Two certainties in life: Dollivers and taxes

That time again, and my federal and state taxes are done, all filled in, in ink, and waiting only for me to organize the money to send to them again.  I don't so much mind owing at the end of the tax season, since it means I didn't give a free loan of my money to the feds for them to graciously return it to me without interest. I've had the use of it, and now it's going to be theirs.

The Ds of course, not sure of my abilities in this area, insisted on checking all the instructions and wielding their mighty pen.  They  thought you wrote in and asked for money and nice people in Washington would say oh? how much? okay, your check's in the mail. I explained that it's actually the other way around.

I don't mind doing this stuff, have done my own taxes, and Handsome Partner's, too, in recent years, for many years, with all sorts of complications, including the NJ Inheritance Taxes,  the Homestead Rebate, the Senior Freeze, which leave the feds standing for complication, since they count income differently, have different exemptions, and well, it's a challenge.  Never one to run away from a challenge, me. I'm not too thrilled at the young neighbors kindly offering to do them for me, good as their hearts are, because this is an annual thing to just do, in order to feel you're part of the place, so to speak.

One of these fine days, when my brain cells start to age out, I'll get Handsome Son roped in, but for now, I'm fine managing my taxes and other inevitabilities.

Disregard strange emails!

My account was hacked, and I thank all the many people who let me know. Evidently, judging from the number of calls and emails I got this morning, my entire address book received a scam email involving Cyprus and wandering about wringing my hands over it or something! I am quite safe, in the usual place, just annoyed that all these nice people were bothered by a scam and some were quite concerned in case there might be something to it. Nope. But now that I've done the usual remedies,I have to rebuild my entire email contact listings, huge, which were all wiped, along with saved emails in the first half of the alphabet. Soooooo, be aware that unless you email me, I might not be able to be in touch. The Dollivers point out smugly that yarn don't crash, so I'm ignoring them.

The Dollivers organize a Valentine greeting

We Dollivers, and one visiting Annie, wish you all a happy Valentine's Day today in the southern hemisphere and tomorrow in the northern one. Boud has been under the weather for a few days, and we thought we'd better set this up ourselves. Well, we did our best to find red, and flowers and cards, and then we all fell down, and we started again, and then we thought, nah, we'll just stay down here and see if that works.

Boud wanted to know what heather was doing in there, and we explained,well, it's about friends and family and red, so she qualifies on all counts. As do all you blogistas out there!

Footnote from Boud:

I was down with a nasty virus, well, I don't know what would be a nice virus, which included scenes from the Exorcist, plus collapsing and doing a Hillary, hitting my head and every other bit that caught on something in the bathroom, but things are going better now, and will continue that way. Ribs still complaining, but I'm not any more. One of those illness where it comes on lightning fast,you think you're going to die, then you wish you could, then finally you're amazed you didn't. I couldn't believe I was baking then shoveling out my car from a foot of snow, humming happily, then stitching and then -- It Struck!

Happy V Day, it's about friends, and for antiV friends, it's about green nail polish!!

Hope Springs Eternal

Bitterly cold weather, dry and cutting winds, snow now and then, gah. Grey skies do me in. But there in the kitchen, reminding me that the days are lengthening even if I haven't noticed all that much, and the light is getting stronger, the begonias are singing and dancing and showing their best pink dresses. Yay.

Freeform Stitching by Free Women!

For the latest shenanigans, aka caper, of the embroiderers, go here

Stitch in Public Day! Stitchers Rule!

The first Saturday in February is the official national Embroiderers' Guild of America's Stitch in Public Day, when stitchers of all kinds explode on their communities with stitching, displays of finished work, and general encouragement to the public to come and watch and maybe decide to try their hands, and learn, or relearn, the art of embroidery. Today the Princeton Chapter of EGA went forth to preach and teach, and here we are, having a fine old time stitching and laughing and generally illustrating why we like doing this, and why you should all join us! Hospitality came from the Mary Jacobs Public Library of Rocky Hill, NJ, and their patrons who stopped by, admired, exclaimed, and maybe will join us at some time at our regular meetings. And here's us!

Well, there were more, and there was more work on display as the afternoon went on, but I got engrossed in talking and stitching and my photography kind of fell off a bit.