The Fleet Report and Daily for Monday October 2nd, 2023

[ottahand7]

God Monday morning.  Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports @richwmn.  Farm animals were important to my Dad's family as they were dairy farmers in both North Dakota and in Michigan.  I have named my new Trail Boss truck, it is Big Red.   Custodial workers are important and should have their day of recognition.   Grudges can  drag one down.    George Washington transmits the proposed Bill of Rights to the signers of the Constitution, transmitting is so much easier these days.   @StLouisCruisers Thank you for all the lovely photos of Brisbane, the Koalas were charming.  Elliot Rose is pretty cute too.   

 

Prayers for everyone on our care lists and the people of Ukraine.  Prayers for Baby Murphy's family because the despair they have been going through for so long.  @smitty34877 I am happy that you have an aide committed to work with Tana.    I hope everyone that is going through health trials are getting better! 

 

@lindaler   Bon Voyage part 2.   I hope you have a wonderful time on your Australia and South Pacific journey.   

 

 

I have administrative work to do on the MI Garden Clubs scholarships and then will finish up the digging part of my gardening for the season.   We have three days in the 80s and then a bunch of cooler and rainier days.    Then it will be spraying poison ivy and spreading fall fertilizer for the perennials and the shrubs. I hope we can drive around looking at the beautiful fall colors tomorrow when we still have sunshine.    

[Heartgrove]

Thank you Rich, thank you Debbie, thank you Vanessa, thank you Ann, and thank you Dixie for all your work. And thank you everyone for being here! 

 

I can't say I am a fan of the author of today's quote.

 

I can't recall if I ever named any of my cars. But I did name my tractors when we lived in Maryland. When I broke my ankle in 2015, I spent part of the day watching old Western's of my youth. I had a company on eBay produce replicas of the MD "Farm" vanity plate naming the tractors for the main characters. These were my three primary tractors, but at one time I had 14 of varying sizes. All sadly sold but one when we moved to Virginia.

 

Stay Safe, and prayers for those in need.

 

- Jack

 

"Cisco, Poncho, and Paladin"

 

 

 

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is going to be a lovely day here in mid-Michigan with sunny skies and temps in the mid  80s.  A flashback to summer!   That's ok.  We can get some more work done around the yard.  Yesterday I painted the lamp post and now it looks brand new.  It is amazing what a little paint can do.  Sue gave the mailbox the first part of a make over as well.  

 

 

Sorry, Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser, but I don't have a picture of the old, ugly light on the lamp post.  IT was a big plastic ball that was dirty and had bugs crawling all over inside it.  

 

It was nice to be treated to pictures of Elliot Rose.  We always enjoy seeing the Daily babies as they grow.  

 

We did have some cars with names.  We had an old, white station wagon that we referred to as The Old White Ghost.  It was about 12 years old when Dad finally got rid of it.  He couldn't trade it in when he bought the new car as they were going to charge him to take it to the junk yard.  Then we had The Bonny - a Pontiac Bonneville sedan.  And The Toy - a Toyota Carolla.  

 

Today's meal is Mac and Cheese, a lovely comfort food for many.  But, we're going to have Mac and Cheese Outside the Box.   We'll start with Caprese Mac and Cheese.   https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/4-cheese-caprese-mac-and-cheese/

 

 

There are a lot of things you can do with mac and cheese to liven it up a bit.  It doesn't have to be just mac and cheese.  Here's one with caramelized onions and everyone's favorite, bacon.  https://juliasalbum.com/macaroni-and-cheese-with-bacon-and-caramelized-onions-recipe/

 

 

Or how about mac and cheese stuffed peppers?   These also have mini Italian meatballs included in the stuffing.  https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/mini-italian-meatball-mac-cheese-stuffed-peppers/

 

 

Bet you never thought of this - shrimp scampi mac and cheese.   https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/shrimp-scampi-mac-and-cheese-3581376

 

 

I bet you can come up with even more ideas!  Here's some to get you started.  https://www.delicious.com.au/recipes/collections/gallery/10-new-takes-on-mac-n-cheese/k1a49rhf?page=5

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

[cunnorl]

Good Morning from a very windy day at the beach

   At least it is not raining. Our weather yesterday never stopped. High winds and heavy rain all day. The golf course is closed for 2 days due to flooding.

