REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

In the garden, and RAIN!!!!

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 1, 2022 17:55
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VIEWED: 627611
PAGE 196 of 231

Tuesday, February 15, 2022 11:40 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


I'm glad that you both had/ have the opportunity to talk to your older relatives. When I left home and got married my parents were having their personal problems and they weren't even talking to me. And shortly after we moved to LA which really put a crimp in communications! My grandma, I think, didn't expect to hear much from me. After all, SHE left her home and traveled to a whole new nation, and probably lost touch with the family SHE left behind. It was just how life went. But I regret the lost opportunity to talk with her and my folks about how things were, why they did what they did, what they thought, how they felt...

Take advantage of the time you have left with them bc once it's gone, you never get it back.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Tuesday, February 15, 2022 11:49 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
That's good that your are taking the opportunity to talk to her about the way the world was when she was young. I would also suggest you write things down for your niece. This is something you can pass down to your niece.



That's a great idea. I should do that.

I've been meaning to spend more time at her place. I should make a point of it when the weather gets warmer. She's got about 5 totes full of picutres of people I don't even know from her lifetime. Things that I took great care to save when I was throwing out the hoard that had accumulated in that basement over decades with my uncle and after he passed away. I think she'd get a kick out of going through them, and I could write down things on the back of the pictures.

Quote:

I learned a little about the world during the Great Depression from my dad and my mum. Maybe even a couple of things from my dad's sister too. That's another reason why I miss my dad and his brothers and sisters.


Yeah. Sorry to hear about that. I know when I was younger I didn't place any value on nostalgic things, but as I get older they've become quite a bit more meaningful as people I used to care about aren't around anymore.

Quote:

Well, my brain and numbers. So it is easier for me to get someone to do it and most places e-file nowadays but print you off a copy for record keeping. I like that.



I wonder if Canada makes it easier than it is here in the States. I imagine that they do.



It's insane that with the technology available to us today that filing taxes online is 5 times the ordeal as doing them by hand and making a trip to the post office to mail them in.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."



The last time my mum had a visit from one of her aunt's, I took the opportunity to write down a bunch of information from her side of the family. I still have it too.

I have a slew of old photographs and I am talking a couple that go back to the late 1800s. They were taken in Scotland and both have written on them who the people are in them but no dates, so the close as I can come is around 1899.

I'm sure she would and yes, writing down who's in the photograph and a year if she can do that would be good too.

Well, my parents were older and my aunts and uncles weren't as close as yours are around you. I knew my family was walking this continent for a long time before I got as much detail as I have.

Don't know about the easier. I've heard complaints about the government site being a pain. And these people volunteer to help others do their paper work so they know the site.

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 12:29 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
The last time my mum had a visit from one of her aunt's, I took the opportunity to write down a bunch of information from her side of the family. I still have it too.



That's cool. The only real thing I have like that is a couple of small notebooks that my Uncle tucked away in a tacklebox for me in a place he knew I'd find it before he decided that he'd had enough of this world. It had some cool things he'd picked up while he was in the army overseas in his youth as well, and a bag of weed he never got around to smoking. I've never been able to bring myself to read them, but I still have them almost 15 years later.

Quote:

I have a slew of old photographs and I am talking a couple that go back to the late 1800s. They were taken in Scotland and both have written on them who the people are in them but no dates, so the close as I can come is around 1899.


Nice. My grandma has some really old timey photos in there too. I wonder if she'll be able to put names to the faces or if that knowledge is already lost to history. In any event, it surely will if I don't go over there and spend time with her while looking at them. I don't imagine that any of her kids will do it if they haven't already. They might not even know that those photos exist.

Quote:

I'm sure she would and yes, writing down who's in the photograph and a year if she can do that would be good too.


Yeah. That'd be great.

Quote:

Well, my parents were older and my aunts and uncles weren't as close as yours are around you. I knew my family was walking this continent for a long time before I got as much detail as I have.


Yeah. With a few exceptions we all pretty much stayed around this area. It wasn't really until my generation grew up that the family really spread out. Nobody moved out of the country yet, but it's a coast to coast thing. I hardly ever see any of my cousins anymore.

Quote:

Don't know about the easier. I've heard complaints about the government site being a pain. And these people volunteer to help others do their paper work so they know the site.



At least you have a government site. That alone has to make it easier. We're left with 3rd party for-profit outfits that constantly try to upsell you from free to whatever they charge to make it easier for you to do.

