Last week was a difficult week for consumers looking to secure a new mortgage. Mortgage rates rose about .25% from 5 month lows which pushed the par interest rate to 4.875% for the best qualified consumers. Better than expected economic data and corporate earnings reports have kept the pressure on mortgage backed securities to move higher in price as investors look for higher returns in the stock market. To remind readers, as the prices of MBS move lower, lenders are pressured to offer higher mortgage...

In 2009 :
Lo : 37 °
Hi : 53 °** New Record Coolest : old record : 55 ° in 1966 !
Rainfall : 0.01 “ Rain fell during the 2 a.m. hour.

In 2008 :
Lo : 44 °
Hi : 67 °
Rainfall : 0.00 ”

In 2007 :
Lo : 67 °** Record Warmest
Hi : 84 °
Rainfall : 1.09 “

In 2006 :
Lo : 53 °
Hi : 69 °
Rainfall : 0.05 “

In 2005 :
Lo : 41 °
Hi : 80 °
Rainfall : 0.00 ”...

DH, Bigun and I recently visited Atchison, KS. It was a return trip for me, having first gone in '97 to gather information for a novel I'd tried (and failed) to write. I was captured by it, and Amelia, then and again. It's a great small town that hides its treasures from casual view. One must get out and walk its streets to be touched by it.

Though the town displays its love of Amelia Earhart, as her birthplace, it has many gifts aside from her lingering presence. It's a place worth...

In 2009 :
Lo : 41 °
Hi : 55 °** New Record Coolest : old record : 59 ° in 1954
Rainfall : 0.05 “ Rain fell during the 10 - 11 a.m. hours.

In 2008 :
Lo : 55 °
Hi : 70 °
Rainfall : 0.34 ”

In 2007 :
Lo : 61 °
Hi : 77 °
Rainfall : 0.10 “ Normal

In 2006 :
Lo : 52 °
Hi : 65 °
Rainfall : 1.50 “

In 2005 :
Lo : 43 °
Hi : 78 °
Rainfall : 0.00 ”
...

A survey released today reveals that 55+ Americans would prefer suburban living in single-story homes with amenities, particularly high-speed Internet access, for their later years, and they don't consider "universal" design a priority. These are some of the findings from 55+ Housing: Builders, Buyers, and Beyond, a survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the MetLife Mature Market Institute, which asked owners and renters about their current homes and...