he Fleet Report and Daily for Tuesday April 9th, 2024

[rafinmd]

Thank you Rich, Jacqui, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie.  Happy Birthdat @luvteaching.  Happy Anniversary Gerry and Maurice, I wish you many more.,  I think I'll pass on Jenkins Ear and feel like Jumbo was likely exploited.  No antiques but they are important,

 

I like Saint Augustine's quote.

 

John Hancock was one of our true heroes.  I'll pass on the meal.  My alternative is Chilled Rhubarb Soup and Farmers Choice Salad with Grilled Chicken as served on MS Amsterdam April 9, 2014.

 

I had a lot of errands to run this morning and when I returned there were 2 messages on my phone.  My Cardiologist called to alert me to a new chat on my chart.  She felt the Valve Clinic was less urgent than she did yesterday but I will do it to set up a baseline with them.  The other was the person who does the halter monitors.  When we did connect it is scheduled to be placed Thursday morning, and stay on for 3 days.  I will return it to the UPS store for analysis Monday.

 

Then this afternoon the scheduler called and we set up the appoint for the Valve Clinic consultation,  It is sooner than I expected (late May) and it will be at a satellite facility that should be a bit easier to get to than the big city hospital.

 

Roy

[marshhawk]

@rafinmdSounds like things are running smoothly, with them getting in touch with you, instead of you doing all the work trying to get in touch with them.  Good Doc!

 

Several years ago DH's oncologist wanted him to meet with a pain doctor.  I'm not sure she had ever worked with someone like DH, Post heart attack, clogged arteries, cancer, bad hip, mouth pain from radiation. She said she would get all of his dr's together and discuss the best way to handle all of DH's problems.   She never did.  Part of the problem is the heart doc is independent, the oncologist is part of Northside, the hip, ENT and radiation were Emory.  So all the pain meds are being subscribed by the oncologist and the ENT.  He's got pain meds from here to eternity, and the oncologist wants him back with a pain management person.  And today after 6 weeks of telling us that, they called and said they found a new doc, in the Emory offices, in midtown to help get him off all the meds.  I wonder if they can hypnotize him?

The vein and heart doc want him to walk, to get rid of the pain in his hip.  Which would work, if I could get him out walking.  He wont mall walk, he wants the woods.  I agree that soft earth is nicer than cold marble.  But he won't walk if it's raining. The biggest pain he has is from the radiation.  And unless they can stop the jaw bone from dissolving I can't see how they can relieve that pain. The thing is, he doesn't complain about it when we are cruising.  If we could only cruise every two weeks.  LOL. 

 

I had a friend who got hypnotized to quit smoking.  They told him to think of what scared him.  Spiders.  The man hated spiders. So every time he went to light up he got this overwhelming fear that spiders were around him.  After two months I saw him smoking again.  What happened I asked.  He said he got over his fear of spiders.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon from a cloudy but not raining central Texas.  It is still windy, and we could still get some rain overnight and into tomorrow.  I'm not sure if we will reach our predicted high of 71F, but the computer says it's 69F now.  Just after we got on the road to Cleburne, the skies opened up and we had very heavy rain.  We were lucky that the rain was over, or we out ran it quickly.  The rest of the drive and the return trip were rain free.  

 

DH's CT scan went well.  It takes a while for the shunt to relieve all of the symptoms, and he wondered if he might need an adjustment.  However, since getting the appointment for the CT scan, the symptoms have lessened more.  We'll see what the people at UT Southwester say when the see the results of the CT scan.  

 

My routine dental cleaning had some not surprising but unwelcome news.  There is a tooth that has become a problem.  The dentist said the bone is receding and that within a year, he needs to pull that tooth and maybe another.  One solution is a bridge, but if it is done within a year, an implant will be possible.  That is my preference.  I'll probably schedule it in late August or early September before we head to Quartzsite again.  I already have one implant, and it's the same tooth on the opposite side of my mouth, so I know what to expect, and it's not that big a deal.

 

6 hours ago, ger_77 said:

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  I had to look up Jenkins Ear Day ... ouch!!  I love elephants, and feel sorry for poor Jumbo being paraded around like that.  I'll cherish the antique I'm married to.

 

Thank you for the anniversary wishes, it's hard to believe it's been 47 years that we've been together.  As I said on my FB post this morning, things have been better, they've been worse; we've been richer and we've been poorer, but through it all we've loved and laughed, and we are truly blessed.  Here we are in all our finery at our tiny wedding in my in-law's living room (only 18 in attendance).

 

@luvteaching I know today is a bittersweet day for you as you celebrate your birthday and also it should have been your 47th wedding anniversary.  I hope the memories of the years and times you shared will bring you some comfort.  Sending you hugs across the miles.

@grapau27good luck at your skin cancer check-up today.

@rafinmdI hope the cardiologist appointment meant things were on an even keel for you.

@Quartzsite Cruiserhoping all goes well for DH's CT scan today.

 

This morning we are heading out to a lovely restaurant by the river called Scarlet where we've gone - with the exception of the 2 Covid years, and the 2 when we were in Japan - every year on our anniversary.  When we were working, we'd both take the day off, go for breakfast and enjoy watching all the people going by as they were headed off to work while we were relaxing with a nicely served breakfast and coffee.   Looking at the memories section of FB, on this day in 2012 and 2016 we were in Tokyo - the first time so I could officiate our son's wedding, and the second so that the Japanese grandparents could meet their first grandchild.  Great memories of both experiences.

 

I'd love to try the drink, but bet that bartenders wouldn't enjoy making it - they want to do it quick and easy, while this takes "less than 5 minutes" which in bartending minutes is a long time!  I'll pass on the wine, but do enjoy broccoli and cheese egg muffins.  The kitchen is closed in our house today, so we'll be enjoying something delicious that is prepared and served by others at a lovely Greek restaurant tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, and in turmoil.  Cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

 

Gerry, thanks for sharing the great wedding picture.  