It's so funny seeing it in action for the first time. Having done my own taxes for over 20 years, even when they got quite complicated at times when I did things out of the ordinary like purchasing the house, I knew exactly what they were getting at when they were asking a million and one questions. I know exactly what things apply to me, and the only changes that ever occur to that would be in the beginning of the tax book in a section called "what's changed". If nothing has changed that pertains to me, then I do it the same as I did last year.

My aunt's taxes couldn't be any simpler. Just a W2 for wages from one job. No interest. No investments outside of a company retirement plan.

All it should take for me to file her taxes online is to put in her personal identifying information and the figures. It should be a 2 or 3 page ordeal at most. Not 80 pages to struggle through needlessly.


I think the problem is two-fold. Not only are they trying to confuse and frustrate the tax payers here, but they're also counterintuitively trying to dumb it all down to the lowest common denominator as well.

The worst part is, other than giving her more guided experience using the internet in general, she didn't really learn anything about the tax prep process that will help her in the future. We used a company that backed out of the free file this year, but allowed free filing on its own until the end of next month and then they won't have free filing for anyone after that. I won't let her pay somebody to file her simple taxes online in the future, so that means we're going to have to see how it is next year and I'll figure out what the best way to do it then will be.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 2:00 AM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
The last time my mum had a visit from one of her aunt's, I took the opportunity to write down a bunch of information from her side of the family. I still have it too.



That's cool. The only real thing I have like that is a couple of small notebooks that my Uncle tucked away in a tacklebox for me in a place he knew I'd find it before he decided that he'd had enough of this world. It had some cool things he'd picked up while he was in the army overseas in his youth as well, and a bag of weed he never got around to smoking. I've never been able to bring myself to read them, but I still have them almost 15 years later.

Quote:

I have a slew of old photographs and I am talking a couple that go back to the late 1800s. They were taken in Scotland and both have written on them who the people are in them but no dates, so the close as I can come is around 1899.


Nice. My grandma has some really old timey photos in there too. I wonder if she'll be able to put names to the faces or if that knowledge is already lost to history. In any event, it surely will if I don't go over there and spend time with her while looking at them. I don't imagine that any of her kids will do it if they haven't already. They might not even know that those photos exist.

Quote:

I'm sure she would and yes, writing down who's in the photograph and a year if she can do that would be good too.


Yeah. That'd be great.

Quote:

Well, my parents were older and my aunts and uncles weren't as close as yours are around you. I knew my family was walking this continent for a long time before I got as much detail as I have.


Yeah. With a few exceptions we all pretty much stayed around this area. It wasn't really until my generation grew up that the family really spread out. Nobody moved out of the country yet, but it's a coast to coast thing. I hardly ever see any of my cousins anymore.

Quote:

Don't know about the easier. I've heard complaints about the government site being a pain. And these people volunteer to help others do their paper work so they know the site.



At least you have a government site. That alone has to make it easier. We're left with 3rd party for-profit outfits that constantly try to upsell you from free to whatever they charge to make it easier for you to do.

It's so funny seeing it in action for the first time. Having done my own taxes for over 20 years, even when they got quite complicated at times when I did things out of the ordinary like purchasing the house, I knew exactly what they were getting at when they were asking a million and one questions. I know exactly what things apply to me, and the only changes that ever occur to that would be in the beginning of the tax book in a section called "what's changed". If nothing has changed that pertains to me, then I do it the same as I did last year.

My aunt's taxes couldn't be any simpler. Just a W2 for wages from one job. No interest. No investments outside of a company retirement plan.

All it should take for me to file her taxes online is to put in her personal identifying information and the figures. It should be a 2 or 3 page ordeal at most. Not 80 pages to struggle through needlessly.


I think the problem is two-fold. Not only are they trying to confuse and frustrate the tax payers here, but they're also counterintuitively trying to dumb it all down to the lowest common denominator as well.

The worst part is, other than giving her more guided experience using the internet in general, she didn't really learn anything about the tax prep process that will help her in the future. We used a company that backed out of the free file this year, but allowed free filing on its own until the end of next month and then they won't have free filing for anyone after that. I won't let her pay somebody to file her simple taxes online in the future, so that means we're going to have to see how it is next year and I'll figure out what the best way to do it then will be.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."



I'm glad I kept it to as all my mum's aunts and uncles are gone now too.

Think I have a couple of photographs from the 1800s from my mum's family as well and she did tell me who they were off but unfortunately I didn't think to write it down on the photograph and I've forgotten.

The handwriting on the back of two of these photographs don't look like my aunts or my dad's writing, so it could be that the names were written by my great aunt or my great grandmother.

