Rate Increase

Saying for the day:I've learned-that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

The other day I received this scary letter in the mail.
It reeks of government. It has warnings and threats of fines. I held it in my hand and wondered what did they want to increase now ?
My federal tax rate?
My state tax rate?
My water rate?
My gas rate?
My electric rate?
My sales tax rate?
They were all too horrible to consider. I became stressed. My stomach became upset. My oxygen level went down. I was afraid to open it. I didn’t need any more bad news. So I just held it and shook.
Then my ever practical and lovely wife Betty said “ For heaven sake open it.”
So I did. The answer is none of the above.
No it was even worse the rate on my adjustable rate mortgage was about to be increased. What do those blood suckers want? I gave them $9000 in interest last year. At this point Betty brought the oxygen tank as I was turning green.
Just a 1% increase in interest and we could be living in the street. Panic set in. I saw the big foreclosure sign out on the lawn. We were about to join that army of people that fellow was talking about on television that were suckered in to a flexible rate mortgage and now were losing their home. I was about to become a statistic.
In the midst of this panic I suddenly remembered we don’t have a flexible rate mortgage. They can’t raise my interest rate.
But I had this official notice . Right there in the corner was the name of my loan company.


Why were they trying to scare a poor old man to death?
I read the rest of the letter.
It wasn’t from my bank at all.
It was a scam.
A scam. Some rotten company caused me to panic with a scam.
They wanted me to refinance with them.
This is what they said “ Please don’t wait until it’s too late and you loose your home like many other unfortunate people with adjustable rate mortgages have done.”
They wanted me to be afraid of losing my home. They were taking advantage of national conditions to scare me. What a rotten no good company.
If I had had a flexible rate mortgage it might have worked.
Then they say they could get me a rate and here are the key words “ as low as”. My chance of getting that low rate with this scamming company is nil.
Even the name of the company reeks of scam. It is:
Rescue Mortgage, Edina, MN.
If there was a Scrooge of the year award they would be my nominee.
Now what do I do?
I will file a complaint with The proper state authority.
Then if I can find a good and greedy lawyer I might sue them. Let’s see physical trauma, mental stress, pain suffering.
I should get at least a million.
#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Dragon parties, is what they are calling them. People are gathering on main street at around 5:30 and they part until the dragon comes at around six. It is now the big thing in Pigeon Falls. Of course, both variety stores, Nancy’s, and the Fly Inn are taking advantage of it. The variety stores are staying open until seven instead of closing at five. They have stocked new dragon merchandise, cups, sweaters, little plastic dragons, postcards and stuff like that. Word has spread and the number of tourists coming to Pigeon Falls just to see the dragon has increased. Last night the dragon did not disappoint them . It flew right at six o’clock. People cheered and laughed. One would think that it was an old friend. If they could they would make it Grand Marshal of the Pigeon Falls Days Parade.
Poor Pastor Joan somebody put a little piece of her sermon from last Sunday on the internet and now she is being accused of not being sensitive to the real nature of the poor in other countries. Her sermon, she says, was not about material things at all but about the abundant life in the Spirit. She grew up in a family that lacked material things but was still happy and loving and kind.
Petrovich has paid for his carpenter to stay and help with the other renovations in the museum . Since he hasn’t been hurt by the strange noises and shoulder taps the volunteers are willing to go on working as well. In a couple of weeks the museum should be ready to open.
*****

Today's Link-Days go By-A parent's problems and the cat too.
This morning Betty and I packed up five more boxes of track for eBay. We won't bring them up and put them out until next week because my son Patrick and boys are coming this weekend and there is no room to put them down. In the afternoon Betty took Maggie for a walk. I took a nap . I'm still not over whatever it is I have. Then I visited most of my links. My former Pastor called. The one who took my place at United. It was good to hear his voice. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA
From the archive-The Old Pigeon Falls in Crystal Falls