This morning is notable for providing no news (and therefore no resolution) on the chicken predator front (Ed fell asleep, the skype signal was interrupted, and the mice ate all the peanut butter), and for providing one of those dreary March landscapes where rain turns to wet snow and the world looks like this outside our kitchen window (note cheepers parading to the garage despite the unfortunate precipitation):
Please appreciate (as we do) the color that we make certain is part of our winter breakfast routine.
The morning is also notable because I complete work on my tax returns. In the old days, I used to do the family taxes by hand. Some dozen years ago, when my family situation changed and there were property sales and events that surely had tax consequences that I couldn't quite learn fast enough, I hired an accountant. I did that for three years, each time regretting the money I handed to him to do my returns. The last several years, I turned to the online Turbo Tax. But lately I regretted the money I handed to them! Mine is not a complicated return! Let me go back to doing it on my own.
Of course, it took twice as long (this despite that Turbo Tax asks a million irrelevant to me questions and plodding through them is terribly boring). Navigating the unfamiliar software was a pain. Nonetheless, I finished and so now I surely should pay myself a tax preparer's bonus, don't you think?
One last notable detail about the morning: Snowdrop stayed home from school today. She seemed a bit under the weather last night and the young family felt like one does when winter is almost over and you haven't had quite the number of snow days you expected: having only kept Snowdrop out of school once for a sick day, you may as well feel lavish and grant her another.
I leave the snow-dusted farmette and head for the city.
After doing errands, I arrive at Snowdrop's home. She's coloring with her mommy...
... and any doubt that I may have had about the girl being in good form soon disappears.
She and I run through her favorites...
... and I can confidently say that the afternoon is cheerful and full of spunk. Snowdrop makes sure of that.
And the evening? Oh, very comforting. I cook up a pot of chili at the farmette. It seems fitting for this first day of March, don't you think?
(The old orchard at the farmette...)
Please appreciate (as we do) the color that we make certain is part of our winter breakfast routine.
The morning is also notable because I complete work on my tax returns. In the old days, I used to do the family taxes by hand. Some dozen years ago, when my family situation changed and there were property sales and events that surely had tax consequences that I couldn't quite learn fast enough, I hired an accountant. I did that for three years, each time regretting the money I handed to him to do my returns. The last several years, I turned to the online Turbo Tax. But lately I regretted the money I handed to them! Mine is not a complicated return! Let me go back to doing it on my own.
Of course, it took twice as long (this despite that Turbo Tax asks a million irrelevant to me questions and plodding through them is terribly boring). Navigating the unfamiliar software was a pain. Nonetheless, I finished and so now I surely should pay myself a tax preparer's bonus, don't you think?
One last notable detail about the morning: Snowdrop stayed home from school today. She seemed a bit under the weather last night and the young family felt like one does when winter is almost over and you haven't had quite the number of snow days you expected: having only kept Snowdrop out of school once for a sick day, you may as well feel lavish and grant her another.
I leave the snow-dusted farmette and head for the city.
After doing errands, I arrive at Snowdrop's home. She's coloring with her mommy...
... and any doubt that I may have had about the girl being in good form soon disappears.
She and I run through her favorites...
... and I can confidently say that the afternoon is cheerful and full of spunk. Snowdrop makes sure of that.
And the evening? Oh, very comforting. I cook up a pot of chili at the farmette. It seems fitting for this first day of March, don't you think?
(The old orchard at the farmette...)
