Thoughts and stories, by Pal

What You Would Need for a Self-Quarantine By  Carolyn Nicolaysen  · March 1, 2020 The news on the coronavirus gets worse with each hour that passes. More travel advisories have been issued, colleges are bringing home students on study abroad programs in Italy, the virus is now on every continent except Antarctica, Mexico has banned cruise ships from disembarking, 3 counties in California and San Francisco have  declared a health emergency, Quatar has ordered its citizens to leave Iran and in five minutes there will be more breaking news. The numbers of those infected is unreliable as Iraq and Italy are not testing for the virus unless a person is already ill. South Korean officials are asking that leaders of a church at the center of the country’s outbreak be investigated on murder charges, the Louvre in Paris closed, Rhode Island reported its first “presumptive” coronavirus case, and there has been a death in Washington.  We know a c...

Last week, from March 31st to April 9th, I was on a tour/cruise to the Southern Caribbean!  I went with "Fun For Less Tours", in a group of 12 LDS widows -- It was so fun and I learned so much!  I want to tell about that in this blog, and maybe one more.  There is so much to tell!  Michael Wilcox, (retired BYU professor) was the guest tour guide.  He gave 4 lectures, specifically about the different islands we visited, and their history.  It was fascinating!  I'll try to include some of his thoughts, as they made the cruise so much more interesting. Our ship from the Royal Caribbean, "Jewel of the Seas." On Saturday March 31st, 2018, we flew from Salt Lake City to Atlanta, Georgia, and then to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The next day we entered the ship around 11 a.m.  It was interesting getting used to the ship, and getting acquainted with the other 11 ladies.  I went with my dear friend from High School, Belva Hunting Gardner....