Thursday May 13

[Shirlv]

Morning All, sunny, clear and cool this morning. I haven’t been busy just out of it. Didn’t realize allergies caused extreme fatigue. The pollen count has really been high in our area.Youngest daughter missed two days of work for allergy related dizziness that required a doctor visit. The allergy season is longer this year also. Staying home and doing household chores even if it is in slow motion. Be safe

BJ,, there is the original back road that runs parallel with the main highway. The beach goers block that too thinking it is a short cut. Locals pray they don’t need an ambulance because it can’t get through. Very bad situation.

[BarbaraRose]

Good morning Shirl! Hope your allergies get better. I had terrible allergies back in MN! I was always miserable! I used to buy so much behind-the-counter Sudafed that I figured they were gonna come looking for my Meth lab! Luckily, I don't seem to have any allergies out here tho.

I was up late last night reading and finally got sleepy around 2am. Then the cats outside started fighting. I went out once to chase them off, went back to bed, and 5 minutes later they were fighting (just verbal, not physical) again. That went on for over an hour! I finally fell asleep sometime after 3am.

Just was woken up now at 8:30 with more yowling and screaming! I went out and saw the white kitty again with a different cat this time. I need to find out if I can do a TNR on him. He fights with every cat (except the orange one who he seems to be crazy about). He is also the one who is marking around the outside of my house. I know a gal who is involved in the local TNR (trap, neuter, release) program so I think I will get ahold of her and see what we can do with him.

My shoulder is better this morning. A little sore but not too painful. I can raise my arm better than yesterday. Will work on some stretching exercises a few times today again.

My plan for today is to do my taxes and a few light loads of laundry. Back to bed for a couple more hours tho...

[chalet05]

Good Morning!

Shirl, that traffic sounds like most weekends year round in Leavenworth! Sorry about the nasty allergies. Barbie, haven't heard yowling cats in years - it can stay that way. Sheila, glad your eye is doing well.

The roof vent cover didn't happen - yet. By the time I felt comfortable with the directions, I was out of the mood and it was getting warmer out. Really isn't that hard and have done similar on regular vent. Yesterday was clouds with a threat of rain so postponed Walmart trip until today. Haven't been there since last summer, but need to start gathering some things for the apartment. I move everything out of the camper 2 weeks from today! With the bed back ordered, furniture store is loaning me a bed!

Be well --

[JudyJB]

Feel lousy today. I woke up several times in the morning, but did not get out of bed until noon. Not sure what my problem is but I think it is a migraine headache. Have not had one in a couple of years, but lately have had problems with light vertigo and lots of allergies, so maybe it is all catching up with me. Did not get to bed on time again last night because I was chasing another moth! I did catch one yesterday morning on a clear window fly catcher sticky patch. That made me happy.

Nice day today, but I think I will stay inside and not go for my late afternoon walk. Need to drive to Kingman, AZ. tomorrow, so ran out and got a full tank of gas yesterday. Also, need to work on my taxes tonight. I started a few weeks ago with Norton, but got tired and stopped. I think I have all the paperwork--just need to put it all in the software. Hope I do not owe anything or much.

Still feeling really good about this being my last semester of teaching. Nice to delete things from my calendar and not have to start worrying about getting ready for the next semester.

[snowball]

I was somewhat productive today... dishes got done scriptures read... hmmm lets see what else???? guess the operative word is somewhat not sure why I've been so sleepy... but the nap helped sorta .... went up to the house to find it empty except grandson dd went to SLC to pick up army son from airport he is on leave for a couple weeks... other dd is spending night with her son/family two granddaughter's were coming home from Idaho Falls now why they went and why they were in DD's car I don't know ....
perhaps tomorrow will get something more done oh yes I did water inside plants!!!
not to mention the time spent on FB as well as word search haven't colored a page yet but think that will change I also played with yard to see what I wanted to do with the colors I choose was going to be creative think I am just going to do what I intended to do...
Anita I am surprised that the store is loaning you a bed is the mattress the one you will be using when you get your bed?
Barbie glad that your arm is somewhat better
allergies can be a bear and sometimes they can improve and become a non issue
you all have a good day
sheila

[JudyJB]

Just finished my income taxes. I always put it off until the last minute because I think I am always worried I will have to pay a lot of money. I have to estimate payments for some extra income I received this year and struggled to pay them. However, it turns out I am getting a federal refund almost as big as my estimated payments!! So I really did not have to pay so much in the first place.

