T G I F

things were going pretty slick until WHAM!

the scanner / scanner software froze up my scanner.  i HATE technology.   

it's still froze -- and tech support from the software company says it's hardware

the geek says it is software

all i know is the FLIPPING THING IS NOT WORKING

so to calm down 

I put new batteries in my keyboard :)  it's the little things

put on a pretty dress this morning

purchased a cupcake for breakfast - raspberry swirl --- good stuff

and it's back to work without the damn scanner

it is good to be me.

T G I Thursday?

ah Thursday's -- the day before Friday?   days are running amok again.  seems to be my new normal.

so this week on 3rd street --- 

  the computer geek determined the fastest fix to the "corrupted windows registery" on my desk computer was to swap out the new computer in the file room  -- okay --  not a big deal but ... 

1) it didn't just swap out and work 

2) finally got it printing (evidently it wasn't printing back in the file room either)

3) daily often used programs/icons had to be installed

4) it feels slow or reacts slow -- might be the keyboard needs new batteries

5) i had an 8 hour cpe class yesterday and ended up using the surface pro

6) the phone kept ringing

7) restructuring the info of email is weird

8) all of this amid $50k of payroll (kinda busy payroll week)

  so after the other project I got home by 7:30 ... monday was 8:00, tuesday (after the geek left) it was 8:00 ... tonight I'm leaving early -- just saying (typing) ... 

  I need to stop whining about down time and just leave.  I kicked Kate out for the week -- she needs a break from me, my whining and time home with the kids.

  I should make a list for today but they never get done either.

  My new t shirt arrived. 

  

ah ha moment

96 months until I can draw full social security

it was an ah ha moment this afternoon



If I can survive 2020 ----

worked all day -- just little shit projects ...
mowed the lawn
got irked in the drive up line at McD's ...
   a frappe and nuggets shouldn't take 25 minutes

came home and worked on the LSS clients (it's a long story and a mess)
and it starts all over tomorrow


except the lawn mowing ... that crap is done for the week - well -- I'll probably do it Thursday too -- just to get on a better schedule ... need to whip out the chemicals and attack the forest tomorrow :)


and it's dark out
damn

dark
outside


argh

6.5" of rain ...

it's a little damp after the latest deluge of rain 6.5" 

the basements were dry ( a good thing )

the driveway and the back hill washed out 

took a lake break after lunch 

book, coffee, nap

picked up chicken on the way home

tried the new place

tomato garden 

a couple pots of egg plants too

and the boy is

   26 today!   Where does the time go?

It appears that another hot, sticky corker of a day is going to happen.

I came to the office ( on a Saturday, in July )

Projects for today:

1.  the pile on my desk
2.  bust down all the cardboard and get it ready for recycling
3.  vac all the floors
4.  sanitize all the surfaces
5.  scan that damn pile on my shelf
6.  prep for next weeks payroll gigs
7.  work on bad client #1, #2 and #3
8.  work on fun client #1
9.  finish my book
10.  prep some masks -- elastic cord to be delivered Tuesday


ya, I attempted another mask last night, with t shirt strips for ear loops -- epic failure, so I ordered cord on amazon -- will cut and prep a bunch -- we're going to need them and they need to be sturdy for the washing machine

I'll say this -- my masks will be pretty -- none of that ugly leftover stuff !!!!

Thursday's pix and Friday's words

   So, we've been kind of busy on 3rd St and Daisy Lane -- life busy -- pandemic stuff, life stuff and well, just living life.  every.flipping.day.  Everyone is -- this pandemic is turning us all into walking, talking, political idiots.  Some days I just shake my head in "omg did I just hear, see, witness that" ... seriously ... it's that odd.

   Kindness, respectfulness, empathy, decency have all left the building.  It is time for that to change -- we all need to be kind, caring, decent beings.  

   

   Time and crazy makes us understand, forget, accept the changes in our world.  Or maybe in my case - we just don't talk about the big events any longer ...  

  Today I'm going to be a better person. and tomorrow and the day after that ....

