Rainy Night in Georgia

I am so grateful for my warm and dry home. I like the view of the greening trees, too. I am getting chilly and looking forward to lighting the fire when Ray gets home in a few minutes. He called me on the way to say he is stopping to pick up my prescription at Hawthorne Drugs. I hope that he doesn't have any problems on the road.

We'll have soup with kale...and cauliflower cheese pie that we made last night. Earlier I made oatmeal-raisin cookies for my Dad, who came and brought food: roast chicken and macaroni and cheese. I added a little salad.

No power
Tree fell on the line
Starting fire

Last night, I was at a meeting at UUFA. On the way home, I got texts from Ray. Power out...buy batteries...As I got close to the turning for Three Oaks Drive, I could see an emergency vehicle with flashing lights on Prospect Church Road...All was dark at home and Ray was asleep...no TV, no ice cream (didn't want to open freezer). But, thanks to iPad, I was able to read a bit before bed. I lit a candle and put it in the bathroom for a nightlight. At 3:30, I woke and got up and blew it out. The power was back! Another thing to be grateful for!

Tired

Tired and sore this morning. I didn't sleep as well as I would have hoped, had some bad dreams.

Yesterday morning, in addition to the usual routine, I made some lemon squares to take to UUFA. We were a little late leaving the house. Ray may have been out walking longer than he should have. Then I noticed the shirt I was wearing had some kind of stain on it--a short-sleeved shirt! We drove through town and had to wait for the run/walk, which I hadn't even heard about. 

We went to Rocky's house, way out off of Belmont Road. Their drive is long and bumpy, so we parked our little car and walked in, carrying a ham. It was a beautiful morning. We met five other people there for brunch, which was tasty: two kinds of quiche, French toast, cantaloupe, banana bread, mimosas...and ham. We enjoyed talking to people and admiring their house, all windows on one side, looking out on the woods. The house is filled with interesting art, plants, and photographs. The most interesting thing of all was talking to Rocky. 

We went outside and he released a young squirrel that he rescued after it fell out of the nest. They have fed it and kept it in a cage for a couple weeks. He is very worried about its chances of survival. There are lots of owls and other predators. He also has a feral cat in a cage that he pats with a stick. It is all black with gold eyes and seems larger than a domestic cat. He has dogs that bark and chickens that lay reliably all winter long! And he has lots of blueberry bushes and a small greenhouse with some great-looking veggies--mostly lettuce. He also showed me the pond and told the story of how he bought the land it is on when someone else was going to. And he showed me his art studio and some wonderful work he has done. 

We left about 12:30, riding in Jane's jeep out to our car. We drove to the library, where Karen S. was my partner for a Scrabble tournament, raising money for literacy. We didn't do that well in the first game, losing to Aleta and her partner from the library. Their team was called the Bookies. We were the UUse guys. The second game we were much luckier, playing all our letters to make "potions," and getting a 50-point bonus. Karen and I were able to play together pretty well. She is much better at making lots of little words for high scores, but she makes up words and doesn't spell as well as I do. We were the second highest team, when the scores for both games were combined! Unfortunately, our opponent was a "serious" player, who has competed in other tournaments and memorized lists of words. He played 3 7-letter words and challenged us successfully, twice. "Da" is not in the Scrabble dictionary. I thought it was another word for Dad. Karen played "carne" without my having time to object and he challenged that one. I didn't even add up the score...We got bags of goodies, including coffee (which I don't drink) and coffee cake (which I prefer to make myself than buy in a store). However, it was nice to win something for a change. I hope we don't have to play against him again next year! The odds of us doing as well again are not that good. It was fun.

(This is when we would have gone to UUFA, if we hadn't been in the final round. Ray took the lemon squares for me, as well as Karen's appetizer.) 

Karen dropped me off at my office. I only had to work for a few hours, 5-8. Ray bought us a salad from Loco's and came and ate it with me. We met our target again for Friday, but yesterday was slower. I don't think we are negative yet, but might be soon. (sad face) We did have one person come in at 7, so it was worth staying open (not that I have a choice about the hours). The other thing (that really made my day) was figuring out how to fix a tax return for one of my clients. He is divorced but the IRS said he still had to repay a homebuyer credit for a house his ex-wife owns. It was challenging, but I felt really good when I was able to figure it out. He is sick and really needs the money. 

