PRINCESS CRUISERS: HOW ARE THINGS WHERE YOU ARE?!

[Sea Hag]

We live in the same county as Thrak, probably south of him. Things have been pretty calm around here so far. We're ordering groceries online and picking them up at the ECart pickup at the local Raley's. That works pretty well. We're doing a Walmart trip every two weeks or so to get the things we couldn't get in the Raley's order. The online order seems to be a wish list, and if they have what you ordered you get it. If not, you don't. They're doing a great job on this, and we're very grateful for that. We do a long walk every day, which is very safe to do from a social distancing standpoint since this is NOT a town of walkers. We tried continuing to hike, but the last time we went it seems the whole town was out there, at least on the trail sections close to the parking lot. They've since closed trail access, so that's that. Missed our grandson's wedding. We did a lightning quick raid into a Home Depot a while back for some tomato and jalopeno plants. Getting those planted today.  I try not to worry. My DH never worries about anything, and neither does the cat.

[LoriPhil]

Watching a cotton-tail in the yard this morning nibbling on some green grass tufts as snow just started to spit down.  Guess nature sent us our own Easter bunny - much appreciated and enjoyed!  To celebrate think I’ll strip the beds and do laundry.  Have a lovely day all. 🐰👍

[HappyInVan]

In Alberta, Canada, the provincial government has been amazingly prepared. Premier Kenney used to be a minister in the federal cabinet.

 

"Premier Jason Kenney announces that Alberta will send medical supplies to B.C., Ontario, and Quebec

 

A province that could be facing 25 percent unemployment as a result of crashing oil prices is ready to help other provinces cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Today, Alberta premier Jason Kenney announced that his government will ship 250,000 N95 masks to each of three provinces: British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec..."

 

https://www.straight.com/covid-19-pandemic/premier-jason-kenney-announces-that-alberta-will-send-medical-supplies-to-bc-ontario-and-quebec

 

He made the announcement in front of a wall of boxes of masks. In one of Alberta's 9 warehouses.

[Doug R.]

We are doing well here in the Philly burbs. I am staying mostly inside due to multiple health issues except for sitting on the porch when the weather allows. Marj does helpfully provide suggestions for enrichment activities to  keep me from getting bored. I am a little suspicious as her suggestions sound a lot like chores. Gardening and lawn maintenance are underway and will soon be in full swing. Waiting somewhat patiently for the FCC for our cancelled 3/16 cruise on the Crown (we chose Option 1) so we can book a cruise for 2021  and have something to look forward to.

 

Hope everyone is doing well and keeping their spirits up.

[voljeep]

"Some Things Never Change"

 

get up, shower, coffee, check emails, respond, check online banking, check stocks ( well, quit that for now )

 

all well, and safe, did the 2nd Instacart/Publix order... and again, of course, there was an alcohol delivery fee added ...

 

to lighten things up a little - Florida Governor declared WWE ( yes wrestling ) as an "essential business" right there along with grocery stores and liquor stores … ain't America great ! 

 

"We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times," WWE said in a statement to CNN. "We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff."

The state of Florida is currently under a "Safer at Home" order until April 30. It limits movement outside of homes to providing or getting essential services or carrying out essential activities.

"As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance," reads the WWE statement.

stay safe and peace out

 

[avonlady6390]

I'm in central Florida on stay at home as well since I was laid off from my restaurant job as a server.  The highlight of my days is taking my puppy for a mile walk in the mornings.  What Voljeep said about the WWE is a program that I or anyone in my family would ever watch as board as I am I would still not watch the WWE.  Every one stay safe and hopefully we Will all be cruising again soon.

[nini]

Want to hear a funny? Our neighbor is rebuilding his front porch,

due to rotting. He barely made it to the lumber yard in time, before our

crazy governor declared that ALL home improvement projects must STOP!.

Therefore, only of Home Depot, etc. have food items may they stay open.

 

Ugh!

[Norcalcouple]

 

[Thrak]

I'm currently hiding in the Green Room. When our oldest son moved out his younger brother painted the room dark green. It's still that color and we refer to it as "the green room" rather than as "the office" or "the computer room". We moved things around and added her sewing table and stuff as well since my daughter's household has moved into the former sewing room - which used to be my daughter's bedroom when she was younger. I have a bunch of weird stuff taped up on the closet door such as the $0.02 refund check from Wells Fargo when I paid off the mortgage. I'm hiding because my daughter and son-in-law are binge watching The Walking Dead. 6 seasons and they are only a bit into season 2. GAH!!! At least the WiFi is excellent with my laptop right next to the router.