  Thank you all for the birthday wishes for DH yesterday. He was very appreciative.  We did not go to the restaurant as planned. But he did enjoy his Birthday pie.

    I have not had Mac and cheese since college. It was the only thing the cook didnt ruin. I swore I would never eat it again once I graduated and I havent! However my family likes it.

   We were in Brisbane ln November of 2022. I took the ships tour to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  Big mistake. The bus we were on was the last one and the driver took us all around Brisbane and a lookout point. ( which was very nice but it is a city)  I thought I had gotten on the wrong tour. By the time we got to Lone Pine, we had very little time. Missed all the shows and were not able to hold a Koala. We had a full bus of angry people. Next time I will a taxi.

     

 Stay safe and enjoy today

     Charlene

[GTVCRUISER]

🍺🥨🍻

[rafinmd]

Today's not so sunny sunrise on QM2.

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

My alternative is Cherry Bisque, Fillet of Lamb, and Mango Sorbet as served in the Princess Grill last night.  The photo will be delayed.

Roy

 

Roy

Edited October 2, 2023 by rafinmd

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

Have a great day.

[Seasick Sailor]

Good morning Daily-ites. 

Not complaining but there was a hint of chill when Oliver and I went outside this morning. Yay!!

 

@summer slope the drink today doesn't appeal to me at all. Hope someone appreciates it.

 

@StLouisCruisers Sandi the pictures of Elliott Rose are so sweet. She's really growing! I remember when the twins passed and I added a cross and heart in my prayer for them.

 

Roy your morning pictures are a bit gloomy. I hope your weather improves. How are you feeling?

 

I always named my cars. I had an old impala my dad picked up "for a song" and I named it "P.O.S" as you can figure out.

 

 

When I was a kid we had goats, horses, turkeys, calfs and our faithful dogs. I loved them all like they were household pets.

 

 

Prayers for all on the well organized care list by Vanessa. Have we heard from @Tbay on her DH pneumonia? 

 

Sending blessings your way. Have a great Monday!

[lindaler]

Good morning all. Thanks for the well wishes for my cruise. I see my home for the next 51 days has arrived. I am excited but after the travel I slept well. I woke just as she was approaching the docks. Wish I could bring you all with me. 

[marshhawk]

Good Monday Morning Dailyites!  It is clear and the computer says it's 63...62....63... any way it's nice. 

 

The author of the quote is not one of my favorite people, he does do spectacular things, creates wonderful things (all for his own personal purposes), but he does tick off a lot of people, so I guess he is saying-you have a grudge?  Get over it.

 

Name my cars...hmmm.  My first car had belonged to my grandfather, I named the car Heathcliffe.  Grandpa lived in Vermont and Florida and the car  had a lot of rust damage.  The tie rod broke when I was driving it, and all the wheels went into different directions and landed in a neighbors front drive. 

The next car was a chevy Monza, lemon yellow, and it was a lemon, and was named Lemon.  Then came a big old white van, to be used for camping at Road Atlanta and driving 20 little ones around.  I filled it with folding foam sofas and would take the Kindergarten kids out to the parks. (Would be totally illegal today).  The van was Moby, then a blue van, named Big Blue.  

 

My red jeep that is sitting in the back, undrivable, is named Puddles, (my writers name when I was in charge of pond building and pond plants for a garden center)  and then Puddles began leaving puddles, so it is still appropriately named.  For the last 7 years, I have been driving DH's jeep Patriot, and I named him Sid Carter (from the old Father Brown)  Cars like having names, it's much better than calling them names. 