 

6 hours ago, Nickelpenny said:

Happy Tuesday to all and thanks for the daily and fleet report.  Poor Jenkins and Dumbo, love antiques but don't have any, thoughtful quote, and good for Hancock!!  Pass on all of the gastronomy stuff today.  I have been to Denali several times but it was when I was on assignment in AK.  

 

 

Yesterday it just got a tad darker and inside it seemed like it was early morning.  But I watched it on my computer - amazing!!  I decided to take the whole week off so I am a little off kilter.  I am a procrastinator so my fav phrase, I will do it tomorrow, has been thought by me several times so far this week.  I do have a Basic Life Support class on Friday as my cert is expiring this month.  Other than that, nothing really planned.

 

 

I am finally - slowly - dismantling Martina's toys, litter box and other things.  I put her gravity feeder outside and I either have a young stray or someone's outdoor cat coming to feast on the food.  I don't see a collar but who knows.  I have a picture box frame that I will put her collar, paw print and collar in - with a picture.  I hope to do that is week.

 

 

Happy Birthday to @luvteaching and Happy Anniversary to @ger_77.  Thoughts for those on the care list and cheers to those celebrating.  Oh!  @aliaschief I LOVE your pictures!!!  🥰   

 

Have a great day everyone!!

 

Pennie, the picture box with Martina's collar and paw print, plus her pictures is a lovely tribute to her.  

 

5 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

We visited Denali 🏔️May 2022; of course, it was beautiful! We hiked some, there was quite a bit of snow and patches of ice that prevented us from going too far, but it was a bucket list item for DH and did not disappoint. We had a beautiful blue sky day, so it was lovely. No pictures as they're on my computer - I look forward to seeing what fellow Dailyites post.

 

It was 61° headed to stormy 70° when I checked 2 hours ago.

 

Lovely picture @ger_77 you look so happy.

 

HR has scheduled a call w/me this morning and boss has an OOO posted 🤷‍♀️ let's see who shows.

 

Don't know what dinner will be, but whatever it is will be a joy to prep and clean up - the new faucet is wonderful!! Can't put anything away under the sink yet as the plumber didn't use a towel or bucket so all the water from the old one poured out and the base is still wet. Ugh. But I'm thrilled w/the faucet.

 

Prayers 🙏 and positive thoughts for all. 

 

Elizabeth, I'm glad you have a new faucet, but I can't believe the plumber didn't put a bucket under the sink while working.

 

4 hours ago, bennybear said:

Good morning and thanks all! 
A special shout out to Vanessa who keeps such amazing lists, in spite of dealing with such health issues,  hugs!  

@erewhon glad you had a good anniversary!  Even though I am confused when you said yesterday,  it was yesterday.  We have friends in Australia and by the time we realize it’s their birthdays, they’re over.  either way hope it was lovely! 

So many anniversaries in April, we also agree it’s a good time to get married!  Wishing @ger_77 Maurice and Geri a very happy 47 th, love the photo!  And love that you know where you were for all of them.

 

@luvteaching sending you extra gentle hugs as you celebrate your birthday and what would have been your 47 th anniversary!  Hoping good memories comfort you!

 

 

 

Please no!   Much better to get a legitimate count from your usually high quality posts.  🥹😂😉.  Plus our friends in the west and down under don’t have to wade through so many posts.  
 

We enjoyed watching the eclipse coverage as the pinhole box didn’t work here.  Many places in Canada experienced totality. So it was pretty cool to see it turning dark and that light again.

 

 

Brenda, thanks for the great picture of the pheasant.  They are lovely birds.

 

4 hours ago, luvteaching said:

Good morning,

 

At the risk of not missing someone THANK YOU everyone for all the good wishes! I'm doing ok today, so far, and hopefully it will continue. Yesterday DS surprised me by baking a birthday cake for me from scratch - his first ever! It's German Chocolate and looks totally decadent. When a friend comes for tea later we'll have a bite or two. The top says "Happy Someteen" which goes back to last year when DD DH was in the hospital on this day. I went in and he greeted me with Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary. I asked how many years we'd been married and he could tell me 46 but when I asked how old I was her got a bewildered look and said "umpteen". It's become a favorite memory for me. 

 

Yesterday our sister-in-law passed away after a mighty struggle with brain and breast cancer. She went peacefully in her sleep which is good. She was at home and went downhill quickly this weekend. She was married to my DD DH's brother. She did beautiful quilting and we all have quilts to remember her by. 

 

Have a wonderful day! I'm heading out to lunch with DS and DDIL at Olive Garden this afternoon and looking forward to that. 

 

Karen

 

 

 

Karen, how sweet and thoughtful of your DS to make a special cake for your birthday.  I'm glad it brings back such a sweet memory from your birthday and anniversary last year.  And it does look decadent.

 

3 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Good morning all!

We're slowly adjusting to being home again -- although I admit many times I have to stop to remember what season it is.  So strange to spend 3 months with "summer-early fall" weather and to see pumpkins growing there when it's only early spring here and the tulips are just now blooming.  We're having typical April weather here and of course couldn't see any of the eclipse yesterday.  Even if we'd had clear skies it would have been only 20%.

 

I do cherish several antiques that were passed down to me from my grandparents.  Will pass on the meal, but the drink sounds good as does the (dry) Riesling.  We were in Denali on a Triple Denali with best friends in 2019.  Photos below.

 

Happy Birthday Karen @luvteaching!  I'm glad to hear that you're doing ok even though the day is bittersweet.  Also sorry to hear about your DSIL's passing.  I hate cancer!

 

Happy Anniversary Gerry and Maurice @ger_77!

 

We sent 5 postcards to the Grandsons while we were away.  They have received 4 of the 5, I'm thinking the 5th may never arrive since I sent it on January 31 😞  The rest took about 3 weeks to arrive.