 

Can you tell I'm getting a bit bored?

 

 

[Thrak]

One of the items on the closet door. Yes, I'm an odd one...

 

[satxdiver]

The major cities/counties closed down about 4 weeks ago while our republican governor did nothing to help much like the WH occupant.  At least in our county and others they left the home improvement stores (Lowe's and Home Depot) open so we can get things for the house.  Our local major grocery chain H.E.B. will do cub pickup and even delivery however we still go to the grocery once each week.  Costco, Walmart and Super Target are open for business although we have only been to Costco once so far.  Our favorite restaurants are doing curb pickup and a few do delivery although we only use curb service.  Our local hospitals are about half capacity in ICU beds and ventilators but have had a problem with one south side nursing home where 10 have died.  We have quite a few walkers in our subdivision which tilts toward the older generation and they walk on opposite sides of the streets or far back of anyone in front of them.  Stay safe everyone.

[LoriPhil]

Hey, nice set-up Thrak - ready to quilt some masks?  

[Host CJSKIDS]

8 hours ago, voljeep said:

"Some Things Never Change"

 

get up, shower, coffee, check emails, respond, check online banking, check stocks ( well, quit that for now )

 

all well, and safe, did the 2nd Instacart/Publix order... and again, of course, there was an alcohol delivery fee added ...

 

to lighten things up a little - Florida Governor declared WWE ( yes wrestling ) as an "essential business" right there along with grocery stores and liquor stores … ain't America great ! 

 

"We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times," WWE said in a statement to CNN. "We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff."

The state of Florida is currently under a "Safer at Home" order until April 30. It limits movement outside of homes to providing or getting essential services or carrying out essential activities.

"As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance," reads the WWE statement.

stay safe and peace out

 

 

Can you believe that he declared that an essential business?!!  Blows my mind as so many other things can't be open.  

 

They don't add then instacart delivery fee down in South Florida.  I've been shopping with instacart for years and that's never been added here. I wonder if it's because I have a yearly account.

 

Do you still have a cruise booked?

[Luv2escape]

In Tempe, we are staying in doing workouts online - Yoga and weight training. Walking the neighborhood. Sitting by our pool and reading and making cloth masks to donate to our local hospital to stretch their PPE supply. Wishing we were cruising but hopefully next year after there is a safe reliable vaccine. Stay safe well and healthy. Dot & Paul

[voljeep]

8 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

 

Can you believe that he declared that an essential business?!!  Blows my mind as so many other things can't be open.  

 

They don't add then instacart delivery fee down in South Florida.  I've been shopping with instacart for years and that's never been added here. I wonder if it's because I have a yearly account.

 

Do you still have a cruise booked?

Let's just say we are extremely happy that the programming is being continued for strictly personal reasons, and leave it at that.

 

Just joined Instacart Express - monthly to try it out  - $ 9.99 per month .CFAR 😉

 

little 5 day cruised booked the end of November on the SKY

 

you?

[MamaFej]

Sigh. Seeing the playground and basketball courts at the park wrapped in caution tape broke my heart this morning. I understand why it's necessary, but it's a terrible sight to see. 

[LoriPhil]

Volheep - Currently we’ve got a southern Caribbean booked on the Sky Nov 30, and 12-day Alaska on the Coral in May out of Vancouver.  We are braced to rebook when the 2022 sailings come out as a contingency. Might be better for us to skip a year anyway - We’re looking closely at our deck these days and think we need replace it this summer (must use composite planks now - ka’ching! we’re in a red zone for fire).   
 

shopped this morning during Senior hour - for the first time there were virtually no other shoppers around, no waiting in the check-out line and Kroegers had toilet paper! 👍. Only one person wasn’t wearing a mask, but WAS wearing gloves.  That really surprised me, as she can wash her hands, but tougher to soap-down your airways when you get home.  🙀  

Edited April 15, 2020 by LoriPhil

[Kenosha Cruiser]