 

@dfish I loved the pictures from your walk yesterday, deer in the forest, and a blue heron, how lovely! I find I am printing more and more recipes.  Not that I find the time to cook.

 

@StLouisCruisers Baby Elliott Rose is so cute!

 

@rafinmdI hope that you are being spoiled on your cruise, and that you are enjoying your time on board.

@lindalerBon Voyage!

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by marshhawk

[cruising sister]

Good morning,

it is another sunny hot day with hig expected to be 90. It will cool down by Friday with highs in low 60’s. The mold count is high and my asthma is in rare form so I skipped swimming this morning. Hoped by tomorrow. 
 

Thanks for the pics Sandi, it is getting me excited about my cruise. 
 

The only car I named was the Mustang I recently sold. Her name was Ruby for he red color. We won a few awards with her.  

Prayers and well wishes.   Have a great day. 
 

 

A few pics from Cider Fest.  Emmie is trying not to smile. 

 

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  Whenever I'm in a public building and see a custodial worker, I always try to make a point of going over and thanking them for keeping the place looking so good.  While I've never named a car, there were a few that I've called names.  Yay for farm animals.  Not a fan of the Musk guy, but his quote is true.

 

Another gloomy looking day out there for us - right now it's drizzling (as it did all night long) and we've got a temp of +6(42F) looking at high of +9(48).  It's definitely looking and sounding like fall outside; the leaves that have come down are plastered to the lawns and the birds are huddled in the spruces to stay out of the rain.  I had a great sleep last night as I took out my winter jammies from storage and stayed warm all night long.  

 

@lindalerBon Voyage; I can feel your excitement!

@kazuI can only imagine the flurry in your house, trying to get everything together for you and Ivan - don't hurt yourself doing it!

@StLouisCruisersthank you for the photos of little Elliott Rose - she's a doll!

@rafinmdI'm so glad you're able to enjoy the cold fruit soups; wish HAL would bring them back.

 

Although it's wet and miserable outside, we have to go out for groceries and do some shopping for things for this weekend's Thanksgiving dinner.  I'm going to give the drink of the day a pass, but who could pass up a wine that's described as "racy, well-mannered and elegant"?   Because I made a big pot of borscht yesterday, I'll be freezing some, but we'll be finishing the rest of it off for dinner along with ham bunwiches at the kitchen table tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

[StLouisCruisers]

Thank you Debbie @dfish for the recipes and sweet words about Elliott Rose.  The mac and cheese looks delish!  Your yard light looks great now and I know Sue will make your mailbox spiffy. 

 

Joy @Seasick Sailor you are very kind!  Thank you for your prayers and inclusion of those little baby boys in your prayer book.🥰

 

Linda @lindaler have a wonderful trip.  How exciting to see the ship come in and you being up to see it.

 

Thanks to Nancy @ottahand7, Annie @marshhawk and Gerry @ger_77for your compliments of Elliott Rose.  She's bringing a lot of joy to that family.

 

Lorraine @cruising sister that's a beautiful red Mustang, and the grandkids are awfully darn cute, too!  I know you enjoy them immensely.

 

I heard from my friend Susan about Scott.  She sends out update emails to her "pack" of friends and neighbors.  Early this morning she said he seems to be slowing coming out of it and responding to "wiggle your toes" commands.  However he's still very sick and the cardio ICU docs will do a cardiac cath. today.  The original doctors said his heart is too sick to pump blood properly but the catheter procedure will determine if he needs a stent.  Praying for good news for Scott!  Also, I heard from someone else on Saturday about their husband's recent heart pains and what tests were done for him and sometimes I think I am confusing both friends' messages.  I'll do my best to keep them straight.  The other person's DH is doing okay.

