The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday March 16th, 2023

[USN59-79]

One of the joys of cruising is looking through clothing that you never wear elsewhere and choosing what to take on the trip.  My DW once met Imelda Marcos in Manila and maybe learned something from her.  I think she has at least 40 pairs of shoes so she is enjoying choosing what to take with us next week.

Concerning the Oscar Wilde quote.  At the time and place he lived homosexual acts were criminal and he was jailed for them.  He must have been told many times that he would go to hell so he tried to make the best of it with a joke.

Ray

[Cruising-along]

Debbie @dfish I'm so glad your day turned out better than expected!  It's good that you questioned the taxes and the insurance-- it pays to speak up!

 

We've had a good day too, back from the dentist and neither of us needs any work done.  Yippee!

[kazu]

9 hours ago, kplady said:

Good morning all!!

 

I don't usually post this early (even though I've been up for 3 hours already!), but we'll be leaving this afternoon to head to the airport for our Australia/New Zealand cruise. We're flying nonstop from NY to Auckland, NZ and then a short flight to Melbourne, AUS. We'll be in Melbourne for 3 days before we get on the Grand Princess.  I'm having trouble with the time changes - we leave NY on 3/16, but land in NZ on 3/198...St. Patrick's Day won't exist for us as we cross the International Date Line!

 

 

Wishing you very safe travels and wonderful cruise 🙂 

 

Have a fabulous time!

 

 

9 hours ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone!

 

No blue skies this morning, but it is warmer today.  Rain is coming late afternoon and overnight.  Yesterday I spent part of the day with the county assessor's office.  Our taxable valuation has been increased by 22.5% for this coming year.  They told me in order to have it adjusted I had to bring evidence of neighborhood comparable homes that were assessed at a lower rate.  That information is not available to me, but they have it. 

 

 

I feel your pain Debbie - mine went up nearly 30% - ouch!  If I want to fight it I need to bring the assessor in and I have a bad feeling when he sees the deck etc (that’s hidden out of view), the assessment will be higher.  It just took a few home sales in the area to do it.  A couple of years ago people from Ontario came here because NB was “safe” and it was a bidding war on houses as ours are cheap compared to theirs.  That’s long gone but it left a big impact tax wise for us.

 

 

9 hours ago, dfish said:

  Aetna had approved my CT scan for the adrenal tumor.  That is done with and without contrast so they can measure the rate at which the dye is washed out.  That helps with a diagnosis of whether the tumor is malignant or benign.  So, the day I had the CT, it was approved and then three days later they withdrew the approval because of the use of the contrast dye.  They said one image was enough.  We can look at the tumor but not determine if it is malignant or benign.  They have a new system for prior approvals using an out fit that calls you out of the blue with a computer and wants personal information from you to tell you their determinations.  I refuse to do that.  How do I know it is legit?  There are too many phone scams out there to play that game.  I explained that to Aetna and told them they might want to re-evaluate that "service".  So, fighting that withdrawal of the authorization is on the agenda for today.  Grrrr.\

 

OMG - insurance companies are unbelievable.  I am so sorry to hear you are going through this.  Shades of what I am facing - one line to refuse to pay for my surgery, then an amended reason and now a reason I never heard.  Fight, fight I say.  It’s so wrong.

 

 

9 hours ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Good morning all

  It’s been a busy past 2 weeks. I’ve been at the vet several times. Trouble had dental surgery last week and wasn’t a happy cat. Yesterday the 2 little guys were there for a regular visit. Thanks for insurance .

    According to CC , today is my 10th anniversary , I was a lurker for long before. 
Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.

 

 

A very happy 10th CC anniversary to you 🙂 

 

Sorry to hear about the vet issues.  Hopefully all will be good now for Trouble 🤞 

 

 

7 hours ago, durangoscots said:

Good morning. I am starting to feel almost human this morning. I am very slowly trying to bring the house under control and will allocate plenty of time for resting. My appetite is coming back slowly. Have not checked this morning but I think the weight loss was about 10 lbs.

 

So glad to hear you are recovering 👍 Take it easy and go slow, please.

 

 

6 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

Sam has been having more down days lately. I have begun to mentally prepare myself for the next year even though he is only 10. I had done the same with Juno but with her it was just age (13) along with her dementia. I fear that Sam will reach a point that he will be healthy but unable to walk. At 130 pounds it will be too difficult to manage. Big dogs unfortunately do not live as long plus the fact that I rescue older dogs to begin with. Somebody has to though.