I'm hoping she can do that for you SIX.

Yeah, there is and has been for a number of years.

Doing stuff like that is way over my head, so I take anyone's word for it.

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 1:06 PM

BRENDA


Nice day for my walk. Picking up a small shelving unit that I saw a couple of days ago to adjust another problem.

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 3:03 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Oh what kinda nd of unit?

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 3:16 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


We got the expected cool-down and drizzle yesterday early AM, but then a fast-moving unexpected storm blew thru in the evening. It got dark and gusty, and there was lightning starting northeast moving south to our southeast but none overhead. Looks like Orange County might have gotten some rain tho!

Cold weather meant soup for dinner!

I
And this AM I saw TWO scrub jays picking up peanuts! They must be nesting nearby! I thought that maybe since our backdoor neighbor cut his jungle down they would have moved away, but I guess they found another suitable home!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 4:49 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Oh what kinda nd of unit?

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake




It sits on the floor and it's label says "rattan style basket storage". It has 4 baskets. It fits great into a spot I cleaned up for it. It fits cans of soup and fish along with small baking supplies like a small bottle of vanilla and baking powder, baking soda. I also put my cupcake liners in there with one basket empty for other small food stuff.

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 4:52 PM

BRENDA


Well, it is thinking about raining again though the sun is still struggling to break through the clouds. Have to see what the evening brings.

But I got the storage unit back and filled, dishes done and having a sit down.

Before I came back I also took "Die Hard" back to the library. Finished watching it last night and man, I didn't remember hardly anything in it. *L*

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 8:24 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
We got the expected cool-down and drizzle yesterday early AM, but then a fast-moving unexpected storm blew thru in the evening. It got dark and gusty, and there was lightning starting northeast moving south to our southeast but none overhead. Looks like Orange County might have gotten some rain tho!

Cold weather meant soup for dinner!

I
And this AM I saw TWO scrub jays picking up peanuts! They must be nesting nearby! I thought that maybe since our backdoor neighbor cut his jungle down they would have moved away, but I guess they found another suitable home!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake




Cold? Like 60 degrees?


It was actual 53 degrees here today. Melted most of the snow, but had the wind blowing so hard all day long that I was just waiting for the air raid sirens to tell us a tornado was coming.

We'll be paying for it tomorrow. Another 4 inches of snow coming our way and a few days with the highs in the 20's to follow it.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 11:13 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Sorry, don't mean to complain about the weather! I'm perfectly happy with ours the way it is!

Yours sounds beastly.

Wish there was some way to make it better!

Maybe ... you're almost thru winter?

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 11:20 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Happy Wednesday!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Thursday, February 17, 2022 1:29 AM

BRENDA


Mah jong in the morning then errands after lunch.

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Thursday, February 17, 2022 1:30 AM

BRENDA


Good luck SIG.

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Thursday, February 17, 2022 3:20 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Good luck SIG.

Thanks. Don't expect to see me around much (rescheduled, sigh).

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Thursday, February 17, 2022 4:43 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Good luck SIG.

Thanks. Don't expect to see me around much (rescheduled, sigh).

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake




No worries. Just take care of yourself.

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Thursday, February 17, 2022 4:44 PM

BRENDA


Back from mah jong but no luck today. Did a bit of grocery shopping as well as beating the rain back that is heading my way.

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Friday, February 18, 2022 1:13 PM

BRENDA


Out for my walk on a dry day. That's a good thing.

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Friday, February 18, 2022 4:47 PM

BRENDA


Oh, the dulcet tones of a drill and hammer as I have a sit down now that I am finished my chores. Elevator repair guys.

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Saturday, February 19, 2022 1:18 PM

BRENDA


Out for my walk soon in the rain by the look of things.

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Saturday, February 19, 2022 4:23 PM

BRENDA


Back from my walk and had a nice cup of coffee with one of the ladies that used to come and help me look after my mum.

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Saturday, February 19, 2022 5:06 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from my walk and had a nice cup of coffee with one of the ladies that used to come and help me look after my mum.

That sounds so nice! It's always good to keep in touch!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Saturday, February 19, 2022 5:10 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


One of my neighbors knitted me a "Rasta" cap. Kind of like this, but with more colors.



It's toasty warm, something my head appreciates! That was so unexpected, and so nice of them!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Saturday, February 19, 2022 6:11 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Sorry, don't mean to complain about the weather! I'm perfectly happy with ours the way it is!

Yours sounds beastly.

Wish there was some way to make it better!

