Focus Friday... ooooh look at the butterfly... I said Focus!!!!

UN-

When I decided to be a Tax Professional, I agreed to give up spring. As I do each year, I am rethinking that decision.

In SC Spring usually comes around April 3. Sometimes late in March. Never as late as May --- that is full on summer. Spring is a lovely day. Maybe it will be on a Sunday this year, and I won't miss it.

SC weather is freaky. I don't think it's unique, but it is my personal pain in the patootie.

Yesterday, I went outside and felt one of those perfect breezes. Not hot or cold. Gentle, like a caress. It had very little scent, but if I had to say anything, I'd say it smelled like a decision. Am I going to be winter or spring today? Since it couldn't decide, it was perfect. The breeze touched a robin and a mockingbird, the neighbor's cats, the bare green azalea bushes... and me. A rare moment.

Today, it is supposed to be in the 70s. I am hoping this is true, since I am wearing a short sleeved blouse. I think it will be sunny. It will pretend to be spring. Some of the flowers will be fooled. My sister's daffodils are already up in full glory. The neighbor's cats will hunt or sun, depending on whatever moves cats.

Sunday or Monday: a cold front moves in. We may have a wintry mix, and this time it may be real. Not the powdering of confectioner's sugar we got in January. A whole day and night (night and day) of snow & ice.

South Carolinians can't deal with snow and ice. We don't have the equipment. We still speak in hushed whispers of the winter of 77, and this time, we aren't talking about the recent unpleasantness between the states. That year (or was it 78?) had TWO ice and snow storms, each lasting over a week.

So when it snows, or even gets cold, we don't know what to do. We run to the store and try to buy gloves and mittens, only to remember they only sell those in August. We hunt through the boxes and find eight or nine stray mittens, none matching. We make the kids wear them anyway.

"Here, Mark, take the odd one, just use one hand in the snowball fight, OK? Fine... give Roslyn the pink one."

We don't have gloves. We have four or five bathing suits (which we buy in January.) Even I have four bathing suits --- all black. But that's not the point. NO GLOVES! Don't even get me started on snow boots. I usually wrap duct tape around my kids old shoes, hoping to cover the worst holes, and send them out. It's not like the snow is going to last more than a day.

SOOOO:
this week, I am going to: find gloves.
Buy bread and milk and canned food for the two hours days without electricity.
Find the board games.
Water the plants.
Put the plants outside for spring.
Bring the plants inside for the wintry mix.
Complete 15 corporate tax returns, January's bookkeeping, individual returns, payroll, and a worker's comp audit.

Friday slipped by me

Oh look... it's Sunday.

I mentioned to my boss that I'd put in 50 hours in the past week. He said, "So you should have generated $2500 in revenue." I told him that I'd spent a lot of time on the phone, helping other tax preparers, and chatting with clients. I suggested that he should fire me and hire someone who was more efficient. He rolled his eyes.

I am probably not leaving the house today. I have missed church. I am dressed, but only because my pajamas are in the laundry. I have three books: A lion among men by Gregory Maguire (Wicked), A Mote in God's Eye & The Inferno Two: Escape from Hell both by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.

I am celebrating my new broadband by dropping in on all sorts of pretty blogs and playing "Pirates" on Facebook.

Oh yes: the two men who Time-Warner Cable sent to install our cable this time were great. Professional, efficient, fairly quiet (except for the drilling, which is to be expected.) They were subcontractors with Knight Enterprises. Since I trashed the other guy (and I don't know what his subcontracting firm was), I think I should be fair and say that this was a much better experience. I wonder if I can request Knight Enterprises any time I have trouble with TWC?

To attempt a Focus Friday, on Sunday:

• Today I am going to do my sister's bookkeeping and tax return.
• I watered the plants, and I think the repotting can wait.
• I really want to start some seeds, but I'm not going to push it.
• I'm going to hug my husband, my sons, my daughter-in-law, and my grandchildren.
  

Have a great week!

Focus Friday already?

OK, this is what I did. Nothing. Not nothing like eating bon-bons and catching up on Days of Our Lives. Nothing, like tax returns, payroll, payroll tax reports, bookkeeping, research, and other nothing. Nothing on my list except :::drum roll please::: finish the church's year end and January reports.

