Memories and Taxes

I think everyone who knows me knows how much I love doing the taxes.  Right. It seems to take forever, no matter how organized I stay throughout the year, and I always mail them off with this morbid fear that I did something horribly wrong that will come back to haunt me in years to come.  Which is why when I find extra receipts throughout the year that I forgot to include, I stick them in the book in a pocket, hoping that if they have to adjust something in their favor, I’ll have something else to adjust in our favor and it may all come out even.  

I can dream. And rely on software.

I’m trying to have a more positive frame of mind regarding these things I do to keep things tedious and irritating off my husband’s shoulder.  He hates computers and details.  Tell him the bottom line and he’s happy, usually because he can deduce the details in less time than it takes you to tell him about them.  Plus it let’s me feel like I support the income in a small way, in that if he had to hire someone to do the taxes, that would be another chunk of moolah flying out the window.  

In the effort to maintain a positive attitude I have looked at this process more like piecing together the bits of last year.  I jotted little notes and things on the calendar along with when certain jobs started and stopped.  It’s been fun to read through it.  Like for instance, this time last year, we were darting about Oklahoma City trying to buy as many copies of Field and Stream as we could.  I wonder who was this year’s Young Author winner?  I need to check that out.  Someone’s parents are out snapping up February’s issue of Field and Stream.  

Some of this feels like it happened just a short time ago, certainly not an entire year.  I was checking out at the library last week, and was jolted when the librarian told me the books would be due in March.  Spring is knocking on the door again.  The winter has slid by quickly this time around.  Probably because it’s been so warm, and we’re always looking ahead for rain these days.  Before you know it, it will be time to piece together the way money flowed in and out of 2006.  

Gotta watch The Early Show tomorrow—tips on avoiding audits. (