 

Luggage Forward says our 4 bags will arrive day after tomorrow (I'm not looking forward to unpacking those!)  And the wine we bought in New Zealand (Marlborough of course!) will arrive within 10 days.  It has reached the US now.

 

Denali:

 

 

View from Hurricane Gulch Bridge

 

Moose on the loose

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carolyn, loved the Denali pictures.  All our trips to the interior, including Denali, have been by motorhome.

 

3 hours ago, Norseh2o said:

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes! We had a nice long weekend in Arizona, three days in Tucson with great Mexican food, backyard bbq, shopping at a mall (first time at a mall since < the pandemic!), gathered in Glendale cemetery with family and friends for a brief prayer and joyful Happy Birthday singing for DM’s first heavenly birthday, 4/7. Celebrated my day, 4/8 (first birthday without DM, 🥲) not watching the eclipse but enjoying the drive home to California. Birthday dinner tonight with DS and DDIL and 2 grands, 🥰.

Happy birthday to all celebrating, beautiful wedding picture, Gerry! May you have many more years together! 

 

That is good news you had a good weekend in Arizona.  I'm glad you are home safely.

 

3 hours ago, durangoscots said:

I now know exactly what time the kennel where my dogs boarded during the Grand Australia feeds their clients in the morning and I am not happy. Hopefully I can get them back on my schedule. That early morning walk in the dark was not appreciated by me. But all 8 paws hitting me as I slept certainly got me going. They were cooperative when I got them out.

 

Luggage forward says my 2 bags should arrive on Thursday. We will see. Unpacking is not one of my favorite things but will manage. A few things I took with me and never wore are going straight to the thrift store.

 

Today's main focus will be getting my tax info together. I went to the bank early this morning after that early wake up from the dogs so all deposits are in order. I am having trouble adjusting to the seasons also.... and I am amazed at how little traffic there is in Durango. Of course we are between tourist seasons but still. The one real bummer is that they are going to be working all summer on a road near me and my street will be heavily used by detouring traffic. I am sure I will survive it all.

 

Off to sort, toss and start on the tax stuff. And maybe sneak in a nap if the dogs will let me.

 

 

 

Susan, the dogs might not like it, but if the roadwork is a problem, you could spend the summer on a BHB.

 

2 hours ago, kochleffel said:

The meal would be OK. Once for a lunch at the synagogue, I made something similar and tried to trick everyone by using smoked cheese, so that they would taste as if they might contain bacon. Yet another pseudotini. For the wine, the Dry Riesling by J.R. Dill that I mentioned on March 28 and still have some of in the refrigerator.

 

I awoke to sunshine. Weather.com said that today would be the last day this week with any sun and that it would cloud over in the afternoon, so right after breakfast I headed out to Experience the Beauty of Nature. This is Taughannock Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rockies.

 

 

This is from an overlook with road access. I hope to have enough mobility by next week to take the path to the pool at the bottom of the falls, just out of view in the foreground. This was #6 of the required 10.

 

I also awoke to two complaining cats, but I have no idea what about. It is very rare for DaVinci to say anything; Mona Lisa is the spokescat.

 

 

 

Paul, thanks for the picture of the waterfall.  The first time we drove to Alaska, I think I drove the DDs crazy pointing out all the waterfalls.

 

2 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Good evening.

I was in and out of the skin cancer consultant's office in about 5 minutes.

She checked the 2 cancer removal scars on my face and said my face looked good.😃

 

Graham, glad you had a good report today.

 

46 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Thank you Rich, Jacqui, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie.  Happy Birthdat @luvteaching.  Happy Anniversary Gerry and Maurice, I wish you many more.,  I think I'll pass on Jenkins Ear and feel like Jumbo was likely exploited.  No antiques but they are important,

 

I like Saint Augustine's quote.

 

John Hancock was one of our true heroes.  I'll pass on the meal.  My alternative is Chilled Rhubarb Soup and Farmers Choice Salad with Grilled Chicken as served on MS Amsterdam April 9, 2014.

 

I had a lot of errands to run this morning and when I returned there were 2 messages on my phone.  My Cardiologist called to alert me to a new chat on my chart.  She felt the Valve Clinic was less urgent than she did yesterday but I will do it to set up a baseline with them.  The other was the person who does the halter monitors.  When we did connect it is scheduled to be placed Thursday morning, and stay on for 3 days.  I will return it to the UPS store for analysis Monday.

 

Then this afternoon the scheduler called and we set up the appoint for the Valve Clinic consultation,  It is sooner than I expected (late May) and it will be at a satellite facility that should be a bit easier to get to than the big city hospital.

 

Roy

 

Roy, that is good news everything is lining up quickly, and that the cardiologist feels the valve clinic is less urgent.  Also, it's good you can go to a satellite office for the valve evaluation.

 

20 minutes ago, marshhawk said:

@rafinmdSounds like things are running smoothly, with them getting in touch with you, instead of you doing all the work trying to get in touch with them.  Good Doc!

 

Several years ago DH's oncologist wanted him to meet with a pain doctor.  I'm not sure she had ever worked with someone like DH, Post heart attack, clogged arteries, cancer, bad hip, mouth pain from radiation. She said she would get all of his dr's together and discuss the best way to handle all of DH's problems.   She never did.  Part of the problem is the heart doc is independent, the oncologist is part of Northside, the hip, ENT and radiation were Emory.  So all the pain meds are being subscribed by the oncologist and the ENT.  He's got pain meds from here to eternity, and the oncologist wants him back with a pain management person.  And today after 6 weeks of telling us that, they called and said they found a new doc, in the Emory offices, in midtown to help get him off all the meds.  I wonder if they can hypnotize him?

