Just cruising or living on the sea?

We are late-comers to the cruise ship travel agenda, having only been on two, the Oceania Marina through the Mediterranean and the Silversea Silver Cloud around the Horn of South America. Hardly qualifies us as cruise judges.

OTOH, partake in a cruise and all of a sudden (and because I showed online interest) we are inundated with cruise brochures from our new best friends mentioned above and from other lines which feel certain we'd like to join them on a water jaunt. And we might! The brochures are enticing, the itineraries nearly the same. It's a matter of timing and perks.

So, speaking of perks: Seabourn is a small ship cruise line. Perusing their latest mailing is enough to give one the I-wants. There's even a club you join when you cruise, just like the others, with a point earned for each Sailed Day.

The highest status of the Seabourn club is 250+ days. That's eight-plus months of sailing! Do you take that in 10-16 day cruises? Eight-plus months spent on a ship. In the ocean. It seems an astounding amount of time, but perhaps it's not.

I must still be too land-bound. I'll be doing good to reach any sort of milestone with a cruise line. But I'm glad some people do. The perks are really good.

Late shopping on Mother's Day

I was at Walmart this morning and the make-up of customers was amusing: men. Lots of men. Men in the card section. Men with flowers in hand. Men with bouquets in their basket as they headed to the garden or candy (!) section. Men grabbing a basket and just looking confused.

Like, these guys didn't know it was Mother's Day until they woke up this morning? At least they remembered. And I got a blog post!

What do I do with it all?

While my dad was alive (he died the end of September after an 9 year slog with Alzheimer's), I kept his photo albums and paperwork and mementoes. So many things--and of course his finances--that it all eventually took over our guest room. Now that I am winding things up with his estate, I'm going through everything.

Some items are so old and out of date (payroll from 1984, anyone?) that consigning them to the Shred box is easy. Some are current and may yet be called upon so they're tagged and put in a box to store. And then there are the mementoes and the albums. If the photos are recognizable, I plan to scan them. But if they're of people I don't know? If they aren't marked? (Not my dad's forte.) What then? Do I just throw them away? Why keep them for my children to plow through someday when I'm gone? Why leave the task to them?

This must be why I find family photos and albums at trade days and in antique shops. Someone couldn't throw them away. Well, I'm going to have to. If I haven't a clue, out they will have to go. (An alternative is to ship them to my aunt. Here--have a look at these! No, I don't want them back.) And once the ones I know are scanned?

I have to keep them, I'm afraid. A little housekeeping for my kids in future years. Or an instant family for an antique store shopper.