The biggest news of the week was going for a haircut. Actually, that was sort of a spontaneous activity. I was due about the time we got the two feet of snow and stayed home. Then on a couple of occasions I drove by the place – The Barber Chop – but didn’t stop. There was lots of snow where folks were trying to park. Next time there were about 5 cars around. Finally, on a return trip from Umpqua Bank, I went in, got right in a chair and a nicely tattooed young lady, also nice, (Baily) had me trimmed in about 15 minutes.
The trip to the bank was initiated by me asking about a loan to finish the remodeling work. The bank’s interest rate is about 3.5% and the retirement funds were earning more than that, so the idea was to use their cheaper money. I decided not to do that, but banker Brandy found that we had an unused Home Equity Loan, initiated in 2003. This had a yearly fee of $50. Thus, the cost has been $900 – and I don’t even remember why we signed up for that.
The details included having the Bank’s name on our deed – even though we never borrowed a dime.
The real kick in the butt is that in order to cancel that the Bank has to send a signed document to the government to have the bank’s named removed. One can’t burp in WA State without paying a fee, in this case $236.11. No mortal knows how these strange fees are calculated, but that 11¢ must be important to someone. It is called Reconveyance Fee. I had to visit the bank to sign the form and authorize the withdrawal. Thus, the total cost over the years is $1,136.11. Plus the cost of the gas to drive to town.
To make the drive more purposeful, I went to a grocery store, I dropped my ballot in the box at the Courthouse, and stopped for a haircut.
The vote was for school levies. Today a flier arrived from the district asking for my support for the two items. I had already voted yes, so they need not have sent the full color large document. Oh well!
My sometimes neighbor came home last night or early this morning. Recall we had two feet of snow 10 days ago, and it is still here. It has sagged some, so maybe there is only a depth of 15 inches covering her 200 feet of driveway. She drives a small Honda with a clearance of about 6 inches.
She decided to try, and made 20 feet before high centering.
Hondas, unlike Subarus and many other vehicles, have nothing in the rear to hook on to. The body is plastic and the back has a gas tank in the center and mufflers on either side.
I shoveled behind the car and got some of the snow out from underneath. Then I called Allen and he came with the front end loader that he used here. I brought gravel over from my spare pile and got a little under the tires. She is not good at the “rock back and forth” technique – this is the 3rd time in 20 years she has used her car as a snowmobile. We got her out and I came home. Allen cleaned her drive, I think into her house, but I’ll have a look tomorrow.
I do get a little exercise moving snow off where I want a path. It will dry rather than get soggy. Also, I split wood rather than just use what is already split and stacked. Oh, and I feed the wild birds. They approve.
From the Naneum Fan
John