 

Oh Jack, I am so sorry.  That’s heartbreaking.  I know how hard it is to manage a big dog to get them to the vets after Marley lost the muscle in his front leg. 😢 

 

Bless you for rescuing older dogs.  And hopefully a solution can be found for Sam 🙏 

 

Loved the picture of him you posted.  Isn’t it touching how the big dogs like to cuddle on the lap just loving?  DD Marley on DD DH’s lap

 

 

 

52 minutes ago, dfish said:

Today is a day for the record books.  The County Assessor did reduce the assessed value a bit (not much), but it is more in line with the neighborhood.  The problem is still that the taxable value was raised to equal the assessed value and it had been protected for the last 16 years.  That is what is causing the huge increase.  Sounds like a law that meant well but has disastrous consequences.  

 

Woo hoo! Good for you - great news indeed!

 

 

52 minutes ago, dfish said:

 

Aetna was totally confused by what they had done and agreed the revocation was a mistake.  The third party they contracted with thought it was a second request for a CT and turned it down because they had already approved one and a second one wasn't needed.  I learned a few years back not to call Aetna directly on these things. I call my retirement system because they control it all.  Aetna is a third party administrator.  

 

Even better!  Congratulations.  I am so glad for you 🙂 

 

 

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from a very cloudy central Texas.  It is currently 60F with a predicted high of 78F.  After today, it will be back to the 50s and 60s for the next week to ten days, with our spring winds.  We got a little rain last night, but not enough to measure, and more rain is in the forecast.  We have some weather advisories, but I suspect they are more for the DFW area north of us.  The skies in my pictures of Coquimbo look a lot like our skies today.

 

I'll repost some pictures from Coquimbo when we were there in 2015 on the Ruby Princess.  We did a tour that had an over view of Coquimbo, and took us to La Serena where we visited a Pisco vineyard and distillery, and then to Vicuna.

 

Coquimbo

 

La Serena and the Pisco vineyard

 

Vicuna

 

An interesting tree sculpture

 

The ship "graveyard" from our balcony

 

Now, I'll read the Daily and be back in a little while.

 

Lenda

Nice photos Lenda.

[grapau27]

7 hours ago, ottahand7 said:

From our January visit in Coquimbo.  We shared an Uber to the lighthouse then walked to the Japanese Gardens.

Lovely photos.

[St Pete Cruiser]

11 hours ago, GTVCRUISER said:

☘️ 🙂 ☘️ ☘️ 🙂 ☘️

There are good ships,

and wood ships, 

and ships that sail the seas,

but the best ships

are the Dam ships

and may they

always be.

[cruising Katie]

@cruising sister  Nice car, I can't wait for.spring, here in the frozen north to get my 2005 Audi convertable out of storage.  Never seen a winter, has always been stored.    A gift from my late husband after he passed away.  

Thanks for all the lists and the CC community.

 

Kate  

[kochleffel]

My favorite way to cook a whole chicken is casserole-roasted, using a variation on the poulet en cocotte recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but I include carrots, which is very un-French. Excuse me, but a tequila old fashioned is not an old fashioned. I would like the wine.

 

I had trouble sleeping last night, and as the day wore on I started to feel it more and more. I was able to work at home for most of the day but eventually had no mental energy left.

 

We were just talking about buzzards....

 

 

 

[dfish]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

I feel your pain Debbie - mine went up nearly 30% - ouch!  If I want to fight it I need to bring the assessor in and I have a bad feeling when he sees the deck etc (that’s hidden out of view), the assessment will be higher.  It just took a few home sales in the area to do it.  A couple of years ago people from Ontario came here because NB was “safe” and it was a bidding war on houses as ours are cheap compared to theirs.  That’s long gone but it left a big impact tax wise for us.

 

 

 

OMG, 30% !!!!!  I would just pack my tent and head for the nearest bridge.  I told the assessor for that amount of money they should be plowing my driveway and mowing my lawn. The recent real estate boom did not help things.  

 

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

OMG - insurance companies are unbelievable.  I am so sorry to hear you are going through this.  Shades of what I am facing - one line to refuse to pay for my surgery, then an amended reason and now a reason I never heard.  Fight, fight I say.  It’s so wrong.

