Petunia rambles on and on….

Because I heard about it over and over, on radio and TV, I went and checked out this site:     http://alchemytoday.com/obamataxcut/  and keyed in that Pop and I file as Married for our taxes (because we are) and claim no additional dependents other than us two.  Even though I’ve got kids swarming over me like ants on a wet lollipop, I can’t claim any of them tax-wise.  I selected the range that I thought would be our annual AGI, based on what it’s been for the last several years.

Eureka!!!  With Obama’s plan, I’ll owe just under a thousand dollars LESS!!  Now I always have more withheld from my paychecks than I need to, and over the course of the months, that amount builds up to a tidy refund.  And all those years of Accounting classes still reverberate in my head because there’s a lot of empty space in there and I know that letting “Uncle Sam” hold my money all year interest-free isn’t the smartest financial move.   Still, I live in fear since that year I had to borrow money from church mice to pay off the tax bill, and then give up groceries to pay it back.  For years, I could claim one dependant son at university, file as Head of Household, and deduct educational costs.  Damn kid graduated (as expected), I lost all those “benefits” all at once and my taxes soared (as would/should have been expected by someone with the power of doing basic math and the sense to use it).   I got slammed, and was unprepared.  Ever since, I’ve been rather gun-shy!

Anyway, getting almost a thousand dollars more in refund certainly has appeal!    HELLO?????    Who wouldn’t rather keep an extra thousand in their own pocket?

But Mom always taught us, “If it sounds too good to be true……..”  and I’m wondering.  Usually there’s a price on everything.  What’s the price here?  And who’s gonna pay it?

 

First, Happy Hallowe’en to those that celebrate it or care about it.  I don’t, much.  As a kid, I liked the candy part, but never got any help at home from the adults with any sort of costuming – I was completely on my own with that, from little on.  Not being the inventive sort, not having access to stuff that could be used to pull a costume together, and not having the funds to buy anything, Hallowe’en became more upset/stress than fun.   Sadly, this attitude has continued into adulthood.  I’m reasonably certain that the last time I went to a Hallowe’en party in a costume of sorts was before B and K were born, so figure 30+ years.  It’s unlikely that I’ll be going to one tonight, too.  Done with that for another year.

Then –

I’ve been watching the World Series every night.  I get whatever evening chores that need to be done finished before 8pm, dinner over, dishes washed, etc.   Have something to drink nearby, knitting project in hand.  Ready for the starting pitch. 

We are NOT avid baseball fans, will watch some Phillies games throughout the season because, quite often, there isn’t anything else fit to watch on the television.  And compared to most of the crap broadcast today, baseball is a better choice.  First, it’s not a re-run, something thats been shown 62 gazillion times before, there is no canned artificial laughter in the background, there are no sex scenes, there are no 4-letter words used.  It is fit entertainment to watch in the company of my wee grandchildren or my mother.  It’s rarely offensive and rarely has any violence – sure, I’ve seen batters get hit by a wild pitch, and if it’s felt that the pitch was intentional, some tempers may flare, and sometimes the dugouts empty and there’s an all out to-do on the field.  It happens a few times a season, no one gets really hurt, steam is released.  Play Ball – get on with it.

But I need to correct some mis-information that may be circulating about the climate here in the Mid-Atlantic states.  The last few games may have perpetuated this myth.

It does NOT rain all the time here.

The current forecast for my home town tomorrow morning includes the possibility of snow.  We’re an hour south of the city.