A rather uneventful morning & afternoon so no point in me going back over them again. Just kind of turned out be one of those low motivation days. I am thinking it is the cooler damp weather that has caused a nasty bit of arthritis to flare up in my legs again. Also happened in the Spring when we arrived back home from the southwest to cool & damp weather. I’m thinking the only cure for the problem is in returning to the warmer dry air of Arizona. Right now my legs are counting the days………………………
---
Because of my Kidney Stone problem last winter we knew our Travel Insurance company would seize the opportunity to jack my rate way up this year, which of course they did by about $500. And, here's the kicker......they won't even cover me for Kidney Stones this winter until I have remained in Canada trouble free for 6 straight months. I think my kidney stone removal was back in June so that means we would not be able to leave here until sometime near the end of December. Not going to happen!! Bottom line….I will not have Kidney Stone coverage this winter despite the higher cost. Kelly called several other companies but the results were the same. I could really fly off the handle here about insurance companies but what's the point, nothing changes & there is no reasoning or winning with any kind of an insurance company anyway. I think high travel insurance rates are one of the top reasons many Canadians can no longer afford to travel in the States. Our travel insurance for 6 months this year will be just under $2000.
---
I see my memory failed to remind me I had already used Friday night's first photo in a post just a couple days before. Repetition is always a worry of mine & repeating things is so easy to do when writing a daily blog.
---
One of the main problems we had last March at our house in Congress was lack of a strong Verizon internet signal. It was there, but very weak. It caused us a lot of aggravation, especially when we were in the midst of negotiations with the house sale. And, to complicate matters even further, we had no phone communication. Had to drive down the road aways to make phone calls. We have to deal with each problem separately because our phone server is totally different than our internet server. Guess we will just have to go door to door in our neighborhood asking folks if they have Verizon, & what kind of antennae are they using to get it. We did buy a Wilson Electronics Sleek Cell Phone Signal Cradle Booster hoping that would help, but it didn't. There is a high rocky ridge about a quarter mile behind our place which could partially be blocking the Verizon tower to the southwest of us. Anyway, just one of the things we will have to deal with when we get there.
GROANER'S CORNER:)) The teacher is droning away in the classroom when he notices a student sleeping way up in the back row. The teacher shouts to the sleeping student's neighbor, "Hey wake that student up!" The neighbor yells back, "You put him to sleep, you wake him up!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Would it be easier to think of it as costing $333 per month, or $166.50 each per month? or even $41.60 per month increase over last year for both of you.
ReplyDeleteUS citizens of your age pay more than that each month for their health coverage for Medicare and a supplemental plan. We also have to pay dearly for insurance when we travel out of the country.
Hopefully from what I hear, gas in the USA is slightly less costly than in Canada. Can you count that against your insurance increase?
Besides our Arizona sunshine is priceless! You can't get it in Canada in January.
Might consider a land line it could be put in service during the time you are there then disconnected when you leave, and reconnected when you get back the following yr. Just a matter of a phone call once the line is installed. We have a lake house and that's what we do--its with ATT and no contract etc.
ReplyDeleteWe did something like Jan said. We started with installing a land line at our Delaware cottage. Later we bundled our tv and phone. We do have a contract with Verizon. When we leave to come back home to PA, we call and put it on vacation. No charge for the 8 months we are home in PA. In June when we head back down for four months, we call and have it turned back on and pay the bill online during that time. So easy!
ReplyDeleteConnie in PA
Love you new header photograph!!! Sorry the insurnace is such a financial woe for you... just wait until Obama care hits us OUCH!
ReplyDeleteWe paid $1000 per month for health ins the last year my husband worked. That was $3000 deductible.
ReplyDeleteI will givebu the name of our insurer tomorrow We have had good luck with tbis guy Worth a phone call
ReplyDeleteI do like Merikay's reasoning with the price of your travel insurance...and others have said..Bruce and Margie use to be upwards of $1200 a month..and we know someone else who pays $3000 a month for there medical coverage..so I guess just under $2000 for 180 days doesn't sound that bad..hang in there Al..once you get into the sunny warm climate this cost will be but a distant memory!..keep drinking that cranberry juice!!
ReplyDeleteOur Insurance will be about the same this year. That is life!
ReplyDeleteSo, you just had to post a Groaner from my school days. It seems anything I did in my past, shows up someday on your blog:)
ReplyDeleteI do not know diddly about insurance, so no help there.
The land line idea might be your best bet. It works for us in Florida.
Our Insurance is about the same, still cheaper than staying here in to cold.
ReplyDeleteSpending some time shopping around will usually save some money, and sometimes quite a lot...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thebarefootnomad.com/info/canada-travel-insurance-review/
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
Ouch! Both our health insurance plans went up in cost this year--mine (Janna's) has a $6000 deductible!!!
ReplyDeleteContact the guys at the 3G Store--they have the stuff to get you a better signal. Expensive but the solution is out there. They have a system which will boost both your cell signal and aircard signal at the same time. When I asked the guy, "can I return this if it doesn't help?" he replied, "yes." Mike and Pat use something at their North Ranch home, too.
Al, I wish you would have gone off on the insurance industry! They deserve it! If you read all their fine print you'll discover you are not as insured as you think you are. And IF you have a claim... a legitimate CLAIM...(that's why they are there, right? in case "something" happens) then look in the mail for either a cancellation notice... or a big rate increase. I have sooo many examples:
ReplyDeleteA grease fire in the kitchen that the ins. co. said they wouldn't cover due to carelessness.
Water damage from a broken pipe that the ins. co. tried to deny coverage for... improper maintenance) and when they finally covered it after a long fight... they cancelled the policy.
Theft of camping equipment from our locked vehicle. The ins. co. depreciated the value to almost nothing because it was a few years old... then threw in a big deductible.
I COULD GO ON, BUT YOU GET THE IDEA OF HOW WE ARE BEING SCAMMED!
Don't feel alone. And don't let them change the way you live your life. I understand your frustration.
Box Canyon Mark.
Can't help saying it. We have had such wonderful results from our insurance companies. The only times we've had cancellations was if we didn't get premiums paid on time.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if you only got coverage til Dec.and then renew it for the additional time? Would that save $?
ReplyDeleteAl, does your extra insurance cost less if you winter in Mexico rather than the USA?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate Mark Johnson's point about insurance companies sneaking out of paying when something really does go wrong. After all, they have a whole office tower of people who know the actuarial odds of everything that can go wrong. You, the customer, are not so professional.
So when there is fine print on page 735 of your insurance contract, who do you think is going to benefit from all that legal complexity?
Love your header photo and the photos of the fall leaves!
ReplyDelete