Mortgage Companies!

I recently read an article talking about how many people are going to lose their homes to foreclosure. It's a very sad thing to see and read about. As far as my mortgage goes, I like everyone else want to have it paid off! The foreclosure process is not a very pleasant experience. People need help to help them stop the foreclosure process on their homes. And while foreclosures may be a very good thing for real estate investors it isn't a very good thing for the people whose homes are being foreclosed on.

One good thing that I can say about my mortgage is that it is a 30 year fixed mortgage and it is not one of those adjustable rate mortgages. A lot of people have those adjustable rate mortgages and now they wish that they hadn't. But you know they probably could not get a mortgage any other way.

There are so many ads and commercials about helping people with their mortgage problems and how they can get out of debt by consolidating their bills. If you can avoid it don't do business with these kinds of companies. Paying off your mortgage the old-fashioned way may take longer but in the long run you will be glad that you did it that way.

Sticky Remote Control

I have Direct TV and now the remote is sticky. I don't know if I did this or if its just regular wear and tear as far as the remote is concerned. I haven't had it for even a year yet and I'm pondering what to do. I don't want to "fiddle" with the remote cause I don't want to break the darn thing and I don't want to call up Direct TV and ask them about it because I certainly don't want to pay for another remote control.

I suppose I could switch TV remotes from another one of the other TV's - guess I'm just lazy!

I'm thinking in the back of my mind that if I do switch them then I would have to re-program the remote control to work with both the TV and the VCR and somewhere else in the back of my mind is this voice saying that I may still need to fix it with whatever TV I switch it to.

The literature and the instructions that came with the Direct TV installation is full of what they will repair or replace and what they won't repair or replace and in that literature somewhere I'm sure that they don't say anything about "sticky" remotes. I don't think that comes under the warranty.

Emergency Repair

See this doorknob? It was faithfully working for over 10 years. Then one day I put the key in it and found out that while it worked the key wouldn't turn inside the lock. I did not want to be faced with the problem of being locked outside the house so I figured that it was better safe than sorry to have the lock replaced.

Actually I though that the doorknob itself could be fixed without having to get a new one but in the end it was just better to get a new one. (Side note here getting a new lock means getting new keys which was a good idea because this time I would know who had copies!). Even the guy that did the repair said the same thing that even though the lock could be fixed it would just be better to get a new one. (In fact he was surprised that the doorknob and lock lasted as long as it did).

Since the guy that used to do the repairs to the house had since died, I found this guy the old fashioned way - I looked in the yellow pages! You often hear about people who have had a bad experience when they call someone from the yellow pages - especially when it has to do with repairs) but I can say that my experience wasn't one of them.

The guy that did the repair was nice and he gave me his name and number in case I needed him for future repairs that had to do with locks. A lot of these guys that work for companies do work on the side, work that doesn't go through the company but goes directly to them. I mention this because they make more money if they bypass the company and get called directly to do the work. It's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing and I'm lucky that I got someone who wasn't a scam.

But this is one of those repair kind of things that comes under the heading of an emergency repair because it wasn't a planned thing and it was done immediately because I didn't want to come face to face with the prospect of being locked out. (Being locked in - I could handle that). The whole thing - new doorknob cost just under $100 bucks - the keys I got for free (or so they tell me).

So I'm wondering now which another "emergency" repair is going to come up.........

My First Cellphone!

Well I have been jealous seeing people just whip out their cellphones and start talking. I see them using their cellphones everywhere! Including at the grocery store and on the bus and even walking down the street!

I have to preface this by saying that my credit is not all that hot! So I had to get on one of those prepay plans where I pay a certain amount every month. If I don't make the payment in time then I won't be able to use the cellphone.

But like I said this is my first cellphone so its kind of like having a new shiny toy! At least my credit rating was good enough to get a cellphone that isn't one of those prepaid ones. Besides being able to make and receive calls I was surprised to find out that I can also go online with this cellphone - of course there is a fee for this! And one thing I insisted on was having a camera phone - although I'm still trying to successfully transfer the pictures to my email address.

One dis-heartening thing that I found out was that this particular model cellphone doesn't allow for ringtones outside the ones that you have to pay for! I recorded part of a song that I would love to use as a ringtone but I found out that I can't! )-:

There has got to be a way for me to do this and I'm still trying to figure how!

I also have to be careful of my "minutes" and now I know why people are always talking about their "minutes". My nighttime and weekend minutes carry over to the next month but not my daytime minutes.I'm also learning about this "battery" business. Silly me - I thought that cellphones used regular batteries but I found out that they don't and that the kind of battery that cellphones used have to be recharged - at least I got the charger as part of the whole package!

So with the exception of not being able to use the ringtones that I want and still trying to figure out how to transfer the pictures from my camera phone - I'm kind of having fun with my new "toy".

Hearth.com

Like I said I love fireplaces and I thought that this was just the most adorable picture that I have seen!

If you like talking about fireplaces or are seeking information about fireplaces or are looking for specific parts then Hearth.com
is the place for you. There is a message forum as well as pictures. You can browse the forums but in order to post to them you have to register but there is no cost involved to register.