So this week's list: see February 6th below.

And what's really sad, although I still haven't repotted the plants, (which I think are called Pothos or something even if mine should be called Pathos) they are NOT DEAD YET. Even though one of the cats grabbed one and dragged it, dry pathetic soil and all, half way across the living room. Even though Mark just grabbed it and stuck it back in it's pot. Good grief.



OK, so the plants are a priority.



See ya next week!

Sunday morning

I have made a lovely grocery list, and hope to hit the Piggly Wiggly before the Baptists get there. I did not go to work at the church yesterday, so I will do it today. Right now, I'd better get dressed and go. I hope to have more time for writing later today. I ought to say hello to my family, I guess. I wonder if they miss me?

Focus Friday Part deux: Revenge of the big plans

OK: This is what I said I would do:

• Sort papers, especially the health/insurance papers.
• Complete Ellen's bookkeeping
• Either find someone to fix the stove top or buy a new oven.

This is what I did:

• I mostly sorted the papers, but didn't do what I needed with the insurance stuff.
• I did important bookkeeping like W-2s... but crap, I think I forgot to write a payroll check. People get touchy about that stuff...
• Bob & I searched high and Lowe's and found a great stove. It's glass top, but this time the top is sort of grey so it will be easier to clean. The oven heating element is under a plate so that when stuff spills it won't burn on the the element. I am pretty excited about that one. Last I heard, it was installed and ready to go.

OK, THIS WEEK:

• I will finish the insurance stuff.
• Repot my plants. It's not everyone who can kill one of those ivy-like plants you find in restaurants. I forget what the plant is called, but mine are sad. My African Violets aren't too happy either. New pots!
• Finish Ellen's year end bookkeeping.
• Finish the church's year end & January reports.
• Write e-mail to T. & V. about meeting with parents about CSI.
• Look at M.'s PowerPoint on the school & comment.

On another note, and another blog, I'm starting the Angel Way of Eating on Monday (since I have a stove) and I want to spend some time thinking about what food I like and what I can easily prepare, while still getting all colors, including white.

Sadly, most of this stuff needs to be done this weekend if it is going to be done at all. And this weekend looks like:

Saturday

9-1 work at main job

1-2 transport & lunch

2-5 work at church

Sunday

10:30 church

11:45 grocery shop (I've been told you need to get there a little before noon to beat the Baptists)

12:45 possibly work at church OR home time

3:00 Cataclysm class (as Bob calls it.)

Progress

Sometimes weekends are made for nothing. Doing nothing. And that is pretty much what I did this weekend... such as it was.

I worked Saturday morning from 9 to 12. I was supposed to go to the eye doctor, but when I got there... no doctor. An apologetic woman who had nothing to do with the situation said the doctor wasn't there today. It was nice of her to apologize, but of course, I wasn't mad at her. I looked at glasses and found a pair that can be tied into a knot and still won't break. AND they don't make me look like Sarah Palin, John Lennon, or Mr. Magoo. So if I can find the doctor in, I will get new glasses.

Saturday afternoon, I decided to lie down a bit before: cleaning the house, sorting the papers, buying a stove, going to church to do bookkeeping, doing my sister's bookkeeping. I end up reading Living with the Dead, by Kelley Armstrong. I love her Women of the Otherworld series. I buy them when they are still in hardback, so you can see I'm serious about this.

So... other than a good book and a little alone time with my darling husband, Saturday afternoon was NOT productive.

Sunday, I had BIG PLANS. Instead, I didn't leave the house, except to take the trash out. I cleaned a little, finished the book, played with the grandbabies (who had spent the night), and sorted my files. I still didn't find the main thing I was looking for, but I found other important things, so that is good. I'm also still looking for a bag with Christmas presents I misplaced...

And now it is Monday, I have to work at the church tonight and tomorrow morning. I am here in the country until 6 p.m. I am VERY BUSY and not complaining, since that's where the money is.

Tomorrow night, Bob & I will go stove shopping. If I finish my sister's bookkeeping too, that will be two down on the to-do list. I forgot the third thing... oh yeah. Papers. I'm half-way done on that one. I think I'll get some exercise by patting myself on the back.