It's another not much happening day in our household. We decided to take a ride around town this afternoon and dropped off a couple items on our daughters front porch. At least we got to see the grandkids for a few minutes and say hi as we stood on the front lawn. Afterwards we drove to a BP Gas Station by our house and filled up the car. The place was packed with cars filling up as the cost was at a unheard price of 98.9 cents a gallon. It's great to have cheap gas, but no where to go. We have a bunch of Turner Classic Movies recorded to watch. They are actually relaxing to see in the evening instead of all the news about the coronavirus and we refuse to watch our President's daily briefings. Kenosha, Wisconsin where we live now has 189 confirmed cases of the virus with 5 deaths associated with it. Many households in our neighborhood and around town (including us) have been placing heart decorations in our windows. It's nice to see people coming together to beat this virus. Hope everyone is finding something entertaining and fun to do. Keep up the effort and stay safe!

 

Cheers - Ken & Darlene

 

[Thrak]

It's being "interesting" having my daughter's family here. They are trying hard to be "low impact" and actually doing a pretty good job of it. They got their stimulus money today. He checked his bank account and it was suddenly up by $2,900. Good stuff. His unemployment has been approved - his job kind of disappeared and he was "furloughed". He does HVAC and was working for a casino in Lompoc. I got 2 large boxes delivered this morning and tomorrow he will be installing a whole house fan for us. YES!!!

 

We used their muscles today to totally rearrange our bedroom. My wife wanted to put it back the way it was 20 years or so ago. Fine by me but it meant moving a lot of stuff around and it was nice to have younger and stronger people to do the heavy work. We let our front yard die last year. (Actually I killed it off on purpose.) It's an ugly mess these days. When we moved in the front yard was all red rocks and juniper. We tore it all out and moved all of the red rocks to one side of the yard. They've been sinking into the ground for over 30 years so now we can't get the dang things out to do anything with that area. We've raked and hauled a ton of them out but they are just permeating the soil. Tomorrow morning I have a bobcat guy coming to look at it. He's coming early so my daughter and her husband will talk with him. Their 18 month old daughter insures that they are up early. They'll tell him what we need and get an estimate. If he's too high I'll rent a Bobcat instead. Both my daughter and her husband have used them before and would be happy to do the work. I'm just not sure where I can dispose of the dirt/rocks that have to be removed. We want to take that area down and then level out the hump where the trees used to be in the middle of the yard. (The trees died during the 5 years of drought.)

 

Busy times. New whole house fan, finally doing something about the yard, and a company is "supposed" to be starting work on the house in the next week or two. We're getting some siding replaced and painting done. Suddenly I'm bleeding cash and not even spending it on a cruise. D'Oh!  The joys of home ownership. We just had the long side fence replaced very recently. Once all of these things are done I'll have to replace the roof. At least this will be the last time I ever have to do that. (Somehow that's not as comforting as it might be...)

 

We've been getting smiles from the few folks we meet when out taking our granddaughter for a walk. Well... we walk. She rides in her snazzy stroller. My daughter just burst in on me and said I am "required" to come play a game. Not sure what we are playing but I told her I'd be right there.

[MamaFej]

@Thrak, you will LOVE the whole house fan! I wish we'd gotten one years ago, the past several months with one have been great, and I imagine we will be even happier we finally go one during the hotter months.

 

It sounds like the "kids" are really trying to earn their keep. I respect that. 

 

Best of luck with the home improvements.

[voljeep]

well, something did change … my wife of 44 years trimmed my hair yesterday ... first time EVER … not sure why, since I haven't been out of the 

house in 4 weeks now, but hey, it actually looks pretty good 

 

stay safe

Peace out

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, voljeep said:

well, something did change … my wife of 44 years trimmed my hair yesterday ... first time EVER … not sure why, since I haven't been out of the 

house in 4 weeks now, but hey, it actually looks pretty good 

 

stay safe

Peace out

 

I have clippers. My wife "mows" my head for me. She's funny about it though. She insists on using the #1 attachment on the top of my head where there are just very sparse hairs. I told her it would be fine to leave it off and just use the clippers "naked" like she does on the back of my neck but she says as long as there is still "some" hair there she prefers to clip it. I just tell her thank you for mowing my head and let her do it how she likes. #2 where there's hair, #1 where there's "sort of" hair, and no comb at all on the neck. I wish it would just stay the way it is when she's done but it doesn't work like that. The clippers are good rechargeable ones I take with us on cruises. Very handy.