Maybe ... you're almost thru winter?




No worries. Just giving you the shit. I had to do that to my mom and step dad when they're down south bitching about cold night in Arizona to me while I was knee deep in snow as if they forgot what winter up here is like.

So far, if you don't include the heat bills, it's been a milder winter than last year at least.

Although we got 8" of snow the other night instead of the 4" max they'd told us we'd get, and I was outside working on that for over 4 hours yesterday.


Hopefully it will be done soon. You never know around here though. It will be 54 degrees on Tuesday, but then it's 24 degrees again on Wednesday. Winter and snow could and has hung on until the 2nd week of May.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."

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Saturday, February 19, 2022 10:32 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


No worries,SIX!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Saturday, February 19, 2022 10:43 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Managed to do something besides regular chores. The Tung oil on the beframe took forever to set up, even after we brought it indoors! And bc I had tried to wipe a few areas after it was partially set but before it was fully dry, all I managed to do was pill up the gummed oil. So today managed to give the frame a light sanding and wipe the dust off. I think bc the oil filled in the pores, the surface is silky smooth... "Smooth as a baby's bottom" as my dad used to say! Toomorrow I'm going to experiment with staining the birch ply to match the beech frame (I sanded an inside portion of the plywood skirt to experiment with) and hopefully do one last VERY thinned tung oil coat (prolly 7:3 mineral spirits:tung) to restore the depth of color and shine.

Anyway, will see how it works. This is kind of "experiment as you go".

Monday I better have the whole house dusted bc I won't be dusting much after that.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Saturday, February 19, 2022 11:16 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


What is with the double posts???

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Saturday, February 19, 2022 11:17 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from my walk and had a nice cup of coffee with one of the ladies that used to come and help me look after my mum.

That sounds so nice! It's always good to keep in touch!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake




It is nice. I've seen her twice now in a week. But that happens once in a while.

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Saturday, February 19, 2022 11:19 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
What is with the double posts???



Don't know SIG. But the hat is cool.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 12:26 AM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Sounds like a great visit Jack. You are lucky to have living members of your family that old. There are times when I really miss my dad's oldest sister but all his brothers and sisters are gone now and I never knew my grandparents on either side. They all died long before I was born.

I try to talk to her about old things now when we talk. About what she thought of the world when she was young. She's really my only opportunity to hear about what somebody thought life was like during and right after the Great Depression. I wasted that opportunity with all of my other grandparents.
Quote:

Yeah tax time is b&tch no matter where you are. I will soon have to get mine done. And we have on line things up here but I can't be bothered.

I actually don't mind doing my own. Paper and mail is the way to go, even though they penalize you and hold your return hostage for an extra month or two if you mail it.

That's hogwash.

I used to file my returns every Jan 1st, and would get my refund between 10 and 25 days later.
If you are waiting for the deluge of hundreds of millions of returns before filing yours, then the only delay is them working through the backlog.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 1:12 AM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
That's good that your are taking the opportunity to talk to her about the way the world was when she was young. I would also suggest you write things down for your niece. This is something you can pass down to your niece.

That's a great idea. I should do that.

I've been meaning to spend more time at her place. I should make a point of it when the weather gets warmer. She's got about 5 totes full of picutres of people I don't even know from her lifetime. Things that I took great care to save when I was throwing out the hoard that had accumulated in that basement over decades with my uncle and after he passed away. I think she'd get a kick out of going through them, and I could write down things on the back of the pictures.

I suggest recording video. Prop a phone or cheap vid camera to capture the conversation. Then the vid will also show what the photos looked like when they are described, so the specific pic can be closely looked at decades later when reviewing the vid.
Take notes like an interview, mostly for when topics arise that you want to return to later, but without disrupting the flow of story being told. Older folks disgorge more info, and better details when not interrupted. When names are mentioned, follow up later with spelling's and clarifying specific relationships, date ranges, locations.
I started doing Family Tree questions when I was in Jr High, and notetaking will never keep up with the narrative, and you'll miss key points. I learned stuff that my parents and grandparents never knew.
I was conceived around the time JFK was assassinated. I did ask my mom about that time, how the nation seemed, how could the nation swallow all that malarkey about Oswald being a lone gunman at a time when people were supposed to be able to think for themselves.
Quote:



Quote:

I learned a little about the world during the Great Depression from my dad and my mum. Maybe even a couple of things from my dad's sister too. That's another reason why I miss my dad and his brothers and sisters.
Yeah. Sorry to hear about that. I know when I was younger I didn't place any value on nostalgic things, but as I get older they've become quite a bit more meaningful as people I used to care about aren't around anymore.
Quote:

Well, my brain and numbers. So it is easier for me to get someone to do it and most places e-file nowadays but print you off a copy for record keeping. I like that.