The vein and heart doc want him to walk, to get rid of the pain in his hip.  Which would work, if I could get him out walking.  He wont mall walk, he wants the woods.  I agree that soft earth is nicer than cold marble.  But he won't walk if it's raining. The biggest pain he has is from the radiation.  And unless they can stop the jaw bone from dissolving I can't see how they can relieve that pain. The thing is, he doesn't complain about it when we are cruising.  If we could only cruise every two weeks.  LOL. 

 

I had a friend who got hypnotized to quit smoking.  They told him to think of what scared him.  Spiders.  The man hated spiders. So every time he went to light up he got this overwhelming fear that spiders were around him.  After two months I saw him smoking again.  What happened I asked.  He said he got over his fear of spiders.

 

Annie, I hope DH can be helped with the pain.  Sometimes, too many doctors who do not communicate can make things more complicated.

 

Now, I better go make the pizza dough so it has times to rise.

 

Lenda

[superoma]

A friend just reminded me that today is Vimy Ridge day. If you like historical fiction I can recommend “the stone carvers” by Jane urquhart, a Canadian writer. 

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

I had to look up Jenkins Ear Day. I remember Jumbo the elephant. I like antiques and have many in my home. I like the quote. I like the meal (didn't we have this recently?). Pass on the drink and wine. I have been to Denali NP. A good day in history.

 

It's a lovely day here, 75F and partly sunny. Then rain for the next few days. I got about 4 hours of sleep last night, despite being exhausted. I stayed in bed a while, then had to go get a haircut and then PT. My pain level is 10/10 today, when it hits. Sitting in a car for long periods yesterday didn't help. Ugh. Tomorrow I have my pre-op exam with my PCP. Thursday I will be taking BFF for Mohs surgery, with a repeat next Thursday for a different spot.

 

Yesterday BFF and I drove to a friend's house near Cleveland. They had a very nice patio from which we watched the eclipse. It was spectacular. The temp dropped about 10 degrees, and it looked like night. BFF surprised me with a T-shirt that said "Twice in a Lifetime" and had the dates of the 2017 eclipse and yesterday's. Sadly the drive home was somewhat horrendous, with all the traffic. We tried a detour off the highway, and got lost, LOL. But we eventually made it home. 2 hours, 20 minutes going, 5 hours coming home. So being gone from home from 9A to 11P, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, other than the Cares List.

 

@luvteaching Happy Birthday! And gentle hugs. So sweet of DS to make you a cake, and from scratch! I'm sorry to hear of the passing of your DSIL. Condolences to the family.

@ger_77 Happy Anniversary to you and Maurice! Thanks for the lovely photo.

@grapau27 Nice videos, and thanks for the explanation. Good news from the skin cancer specialist.

@MISTER 67 I'm glad you're feeling better.

@Overhead Fred It looks like you had a good time yesterday. Thanks for the photo of those at your meal and the cake. 

@aliaschief Interesting photos. I would have been fasting with you.

@smitty34877 That's a great photo! I hope Tana is doing ok today.

@P&PNH Great photo! Most don't get to see Denali because of clouds.

@Cruising-along Nice photos.

@kochleffel Taughannock Falls looks like a great place to visit.

@rafinmd I hope all the Cardiology tests and appointments go well.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating. 

 

2 photos from yesterday. I have a couple hundred to sort through.

 

 

A few pictures from Denali. 

In Denali Park

 

Bears

 

Caribou

 

Denali Flight Seeing tour

 

Rainbow in the sky

 

Breaking through the clouds. Denali's 2 peaks, which are 2 miles apart!

 

Circling around Denali

 

 

Edited April 9 by JazzyV

[grapau27]

4 minutes ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

I had to look up Jenkins Ear Day. I remember Jumbo the elephant. I like antiques and have many in my home. I like the quote. I like the meal (didn't we have this recently?). Pass on the drink and wine. I have been to Denali NP. A good day in history.

 

It's a lovely day here, 75F and partly sunny. Then rain for the next few days. I got about 4 hours of sleep last night, despite being exhausted. I stayed in bed a while, then had to go get a haircut and then PT. My pain level is 10/10 today, when it hits. Sitting in a car for long periods yesterday didn't help. Ugh. Tomorrow I have my pre-op exam with my PCP. Thursday I will be taking BFF for Mohs surgery, with a repeat next Thursday for a different spot.

 

Yesterday BFF and I drove to a friend's house near Cleveland. They had a very nice patio from which we watched the eclipse. It was spectacular. The temp dropped about 10 degrees, and it looked like night. BFF surprised me with a T-shirt that said "Twice in a Lifetime" and had the dates of the 2017 eclipse and yesterday's. Sadly the drive home was somewhat horrendous, with all the traffic. We tried a detour off the highway, and got lost, LOL. But we eventually made it home. 2 hours, 20 minutes going, 5 hours coming home. So being gone from home from 9A to 11P, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, other than the Cares List.

 

@luvteaching Happy Birthday! And gentle hugs. So sweet of DS to make you a cake, and from scratch! I'm sorry to hear of the passing of your DSIL. Condolences to the family.

@ger_77 Happy Anniversary to you and Maurice! Thanks for the lovely photo.

@grapau27 Nice videos, and thanks for the explanation. Good news from the skin cancer specialist.

@MISTER 67 I'm glad you're feeling better.

@Overhead Fred It looks like you had a good time yesterday. Thanks for the photo of those at your meal and the cake. 

@aliaschief Interesting photos. I would have been fasting with you.

@smitty34877 That's a great photo! I hope Tana is doing ok today.

@P&PNH Great photo! Most don't get to see Denali because of clouds.

@Cruising-along Nice photos.

@kochleffel Taughannock Falls looks like a great place to visit.

@rafinmd I hope all the Cardiology tests and appointments go well.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating. 

 

2 photos from yesterday. I have a couple hundred to sort through.