It was about 8:45 by the time we got home. We had to feed the dog, close the chicken coop, and bring in all the baby plants. My Dad had been there working on the garden (and eating his lunch), leaving a note and some dirty dishes. I ate a little frozen yogurt and banana, watched some TV and was in bed by 10. 

Long day

It's hard to believe that tax season is almost over; only 10 days left. 

Ray had a haircut yesterday morning. We try to drive as little as possible, so he dropped me off at work on his way, even though I didn't really need to be there until 2. It was a little after 9. Becky and Pam and Wallace and Jane were there. The balloons were out, and the table was set up out front with flyers and candy. Pam drops her adopted (grand) daughter off at day care and comes on to work a little after 8 every morning. We are spoiled, because she does all the setup chores for us: blowing up balloons, putting out the sign, turning on lights and thermostat, making coffee. She had a customer already when I got there, a good sign. 

I usually start with the daily reports, unless there is some crisis I need to deal with, or a customer for me. The company has required us to have a receptionist from open to close for the last two weeks, which means I don't have to sit up front and answer the phones much any more. Becky greets people as they arrive and makes appointments for people who call. I thought we had a good day on Thursday, but I was anxious to see the numbers. We made over $8000 in one day! Part of that is some of the TPs (tax pros) working on complicated returns from previous days and finishing them up. Customers can drop off their paperwork, have it worked on, and then come sign (and pay), so the amount of money doesn't always exactly correlate with how busy we were that day. That meant we were over our year-to-date target by 2.7%. This is almost a miracle; we were down more than 30% earlier in the season and I doubted we would make it. I am hopeful that we can stay above our target for the rest of the year, but we'll see. 

I printed out that report and the accompanying graph showing us above the line, as well as some other reports, to put on our bulletin board. Every day, we have a brief meeting to look at the numbers and talk about how we're doing. Sometimes, it's like being a cheerleader or coach. It can be tricky to find a time when none of us has a customer, but it seems to help us stay enthusiastic. 

The most fun thing about yesterday (besides being over our target) was having a friend come in to get her taxes done. This is the first person who has actually come to see me, because I gave her my card. She is a good and fun person, but, as she said yesterday, the kind of person who should not have her own business. She is a tax professional's nightmare, with her fees received jotted down on a piece of paper, and folders of bills she paid for us to go through and add up in various categories. I was pleased that it took us less than 3 hours to do it all, and she didn't have to go and get something that was missing. She wasn't very happy that she owed money to the IRS, but if you have your own business, that is what will happen, unless you are losing money. In addition to regular income taxes, you have to pay self-employment tax (social security), which you will benefit from when you retire. I felt bad about how much she owed the company, but I certainly earned it. 

My Dad was waiting for me as we finished up, so I clocked out and took a dinner break. We walked down the street and had something to eat together. He filled me in on gardening and bridge and the important things in his life, and I didn't have to eat alone. The last two or three hours at the office were pretty quiet. We rarely have late customers show up without an appointment, and it seems silly to keep the office open until 8 or 9, but I don't get to set the hours. A fun thing we get to do at closing is total up the day's receipts (the computer does it for us), and see that, yes, we met our goal for yesterday as well, so we are still positive this morning. 

Ray was eating dinner with a guest speaker and other geology people, so he didn't pick me up until 9. I spent the last half hour or so next door in the grocery store, dawdling up and down the aisles, buying a few things and wishing I had brought my own car! He did bring me a slice of cake from the Last Resort, though, as a reward. We watched an episode of Wheel of Fortune and the latest Big Bang Theory while we ate it (with ice cream) and went to bed to sleep well. It is warm these days, so no heat needed or heavy quilt on the bed. 

spring happening

morning walk

Hi,

It occurs to me that writing a blog entry once every few months is a little like a digital Christmas letter. I am pretty sure my readers are all family members...

There are less than 2 weeks left of tax season, and consequently, of my current employment. As usual, I have learned a lot about myself, my interests and abilities. I have met a lot of interesting people. I am horrified to be working at $10.50 an hour, but thrilled to have paid off my credit cards. With my last few paychecks, I will reduce what I owe for my home equity loan. I feel better about being able to deal with the future...and, of course, I know lots about taxes, which will serve me well.