I wonder if Canada makes it easier than it is here in the States. I imagine that they do.


It's insane that with the technology available to us today that filing taxes online is 5 times the ordeal as doing them by hand and making a trip to the post office to mail them in.

Technology has nothing to do with it.
Thank Billy Boy Gates for turning promising computers into useless paperweights.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 1:18 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Sounds like a great visit Jack. You are lucky to have living members of your family that old. There are times when I really miss my dad's oldest sister but all his brothers and sisters are gone now and I never knew my grandparents on either side. They all died long before I was born.

I try to talk to her about old things now when we talk. About what she thought of the world when she was young. She's really my only opportunity to hear about what somebody thought life was like during and right after the Great Depression. I wasted that opportunity with all of my other grandparents.
Quote:

Yeah tax time is b&tch no matter where you are. I will soon have to get mine done. And we have on line things up here but I can't be bothered.

I actually don't mind doing my own. Paper and mail is the way to go, even though they penalize you and hold your return hostage for an extra month or two if you mail it.

That's hogwash.

I used to file my returns every Jan 1st, and would get my refund between 10 and 25 days later.
If you are waiting for the deluge of hundreds of millions of returns before filing yours, then the only delay is them working through the backlog.



I have no idea how you were filing returns on January 1st since nobody gives you the W2 statements that early, unless you were always doing contract work. I filed mine at the end of January this year, on the very day that the document I needed was made available online. It couldn't be filed before that day.

They usually don't take 6 weeks, but if you go to the IRS website right now they will specifically state that you aren't supposed to expect a return if you mailed it for 6 weeks or 21 days if you efiled. They've said that for years. It might take longer now though since we went into this tax season and there were still 5 million altered returns that still hadn't been processed after they changed the rules on unemployment income after Biden* was sworn in.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 1:25 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
I suggest recording video. Prop a phone or cheap vid camera to capture the conversation. Then the vid will also show what the photos looked like when they are described, so the specific pic can be closely looked at decades later when reviewing the vid.
Take notes like an interview, mostly for when topics arise that you want to return to later, but without disrupting the flow of story being told. Older folks disgorge more info, and better details when not interrupted. When names are mentioned, follow up later with spelling's and clarifying specific relationships, date ranges, locations.
I started doing Family Tree questions when I was in Jr High, and notetaking will never keep up with the narrative, and you'll miss key points. I learned stuff that my parents and grandparents never knew.
I was conceived around the time JFK was assassinated. I did ask my mom about that time, how the nation seemed, how could the nation swallow all that malarkey about Oswald being a lone gunman at a time when people were supposed to be able to think for themselves.



Good ideas.

Quote:

Technology has nothing to do with it.
Thank Billy Boy Gates for turning promising computers into useless paperweights.



Can't blame that dude for everything. He hasn't even had his hand in the operating system for decades now. He's too busy trying to take over the world now with his Davos buddies, don't you know?

I've posted about it in here before somewhere, but a large part of the problem with how lousy software works today is because coding has become extremely lazy and also much easier so it can be done by people who are hardly experts, all because there is so much horsepower on today's computers when compared to the mid-90's and before when you really had to be damn good at the job to make every single bit count.

Recently, I saw this video that does a great job explaining that in detail.



Also, another video that shows what a talented programmer could do with early video game consoles when porting games that shouldn't have even been able to run on them.





In the case of the Tax Software though, it was intentionally made to be as laborious and unusable as possible because a large portion of the people using it to "free" file will give up an end up paying for somebody else to do it.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 1:40 AM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Sorry, don't mean to complain about the weather! I'm perfectly happy with ours the way it is!

Yours sounds beastly.

Wish there was some way to make it better!

Maybe ... you're almost thru winter?

What winter?
We've hardly gotten any snow this season, has been mostly too cold - which cranks up the heating needs double.
South of me has gotten much snow, like 6ix seems to get hit a lot this year. But even Milwaukee and halfway from there to here have been nailed a bunch.
Haven't seen Snow Squalls in many years, but yesterday they created a mess. Lots of videos around of horizontal snow. 39 car pileup on big highway (Interstate style), and hundreds of accident calls PER COUNTY.
Not good ice fishing competitions, lots of trucks falling through.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 2:03 AM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Sounds like a great visit Jack. You are lucky to have living members of your family that old. There are times when I really miss my dad's oldest sister but all his brothers and sisters are gone now and I never knew my grandparents on either side. They all died long before I was born.