 

 

A few pictures from Denali. 

In Denali Park

 

Bears

 

Caribou

 

Denali Flight Seeing tour

 

Rainbow in the sky

 

Breaking through the clouds. Denali's 2 peaks, which are 2 miles apart!

 

Circling around Denali

 

 

Thank you and great photos Vanessa.

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2014 Amsterdam cruise from Capetown to Fort Lauderdale.  April 9 was a sea day from St. Helena to Ascension Island.

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Ouch @marshhawk.  Prayers for Chuck. 

I feel very fortunate living in Central Maryland with two fantastic teaching hospitals, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins.  They do not communicate directly but both are part of mychart, and they can easily see what my other key doctors are doing.  My cardiologist and emergency room are both part of Hopkins, while my valve repair and radiation oncology are with UM.  My regular oncologist is not directly on either network but his office has a direct connect connection to radiology and they 2 doctors chat at the drop of a hat.

 

At least the communication that's most needed comes very easily, and everything has been extremely seamless so far.  I also have a great primary and the doctors keep him in the loop and a very good urgent care close to my house.

 

Roy

[kochleffel]

40 minutes ago, JazzyV said:

I had to look up Jenkins Ear Day.

 

I was just relieved that it was the day and not the menu.

 

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, P&amp;PNH said:

... We went on a HAL Land Sea cruise in May 2022, and it was wonderful.  Spent 3 nights at McKinley Lodge, explored the park, and took the train down to Whittier with an overnight stop in Anchorage.  Then onto the N Amsterdam for the trip down the coast to Vancouver.  Photo is Mt Denali taken from the train on way south.

Great picture! Our land cruise was also May 2022; we ended in Anchorage. 

[57redbird]

I'm chiming in on the doctor thread....I've never been crazy about my PCP -- he was a default choice when our previous PCP retired....I had dealt with the 'new guy' as a nurse & thought he was pretty good but as his patient, I've never been really satisfied with him.  We have Medicare A & B as well as Kaiser....again I dealt with a Kaiser MD as a nurse & liked him (& worked with his sister, also an RN)...finally got an appointment to see him yesterday & he's working on getting my pain meds figured out so I can get some relief....the surgeon's PA put me on increasing doses of Gabapentin, which I didn't do....this new MD said 300 mg was probably too much & reduced the dose to 100 at bedtime along with Ultram once a day...too soon to know the results BUT....he's going on a sabbatical for 9 months so I won't be able to see him again till January.....anyway had a bunch of labs drawn yesterday, got a pneumonia booster, need a DXA scan, etc.....so so far I'm very pleased.

[highscar]

Know how you feel.  Had doctor 40 years. Even delived babies in those days.   New doctor when answering his questions answers with “ well when you’re in your eighties =====.  Lokking for another one. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

The pizza dough is rising and will be ready to roll out and assemble the pizza in about 30 minutes.  Everything else is prepped.  

 

1 hour ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

I had to look up Jenkins Ear Day. I remember Jumbo the elephant. I like antiques and have many in my home. I like the quote. I like the meal (didn't we have this recently?). Pass on the drink and wine. I have been to Denali NP. A good day in history.

 

It's a lovely day here, 75F and partly sunny. Then rain for the next few days. I got about 4 hours of sleep last night, despite being exhausted. I stayed in bed a while, then had to go get a haircut and then PT. My pain level is 10/10 today, when it hits. Sitting in a car for long periods yesterday didn't help. Ugh. Tomorrow I have my pre-op exam with my PCP. Thursday I will be taking BFF for Mohs surgery, with a repeat next Thursday for a different spot.

 

Yesterday BFF and I drove to a friend's house near Cleveland. They had a very nice patio from which we watched the eclipse. It was spectacular. The temp dropped about 10 degrees, and it looked like night. BFF surprised me with a T-shirt that said "Twice in a Lifetime" and had the dates of the 2017 eclipse and yesterday's. Sadly the drive home was somewhat horrendous, with all the traffic. We tried a detour off the highway, and got lost, LOL. But we eventually made it home. 2 hours, 20 minutes going, 5 hours coming home. So being gone from home from 9A to 11P, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, other than the Cares List.

 

@luvteaching Happy Birthday! And gentle hugs. So sweet of DS to make you a cake, and from scratch! I'm sorry to hear of the passing of your DSIL. Condolences to the family.

@ger_77 Happy Anniversary to you and Maurice! Thanks for the lovely photo.

@grapau27 Nice videos, and thanks for the explanation. Good news from the skin cancer specialist.

@MISTER 67 I'm glad you're feeling better.

@Overhead Fred It looks like you had a good time yesterday. Thanks for the photo of those at your meal and the cake. 

@aliaschief Interesting photos. I would have been fasting with you.

@smitty34877 That's a great photo! I hope Tana is doing ok today.

@P&PNH Great photo! Most don't get to see Denali because of clouds.

@Cruising-along Nice photos.

@kochleffel Taughannock Falls looks like a great place to visit.

@rafinmd I hope all the Cardiology tests and appointments go well.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating. 

 

2 photos from yesterday. I have a couple hundred to sort through.

 

 

A few pictures from Denali. 

In Denali Park

 

Bears

 

Caribou

 

Denali Flight Seeing tour

 

Rainbow in the sky

 

Breaking through the clouds. Denali's 2 peaks, which are 2 miles apart!

 

Circling around Denali

 

 

 

Vanessa, I'm glad you got to see the eclipse yesterday, but sorry your long day caught up with you today.  I hope you are better tomorrow, and that you get some much needed sleep tonight.  I hope your pre-op visit tomorrow goes well.  I also hope they can get everything in one pass for your BFF's MOHs surgeries.  BTW, DH does not need to be on the care list.  We're just waiting to see what UTSW has o say.  He is getting better, but slowly.