Spring has finally come to Athens. We had a cold spring this year, but I know we will soon be too warm. My Dad has been very busy planting and caring for the vegetables, with very little help from me. Peach trees have bloomed, peas and radishes are up, and he has set out many lettuces and broccoli, and started the tomatoes and peppers. The windows are open some days, and people are stuffy and sneezy from pollen...even me, which is pretty unusual. I keep thinking I am getting a cold, but apparently, it's just an allergy.

baby peas coming up along the fence

The news is pretty discouraging, with the state legislature passing a law that makes carrying guns ok...in bars and churches. It is quite terrifying. I will have to move, become a hermit, run for office, or buy a gun and learn to shoot it. (not really). Then there's the recent Supreme Court decision about unlimiting contributions to political candidates.

Last night, though, in spite of being tired and not wanting to take the time, Ray and I went to hear Morris Dees speak at UGA. The School of Social Work is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The current dean was a professor of mine, Maurice Daniels. He is African-American and has worked to publicize little-known civil rights figures and make sure the current generation learns the history of this fight. We saw part of a movie about Donald Hollowell and his work.

Morris Dees is 79 years old and very active and vibrant. I am jealous as my back has been bothering me some, and I worry a lot about the rest of my life. He grew up very poor. He did not use the term share-cropper, but I know he picked cotton as a teen. His parents wanted him to become a lawyer, because farming was a hard life. He was wealthy at a young age and founded the Southern Poverty Law Center. We heard about a few of his cases and the tireless efforts they have been making. He was funny, moving, and, most importantly, hopeful. I get so weighed down at how things are going, I really need to listen to people like him. (I just read that the Athens Justice Project is closing). About the recent Supreme Court decision, he said that when people like the Koch Brothers threw so much money around trying to get Romney elected, the voters said, "no. That's not the kind of president we want." He thinks it backfired. Perhaps he is right.

They work for women's rights and LGBT rights, as well as those of

African-Americans, and they do it using the legal system (and lots of money). He talked about a woman whose son was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, who forgave her son's killer in the courtroom, and even made the judge cry. The murderer testified against the Klan and the mother now owns their fancy headquarters.

On another front, Adrian is with Molli in Boston this week to attend his green card interview. Life can be very ironic. When his mother died suddenly in January, he was with her in Mexico. Meanwhile, his work permit had arrived in Boston. He has not yet used it. He has been arranging to become the guardian for Tamara, his 14-year-old sister, and settling his mother's affairs. He plans to sell her little house and they hope Tamara will be able to live with them and go to high school in Boston by next fall. She is having a tough time, as you can imagine, adjusting to life without her mother. Apparently, being a guardian does not give you any immigration rights...sigh. They have made several inquiries and it seems Adrian may have to stay with her in Mexico for months or possibly years. Meanwhile, Molli is plugging away at law school, but naturally misses her husband, not to mention that their plan involved him earning money to support them.

(Raining again--is that 3 days or 4 of cold, rain, and heavy overcast? It's still dark out, but I can hear it dripping.)

Alison, our Minister, challenged us, rather than giving something up for Lent, to live more consciously. This is to take the form of jotting down something every night, about acts of goodness witnessed during the day. I have yet to remember it once, although last night I found the piece of paper describing the challenge, and this morning I was attempting to think of the good things I saw yesterday.

First I was grateful for my good husband, who went to the grocery store after work. This is not just generous and responsible for me, but he did it as an environmentalist. If I had done the shopping, I would have had to drive an extra mile or more round trip, while he was close to Earth Fare.

As an employee of H&R Block, preparing people's taxes, I observe lots of goodness daily. The tax pros help their clients sincerely. Some of them are older and challenge their patience, but they diligently take the time and explain everything they need to do. Others are poor and in need of as much refund as they can get, as soon as possible.

Yesterday, I had a client come back to me again. Her tax return was singled out by the IRS because she cared for her grandchildren last year, after their mother became sick. Now she has to prove that 1) they are her grandchildren; 2) they lived with her; and 3) she paid the bills. This is not as easy as you would think. We sent some information in, but she has heard nothing in almost a month. She came in once before and I called the IRS, but was on hold for more than 30 minutes and finally hung up. This time we were able to get through after about 10 minutes (a goodness). The person was spoke to was helpful and seemed to be caring, although she told us that it would be 3 or 4 months before they even looked at her paperwork. She did urge us to send in more documentation to confirm the 3 points above. The birth certificates for mother and grandchildren satisfy the first point, no problem. We had sent one doctor's statement to prove that they lived at her address, but this IRS person suggested getting a detailed printout from the doctor's office to cover the whole year. (Fortunately, they went to the doctor several times and it did show her address. She was able to get that and bring it back the same day for me to fax). She needed to send in bills to prove she paid the rent and utilities and other costs. She said everything was included in her rent and she had no receipts for groceries or other expense. The letter she had gotten from the apartment manager was not enough. She had to go back to that office and get a statement proving she had paid the rent every month. So, I faxed those additional things and hope she will hear something positive soon. The goodness, surprisingly, was the IRS agent who took the time to go over the details with us and make sure we had submitted enough to support the case. Otherwise, they might have denied and we would have tried again several months later. She will get several thousand dollars from them, if she can hold out that long.