I try to talk to her about old things now when we talk. About what she thought of the world when she was young. She's really my only opportunity to hear about what somebody thought life was like during and right after the Great Depression. I wasted that opportunity with all of my other grandparents.
Quote:

Yeah tax time is b&tch no matter where you are. I will soon have to get mine done. And we have on line things up here but I can't be bothered.

I actually don't mind doing my own. Paper and mail is the way to go, even though they penalize you and hold your return hostage for an extra month or two if you mail it.

That's hogwash.

I used to file my returns every Jan 1st, and would get my refund between 10 and 25 days later.
If you are waiting for the deluge of hundreds of millions of returns before filing yours, then the only delay is them working through the backlog.

I have no idea how you were filing returns on January 1st since nobody gives you the W2 statements that early, unless you were always doing contract work. I filed mine at the end of January this year, on the very day that the document I needed was made available online. It couldn't be filed before that day.

They usually don't take 6 weeks, but if you go to the IRS website right now they will specifically state that you aren't supposed to expect a return if you mailed it for 6 weeks or 21 days if you efiled. They've said that for years. It might take longer now though since we went into this tax season and there were still 5 million altered returns that still hadn't been processed after they changed the rules on unemployment income after Biden* was sworn in.

Not sure if you are being sarcastic.

Most folks are not required to wait for employers to send them a W-2, but most folks do anyhow.
All of the needed data is either on your last paycheck of last year, or stuff like Employers Fed Tax ID Number are the same as on last year's W2.
I would always hand write the Box number 1. And then whatever data goes in that box, just like the year before. Do all the Box numbers that have pertinent data. Most data fields which were empty I wouldn't bother writing the Box number down, unless I wanted to be perfectly clear that certain data fields were exactly Zero.
Do that for each employer. I usually used up 1/3 of a lined sheet of paper per handwritten W2.
Remember, every digit of that data you submit is already in their computers, so they will know you did submit the correct numbers instead of rsndom jibberish.

Yes, if I waited until I got W2s mailed to me, I would get my refund in March or April. But just getting my refund in mid- or late January seemed easier and convenient. Their estimate is always the same, every year since the 1980s.
Tax rules state that if the data you send in is in error, you can file an amended W2 and Return without penalty before the Tax Deadline. But it is so easy I have never had an error that needed amending.

Remember, on Jan 2 the IRS has a pile of people just eager and happy to get their hands on a return and get that refund sent right out as fast as possible. If you wait for the deluge, they will be so bored and sluggish, with an avalanche of paper to process.

I don't know if efile causes some arbitrary delay, I never efiled. I felt a week or 3 delay to get my check in the mail was enough. When filing on Jan 1, I always got my refund check before I got my mailed W2s.

I never had contract work W2s.
A couple times I got caught after having the whole return prepped early, then got some bonus at Company Party on Dec 31. So had to make those specific changes to include that income, before mailing on Jan 1.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 1:47 PM

BRENDA


Sunday of a long weekend. Monday is Family Day in BC.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 3:23 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Not sure if you are being sarcastic.



Nope.

Quote:

Most folks are not required to wait for employers to send them a W-2, but most folks do anyhow.


False. You are required to attach W2s to your federal and state returns. Maybe you don't have to attach them in Wisconsin, but you do in Indiana and Illinois. When I worked in Wisconsin I kept my Illinois address so I never filed there. But it doesn't matter since you are required to attach your W2 to your Federal 1040.


Quote:

All of the needed data is either on your last paycheck of last year, or stuff like Employers Fed Tax ID Number are the same as on last year's W2.
I would always hand write the Box number 1. And then whatever data goes in that box, just like the year before. Do all the Box numbers that have pertinent data. Most data fields which were empty I wouldn't bother writing the Box number down, unless I wanted to be perfectly clear that certain data fields were exactly Zero.
Do that for each employer. I usually used up 1/3 of a lined sheet of paper per handwritten W2.
Remember, every digit of that data you submit is already in their computers, so they will know you did submit the correct numbers instead of rsndom jibberish.

Yes, if I waited until I got W2s mailed to me, I would get my refund in March or April. But just getting my refund in mid- or late January seemed easier and convenient. Their estimate is always the same, every year since the 1980s.
Tax rules state that if the data you send in is in error, you can file an amended W2 and Return without penalty before the Tax Deadline. But it is so easy I have never had an error that needed amending.