One advantage of not working next year means I won't have to pay taxes on half of my SS, so that will help offset the loss of income.

So that takes a lot of stress away. I noticed Barbie was also a last-minute filer. Did you get yours done yet, Barbie???

[Cudedog]

Just finished my income taxes. I always put it off until the last minute because I think I am always worried I will have to pay a lot of money. I have to estimate payments for some extra income I received this year and struggled to pay them. However, it turns out I am getting a federal refund almost as big as my estimated payments!! So I really did not have to pay so much in the first place.

One advantage of not working next year means I won't have to pay taxes on half of my SS, so that will help offset the loss of income.

So that takes a lot of stress away. I noticed Barbie was also a last-minute filer. Did you get yours done yet, Barbie???

LOL. . . I'm not Barbie, but. . . I filed my state return yesterday. I am also a "last minute filer".

I have used the H & R Block software or several years to do my taxes, and have been pleased with their software. This year when I was browsing software (I pay for my tax software - I don't use online "free" versions of tax software), I was happy to see that H&R Block offered "Free efile". Sounded good! Did my taxes, got federal efiled. . . only to find out that H & R Block requires $20.00 to efile my state taxes (I needed to give them my credit or debit card number - that wasn't happening!) or $38.00 (!) to efile using a portion of my measly federal refund.

REALLY?? I put the "cheapness factor" for H & R block at a "10". Instead of the fast $38.00, I put a fifty-cent stamp on an envelope and "filed" my state return via the U.S. Post Office.

I will probably go with TurboTax next year. They offer free efile for both state and federal.

Ladies, what is your favorite tax software? Or do you prepare your return the old-fashioned way, with a pen, a calculator and a bothersome stack of paper? Or do you just throw up your hands and let your tax preparer person handle it for you?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks.

Anne

[BarbaraRose]

I used to do the EZ form for my taxes years ago since it was so simple. Then went to on-line with Turbo Tax. The last 3 years I have had H&R Block do my taxes since they were so complicated. 3 years ago I had 3 jobs in 3 different states, I sold my dad's house and bought my house in Vista. So I needed someone to figure all that out for me. I used them the past 2 years because of buying and selling a house. This year is much easier, altho I still have to figure out how to deal with my dad's house. We sold it at a loss so we each get a credit off our income of $3000 per year for 5 years. I will just go back and see what my H&R Block gal did and do the same. The rest will be easy (I hope). There will be the unemployment stuff in there too.

[snowball]

yikes I keep forgetting to do it... called the library yesterday to see if the AARP tax people were in the valley yep but all over so now I guess I need to figure out how to do it.. mine is just simple two w2's but still it worries me should have tried to do that today no Hand R block in town either or I would just see if I could get in tomorrow
sheila

[chalet05]

I have used OnLine Taxes the past few years - OTL.com. Federal is free, don't know about state. It's pretty straight forward and free. If you have gathered all the needed info, you just use it to answer the questions. I did nearly miss the new charity contribution deduction even if you don't itemize this year.

When my mother died and we bought rental property, I had an accountant come to the house even though I had always done our taxes. The 2nd year he came he said there was no need for him as I had just followed the year before and finished them. And then he tried to get us to invest in putting air conditioners in Arizona apartment or some such.

[Bethers]

I use freetaxusa. I don't know how I ended up with that online tax service but have been using it happily for a few years. I love that every year now it suggests things based on the previous years return. And because of it I got the charity deduction Anita mentioned. My federal return is free, state I pay a small fee for if I need a state return.