 

I've been wondering when my next door neighbors Paul and Brenda will be coming home from their summer motorhome trip around the country and to Canada.  They said October, but when?  I'll give her a text to find out.  The past two months they've allowed a friend in the area live in their guest room while her house is under construction.  She sold her old home too fast!  (I wish everyone had that problem now - seems houses are just sitting on the market nowadays with interest rates so high).  It will be nice to see Brenda and Paul again.  I don't envy them all that driving but I know they have seen some beautiful sights this summer and fall.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by StLouisCruisers
forgot to upsize it for our old eyes!

[cunnorl]

Some pictures from Brisbane. I apologize for the tone on my previous post, it was just disappointing for me reason. I did enjoy what I got to do.

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

I appreciate all custodial workers and always made it a point to smile and say good morning to them when I came in to work.  I've only named one car, the one I have now.  She's "Baby" because I baby her and hope to keep her a long time.  Love visiting farms and seeing the farm animals.  Quote is quite true.  I don't care for Mac & Cheese, but Debbie @dfish you outdid yourself today!  You made Mac & Cheese look good to me LOL!  I would choose the recipe for the Mac & Cheese Stuffed Peppers.  Will pass on the red wine and drink, we'll go to Brisbane on the GA.  Thank you Sandi @StLouisCruisers for the great photos!  We have a tour of the city and the Botanical Gardens that day.  We'll be seeing koalas in some different ports, and I have a reservation to hold one (!) (if it isn't too hot).  In that case we can't.  

 

Today we have appointments to get our RSV vaccines.  It's rare that I don't have a reaction to any vaccine, so I'm spreading the 3 shots out.  Also DH is shopping for new phones for us.  We want to be sure our phones are in top shape for the GA.  And since mine fell into the Mediterranean a couple years ago (along with me) I'm lucky it hasn't given me any problems.  We can't do the Australia and NZ visa apps until we get the new phones too. No point doing it and then getting rid of the phones.

 

Vanessa @JazzyV A big thank you for the PSA about the alert test on Wednesday.  I will be having a late lunch out with a friend, so I'll be sure to turn my phone OFF!  

 

Bon Voyage @lindaler!

Terry @smitty34877 I hope this new aide turns out to be everything you want!!

Sandi @StLouisCruisers I loved seeing the photos of sweet Elliott Rose yesterday -- what a doll! And I'm happy that Scott is doing a little better, prayers he gets better and better.

Debbie @dfish The lamp post looks great!

 

 

 

[1ANGELCAT]

Good warm and sunny afternoon. Another beautiful day here and more to come. 
  I’m planning on grilling tonight for dinner as tomorrow is a busy day. I have a Dr appointment tomorrow morning she sent a message to the patient portal with some concerns about the bloodwork. I’m wondering if the Botox had any impact on the changes. I guess I will find out tomorrow. 
   Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.

[durangoscots]

Good morning.  A little late as I slept in a bit this morning and then took the dogs for a longer walk than usual as we are supposed to have thunder storms during the day. Right now it is dark and gloomy looking.

 

I love mac and cheese but don't eat it often but I am going to try some of those various ways of making it. And I appreciate the pictures of Brisbane.... looking forward to that stop on the GA. I probably will visit the koalas. I tend to hang out with the furry ones. My car has a bumper sticker that says "My friends are real animals... support wildlife rehab"... and of course I also have my local Humane Society decal. I can always find my car.

 

It is getting really dark.... better run the dogs out again.

 

More later. Take care all. @lindalerThanks for the great picture of the Volendam.

 

Susan

 

 

[kochleffel]

Every day should recognizes custodial workers and farm animals. I have never named a car but when I first owned a Toyota, in the 1970s, I kept a book of Japanese poetry in the glove box.

 

Not a fan of mac and cheese. NCL offers it as a side dish in its steak restaurant, and just thinking about it gives me nausea. I'll choose Roy's alternative, and I agree with @RedneckBob about the cocktail, which sounds awful. Médoc is in Bordeaux and tends to have gravelly soil, so I'll look at a Bordeaux blend from Keuka Lake: Heron Hill Eclipse Blend. I haven't been to Brisbane.