Remember, on Jan 2 the IRS has a pile of people just eager and happy to get their hands on a return and get that refund sent right out as fast as possible. If you wait for the deluge, they will be so bored and sluggish, with an avalanche of paper to process.

I don't know if efile causes some arbitrary delay, I never efiled. I felt a week or 3 delay to get my check in the mail was enough. When filing on Jan 1, I always got my refund check before I got my mailed W2s.



I'm having a hard time believing any of this. Apparently you've never actually read the instructions for a Federal 1040. It specifically states that you are required to attach your W2. When you get your W2 forms, they even give you several copies. One says to attach to the Federal 1040. One for your State Return. One is just in case you need to send out a separate Local Form, but I've never lived in a state that requires it. The last is for your own personal records.

If you have done any of this in the past, and they actually paid you, that's great. I'd never take that chance when somebody owes me money. You're breaking their rules in the book every year you've filed without a W2.

At the very least, you're exposing yourself to some big potential problems if you ever make even one digit not correct on a form. Now, when they reject your return because of erroneous information, you're in the unenviable position of not only trying to get in touch with somebody at the IRS that will actually pick up the phone, but you're completely reliant on the low-level and/or low-IQ person on the other line to be able to fix this for you without the official W2 attached to your form verifying that taxes had been paid.

Quote:

I never had contract work W2s.


Nobody has. If you do contract work, you've got 1099s or it's incumbent upon you to report any cash earnings you've had through form SE.

Quote:

A couple times I got caught after having the whole return prepped early, then got some bonus at Company Party on Dec 31. So had to make those specific changes to include that income, before mailing on Jan 1.



Yeah. I've had that happen too. I always prepare them early. But I've never sent them in before I got my W2. Now I get to sent them in early because you can get them a few weeks earlier online than you'd get them in the mail.


It should be noted that I rarely ever have any money worth mentioning coming back on a return anyhow. I always claim 2 dependents when starting a job with a new employer for payroll/taxing purposes. This leaves more in my check every week all year and almost nothing above what needs to be paid in taxes so my returns end up very small when the only dependent is myself.

I don't ever owe any money, but I've had Federal returns as low as $50 and state returns under $10 before doing this.

If I claimed 3 though for payroll/taxing purposes, not only wouldn't they be taking enough out and I'd owe at the end of the year, but I would be risking that they paid so little that I'd go over the thresholds and owe penalties and interest on what I didn't pay on time.

I've had that conversation years back with G, and he claimed that I was breaking the law by claiming 2 dependents upfront. G is an idiot. You could claim 10 dependents upfront for payroll/taxing purposes with your employer, but that would mean that you're paying zero in taxes every week to the Fed or the State all year long and you're going to have a massive tax bill plus interest and penalties when it comes time to file. At that point, if you are unable or unwilling to pay what you owe, you are breaking the law and you will be seeing jail time or worse.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 4:05 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Don't be dumb. Of course I included W2s with my returns. The handwritten W2s which included all of the data that the printed and mailed W2s woul eventually have.
For Fed and also WI.

As long as my penmanship was legible, IRS never complained. I used block calligraphy from Drafting Class.

There might have been a couple times I didn't get a refund from State, so I would submit that check in April. The only times I used the pre-printed W2s. I might have actually typed the first one, before doing the handwritten.
What do you think you do if you lose a W-2, or it gets destroyed? Your dog eats it? You think you get a pass and don't need to file, or on time?


Copiers were not common bAck then. So, after handwriting 2 copies of W2, I admit that I looked them over and sent the better looking one to the Feds.

Never heard a peep from IRS or WDR. Until about 12 years ago when IRS sent me a letter saying that there was some deduction that I could have taken but didn't, so they amended my return for me and sent me the extra refund.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 4:13 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


JSF, why do you have to post everything in such a hostile manner? Yanno, ppl might accept your info more readily if you stopped sprinkling your posts with insults. I can't imagine how you get on with ppl if you behave that way IRL

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Sunday, February 20, 2022 4:17 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
JSF, why do you have to post everything in such a hostile manner? Yanno, ppl might accept your info more readily if you stopped sprinkling your posts with insults. I can't imagine how you get on with ppl if you behave that way IRL

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


if you idiots don't want the info, you don't need to strain yourself reading it . Dummy.

Yeah. Sarcasm doesn't translate well.