 

19 minutes ago, 57redbird said:

I'm chiming in on the doctor thread....I've never been crazy about my PCP -- he was a default choice when our previous PCP retired....I had dealt with the 'new guy' as a nurse & thought he was pretty good but as his patient, I've never been really satisfied with him.  We have Medicare A & B as well as Kaiser....again I dealt with a Kaiser MD as a nurse & liked him (& worked with his sister, also an RN)...finally got an appointment to see him yesterday & he's working on getting my pain meds figured out so I can get some relief....the surgeon's PA put me on increasing doses of Gabapentin, which I didn't do....this new MD said 300 mg was probably too much & reduced the dose to 100 at bedtime along with Ultram once a day...too soon to know the results BUT....he's going on a sabbatical for 9 months so I won't be able to see him again till January.....anyway had a bunch of labs drawn yesterday, got a pneumonia booster, need a DXA scan, etc.....so so far I'm very pleased.

 

3 minutes ago, highscar said:

Know how you feel.  Had doctor 40 years. Even delived babies in those days.   New doctor when answering his questions answers with “ well when you’re in your eighties =====.  Lokking for another one. 

 

Our PCP works with older patients.  In fact, two days a week he sees patients in the area nursing homes.  He is a very popular doctor in our little town.

 

Lenda

[quilty964]

Good afternoon.  It's sunny and 60 here today.  Yesterday was perfect for viewing the eclipse.  We had about 90% coverage and it was amazing to watch with my library glasses.  They're collecting them back to send to Latin America schools so the children can see the eclipse there next year.    I sat with some church friends in their driveway.  It didn't seem like it got dark, but people inside said it did.  We did notice a drop in the temperature, though.  

Our 1st cruise was on the Westerdam to Alaska in 2019.  We did the land and sea tour!  That was amazing.  We saw a lot while we were in Denali.  We saw a Momma moose with twins just at the entrance to the park, a big grizzly munching in a field, a "nursery" of sheep up on a hill, and then saw their dog sled program.  That was a very fun 3 days! We did see the mountain peak from afar, but when we reached the end of the road, the top was in the clouds.  

Have a good evening, I've been gone all day, and have to leave again shortly for bell choir practice.  

Hugs to @luvteaching and all the rest that need them.  @marshhawkIt sure sounds like your DH and you could use a break...the idea of continuous cruising sounds great! 

[erewhon]

@kazu  Thanks for posting the locations of the Holland America Line fleet and the daily.

@rafinmd  thank you for posting the maps.

The broccoli cheese egg muffins sound good.

@ger_77  Congratulations on your Anniversary, may you have many more.

@luvteaching  Wishing you a Happy Birthday, sending a big hug to you.

 

Will read all the posts later.

[StLouisCruisers]

A report back on DGS Austin's allergy emergency last week.  He went to the allergist today and they tested him for tree nut allergies.  He had an immediate severe reaction to walnuts, but they have advised him to not take a chance on other tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, filberts/hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, and shea nuts). They called it a very severe reaction.  He actually had every side effect possible last Thursday.  He will have to be very careful from here on out. 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Good evening.

I was in and out of the skin cancer consultant's office in about 5 minutes.

She checked the 2 cancer removal scars on my face and said my face looked good.😃

 

Excellent news, Graham!

 

 

 

3 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Thank you Rich, Jacqui, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie.  Happy Birthdat @luvteaching.  Happy Anniversary Gerry and Maurice, I wish you many more.,  I think I'll pass on Jenkins Ear and feel like Jumbo was likely exploited.  No antiques but they are important,

 

I like Saint Augustine's quote.

 

John Hancock was one of our true heroes.  I'll pass on the meal.  My alternative is Chilled Rhubarb Soup and Farmers Choice Salad with Grilled Chicken as served on MS Amsterdam April 9, 2014.

 

I had a lot of errands to run this morning and when I returned there were 2 messages on my phone.  My Cardiologist called to alert me to a new chat on my chart.  She felt the Valve Clinic was less urgent than she did yesterday but I will do it to set up a baseline with them.  The other was the person who does the halter monitors.  When we did connect it is scheduled to be placed Thursday morning, and stay on for 3 days.  I will return it to the UPS store for analysis Monday.

 

Then this afternoon the scheduler called and we set up the appoint for the Valve Clinic consultation,  It is sooner than I expected (late May) and it will be at a satellite facility that should be a bit easier to get to than the big city hospital.

 

Roy

 

I'm glad all the appointments seem to be coming along quickly and without much hassle.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

I had to look up Jenkins Ear Day. I remember Jumbo the elephant. I like antiques and have many in my home. I like the quote. I like the meal (didn't we have this recently?). Pass on the drink and wine. I have been to Denali NP. A good day in history.

 

It's a lovely day here, 75F and partly sunny. Then rain for the next few days. I got about 4 hours of sleep last night, despite being exhausted. I stayed in bed a while, then had to go get a haircut and then PT. My pain level is 10/10 today, when it hits. Sitting in a car for long periods yesterday didn't help. Ugh. Tomorrow I have my pre-op exam with my PCP. Thursday I will be taking BFF for Mohs surgery, with a repeat next Thursday for a different spot.

 

Yesterday BFF and I drove to a friend's house near Cleveland. They had a very nice patio from which we watched the eclipse. It was spectacular. The temp dropped about 10 degrees, and it looked like night. BFF surprised me with a T-shirt that said "Twice in a Lifetime" and had the dates of the 2017 eclipse and yesterday's. Sadly the drive home was somewhat horrendous, with all the traffic. We tried a detour off the highway, and got lost, LOL. But we eventually made it home. 2 hours, 20 minutes going, 5 hours coming home. So being gone from home from 9A to 11P, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, other than the Cares List.

 

@luvteaching Happy Birthday! And gentle hugs. So sweet of DS to make you a cake, and from scratch! I'm sorry to hear of the passing of your DSIL. Condolences to the family.

