The Fleet Report and Daily for Saturday, December 23rd, 2023

[Cruzin Terri]

@Sir PMP

[0106]

I was reminded of this wonderful neighborhood by a story on the Today Show this morning.  A man strung Christmas lights from his home to his neighbor’s to support her. The whole community followed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/12/21/baltimore-rodgers-forge-christmas-lights/ I hope this story brings you some joy.

[StLouisCruisers]

7 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Good morning,

I plan on a quiet day. The grands left at 7 pm last night. It was a long but glorious day. I expect a call sometime this afternoon requesting a sleepover. Of course I will say yes. 
 

Happy birthday Paul. I am happy to see the cruising list so long. It makes me get excited for my travels. I will pray that everyone will be safe on the road and in the air for their holiday travels. Hopefully there will not be a repeat of last year’s mess!
 

Molly seems to be turning her nose up at her usual food. She does this from time to time and I will need to mix in some wet food. She may be doing this in protest to my leaving. 
 

Sandy that stocking is unbelievable. I do not have the patience or the skill!

 

Have a great day!

 

Lorraine, thank you.  Yes, it's a LOT of work.  Right now I'd rather be doing cross stitches instead of back stitches.  I will offer to make the soon-to-be SIL's stocking for DD because she really doesn't have spare time for it.  She already said it will take her 4 years!  So far I've made 10 stockings for kids and grandkids, plus I have 3 made with no names yet to finish later when great grandkids arrive, then the one of the sled I'm doing right now.  I need to get a better magnifying glass to see the tiny details on the instruction sheet!

 

 

 

1 minute ago, Sir PMP said:

Happy Birthday to Kochleffel, because it's mine too:

 

A very happy birthday to you too!  Enjoy it!

[Cruzin Terri]

Good morning all,

Not much to write at present.

Thanks to all who contribute and keep this thread going.  

We’re going to have a quick breakfast and make our way over to Hilton Head to the Fresh Market to pick up our Christmas Dinner and a few other goodies that are hard to find in other places.

Then it will probably be a quiet day.

Thank you all for all the supportive messages yesterday.

I slept a little bit better last night.

Taking one day at a time.

Love to all,

Terri

[marshhawk]

Good Saturday Morning Dailyites!  42 degrees here, and it is getting quite cloudy, coming in from the southwest.  We had a wonderful lunch with our friends, and planned our next trip for Oct. 2024. A land trip, not sea.

 

And then a total debacle at W-M.  DH finally figured out what phone he wanted, and the smooth fast talker sales rep talked him into an ATT contract, but then ATT put the sales rep on hold to set up the phone, for more than an hour, ....and DH got fed up and walked out of the store with his phone, no contract, no new phone.  I was wandering around the store, looking for stocking stuffers, and other than getting a stuffed stegosaurus for my stocking and a movie for DH, I pretty much walked out with nothing.  ( I collect stegosauruses )

 

 

 

 

Well, off to start fixing tonights meal!  Hugs to all!

[puppycanducruise]

@Sir PMP Happy Birthday 🎂

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

Have a great day.

[smitty34877]

Hello from New Hampshire where it was 17 when we got up. DS has a day planned for baking Swedish cookies and playing board games. We will have fun. This morning a large dog found me in bed and jumped up to keep me company.   
@kochleffel, Paul,

a very Happy Birthday to you!

@Sir PMP, Happy Birthday!

 

Safe travels to all and enjoy the day

[aliaschief]

29 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Happy Birthday to Kochleffel, because it's mine too:

Happy Birthday Sir!🎂

[ottahand7]

@kochleffel  Happy birthday Paul!   

 

[ottahand7]

Happy birthday @Sir PMP!   

 

[Mr. Boston]

Good morning everyone.  Thanks for the daily report, recipes and lists.  A busy day planned with wrapping gifts and starting to pack for our Boxing Day flights to Traverse City, MI for a holiday visit with my mom.  Too busy to watch holiday movies but I could find the time to eat a pfeffernusse with a cup of tea though.  I’ll pass on the meal as we’ll be having a big lunch at the Stockyard later this afternoon.  I haven’t been to today’s port.  Prayers for those on our prayer list and positive thoughts to those who need cheering up!  Cheers to those who are celebrating happy events today.  Happy birthday to @kochleffel🍾

[superoma]

Happy birthday, @Sir PMPand @kochleffel. It is also my friend Elaine’s birthday today, her 80th and she is throwing a party with 80 people. How appropriate. Elaine treats herself to a party of some sort every year for her birthday, making up for it being just another day so close to Christmas growing up as a child. 
 

had a long, lovely lunch with my sister yesterday. She just returned from a whirlwind week long trip to Germany with her 2 adult sons. They all had a great time and also visited with our aunt, my father’s younger sister which gave the aunt a chance to grieve for her brother with close family. We chose a Chinese restaurant attached to our large, local mall. Mall and parking lot were very busy. I don’t normally go to the mall or Costco in December because of the crowds and yesterday just confirmed that that is a good choice! Somewhere else next time!