Tuesday

the Divas had supper last night 

we smiled

we laughed until the tears came

we giggled

we enjoyed

good food, good friends, good times

we really need to do this more often

we need to make time for us

it was the perfect day

it was a gorgeous day on the deck at the lake -- dappled sun, nice temps and enough breeze to keep the skeeters away ... I read, I crochet and I napped

this popped up on wastebook -- one of my favorite pictures from the trip to Salt Lake City --- right after we arrived jean had schedule a bus trip to the Great Salt Lake --- this was at the marina ... ( 105' and the a/c on the bus wasn't working ) ...

sunset was glorious last night 

we are blessed

it's hot

how hot .. it's hot ..

so what to do when it is hot
get up at 6:00am -- come to town and clean the office basement

1.5 hours later 1/2 is done ... and upstairs tells me she didn't hear a thing. 
the garage is full of boxes to recycle
there is two cabinets to purge

and the furnace/laundry area needs light bulbs and vac'ing


it's a 125 year old building -- use your imagination on the status of the building
bug bombs to go off Tuesday night ( after Amazon delivers :) )



next week I will tackle the trees in the flower beds.
I've been saying this for decades
but it should be cooler.


it's a corker out there

efficient ?

   T G I F ....

   My goal for today is to "get shit done" ...  so

   Since 6:30 am I've been watching the first 2 hours of an 8 hour seminar ... it's a self study -- I watch, take the exam and am able to do accomplish it all at my own pace. 

            during the viewing I've
                    a - caught up on all of the scanning on the pile on my desk
                    b - tackled the email pile
                    c - copied 750 newsletters (well, the copier did - i fed it)
                    d - finished up some wackies
                    e - washed office dishes

  let's hope the productivity continues

  holy smokes -- I've knocked out almost 6 hours of my seminar -- financial statements for two clients, sales/payroll/deposit work for another -- more scanning -- 

  I'm about ready to take down the side table next to my desk.. the dang thing is empty !!  it's holding the chair that needs to be fixed.

  Electrician was here Wednesday -- new ceiling fans with better light fixtures -- we should be able to see better -- 

  The weekend plan is pretty ugly.

     ..  the office BASEMENT is on the agenda -- send in the hazmat team if I don't return to the farm after a couple of hours .. it's got to get DONE.   

just hanging out at the office ( again )

just a crazy woman with a surface pro hanging out waiting for the second zoom gig of the day.  Don't ya love looking into the messy server closet over my right shoulder - need to keep the door open to keep it cooler .. the bookshelves need a purge -- will add that to my to do list ... 

Just purchased some "to do list" software .. ha .. we'll see how that goes

I left early last night --6:30 ... all the favorite drive thru restaurants were busy so my exciting first meal after the incarceration was --- drum roll ..... leftover mac/cheese (blue box version) warmed up in the microwave -- 

I did take a cruise on the ATV ... the bugs are horrendous so it was back indoors and the basement - a little Amazon cruising and laundry .. ..  the endless loads of laundry

so it rolls peeps -- have a sparkling day ....

the end

I woke to this this morning -- it was a cool night and cool fog ..

196 days of tax season came to a soft ending today ....

196 freaking days of labor 

wacky weird labor

I tried hard to keep up -- w/the work and the ever changing code and federal COVID19 stimulus programs -- always changing

we're tired ( or I'm tired ) I assume Kate is also -- she's been a trooper -- it's been her and I since April ... we miss the rest of the gang -- a lot, really a lot ....

breathe, just breathe ....

whining

   once I finished whining about life yesterday --- life got better ....  :)

   I loaded up Mom and we headed for the cabin.  where the skeeters were awful.  once we bathed in bug spray the deck was tolerable.

  Nick took us for a boat cruise and we checked out all the hot spots :)  and finally home for a quick shower ( the bug spray issue ) a spot of supper and back to the cave for a few more tax returns and 3 loads of laundry.  damn that laundry never goes away.

  I agreed to prepare a few tax returns for LSS clients -- they brought me a box of 75.... ( more than a few ) ... and more than half of them are missing information -- I started to whine ( oh ya ) so I quit and went to bed. 