@ger_77 Happy Anniversary to you and Maurice! Thanks for the lovely photo.

@grapau27 Nice videos, and thanks for the explanation. Good news from the skin cancer specialist.

@MISTER 67 I'm glad you're feeling better.

@Overhead Fred It looks like you had a good time yesterday. Thanks for the photo of those at your meal and the cake. 

@aliaschief Interesting photos. I would have been fasting with you.

@smitty34877 That's a great photo! I hope Tana is doing ok today.

@P&PNH Great photo! Most don't get to see Denali because of clouds.

@Cruising-along Nice photos.

@kochleffel Taughannock Falls looks like a great place to visit.

@rafinmd I hope all the Cardiology tests and appointments go well.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating. 

 

2 photos from yesterday. I have a couple hundred to sort through.

 

 

A few pictures from Denali. 

In Denali Park

 

Bears

 

Caribou

 

Denali Flight Seeing tour

 

Rainbow in the sky

 

Breaking through the clouds. Denali's 2 peaks, which are 2 miles apart!

 

Circling around Denali

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the excellent photos today, both the eclipse photos and the Denali photos.  I hate to hear of your pain levels though after yesterday's problems getting home.  I hope you get more rest tonight and less pain tomorrow.

[erewhon]

@bennybear yesterday when I posted it was the 9th of April, our Anniversary is the 8th. Today is the 10th, now 1.10 pm.

Edited April 10 by erewhon

[Haljo1935]

4 hours ago, grapau27 said:

... great photos Vanessa.

+1 @JazzyV

[Haljo1935]

@StLouisCruisers I think you said, so apologies if I'm having you repeat something - did DGS Austin have a history of any nut allergies or did this just happen suddenly that day?

That's scary to think one could safely eat something then one day suddenly have such a severe allergic reaction.

Prayers 🙏 he continues to be ok.

[erewhon]

7 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Good evening.

I was in and out of the skin cancer consultant's office in about 5 minutes.

She checked the 2 cancer removal scars on my face and said my face looked good.😃

 

Good news.

Did you get a good report for your foot pain?

[marshhawk]

@Haljo1935 

Sandi said that he was not much of an experimental eater, someone had given him fudge, and there were walnuts in it.  That's when he found out.

 

 

[aliaschief]

From somewhere on the Indian Ocean goodnight to all. We set our clocks back and hour last night. Tonight we set them back 30 minutes. 8:00 AM and it is roasting outside. I believe we will enjoy our sea day inside.

Off to morning Trivia and then a guest lecture at 10:00.

Bruce

[marshhawk]

My dad's favorite thing to eat when we lived in France was bouillabaisse.  We often went to Mont Saint Michel, and stayed at a small hotel near by, and he would order bouillabaisse.  And every time he did this, he would get very very ill.  So when we moved back to the states, he did an allergy test and found out, that he was allergic to seafood.  Which lasted until the last year of his life and he could eat shrimp again.

 

My parents gave me a choice of two camps when I finished 6th grade.  Sailing camp out on Cape Cod, or Riding camp in north Vermont.  They gave me the choice, but decided for me.  Figuring that my grandparents would at least come visit me since they lived in Woodstock VT.

There I was the granddaughter of a horse breeder, and I found out within day one, but lasted for 6 weeks, I was allergic to horses. When I got back from camp, I got tested.  It it has fur or hair, I'm allergic to it.  Even the cats!  I took years of shots, and had no problems with cats.  Until this past year. 

 

@tupper10You had mentioned a few days ago the fact that I had cruised on Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.  I was 6 when we left the USA to live in France.  We took the Queen Mary out of New York.  We had to be dressed to the 9's every day, and pretend to be perfect children.  My brother went to swim in the pool (inside on the lower decks back then) and there was an octopus swimming in the pool.  He never went back to swim.  They had daily tea parties for the children, and showed movies in a small theatre.  We did have early dining (this is when the children were supposed to eat) but we dined as a family.  After dinner, I remember my mother dressed up  in the most beautiful gowns, and my parents would go out and dance the night away.  All the rest of her life, she never got so gussied up again.

 

When we left France, we stayed in Paris for a few days, and Dad took us to the movies, we saw The Longest Day.  When we got home the first movie I saw was West Side Story, and I thought, what a violent country we came back to.  I don't remember anything about the Queen Elizabeth except for coming back into the New York Harbor. In the fog, we ran into a small sailboat, and the sudden stop of motion made me terribly ill. I'm sure that they had the same fancy things  going on that we had on the Queen Mary, but by then I had become rather introverted and spent my time walking the ship, or had my head in a book.

 

 

[Sharon in AZ]

Good evening everyone. I was under the weather yesterday so watched the eclipse on TV. I didn’t care for most of the coverage but did enjoy the Science channel coverage. It was only for 30 minutes and no one talked during the actual eclipse. It was broadcast from Baylor in Waco and spectacular. Some scientists talked at the beginning but that was all. I didn’t go outside but it did get dim. 
 

Thank you for the recipes Debbie @dfish, I made something similar for Christmas and made them ahead which made it so much easier. I love sundried tomatoes too!

 

9 hours ago, durangoscots said:

I now know exactly what time the kennel where my dogs boarded during the Grand Australia feeds their clients in the morning and I am not happy. Hopefully I can get them back on my schedule. That early morning walk in the dark was not appreciated by me. But all 8 paws hitting me as I slept certainly got me going. They were cooperative when I got them out.

 

Luggage forward says my 2 bags should arrive on Thursday. We will see. Unpacking is not one of my favorite things but will manage. A few things I took with me and never wore are going straight to the thrift store.

