Since I was a kid, I have been allergic.  I am allergic to everything that walks or talks or floats through the air.  We didn’t have air conditioning, of course, when I was a kid.  We didn’t need it in the woods of NW PA (though it’s hotter there now).  But we did sleep with the windows open all night so I often woke with a solid dusting of pollen all over my body.  Of course, that also meant I was sick pretty much all of the time.  I went to an allergist in NY (the closest there was) and he wrote on my chart (which I still have) that I was “a most unusual and interesing case”.  He also noted that, while in his office, “…I coughed until I threw up and then continued coughing.”  Charming…so I have allergies to all sorts of foods and trees and everything, like I said…and they are bad.

When we lived in TN, there was something different.  Very few things bothered me there.  The trees in Nashville were, in many cases, very different from what we had in PA or here in WV.  It was a pretty easy-going time allergy-wise for me.  I just figured that all my brains had leaked out through my nose or that I had outgrown my allergies.

Fastforward a few years and we returned to live in WV.  Allergies kicked my butt all over again.  Folks think I am in a constant state of mourning as my eyes are always red.  I must seem more emotional than a teenage girl!  I am actually a bit like an older lady who keeps tissues up her sleeve.  I can’t leave home without them.  All that was the case until last year when I decided I couldn’t live like that (puberty and menopause at the same time was a drag!)  I went to a local allergist and he confirmed that I am a most unusual and interesting case.  I started allergy shots last year and have continued.  So far I am still boy-like and not a miserable mess of histamine-reaction!

Today I have to go back to the doctor for my checkup.  I am not sure what exactly goes down at an allergy checkup.  I suppose he needs to make sure it is all working as planned.  Whatever the case, I am happy to go back because it seems as if my allergies are under control with the shots I have been taking this past year!  The best part is that every time I go to the allergist, I leave with a lollipop…without fail.  I suppose they leave the candy out there for the kids, but I need encouragement to get my shots too!

Anyhow, do you folks have allergies?  Do you take shots or have other remedies?

I have been in a mood lately.  I suppose it has been for the last month or so, but I am tired of it.  Several people have commented about it and I can feel it myself.  I am not sure why we get in moods or if it is seasonal or something else.  I really suppose it must be related to my recent escape from the caffeine habit!  Anyhow, as spring seems to have finally arrived in WV, I have high hopes of getting back to normal.  So please, dear readers, bear with me as I boost my vitamin d intake and sneak nips from the old Mt Dew bottle now and then.

In the meantime, I took this picture and thought it was just about the cutest thing I had seen since I last looked in the mirror!

Happy Friday!

I grew up in a small town in NW PA called Tionesta.  It’s the county seat of Forest county, the least populus county in Pennsylvania.  Since there aren’t many people, you might guess that there are a lot of trees and outdoorsy things to do.  Of course, with a county name like Forest, could there be any doubt?  Anyhow, I lived every bit of my childhood there (since I was 1 or so) and grew up as a country boy.

What exactly it means to be a country boy varies from person to person I suppose but I figure that there are a few common denominators.  I grew up exposed to nature and critters and dark skies and simple life.  There was ugly stuff about living in the country too, but I choose to ignore all of that stuff.

(the Tionesta dam)

So, anyhow, I grew up near a town of 600 or so people.  We lived a few miles out of town in the boonies.  Actually, when you get to the boonies, you turn left and go a bit further.  Anyhow, in the country, we got into all sorts of things.  I have mentioned a few things on here before…we were about gardening and making maple syrup, boy scouts and camping, wishing on the stars and laying under a shade tree chewing on a piece of grass.  I learned about guns and shot all the time.  It was wonderful!    

I miss those things…sometimes more than others.  The funny thing is, though, I guess I can do all those things now too, but I think there is something special about being a kid in the country.

Do you have memories, past or present, of being a kid in the country?

We originally bought our house 3 years ago when we moved here with a 30 year mortgage, similar to how most people buy homes.  We had a conventional, fixed-rate mortgage and paid three years on it.  Basically, we paid $30000 in interest and $0.47 on the principal.  With the lower interest rates that are a result of the economic climate, we recently found a lower rate and decided to refinance our home.  

We did not refinance to take out some of the equity or prolong our loan another 30 years to lower payments.  I understand that things happen and it becomes necessary to do these things sometimes, but for us, our goal was to shorten the length of the loan and pay it off a bit earlier.  

In a lot of cases, refinancing fees eat up a large portion of the benefit of refinancing.  Closing costs and title insurance and other similar fees can total thousands of dollars and, if rolled back into the principal, can negate the refinancing benefit.  We looked around some and found some interesting information.  First of all, the refinancing backlog at some banks is incredible.  The banking industry is apparently not suffering too bad (or else they run on a skeleton staff) as many places wouldn’t even call us back.  

Anyhow, our bank, it turns out, still owns our loan and has an easy refinancing option whereby they essentially reduce our rate/term for only $415.  We still have a fixed rate, prime loan at a conventional brick-and-mortar bank.  We now only have to pay on it for 20 years instead of 30.  I put together a little spreadsheet to analyze the loans and discovered that by cutting 7 years off of our loan (we already paid 3 of the original 30 years), we will save over $100,000 in interest.  Our payment only slightly changed and it is likely that by limiting my Mt Dew intake, we won’t feel any difference in our bottom line!

You can see the spreadsheet I created to have a look at your own home loan.  Basically, the yellow cells need your input.  You’ll notice an area called “extra payment” that will allow you to add additional money on your principal payment to see how a little extra money translates into a lot of extra money down the road.  You can also see the total cost of your loan which will likely be shocking.  Anyhow, have a look and see what you think!  By the way, if you don’t have excel, you can download OpenOffice which is a free replacement for Microsoft Office.  I have used this since 1998 or so and have had great luck with it.