A neighbor, who is an attorney, gave me advice about my situation.

Grand opening; most of "my" staff (yes we are next to the pawn shop; you'd be surprised how much business they do)

Christmas tree lights from the garden

Busy and complicated

Woke up thinking it was the middle of the night. Dry mouth, headache. Lately, the moon has woken me up often. Yesterday morning, it was about 3...but looking at the clock, it was almost 5:30, an acceptable time to get up.

We had survived a difficult day yesterday. I worked several hours in the morning--I couldn't seem to leave as early as I had intended--and then went back 5-9. We made no money yesterday. Three people were scheduled. One did not like the bottom line on his return. He was getting a much smaller refund than last year and refused to sign (or pay). One will come back, hopefully. One was a no-show, who may reschedule. We were definitely over-staffed.

I got home about 2:30 or so. The garage door was open. "That's funny," I thought. "Maybe Ray thought he closed it, but the remote didn't work and he didn't notice." I pushed the button, but nothing happened. I continued making the chili I had started that morning, sauteing the onion and garlic I had chopped, adding a hot pepper left in my fridge from when the girls were home at Christmas time, now seeming so long ago, but less than a month.

My Dad pulled in, ready to finalize our seed order. We usually have seeds in hand by now, but my schedule has been busy and the weather has been COLD. I mentioned the garage door, which he could see was not closed, and he went downstairs to check the circuit breakers. He was able to turn that one back on, but he came back up puzzled. "There were a lot of breakers tripped," he said. "And some of them won't reset." I noticed the clocks were wrong, a sign of a power outage. It was a clear but windy day, so no lightning, but maybe some power line down somewhere. That wouldn't trip the breakers though. One of them "popped" at him, making us both nervous. I went down and unplugged the vacuum cleaner. All the lights on the modem and router were off and the surge protector didn't seem to work any more, which meant no internet for the foreseeable future.

I was making chili and talking to my Dad, trying to order seeds on my phone (which still had internet access, of course). There was a high-pitched whine coming from somewhere. My phone rang. It was the State Farm agent, returning my call. I have had a time with a claim for an accident in October. "I can't talk," I told her. "There's a smell of burning in my house." "Call me back," she said. The surge protector in the study was the source of the annoying and worrisome sound (and smell). I turned it off and felt better.

When I went upstairs to check my computer, of course there was no internet, but the auxiliary things plugged into the surge protector didn't work (my external keyboard, for instance). That surge protector was dead, too. Pretty strange--what would flip all the circuit breakers and knock out three surge protectors?

I had started some cookies while I was on one of the many phone calls. They were not quite right, too much sugar, not enough flour...and I had to leave. My Dad had gone, somewhat satisfied about the seed order, which I had ended up placing by phone. I ate two small bowls of chili--it was good, not spicy at all, with sour cream! I took the cookies I had baked out of the oven, but couldn't get them off the pans--sticky and not holding together well.

I called Ray to fill him in on the electrical mystery. "I think you should call an electrician," I told him. "Don't try to do anything yourself. I don't want a dead husband or a burned-down house!" He was arriving as I was leaving. I was 5 minutes late, not a good example for the people in my office.

It was a quiet evening. I called about 50 prior clients to try to get them scheduled. The other person in the office was M., a quiet and intelligent young man. I'm fond of him, but his English is very difficult to understand. I made calls for a couple hours, then let him make some. Needless to say, he was less effective. Some people hung up on him. He said he felt like he was working in a call center, which amused him. I scheduled a few appointments, but it did not seem practical to have the office open. It was bitter cold and windy out, and the parking lot was empty. We started the closing process, bringing in the signs, rinsing the coffee pots, etc. We left about 10 minutes early. I doubt anyone called or came by then.

Meanwhile, Ray had called a neighbor, B., and gotten information from him. There was an electrical surge from the power company, about 300 volts, in the late morning. One neighbor had called an electrician and been charged $75 to be told it was a power company issue. I think they will reimburse us for our surge protectors. I'm glad we had them!