Dollars and sense

I love this place!!!!!



I'm considering refinancing the house. I am just at that early "perhaps" stage, but have multiple high expense things that will be coming up, and it is perhaps time. The surgery, while minor, will have an impact on my budget for many months to come. The house is in need of some things; first on the list is getting rid of this carpet and going to a more pet friendly laminate. Topping the list will be prosthetics work. A leg that I can wear every day for any thing is a lot different than what I will need for athletics. My hope will be that some of the issues I have with my every day leg can be solved as I delve into the athletics. I am slowly gathering mentors and will be a chronic thorn in their sides in the coming months. (Beware, MJ!) At any rate, I was talking to a friend today as we were out cruising on the Olympic Peninsula...usually I do this on the motorcycle, and talking is not part of the experience. What I realized is how lucky I am to be a home owner. So many do not have that card to play. My house has been an amazing blessing from the very start. It was a healing place when I first moved here, going on eight years ago. Now it is my sanctuary. My place of peace (when I am not battling doggy detachment syndrome). I would love to live the rest of my life here. I have the best of everything. I have acreage that includes woods. I have Puget Sound at the bottom of my driveway. I have the swimming pool out back, and the horse beyond that. I live a short mile from the ferry landing that takes me to my kids and grandkids. More times than not I see dolphins as I cross the Sound; on a grand day it is pods of orcas. The other way I have the glorious Olympic Peninsula with its varied parks and rain forest. Top that off with a couple of the world's best neighbors (which does over ride the creepy one) and I am a happy camper here. While the economy tanked and housing values went south, mine still is appraised $100K over what I paid for it. The fixed income can be tough, but having this house is like living in a savings account. I will never allow myself to become "over financed." What I mean is that my true goal has been to have the house paid off before I leave it to the kids. I am realizing that that is a bit silly, but I always want the house to appraise at higher than I owe; by a good margin. In order to achieve that I must keep updating. This is plenty of house for myself and the dogs. At some point, and that may be now, the land will become much more valuable than the small house. I am hoping that this little area remains as it is, but the reality is that at some point builders will begin developing around me. I am in the "Urban Growth Area." Prime development land. The county actually dictates how many homes HAVE to be built per acre. Not how many CAN be. Weird, but some kind of government game to keep development contained. So while I am in a great area in many ways, the future is a bit frightening. Behind me is a tree farm that is owned by one of the town's founding family's member. She vows to never sell, and may have something set up to keep that firm after she passes. She is in her sixties now. Beyond the 300 acres of tree farm is the slough. I have come to love wetlands as much as builders hate them. There are three pieces of land right next to me that could be sold at any point. The economy is once again working for me in that there are plenty of houses sitting empty and I doubt the builders are wanting to buy up more parcels right away. How long that lasts is any one's guess. For now I sit and dream. I also live my dreams to the best of my abilities.



Tomorrow is another follow up with the surgeon. Until the tape is pealed off the incisions I have nothing but hope that I can get back into the leg as early as tomorrow afternoon. The disease is still safely at bay. I have no reason to think that we will have a repeat of last week's appointment.



So, with that I will close and get the evening chores done. Life has its hiccoughs; but the meal is still excellent.



Out until tomorrow.



G2