 

"1789 George Washington transmits the proposed Constitutional amendments (The United States Bill of Rights) to the States for ratification." Did anyone ever pay the bill or is there still a balance due?

 

 

[aliaschief]

2 hours ago, lindaler said:

Good morning all. Thanks for the well wishes for my cruise. I see my home for the next 51 days has arrived. I am excited but after the travel I slept well. I woke just as she was approaching the docks. Wish I could bring you all with me. 

Have a grand time. Bon Voyage!

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

This will be quick since my phone battery is low.  We are in the ER at UTSW.  Yesterday and this morning his BP was very high.  The meds would bring it down but not for long.  We had the paramedics out.  The BP was coming down but it was decided we needed to come here.  They are running tests.  The ER doctor said he looks good this soon after the surgery.  They want to check for problems in his head though.  He says he feel really bad.  That's all I know.

 

Lenda

[Cruising-along]

1 minute ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

This will be quick since my phone battery is low.  We are in the ER at UTSW.  Yesterday and this morning his BP was very high.  The meds would bring it down but not for long.  We had the paramedics out.  The BP was coming down but it was decided we needed to come here.  They are running tests.  The ER doctor said he looks good this soon after the surgery.  They want to check for problems in his head though.  He says he feel really bad.  That's all I know.

 

Lenda

Oh Lenda I'm so sorry.  Thanks for checking in, I'll be praying.  (((hugs)))  

[USN59-79]

A little gloomy this morning as they expect some rain to come in from the Coast this morning, then good weather the rest of the week.  I have owned a lot of cars in my time; my first was a '36 Buick coupe that I drove in high school.  However I never named one of them.  Was surprised to hear that a 12 year old station wagon was ready for the junk yard.  We have an SUV that is 21 years old, Sara's Lexus is 23 years old and like new, and the Prius is 6 years old and the daily driver.  Luckily in our part of the country cars seldom rust out.

I am not a fan of many of Elon's statements, but I am a fan of his products.  He changed our perception of electric vehicles and who would have thought that we could send a rocket to space and reuse it again and again.  Certainly not NASA.

Ray

[kochleffel]

Late on Saturday, I hid some questions in the Daily. I would still welcome replies, so here they are, reposted.

 

I'm finishing up arrangements for Spain and the Spanish Farewell, and I have a question about the train in Spain. I'll be going from Madrid-Barajas airport to Atocha station on the Cercanias commuter rail, and from Madrid to Barcelona on the Iryo high-speed train. For those trips, and the Barcelona metro to my hotel, is the risk of theft enough that I should put locks on my luggage, to the extent that it's possible? Or does that only identify a bag that might contain something worth stealing? I'll also travel between Madrid and Toledo on the high-speed rail, but without luggage.

 

I was also thinking today about whether using laundry on the Oosterdam would allow packing lighter without having to do hand laundry in Madrid. I've concluded that it wouldn't, because of the number of days before boarding and the need to have something to wear until the laundry comes back. Unfortunately I'll have to take some things that I don't usually carry, such as a bluetooth keyboard.

 

And an unrelated question: In another forum, people were discussing paying for hospital care abroad. The thread contains some misinformation, such as the statement that no Medigap plan covers foreign treatment, which some plans (C and F that I know of) actually do. But the concerning part is the insistence that foreign hospitals require payment in cash, meaning currency, and won't take credit cards. It is hard for me to imagine traveling with thousands of dollars in cash.

[smitty34877]

31 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

This will be quick since my phone battery is low.  We are in the ER at UTSW.  Yesterday and this morning his BP was very high.  The meds would bring it down but not for long.  We had the paramedics out.  The BP was coming down but it was decided we needed to come here.  They are running tests.  The ER doctor said he looks good this soon after the surgery.  They want to check for problems in his head though.  He says he feel really bad.  That's all I know.

 

Lenda

I hope things are quickly figured out and treated.Sending hugs to both of you.