As the Garden Grows

What's blooming today?


Refinancing a mortgage

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You know, we’ve owned our home now for five and half years but there’s some days that I sit in wonder that I actually own a home. I guess it’s because we lived in apartment for so long before we got our house that I still find it so amazing.

I even found it interesting last May and June when we were talking with our bank aboutMortgage Refinance and the various mortgage rates that they could offer us. Perhaps by year 10 of owning the house it won’t seem so unbelievable. Either way it’s very nice to finally own a home.

When we were starting to renew our mortgage I looked a few banks and brokerages who were offering Home Mortgage Refinance. We ended up using the bank that we’d already been using for our first mortgage but we reworked our rates and end up with a very low interest rate that we are both comfortable paying.

If you need more information on mortgage refinancing why don’t you visit the Personalhomeloanmortgages.com site to read their articles and see what kind of rates they offer. There’s a mortgage rate calculator right on the front page that will help you find a mortgage rate that suits you needs.






A new Orchid

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My husband I were shopping yesterday and we ended up in Walmart. We didn’t know before going to the closest store that it was closing down. Apparently a new Superstore Walmart will be opening a few blocks up the street from the current store on Wednesday.

Anyway, we got some great deals since they were marking down a number of products that they didn’t want to have to move.

As we went to the cash to pay for our items I noticed an area that had a number of potted flowering bulbs. They were all daffodils and they were flowering already so I didn’t feel that they were worth buying. Then, in the corner of that display I noticed a lone Orchid. I decided to check out the price and I was told it was only $5 so I got it. What a great deal!

The orchid was flowering, and has 6 flowers right now. The blooms are a delicate light mauvey pink. It’s a Phalaenopsis. The Phalaenopsis seems to be the most commonly sold Orchid and in general they are fairly easy to care for.

I already have two Phalaenopsis, and one other type of Orchid. Unfortunately I can’t remember what the name of the other Orchid is, but it has spiky leaves that are somewhat like thick grass.

My only concern with this Orchid is that it doesn’t have any leaves. I looked at it’s roots and it has a well developed root system and the roots look healthy. I’m hoping with some care that the Orchid will begin to grow leaves again and do well. At least it wasn’t too expensive.

One of my other Phalaenopsis is a baby of another one and it’s doing great. I’ve noticed that it’s leaves have really grown quite a bit in the last month. I’m hoping that the baby will bloom this year. It’s about two years old.

If you are thinking about getting an Orchid start with Phalaenopsis. They are the easiest to care for. Basic care instructions are:

Temperature – This species of Orchid does well at room temperatures between 60 F to 85 F. They do not tolerate cool temperatures at all.

Lighting- Partial sun, avoid direct sunlight. Place near an east facing window if possible.

Watering- Orchids like to have slightly moist substrate but they don’t like being wet, and they don’t like drying out. Watering about once a week should be sufficient.

Feeding- Orchids don’t need to be fertilized often. When I do fertilize I use one that is high in nitrogen but I weaken the strength of the mix by half. Do not fertilize any more than once a month.

Care – after the Orchid has flowered, you can cut the flower spike down to two inches.

Blooming- Phalaenopsis bloom at least once year, but sometimes bloom two to three times. I’ve found that each flower lasts two or more weeks, and the flowers don’t come out all at once. You can often get a month and a half to two months of blooms at a time.

Check cash advance

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I just hate it when I run out of money before the next paycheck. It doesn’t happen often, but it has in the past.

When I was just 18 or 19 years old and new to living in Toronto and managing my money I found that I had more problems managing my money. This was a problem because most of my bills came in at the beginning of the month and if I had mismanaged my money some bills only got partially paid, or if I did have enough to pay all the bills I was low on cash for buying other things I needed- like groceries.

As you can tell I didn’t make a lot of money when I first moved here. I remember one time when I was very low on cash and went to a shop here in Canada called “Money Mart”. It’s the same company that offers Payday Cash Advance Loans. I guess that’s just it’s Canadian name.

I was getting a regular paycheck and I had it, but I think it was a Friday and the banks were closed and I wouldn’t be able to deposit it into my account until Monday. I needed the money that day. So I went in with my check and I was approved for a Check Cash Advance. The company took a small percentage of the check as a fee for the service, but I had the majority of my pay check to spend as I wished.

I’ve never had to get a Cash Advance since that time. No it’s not because I suddenly developed better money management skills. Well, they have improved but they didn’t improve over night. Either way, I suppose I just never needed money that quickly again. However, If a similar situation did come up in the future I know I’d try it again.

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