Since I don't have a fireplace of my own yet I can look at the pictures of others and be jealous! One of the current topics is how mild the weather has been lately but everybody is preparing for the weather just in case a snowstorm comes along.

So if you enjoy fireplaces then this is the place for you!

Fireplaces

I got an email from someone that read on one of my pages that I love fireplaces! And they mentioned that they love them too. I don't know what it is about fireplaces but they just seem so peaceful and romantic (and besides living by the ocean) and so warm and inviting.
I mentioned to this person about how I wanted to bring back the fireplace in my house because there is supposed to be one here but it was covered up. And that got me to thinking that I should start making plans as to how I am going to accomplish this. First I have to be sure that there really was a fireplace here (I mean we have a chimney so doesn't that mean that there was one here?). Then I'm going to have to find out how I can get it back. The livingroom is quite full and I'm guessing that the fireplace would have to be where the sofa is now but I'll see. I don't want to move (or get rid of) the sofa and hopefully there will be a way that I can fit it in.

The Nerve!

The previous owner of this house passed away and that is how I got the property. In the mail came a letter addressed to me starting with

"May I offer my condolences on the passing of....................................."

The very next sentence says that the reason they are contacting me is that they understand that the property may be coming up for sale. (I don't know where they got this "understanding" because I never once wanted to put the property up for sale!) The writer of the letter says that he is looking for property in the area and would be interested if it became available - if not now - then he would like to be considered in the future in case it does come up for sale. He offers to purchase the property as is and that he will pay all cash and that he will close the sale in 30 days.

I was insulted by the letter and of course that could have just been that it reminded me of the passing of the previous owner. I know that there are a lot of people out there that would be glad to get an offer like this in the mail but I'm not one of them.

Expenses - Getting New Locks!

It's better to be safe than sorry and I was afraid that I would lock myself out of the house! The whole thing cost about $175 but it dawned on me that it was well worth it! I think the lock on the door was as old as the house itself! The cost included the installation, the service call and the extra keys.

I would have to put this under "emergency" expenses because it was something that I didn't plan to do. So its probably a good idea for you to have an "emergency" expense set aside because emergencies will come up!

*** Article: Every Day That The Furnace Works Is A Good Day – By AlanDetwiler ***

"The things that make our lives better -- our homes, food, clothing, andour families -- should make us feel good by just knowing we have them. Butthose important things likely have been a part of our lives for a longtime. Human nature turns our attention away from the familiar. So weseldom feel very happy about what we have. But if something important tous is taken away and then is somehow recovered, we feel joy andappreciation.Too bad we humans can't feel so fortunate about things before they aretaken away. How great we would feel about our health, our abilities tomove around, our mental abilities to reason and remember, and the numerousother things that are out of our minds just because we take them forgranted. Shouldn't we make 'asset awareness' a higher priority in ourlives? What better way is there to get more out of life? That little bitof wisdom would make us happier if we could just get ourselves to put itinto practice.My furnace stopped working late one evening last winter when thetemperature outside was heading toward the lower twenties overnight. Therewould not be a furnace repair shop open at that time of day. I have quitea few tools, am mechanically inclined, and have some knowledge of how thefurnace works. So I went down into the basement and started removing thepump/blower assembly from the oil-burning furnace so it could beinspected. When the mounting bolts were removed and the assembly takenout, several small pieces of shattered plastic could be seen lying at thebottom of the combustion chamber. The plastic shaft linking the motor tothe oil pump had shattered into many small pieces. There would be no heatin the house overnight and probably a good part of the next day.The temperature in the house had dropped into the lower 60s around 8 p.m.when I noticed the furnace was not coming on, as it should. By 10 p.m.when I had discovered the root cause, it was in the mid 50s. Fortunately,I have a lot of extra blankets. I took three, folded each in half for atotal of six extra layers and put them on the bed. I put on a coat, asecond pair of pants, heavy socks, a knit hat, and knit gloves and went tobed.I was quite comfortable that night. The next morning, the temperature inthe house was 48 degrees F. I was dressed warmly and was reasonablycomfortable as long as I kept moving quickly and didn't slow down. Theurge to stay warm felt like an overpowering concern. A call to the nearestfurnace repair shop (about 10 miles away) gave me the good news that areplacement part was in stock. The $12 price seemed like a real bargain toget back a heated home again. Just after noon I had completed the repairjust in time to eat lunch as the house warmed up to the balmy 68 degreeswhere the thermostat was set. What luxury!We have so much. We heat our homes. We provide ourselves with food andother necessities. We have many luxuries and creature comforts. Every oneof those good things should be celebrated and enjoyed. All of what we haveis special -- the newly acquired, the familiar, the big/important things,and the little things. It is special to be able to prepare a plate of foodfor supper, take it out into the yard, and sit down in the sun and eat it.If that doesn't seem special, visit a nursing home (most of us will livein one some day). Most of the residents there are wheelchair bound. Theyeat in their rooms or in a large dining hall with other residents. Thoseare their only two choices.When I walk out onto my lawn with my plate of food, I am going to enjoyit. I hope I always remember -- every day that the furnace works is a goodday.