 

i thought our Christmas was going to be fairly quiet but as i think about the days it will actually be busy. Today the birthday party, tomorrow at our one daughter’s in-laws house (a long standing tradition of well over 25 years). We have been invited there since our daughter started dating her husband, our DSIL. The only years we have missed are the ones when we chose to drive to Florida on Christmas Eve day or Christmas Day. Christmas Day will be quiet. Boxing Day (26) former neighbours who moved out of the city will visit and on the 27th we will have our family Christmas. And I hope to avoid going to any store until the new year, except our vegetable wholesaler.

 

wishing everyone a good Saturday. Hugs to all that are grieving or unwell. Cheers to those cruising or celebrating.

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

@superoma Happy Birthday to your friend Elaine!

[superoma]

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/155182/pfeffernusse-cookies/
 

Pfeffernüsse are wonderful, spicy cookies. Lots of ingredients but not difficult to make. Enjoy

 

 

[RedneckBob]

Oh no, a BOGO from RNB; another cruise story based on the port of call today.

 

Many years ago I had just completed an assignment in Lancaster, CA and then the Misses and me boarded a HAL cruise to the Caribbean on the Ryndam out of Tampa, FL.

We had an inside cabin on the bottom deck but for some reason we were invited to all the parties with the people in Suites. One of those parties was a cocktail party with the Captain and HM.

 

At the cocktail party while enjoying a fresh rum and coke I walked up to this lady at the party and began to talk to her; go figure. After a few minutes I asked where was she from for which she replied, “We live just north of Los Angeles. Knowing my geography of the area I replied, “So you live in Lancaster (which is due north of LA)”. She quickly replied,”Heavens No, we live in San..ta. Bara..bara!!!! and she quickly walked away!

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

A bit of a gloomy day here in mid-Michigan.  It is raining, actually sort of misting, but should clear up later.  I have no intention of leaving the house after braving the crowds yesterday at the grocery store.  I have two pecan chocolate chip pies to make and then I'm dedicating the rest of the day to watching sappy Christmas movies on Hallmark or LMC.  

 

@kazu I am sorry to hear of the passing of DBIL's DM.  May she rest in peace.  

 

@kochleffel and @Sir PMP

 

@cruising sister  Your DGD is precious.  I am happy to see that she is being introduced to the world of pampering at a young age.  DS Sue's DGD River is a true girly girl and would love a manicure.  

 

@RMLincoln That baby is precious!  Thank you for sharing a picture with us.

@smitty34877  I am glad  you arrived safely in NH and that the dog is caring properly for you!

@Cruzin Terri I'm glad you slept a bit better last night.  I'm sorry about the results of the MRI and the worry and concern it causes when you can't get answers to your questions right away.  This is one of those times that I invoke a favorite mantra of my brother's.  Let go and Let God.  

@StLouisCruisers  I hope your trip tomorrow is safe and trouble free.  

@cat shepard Safe travels for you today!

@Crazy For Cats Welcome home!

 

I know I am leaving out someone, so please accept my apologies.  

 

Today's meal is one that I will skip.  I have never been a fan of beef stew.  First, it had tons of carrots in it.  I didn't like the cooked celery.  And the beef had this type of fat that turned to a gelatin when cooked and I had to go through every piece of meat and cut that out. The gravy and potatoes were good, though.  Tonight we'll be having left over spaghetti.  This first recipe doesn't look too bad.  I'd just need to make sure the meat was lean enough to my liking.  https://omnivorescookbook.com/pressure-cooker-curry-beef-stew/

 

 

Here's one for the carrot lovers.  https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/instant-pot-beef-stew-indian-beef-curry/

 

 

And one for the road.  This one has pretty straight forward ingredients.  https://www.aheadofthyme.com/instant-pot-beef-curry/

 

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Edited December 23, 2023 by dfish

[Cruzin Terri]

2 minutes ago, dfish said:

 I'm glad you slept a bit better last night.  I'm sorry about the results of the MRI and the worry and concern it causes when you can't get answers to your questions right away.  This is one of those times that I invoke a favorite mantra of my brother's.  Let go and Let God.  

