd]

59 minutes ago, JAM37 said:

 

@rafinmd Roy, I have also been wondering how your treatment is going and how your TA is doing.

I talked to my TA today.  It's been quite a fall for my her.  Things started with a knee replacement.  When esophegal happened the drugs she was taking made it dangerous to proceed with the esophegal repair until after Thanksgiving.  Since she could not get anything more than soup down she lost a lot of weight and is extremely weak.  She  had the procedure this week.  Unfortunately, at the end of the procedure she was left alone while she put her shirt back on and had a fall when she moved to a chair.  No broken bones but severe bruises.  She is in physical therapy (I think for the knee) but is very weak.  We both commiserated that once we sit down we find it very difficult to stay awake.

 

I am mostly doing ok.  In addition to my drowsiness I have started to have a bit of diarrhea.  Immodium, as recommended by the doctor, seems to be helping with that.

 

Just saw on the news we now have 3 Omicron cases today in Maryland.

 

Roy

[Norseh2o]

Home safely from our first cruise since December, 2019. Better than expected, the best food (Oceania), crew, staff and officers all were happy (I think?) to have us on board.  Port days & sea days = 😊. No glitches or real issues getting back into shipboard life (except not bringing the proper universal travel plug adapter...). The ship 'provided' nasal swab testing a few times.  Home to the west coast from Miami on time, and when we learned that our luggage spent the in Atlanta, we joked about being tired of those clothes anyway.  Our luggage was delivered the next day, is it too early to pack for our HAL February, 2022 trip?

[Sharon in AZ]

1 hour ago, dfish said:

Ok, I can't believe I did this.  I just called and booked a cruise for my sister and me over Christmas 2022.  That will make 3 cruises for next year.  I usually go every other year.  

That’s how I feel about this year — taking 3 cruises in 5 months. We usually cruise once a year but that was before I retired and had to take vacation days to cruise. Now it doesn’t matter except for the $$. 

[Crazy For Cats]

17 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

According to Seth’s live yesterday HAL is going to start testing at the pier at Ft Lauderdale for those who are unable to test or have inconclusive tests.  I think it’s $100.  I’m not sure of all the details but I’m sure it’ll be on the website. 
 

We are still going to do ours at home and have back up at home tests but it’s nice to know that they will start offering testing. 

I hope that happens.

[Cat in my lap]

We were on the same Hal excursion to the temple- great photos, I just got a new MacBook which I am in the process of Migrating files to, then I will have to figure out how to post photos.  
 

Best wishes to all!

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, dfish said:

Hi all,

 

Many thanks to @JazzyV, @Cruising-along, @summer slope, @cat shepard, @TiogaCruiser, @puppycanducruise, @kazu and all who expressed support for my encounter yesterday at the pool.   A couple of things:

• He got my email because I know him from some organizations in town that we both belong to.   
• In the past he has been a very nice and considerate person.
• When it became obvious that he wasn't going to move, I told the pool staff I would take the next lane, although not optimum, in order to not create a scene.  They would have had to get in the water and physically drag him out.  
• He was pretty obnoxious to me, which is out of character for him.  
• I think he really thought he had a reservation, although he's given me three different versions of how he reserved the lane - that morning at the main desk, last week online and last Tuesday.  

This is what leads me to think there might be a physical problem going on with him.  Since his behavior yesterday was way out character, it made me think of high blood sugar or early dementia.  That is the process that I was mentioning.  I also think he can't hear well and may not have understood what they were saying to him.  He kind of fits under today's heading of disabled.  If any of what I was suspecting is true, he is having a harder time than I am, especially if it is a form of dementia.  There but for the grace of God go I.  

 

@cat shepardHow wonderful that Maddie has come home.  

You are too nice and understanding Debbie.

He was no gentleman the way he acted and there was absolutely no excuse for his obnoxious attitude towards you.

Hopefully he realises he was wrong and apologises unreservedly to you.

Best regards.

Graham

 

[Seasick Sailor]

44 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

I took some pictures as we flew by on the interstate.  I think the cotton plants are so cool!

 

Sandi, Allen worked cotton for over 20 years in Sylvester, Ga. Those fields are alot of work beginning to end.

[rafinmd]

4 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

Hi Roy, we are sailing out of Tampa on the Dawn.  Our first stop is Key West, hopefully that happens but I have my doubts.  After a stop at their private island we will be in Aruba and Curaçao.  One stop was cancelled which is to be expected in these times.

 

What HAL does better precruise are the booking perks.  Free at Sea isn’t so free.  NCL tacks on gratuity for the “free” beverage package and the “free” dinners on the booking ahead of time.  Free wifi is for guest 1 and not guest 2.  Guest one gets 250 minutes or you can upgrade to unlimited.  The $50 off excursions is for Guest 1 only, guest 2 pays full rate.  To try and get an upsell/upgrade you must bid on the category but can’t select cabin.

What we liked is that they are testing at the pier.  If HAL offered this, even at a cost, we’d be sailing with them.

 

I’m trying to be positive and our friends think we will have a good time.

NCL is not among my favorite cruise lines, but your bed will be made every day, you won't need to cook, and the view out the window will change every day.   I think it's hard not to like that.

 

Roy

[StLouisCruisers]

6 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Sandi, Allen worked cotton for over 20 years in Sylvester, Ga. Those fields are alot of work beginning to end.

 

Joy, my phone tells me that photo was taken in Lenox, GA right on I-75.  Sylvester is northwest of Lenox about 28 miles as the crow flies.  I can bet that is a hot, hard job to pick the cotton!  I wonder if they use machines or people now to do that?

[grapau27]

3 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

NCL is not among my favorite cruise lines, but your bed will be made every day, you won't need to cook, and the view out the window will change every day.   I think it's hard not to like that.

 

Roy

Pauline's cousin and her husband sailed on the NCL Dawn from Rome and had a fantastic time.

We were on NCL Gems maiden voyage from Dover in October 2007 and sailed on her again in September 2008.

We have not sailed on NCL again but their unique selling point was the number and choice of their restaurants which were superb.

Graham.

[grapau27]

9 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Joy, my phone tells me that photo was taken in Lenox, GA right on I-75.  Sylvester is northwest of Lenox about 28 miles as the crow flies.  I can bet that is a hot, hard job to pick the cotton!  I wonder if they use machines or people now to do that?

I remember the song.

Cotton Fields sung by Credence Clearwater Revival and The Beach Boys and it was a favourite of mine.

Graham.

Edited December 3, 2021 by grapau27

[Seasick Sailor]

1 hour ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Joy, my phone tells me that photo was taken in Lenox, GA right on I-75.  Sylvester is northwest of Lenox about 28 miles as the crow flies.  I can bet that is a hot, hard job to pick the cotton!  I wonder if they use machines or people now to do that?

 

For years and years people clean up what machines miss. 

[rafinmd]

Just heard a departure toot from Cruisin Terri's ship.

 

 

Roy

 

[puppycanducruise]

3 hours ago, dfish said:

30 years in a classroom of teenagers taught me to look for underlying reasons.  Sometimes they are physical and sometimes they are psychological.  In both instances the person is hurting.

 

Ok, I can't believe I did this.  I just called and booked a cruise for my sister and me over Christmas 2022.  That will make 3 cruises for next year.  I usually go every other year.  

Thanks for reminding me to not jump to conclusions, it's too easy to not realize what other people are going through.

Hope you enjoy the cruise.