About the Author: Alan Detwiler writes about things to do to have fun.

His website is http://www.leisureideas.com

The Kitchen Sink Is Still Clogged.......

And I found out that while the water is slowly draining down the clog the pipe in the basement is pretty much rusty to a fault!  So far I have duck-taped it hoping that THAT will help.

The piping system probably needs an overhaul but I want to take my time with this and get someone reliable to do the job - plus I have to set aside a budget for it.

Well the heater came on for the first time this season

I still had the windows up!

For some reason I just walked by the radiator and felt that it was warm. The heater hasn't been on since - I believe - May. The temps are supposed to go down into the 40's tonight and I'm sure that the heater will kick back on again.

Like they say the seasons are changing!

I found where the kitchen sink is leaking to

It's not a pretty site! The pipe is leaking in the basement and the pipe is in back of another pipe which makes reaching it quite difficult. I know that I am going to have to replace the pipes because they have been there for a while now. But at least when I have them replaced I'll have a warranty and will know that the pipes are new.

Now I got to find a reputable company to do the job.

The Kitchen Sink Is Still Clogged.......

And I found out that while the water is slowly draining down the clog the pipe in the basement is pretty much rusty to a fault!  So far I have duck-taped it hoping that THAT will help.

The piping system probably needs an overhaul but I want to take my time with this and get someone reliable to do the job - plus I have to set aside a budget for it.

Bee In The House!

I just got finished killing one of the biggest bees I have ever seen!  It looked like a woolly mamoth kind of bee from back in the prehistoric days!  What gets me is how did it get in the house?  And I don't think that I even want to know the answer to that!

Wish List - A BIG Window!

Although I'm very happy with the house that I live in, one of the things on my wish list is a very, very big window so that I can enjoy both the sunrise and the sunset. 

I do have those views now with some of the smaller windows in the house but someone recently mentioned about it and it made me think about having one myself.

Well the kitchen sink is still clogged up but......

The water is draining down although it is draining so slow.  I finally managed to get some unclogging product from the store but I really should get the Liquid Plummer brand.  I have been plunging the drain ever so often and the water is slowly going down.  I'll have to wait and see.

I miss being able to use the kitchen sink!  It's where I wash my hair (which is probably one of the reasons why it is clogged now!)

I do have a garden!

But there has been so much that I have had to do that I haven't been able to get out into it.  You know what that means don't you - WEEDS!  A few days ago I was pruning the hedges in the front.  I'm also pruning away some of the weeds that are around the house as well and as you can well imagine if you don't take care of them the weeds grow and grow - which is what they did!  They even managed to find a crack and grow through it so that there was growth INSIDE the windows!  The weeds are growing so tall that they are starting to reach my second story window!  As the weeds continue to grow their branches get thicker which makes them harder to cut!

I have a lot of work ahead of me!  It's been so hot and humid that I haven't been out as much and then it starts to rain which makes the weeds grow more!  But I am determined to have a Martha Stewart-like atmosphere - you know with the birdbath (already got one of those) and the windchimes (got a set of them (sharks) hanging already) and just have a pleasant little outside area - with a garden!

Weeds!

Late in the afternoon (when the sun was going down) I continued to clear the weeds from one side of the house.  They had overgrown so much!  Plus there's a rosebush there that is at least 20 years old.  I should have took a picture of it so that I could post it here but hopefully I will remember to do that the next time!  Anyways the rosebush had grown so much that it was bent over and touching my neighbor's lawn.  Today I managed to cut it back but I still have a ways to go!  The weeds have grown thick and the area is kind of on a slope so getting around it ain't easy.  I have made progress though and it shows.  I may have to call a tree service to get rid of the thicker weeds which have grown into small trees!

The weeds grew right through the window and that was what I heard when the wind was blowing strong.

Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to those of you that don't know and the lesson is that if you don't get rid of the weeds they will grow and grow!

Well the kitchen sink is clogged up!

This just happened today and I'm hoping (actually praying) that the water will go down!  I'm in an anxious state right now because I surely don't have enough money to pay a plumber!  I don't even have enough money to by any LIQUID plummer! 

Drafty House!

Don't get me wrong I love my older house but when its windy outside you can feel it inside.  I don't know why but the kitchen gets the coldest.  Again I don't know why?  The back door has one of those "slips" underneath the bottom and the windows have no areas where the wind is coming in.  Unfortunately there is a hold in the wall closer to the diningroom so that might be one of the reasons.  I want to patch it myself so I'm going to have to learn more about that.  Another contributing factor could be the radiator.  There was a time when the kitchen had no radiator at all and the new one that was installed is smaller than the regular cast iron radiators.  I have been told that a difference can be felt but I can't feel it.  Maybe I blocked it out?

This is the beginning of March and the warmer weather should be coming soon so that gives me some time to plan what I am going to do.