Taxes

       As the years pass I gradually do better organizing of the documents related to taxes. My tax returns are made more complicated by the hobby farm. When it was being built I made a small investment in the soybean processing plant at Brewster MN., between Worthington and Windom. Sometime after construction this LLC added a facility to convert soyoil (auto correct wanted to make this soymilk) to diesel fuel. This corporation is a very complicated tax entity. Rather than a simple 1099 reporting dividends there is a large packet of material which I don't begin to understand. Fortunately the CPA does. 

    Today I brought the tax information to the CPA. There'll be no refund this year. I don't complain about taxes, it's the price of living in community. On the other hand I might complain about how complicated it is...but I won't. Gratitude is more appropriated for my situation, so, yes, I'm grateful.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                Here is one view of the hobby farm.

Joanne's Example!

      During her working years Joanne did not read much. That all changed with retirement. With leisure time on her hands she read many books. One of her rules was to give a book one chapter and if that didn't engage her she'd put it aside and moved on to another.

   The last book I received from the Parnassus First Edition Book Club, before I withdrew membership, was Come And Get It. After reading the first chapter and finding myself un-engaged I sought the wisdom of MJV. She was reluctant to weigh in my reading choice but helpfully sent me her notes from the book. That was what I needed to leave Come And Get It, and pick up another book which immediately engaged me.

   There are so many books that I'm keen to read that it seems unnecessary to read one that doesn't captivate. Should I lack books in the apartment many await in the OFH library.

Takk for alt,

Al

               I'll soon be back on the prairie.

Veteran's Coffee

    Every first and third Mondays there is a Veteran's Coffee hour in the OFH. Most of the 8-10 participants are Army Vets. Navy, Air Force and Marines represented by one each. It turns out that I'm not the only Marine in the building. There were rumors of another Marine resident in the OFH.

   The rumor was substantiated as the other Marine came to coffee today. Theresa is about my age and was discharged the same year as I. She married a Marine career officer. Neither of her sons joined the Marines, both were Navy men. But, she has a granddaughter is now a Marine private.

  Two of the veterans are on full disability because of their exposure to Agent Orange.

Takk for alt,

Al

             Two Marine Corporals on Okinawa.

Ya then...

     Having recently finished a flurry of reading I'm slow choosing my next book. There are several choices near my reading chair. The OFH also has a good library so all I'd need to do is go there and pick one out. When I was living in the downtown condo in the Crossings Building, it too had nice library but unstaffed. A friend took it on herself to arrange the books alphabetically by author. It was quite a task and took her some time. Later when she returned to the library she discovered that someone had rearranged all the books by size. 😠

Takk for alt,

Al

               The Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin.

Someone explain this to me?

 

Basketball

     Of all sports basketball is my favorite. Joanne's large screen TV made the move from the Mpls condo to the OFH. Cable TV package is included in the rental for the OFH apartment. While I haven't really learned to watch TV, I do watch some athletic events. 

    The University of Minnesota basketball teams are ones that I follow. Today the men played Penn State. The first half gave Minnesota fans little to cheer. The Gophers fell behind by 23 points. The second half was different story and they won by 5 points.

    The team was predicted to be last in the Big Ten Conference before the season began. Yet, they are now mid-pack, having won many more games than predicted. Ben Johnson, the coach, is in his second year and has recruited effectively in state.

  Yes, I watched, more attentively in the second half.

Takk for alt,

Al

               In the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia,

Turkeys....

    This morning a large flock of turkeys was leisurely making their way on the other side of the street from the OFH. This prompted one wag, who shall remain anonymous, to comment "Look at that, not all the turkeys are in the OFH!" 😀 

   Coyotes and deer are common in the area. Now, as day lengthens, the ubiquitous squirrels are awake when Kaia and I are in the park. This provides good exercise for her as she dashes around the park chasing the squirrels up trees. These are the gray squirrel variety though there is one white one.

Takk for alt,

Al

                     My childhood home.