The Saturday Morning Post - Random Rambles

US tax returns are due in less than 30 days. My tax returns are done and filed.  I always dread doing them, but our life has become simple, and the returns are fairly easy to do.  Only one complaint, we can't afford the government I want, on what I ended up paying. Not that I won't put the refund to good use.  

Only once in my adult life have I paid someone to prepare my taxes, actually I paid two people that year.  One was ultra conservative, the other one ultra liberal in interpreting the tax and accounting rules, ultimately that year, I did them myself meeting the two in the middle (and that was 35 years ago with no audit, so I must have hit an acceptable balance.) With modern tax software most tax returns are fairly easy to do.  

We have had some wonderful weather recently, after a long cold winter. One day recently after my daily walk in the swamp, I put the top down on the car and took a slow drive.  About 10 minutes into the drive, I looked up and was filled with Joy. I love my little convertible (cabriolet.) It is a dozen years old. I had long wanted one.  The first time I got serious about one, my ex, shot down saying "that is something for you, we should spend money on us." My father poo pooed the idea, convertibles are impractical.  When I told my sweet bear I was thinking about buying one, he said, "do you want to go shopping on Saturday?"  The second Saturday, I bought the one.  That was just over two years ago. I am so lucky, he supports me in owning an expensive toy. I do so enjoy putting the top down on a pretty day.  Even if the car has absolutely no trunk (boot) space.  Even with the top up, you can't stand a bag of groceries up in the trunk. A suitcase, would have to go in the back seat.  But we have practical cars, for practical days. 

A little last minute news, I am getting my first COVID vaccine today!  As instructed by my doctor I signed up on the waiting list in my county 42 days ago.  At one point, it looked like the wait would be 100 days, the supply of vaccine has expanded, things have really sped up.  When I looked at the website last weekend, it looked like I was still a month away, and late Thursday afternoon an email popped up, telling me it is my turn.  I need to think about what I most want to do, when I have had the second shot, ride the subway train into the city, go out to lunch in a nice restaurant are near the top of the list.  I am not sure when the museums will start to open, or the Kennedy Center with live music.