 

Today's main focus will be getting my tax info together. I went to the bank early this morning after that early wake up from the dogs so all deposits are in order. I am having trouble adjusting to the seasons also.... and I am amazed at how little traffic there is in Durango. Of course we are between tourist seasons but still. The one real bummer is that they are going to be working all summer on a road near me and my street will be heavily used by detouring traffic. I am sure I will survive it all.

 

Off to sort, toss and start on the tax stuff. And maybe sneak in a nap if the dogs will let me.

 

 

When we board our dog Blue he is always tired and sleeps for two days. And they feed him earlier than I do too. It takes a while but I finally get him back on my schedule. I just do it about 15 minutes later each day. 

 

8 hours ago, kochleffel said:

The meal would be OK. Once for a lunch at the synagogue, I made something similar and tried to trick everyone by using smoked cheese, so that they would taste as if they might contain bacon. Yet another pseudotini. For the wine, the Dry Riesling by J.R. Dill that I mentioned on March 28 and still have some of in the refrigerator.

 

I awoke to sunshine. Weather.com said that today would be the last day this week with any sun and that it would cloud over in the afternoon, so right after breakfast I headed out to Experience the Beauty of Nature. This is Taughannock Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rockies.

 

 

This is from an overlook with road access. I hope to have enough mobility by next week to take the path to the pool at the bottom of the falls, just out of view in the foreground. This was #6 of the required 10.

 

I also awoke to two complaining cats, but I have no idea what about. It is very rare for DaVinci to say anything; Mona Lisa is the spokescat.

 

 

Paul, I’m enjoying your Beauty of Nature experiences. Thank you for the lovely pictures. 
 

Also, if I remember you organized a dinner in Barcelona last year for your roll call. What restaurant did you go to?

 

10 hours ago, luvteaching said:

Good morning,

 

At the risk of not missing someone THANK YOU everyone for all the good wishes! I'm doing ok today, so far, and hopefully it will continue. Yesterday DS surprised me by baking a birthday cake for me from scratch - his first ever! It's German Chocolate and looks totally decadent. When a friend comes for tea later we'll have a bite or two. The top says "Happy Someteen" which goes back to last year when DD DH was in the hospital on this day. I went in and he greeted me with Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary. I asked how many years we'd been married and he could tell me 46 but when I asked how old I was her got a bewildered look and said "umpteen". It's become a favorite memory for me. 

 

Yesterday our sister-in-law passed away after a mighty struggle with brain and breast cancer. She went peacefully in her sleep which is good. She was at home and went downhill quickly this weekend. She was married to my DD DH's brother. She did beautiful quilting and we all have quilts to remember her by. 

 

Have a wonderful day! I'm heading out to lunch with DS and DDIL at Olive Garden this afternoon and looking forward to that. 

 

Karen

 

 

 

Happy Birthday!  What a beautiful cake your son made!  Wow, just wow. I’ve made a German Chocolate cake but it never looks like that. 

 

15 hours ago, Overhead Fred said:

We had a lovely anniversary in the Canaletto last night. I finally tried the Osso Bucco -

 

 

Pat, Ann, Tony, and Martha helped us celebrate -

 

And we got a nice cake - we shared, of course!

 

 

Lovely pictures of a lovely couple!

 

15 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Sabang, Indonesia was very hot as forecasted. Toured through the market place. After going through the meat market I decided to join the local and fast. Tomorrow is the last day of Ramadan so the families were stocking up for a big feast.

Two sea days and our next port will be Sri Lanka.

@St Louis CruiserSande a a belated Happy Birthday. Thanks for the post. Bruce

 

 

 

Bruce, I love taking pictures of markets also. Yours are wonderful and thank you for sharing. 

 

13 hours ago, ger_77 said:

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  I had to look up Jenkins Ear Day ... ouch!!  I love elephants, and feel sorry for poor Jumbo being paraded around like that.  I'll cherish the antique I'm married to.

 

Thank you for the anniversary wishes, it's hard to believe it's been 47 years that we've been together.  As I said on my FB post this morning, things have been better, they've been worse; we've been richer and we've been poorer, but through it all we've loved and laughed, and we are truly blessed.  Here we are in all our finery at our tiny wedding in my in-law's living room (only 18 in attendance).

 

@luvteaching I know today is a bittersweet day for you as you celebrate your birthday and also it should have been your 47th wedding anniversary.  I hope the memories of the years and times you shared will bring you some comfort.  Sending you hugs across the miles.

@grapau27good luck at your skin cancer check-up today.

@rafinmdI hope the cardiologist appointment meant things were on an even keel for you.

@Quartzsite Cruiserhoping all goes well for DH's CT scan today.

 

This morning we are heading out to a lovely restaurant by the river called Scarlet where we've gone - with the exception of the 2 Covid years, and the 2 when we were in Japan - every year on our anniversary.  When we were working, we'd both take the day off, go for breakfast and enjoy watching all the people going by as they were headed off to work while we were relaxing with a nicely served breakfast and coffee.   Looking at the memories section of FB, on this day in 2012 and 2016 we were in Tokyo - the first time so I could officiate our son's wedding, and the second so that the Japanese grandparents could meet their first grandchild.  Great memories of both experiences.

 

I'd love to try the drink, but bet that bartenders wouldn't enjoy making it - they want to do it quick and easy, while this takes "less than 5 minutes" which in bartending minutes is a long time!  I'll pass on the wine, but do enjoy broccoli and cheese egg muffins.  The kitchen is closed in our house today, so we'll be enjoying something delicious that is prepared and served by others at a lovely Greek restaurant tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, and in turmoil.  Cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

Happy Anniversary!  What a beautiful couple you are on your wedding day 47 years ago!

[kochleffel]

7 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Also, if I remember you organized a dinner in Barcelona last year for your roll call. What restaurant did you go to?

 

https://www.arcanobarcelona.com/en

 

For a group, they offer two or three set menus, but each menu allows choices within courses, and they require a deposit.