 

I always fight the insurance companies.  I once spent over a year fighting with one to get a bill paid for a kidney stone.  In that one they said it was medically necessary to see the doctor but not at his place of employment.  So, they paid the doctor bill but not the hospital bill.  

 

2 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Debbie @dfish I'm so glad your day turned out better than expected!  It's good that you questioned the taxes and the insurance-- it pays to speak up!

 

We've had a good day too, back from the dentist and neither of us needs any work done.  Yippee!

 

No need for more dental work calls for a celebration!  

[Cruzin Terri]

It seems like we just cannot catch a break no matter what we do.

This evening my husband fell while taking a shower in the bathtub in the guest bathroom.

So far no injuries and he insists he is okay.

I just cannot wait until this is all over.

Don’t know what he will feel like in the morning.

I try to be so careful with him and I just can’t be careful enough.

The whole shower curtain rod fell on him and he fell out of the bathtub.

 

I’m just rambling.  I’m so tired. I’m half his size and had to help him up

Can’t wait until this whole thing is finished.

Terri

[dfish]

3 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

It seems like we just cannot catch a break no matter what we do.

This evening my husband fell while taking a shower in the bathtub in the guest bathroom.

So far no injuries and he insists he is okay.

I just cannot wait until this is all over.

Don’t know what he will feel like in the morning.

I try to be so careful with him and I just can’t be careful enough.

The whole shower curtain rod fell on him and he fell out of the bathtub.

 

I’m just rambling.  I’m so tired. I’m half his size and had to help him up

Can’t wait until this whole thing is finished.

Terri

Oh, Terri, I sure hope you catch a break soon.  That thundercloud over your head needs to move on.

[kazu]

8 minutes ago, dfish said:

 

OMG, 30% !!!!!  I would just pack my tent and head for the nearest bridge.  I told the assessor for that amount of money they should be plowing my driveway and mowing my lawn. The recent real estate boom did not help things.  

 

We have a great bridge here that overlooks the Reversing Falls.  (Where the tide reverses and it’s rough).  Strangely enough I couldn’t convince anyone to give me a ride there and leave me there 😂.   

 

 

8 minutes ago, dfish said:

 

I always fight the insurance companies.  I once spent over a year fighting with one to get a bill paid for a kidney stone.  In that one they said it was medically necessary to see the doctor but not at his place of employment.  So, they paid the doctor bill but not the hospital bill.  

 

I think I am going to have a long fight on my hands.  who knows?  If I don’t succeed  our Canadian friends may well see my story on Marketplace or CBC - it’s not just a matter of not paying - it’s a matter of being abandoned literally and figuratively.

 

 

7 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

It seems like we just cannot catch a break no matter what we do.

This evening my husband fell while taking a shower in the bathtub in the guest bathroom.

So far no injuries and he insists he is okay.

I just cannot wait until this is all over.

Don’t know what he will feel like in the morning.

I try to be so careful with him and I just can’t be careful enough.

The whole shower curtain rod fell on him and he fell out of the bathtub.

 

I’m just rambling.  I’m so tired. I’m half his size and had to help him up

Can’t wait until this whole thing is finished.

Terri

 

Oh my heavens, Terri 😱 I am so sorry to hear this.  I hope your DH will be ok in the morning. 🙏 

 

Something is wrong in Denmark if the rod fell - WTH?

[cruising sister]

30 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

It seems like we just cannot catch a break no matter what we do.

This evening my husband fell while taking a shower in the bathtub in the guest bathroom.

So far no injuries and he insists he is okay.

I just cannot wait until this is all over.

Don’t know what he will feel like in the morning.

I try to be so careful with him and I just can’t be careful enough.

The whole shower curtain rod fell on him and he fell out of the bathtub.

 

I’m just rambling.  I’m so tired. I’m half his size and had to help him up

Can’t wait until this whole thing is finished.

Terri

Sorry to hear this. I know how you feel. It is exhausting taking care of a loved one. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good late evening.  Again, we lucked out, and all the really bad weather was north and east of us.  We are getting wind, but nothing we haven't gotten in the past.

 

5 hours ago, ktbraun said:

Good afternoon from dreary SE Wisconsin.  It rained for a while, an maybe some snow tomorrow.  It was 40+ F yesterday.  DH is busy watching basketball games, he's got Marquette in the final game, we shall see!  