Thank you Debbie for your kind supportive words.  It’s just what I am trying to do right now.

Terri

[durangoscots]

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

I was reminded of this wonderful neighborhood by a story on the Today Show this morning.  A man strung Christmas lights from his home to his neighbor’s to support her. The whole community followed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/12/21/baltimore-rodgers-forge-christmas-lights/ I hope this story brings you some joy.

That is really interesting to me.... I lived on Dunkirk Road in the Rodgers Forge neighborhood for a number of years. It was always a pretty neat neighborhood.

 

Susan

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

@kochleffel  Paul, I hope your birthday is wonderful.

 

Lenda

 

 

 

[cruising sister]

@Cruzin Terri my DH used to want me to read the test results for him. Unfortunately I knew what they meant. I found something positive like “ the blank was not as bad as I thought it would be” until we heard officially from his oncologist. I learned to compartmentalize. It was a long road and I could not ride the ups and downs.  He chose to live each day to the fullest and I went along for that ride. 

[durangoscots]

Good morning. Rainy day here and I am sure the ski resorts are getting snow. They will be thrilled. As long as the rain does not freeze, I will be happy. The dogs rushed in and out on their morning "business trip" so I will have to take them out again shortly.

 

Little to report from here. I will spend the day cleaning the house in preparation for my departure for San Diego the end of next week. I still can't believe that anyone flies out of Durango at 5:30 in the morning during the dark days of winter but evidently they do. Time is rushing by. The dogs know something is up.

 

Off to get a cup of coffee and get cracking. I have a friend coming by to take some junk out to the dump for me later this afternoon. That is one closet cleared out.

 

Susan

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

@Sir PMP  Hope your birthday is wonderful.

 

 

Lenda

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from a mostly sunny Quartzsite.  It is 49F with a predicted high of 65F.   I don't know how much rain we received yesterday, but it was still raining at 11 pm last night when everyone headed to bed.  DH's fancy rain gauge reads 0.69 inches, but it had been raining for a while before he realized that the information was not showing up on the display.  I know we received more than an inch since my rain gauge measures an inch, which is usually more than we need to measure.  The rest overflowed into the other part of the gauge and I'll have to measure it later.  There was fog in the big wash behind our neighborhood and in the desert valley and mountains to the east when I got up this morning.  I'm not sure what is on the agenda other than heating the ham.

 

DD and DSIL made it here about 9 pm.  It took a bit longer to drive from Sky Harbor to here because of the rain.  The highway between Quartzsite and Yuma was closed due to at least one accident at the county line between La Paz County and Yuma County.  The highway follows the contours of the land, and has many low dips, which flood in heavy rains.  

 

I can celebrate Festivus, and the DD's probably will too since they were fans of Friends.  There could be a Christmas movie marathon, and we don't have any Pfeffernusse in the house.

 

The Horace Walpole quote is good.

 

We'll pass on the meal because of the curry.  I have a good recipe for beef stew, and Debbie @dfish it would taste okay without the carrots.  We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds like it's worth a try.

 

We were in Santa Barbara in March of 2022 on Koningsdam.

 

Vincent van Gogh was a troubled man, but his self portrait with his bandaged head is now worth a lot of $$$$.

The permanent coast to coast radio network set up by NBC in 1928 changed communications.

 

@JazzyV  Vanessa, I have an addition to the celebration list and it is all the wonderful, supportive Dailyites who make this such a wonderful place everyday.

@grapau27  Graham, as always, your explanations are much appreciated.

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, that is a lovely stocking.  Safe travels tomorrow.  Thank you for the heads up about the dates for tomorrow's port.  Since we're two hours behind you and three behind Jacqui @kazu, I may post the links tonight for the early risers to access tomorrow before I'm out of bed.

@Crazy For Cats  Jake, I'm glad you made it home safely.  Sorry about Juan's Legos being attacked.

@Cruzin Terri I'm glad you slept a little better last night.  

@superoma  Eva, your Christmas activities sound like fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

[rafinmd]

 

Roy