Anyhow, if it is a more pointed comment or critique, maybe you will remember it easier. I might not be around next time to remind you again.
If I don't bother addressing your delusions and mistakes, assume it means I don't care whether you leArn or not.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 5:09 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
JSF, why do you have to post everything in such a hostile manner? Yanno, ppl might accept your info more readily if you stopped sprinkling your posts with insults. I can't imagine how you get on with ppl if you behave that way IRL

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


if you idiots don't want the info, you don't need to strain yourself reading it . Dummy.

Yeah. Sarcasm doesn't translate well.


Anyhow, if it is a more pointed comment or critique, maybe you will remember it easier. I might not be around next time to remind you again.
If I don't bother addressing your delusions and mistakes, assume it means I don't care whether you leArn or not.

That's hogwash. Dont be dumb. If you want to be an idiot and not take my advice, don't strain your brain to read it. But I may not be around next time to correct your delusions.


-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Sunday, February 20, 2022 5:22 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


You are starting to learn well Grasshopper.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 6:47 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Hahahaha!

I see you're a firm believer in the 2X4 mode of communication. I used to be, too. But I learned from experience it doesn't work. At least, not for me.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Sunday, February 20, 2022 7:04 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Well, I tried staining the plywood but it didn't work. I had tried it B4 on a tung oil- sealed piece of ply, and it worked fine. But this time, since we had to sand after applying the Tung oil, it opened the wood up again, unevenly. Also, it was too dark and not rosy enough.

I've attempted that stain on four different woods by now. One was matching new maple legs to a mahogany-like dresser. We had to use it more like a glaze in order to achieve the desired color. Also, I learned from experience- and online- that maple is a byatch to stain bc the grain keeps switching direction and the stain soaks in unevenly and winds up looking blotchy.

Then I tried it on sealed birch plywood and it worked great on that.

Then I used it on a raw wood beech drawer-pull, one that hubby had fabricated to replace a missing drawer-pull for the same dresser, and it worked great! I can't tell the original from the replacement. But beech is a close, evenly-grained wood which accepts stain uniformly.

Tried it last on birch plywood, the same plywood that I had experimented with before, but this had been sanded afterwards and, once again, uneven! So a lot depends on the wood and how it's been prepped. But if you're working with absorbent wood, or wood that changes grain, you need to seal it first.

****

Since staining wasa bust, I went on to trying a light coat of tung oil in mineral spirits, about 1:2. Most of the wood was beech, and it was evenly sealed, so a little (like, less than 1/4 c) went a long way! Right now the mineral spirits make the wood look wet, so I have to let it evaporate before I can see what the final result looks like. But since it went on evenly, it'll probably be OK

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Sunday, February 20, 2022 7:42 PM

BRENDA


Just had some music on today. Started with a CD of music from the tv series "Miami Vice" then some Tim McGraw.

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 8:16 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


At the end of the day I'm fine with how I do my taxes.

I don't pay anybody else to do them, and I never wait very long for them to come back.

They're almost always very small, and I'm the last person you're going to find who needs them to come quickly.



--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 9:33 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Just had some music on today. Started with a CD of music from the tv series "Miami Vice" then some Tim McGraw.

I have a CD of Miami Vice! I'm not so much into music, but every now and again I'm inspired to buy a CD. I also have one of Pet Shop Boys which includes "West End Girls".

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Sunday, February 20, 2022 9:34 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Checked in on the bed frame. The mineral spirits evaporated and the (very light) oiling restored gloss and depth, and eliminated the chalky look from sanding.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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Sunday, February 20, 2022 9:48 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Need some pics Sigs.




Hey... Has your husband ever built cabinets before?

I'm wondering how much width you need between the drawer and the side of the opening if you use side-mounted drawer slides.

I'm going to have to fabricate my boxes out of various existing drawers I've pulled over the years, and I'll need to get the width right before I paint them and find out I made it too wide or too short.

--------------------------------------------------

Vaccinated People: "You need to get muh vaccination shots that don't work because I got muh vaccination shots that don't work and I'm afraid of people that didn't get muh vaccination shots that don't work because muh vaccination shots that don't work don't work."

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Sunday, February 20, 2022 10:53 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


He's made a dresser with drawers. The widest drawers are appx 4' wide (I'll measure later) with side-mounted drawer slides, but the carcasse, drawer slides, and drawers are very sturdy, so they don't sag across the width. I'll give you specs later.

I haven't bothered to figure out to post pix,yet. Just haven't had the time and focus. Where do you post pix to? I'm sure I could figure it out by doing a "reply with quote" and looking at your links, but if you get me started it would save me a lot of time. Sorry and thanks!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake


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