 

Wow. Our granddaughter is loving the giant boxes from the fan stuff. Big cardboard boxes are such awesome toys. She's also managed to latch onto a large Halloween spider that was in the hall closet. We have stuff stacked all over as we had to empty everything out of that closet for attic access. The fan is being installed!

Edited April 16, 2020 by Thrak

[chipmaster]

So much has happened in the last month hmmm

 

My next to last business trip was a spring break visit with my wife to Michigan,  spent the weekend their with wife/daughter before flying back to remote work. Wife and daughter did a short springbreak jaunt, they already had masks, and were wiping down their stuff of for train ride etc. 

 

Daughter returned to school for but a week and then we pulled her home, it was pretty clear US was going to be a total mess!  They shortly shut down school went remote and we had to have her room mate pack her stuff and move  her out ( lucky roommate was in state, or it would have been one more flight we didn't want to make )

 

Both my boys did a week under shelter in place and decided to come home and do WFH like me.   Both are anxious to get back to work as they like me do travel a lot and miss the face time with work.  

 

Wife and I haven't had all three home for three meals a day since 20 years ago or more with family too!  We are enjoying three meals a day, rotating shifts for dishes and netflix/amazon prime movie nights a few times a week.     Polish off a new bottle of wine with the kids every evening now.   We often have breakfast all together before each of us retire to our WFH office, till lunch/dinner.     It is terrible times, but we've rediscovered the joy of family meals that we haven't had together in decades and very different than when we get together for those long sit down ones on the cruise, just more intimate at home.    Sad it took such tragedy for the kids to remember the good things that come from simple things. 

 

We order take out food every other day to support local business as well as give the wife a cooking break.   Wife and I do the shopping run.   We make usually one run a week to Costco and one to Trader Joes, lines for Costco have disappeared after 2nd week  , Trader Joe usually has 20' line to get in still.   See some places like Safeway and others with terrible distancing protocol while food business are 1/3 good, 1/3 terrible and 1/3 in the middle.     

 

Our summer Cruise plan for Baltic is of course canceled, and maybe 2021.   Summer just hope we can start going out to eat, optimistic about that.   Likely will start my weekly travel if CA gets limited restriction lifting in May.

 

How is home, Oregon is rocking it with BIC statistics.  We like everyone else have no Toilet paper nor masks or sanitization products but looking forward to lifting very very soon.

 

Funny the last two years as we transitioned to empty nesters we slowly completely remodeled the house and finished the full interior repaint, just in time for them all to return, so happy we didn't downsize now, and they all feel like the came back to a brand new house that was still a home, LOL

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by chipmaster

[jangor]

I am currently living in the state that my sister refers to as Flori-duh.  Our governor left beaches open for Spring Break and has declared WWE an essential business, while allowing religious congregations to remain open.  We now have over 23,000 cases of the coronavirus.   Right now, I wish I was still in New York.  Despite their massive number of cases, there is an attempt to contain and face the problem head on.  Personally, we are safe and happy, if a bit bored.  I walk every morning, shop once a week with a mask and Clorox Healthcare wipes (which coincidentally, I bought two years ago to wipe down our Princess cabin).  I just binge watched Boardwalk Empire (mixed reviews).  We try to do take-out once per week to support our favorite local restaurants and I am making my way through Mary Berry's cooking and baking books.  So there it is, life under the coronavirus!

[CPASam]

Our neighborhood in Raleigh, NC had a Scavenger Hunt last Sunday afternoon.  It was a lot of fun with my neighbors participating.  We kept 6' distance from each other.  The grand prize for the winner was a 12 pack of Charmin Toilet paper.  The runners-up got boxes of kleenex.  I am working from home part-time in the living room with the organization I retired from a few years ago.  DH, also retired, was working part-time as well, but his organization paused his contract when we were required to stay home.  We both miss cruises.  Designated husband went to Alaska last June/July and Panama Canal on his birthday in Dec.  I stayed home and worked and looking after mama.  I also watch the porteverglades web cam from time to time.  This morning, I can hear the birds chirping from the Ft. Lauderdale Port.

Edited April 17, 2020 by CPASam