 

@JazzyVThanks for including me on the cares list. You can take me off.   I saw the Dr. today, he wasn't concerned about anything, but did change 1 med.  Said to come back in a year.  

 

I'm loving all of the pictures today!  The pandas are so cute!  Prayers for all that need them, and cheers to everyone else!   Karen

 

Karen, great news that you got a good report from the doctor, and even better that you don't have to see him for a year.

 

5 hours ago, dfish said:

@Heartgrove Sam is lovely and I had the same thought about the rear wheelchair for dogs.  A dog in my dad's neighborhood used to walk by everyday and seemed quite happy to be able to get out and move.  

 

Today is a day for the record books.  The County Assessor did reduce the assessed value a bit (not much), but it is more in line with the neighborhood.  The problem is still that the taxable value was raised to equal the assessed value and it had been protected for the last 16 years.  That is what is causing the huge increase.  Sounds like a law that meant well but has disastrous consequences.  

 

Aetna was totally confused by what they had done and agreed the revocation was a mistake.  The third party they contracted with thought it was a second request for a CT and turned it down because they had already approved one and a second one wasn't needed.  I learned a few years back not to call Aetna directly on these things. I call my retirement system because they control it all.  Aetna is a third party administrator.  

 

So, feeling pretty good about those victories, I tackled my taxes today.  I was waiting on some papers that were delayed and had finally come in.  I knew I was going to owe on federal taxes, but it isn't as much as I thought it could be.  At first Michigan taxes said I owed them $1000, but redoing some of the entries took care of that.  They are giving me back $21.  Ohio is sending me $121.  I'm happy.  It was a productive day!

 

Debbie, this is a red letter day for you.  Tax assessment lowered, the insurance company reversed the denial, and better than expected results after doing your taxes.  Did you consider buying a lottery ticket?

 

6 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

Just have to try to add a video of my granddog.  DS came over yesterday and said Oskar had had a nice trip to Willows Beach on his birthday.  I said - his second?  and DS said, no, his third  birthday.  How time flies!

 

 

 

 

Ann, loved the video of Oskar running on the beach.

 

4 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Debbie @dfish I'm so glad your day turned out better than expected!  It's good that you questioned the taxes and the insurance-- it pays to speak up!

 

We've had a good day too, back from the dentist and neither of us needs any work done.  Yippee!

 

Carolyn, it's always a good day when you walk out of the dentist office only needing to have your teeth cleaned.

 

3 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Nice photos Lenda.

 

Thank you, Graham.

 

1 hour ago, Cruzin Terri said:

It seems like we just cannot catch a break no matter what we do.

This evening my husband fell while taking a shower in the bathtub in the guest bathroom.

So far no injuries and he insists he is okay.

I just cannot wait until this is all over.

Don’t know what he will feel like in the morning.

I try to be so careful with him and I just can’t be careful enough.

The whole shower curtain rod fell on him and he fell out of the bathtub.

 

I’m just rambling.  I’m so tired. I’m half his size and had to help him up

Can’t wait until this whole thing is finished.

Terri

 

Terri, I'm sorry your DH fell in the bathtub.  I hope the worst thing is an injured pride, and that he is all right in the morning.  Did he grab the shower curtain to try to stop his fall, and instead, pulled it and the shower rod down with him?  I hope all this is over soon, and your lives return to normal soon.  I hope you both can get some rest tonight.

 

Lenda

 

 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

11 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

It seems like we just cannot catch a break no matter what we do.

This evening my husband fell while taking a shower in the bathtub in the guest bathroom.

So far no injuries and he insists he is okay.

I just cannot wait until this is all over.

Don’t know what he will feel like in the morning.

I try to be so careful with him and I just can’t be careful enough.

The whole shower curtain rod fell on him and he fell out of the bathtub.

 

I’m just rambling.  I’m so tired. I’m half his size and had to help him up

Can’t wait until this whole thing is finished.

Terri

 

Oh no, that's awful!  I hope he isn't too terribly bruised and sore from such a bad fall.  Did you both get some sleep last night after all the excitement?  Prayers your bathroom remodel ordeal is over soon.🙏

[Cruzin Terri]

Thanks to all for your concern.  He seems to be okay this morning.

Will post more later on Friday’s Daily.

Terri