  I'm sure this week will bring on more surprises and challenges -- good and bad -- but the whining pity party is over --

  I was going to blame it all on COVID but I am not going to let that shit rule my life any longer ...  I'm not going to be stupid - but damn it it's making us all nuts and some one has to be normal and keep life real --


Happy Monday

Weekends during tax season

yes, weekends during tax season

with the extended due dates for all -- July 15th became the new April 15th ... 

it's been a 

   1.  wild

   2.  weird

   3.  unpredictable 

   4.  not normal 

   5.  can't wait for it to be over 

filing season

I'm still going to work any where between 5:30 and 6:00 ... getting work done before the phone starts to ring and answering emails for those who cannot get thru on the phone -- and for the last 3 weeks -- working at the office until 7:30 - 8 -- depending upon the project -- nothing gets done between 9:00 am and 4:30 --- the phone never stops ... 

We've had 607 (last count) phone calls regarding that freaking stimulus payment and now we're getting calls on the next round -- is there a next round?  I'm too busy answering calls on the first round.

And then there is the "other" "stuff" we provide/prepare/"get paid to do" .. for clients that may or may not be part of their income tax returns.

$1,000,000 of payroll to date -- a lot of payroll

quarterly payroll reports for all

PPP loan support for the applications and now the forgiveness documents 

retirement planning

2290's for highway use taxes 

mowing the freaking grass

taming the weeds (I've given up)

trash

laundry  

I'm whining - sorry 

but this was Saturday ..

5:30am -- 9:00am  - went to office

9:00am - baby shower for new baby Johnson

10:00am - cabin (had my laptop and projects)

1:30 pm - cabin shopping

2:45 pm - post shopping dashed home to beat the storm

4:15 pm - back to office 

7:00 pm - home (laundry)

9:00 pm - I fell asleep reading my book

2:30 am -- wide awake

6:00 am -- at the cave working

I really shouldn't be whining -- I am fortunate I have business -- I have good customers most of them respect some of our boundaries and respect our time lines ... 

the way life is happening it will be Labor Day before I get the whole weekend free...

someday I might get to sew again

on the flip side of life -- I found my missing crochet project (it had rolled under my bed) ... argh .. need more sleep :)

Petunias

Larry. 

What schedule should I put your petunias on?

I think you sent the wrong spreadsheet



this is a partial email I received this morning ...
I'm dying of the giggles

seriously - giggling so bad I can hardly move



I need more humor in my world 



.... petunias .....

where is (or was) Marie ...

dash cam 

downtown St Peter at Nassau/Minn Ave

6:15am 7/8/20

and this might explain why I'm tired 

tired, stressed and a bit crabby (well a lot crabby)

I HATE 75 hour weeks in JULY ..

I did tell Katie yesterday -- by the time the 15th finally gets here -- everything should be done, tax returns, quarterly payroll reports, highway use tax returns --- they be done and we'll be roasted and toasted ... 

it was a hot one

it was a crazy holiday weekend ..

I'm not sleeping well -- so Saturday morning I went to the office at 5:45 am and worked for 3 hours ... it's always productive when no one knows I am there -- then I headed home, picked up elder #2 and a load of food and headed to the cabin ...  

the rest of the tribe arrived in time for the boat parade -- some of the "floats" were quite elaborate -- this one took a bit of time to create .. it was hot, freaking hot and very little breeze

it was coolest closest to the lake -- normally our tree top deck is the best but yesterday it was cooler down by the lake.  Jake, the dog, got to come for a couple of hours  -- the neighbors floated out on inner tubes and floaties to watch the parade -- they were kind of "pink" by the time it was over

took a little sight seeing tour --- phone shot

our tour was to check out real estate ... hmmmm

we have expensive taste and perhaps a beer budget ...

keeping our eyes open for opportunities

we've become lake rats ....

I went back to the office this morning --- at 8:15 am it was 80' and I mowed the damn grass -- I got warm quickly,  #2 and I went back to the cabin to clean out the fridge, etc ... I had to come home and get in the a/c to cool down ... argh -- but the damn grass got mowed.  

life continues on 3rd

checking out a water issue 

a continuing water issue

inbound commute -- a bit of fog

and leaping deer

i thought i uploaded the lovely snapshot of the beer truck that was parked next door for 4 hours on Tuesday ...  4 hours of a large colorful beer truck -- in front of the bank -- not the other neighbors (the bar) but the bank neighbors --- what the heck.