Coats and Mortorcycles

Yesterday broke hazey with a forecast for a gray day but the sun seemed to be determined to shine. My "To Do List" had real fun stuff on it; do the laundry, file my taxes, go to the credit union, grocery shop. I was totally into having a great day! Well, not really.

I started off by hauling a ton of laundry to the basement, sorting them and simply getting on with it. Having the first item on my list well on its way to accomplishment, I fixed a quickie breakfast (toast, yogurt and coffee) checked my email and then tackled the most dreaded item on the list. The filing of the taxes. Last year being the first of my retirement I had decided to use a "professional" instead of doing them myself, as usual. I wound up using 2 "experts" to make sure I got it corretly and legally filed. The first guy got me back a ton of money, which was the flag that told me something was not right. I reviewed it before mailing and when I looked at some of the boxes knew immediately that the thing was making me commit some serious tax evasion practices. I heaved a sigh and took the entire bundle off to H&R Block. Well, that all turned out OK, however they seemed more interested in how the other guy (whose name I didn't give them) had tried to mess with the system (in several places) so he could get me a big number on the bottom line.

But I digress, that was last year and this is this year. So, back to my old mind set of "I can do this myself" (I've filed my own taxes forever and even did them for other people for a few years). I visited my old web source and signed in easily, after requesting my user name and password, which I had forgotten, of course. I was easing my way right through it when I hit a snag. Evidenly I had saved the wrong Social Security document and no matter how many times I searched through my messy organized file of important papers... it was not to be found. I decided I could probably find the information "on line" but the social security site nearly drove me bonkers and I soon knew I had to give up on it. I tried to sign on for an additional "update" that could download the information directly... but they didn't list Social Security as being a site to which they had access. Alas, I had to give up the task with my taxes just minutes from completion. I felt frustrated (politacally correct way of saying "very angry") at being unable to complete the job. This means I will have to call the Social Security office come Monday. Now there is something to look forward to. The amount of time you spend on hold waiting to talk to a live body can stretch on forever.

Whatever! I checked the clock. My first load of clothes should be coming out of the dryer. I waited for the familiar sound of the buzzer. No buzz. We were wanting to get to the credit union and I wanted my nicely dried clothes put away first so I wouldn't have to iron later on. I waited and finally made a trip to the basement to discover that although my dryer had been drying my clothes way beyond the needed time, no drying had taken place. The clothes were cold. The clothes were wet. Something was wrong! Yech. This had happened the last time my daughter did her laundry. I asked what she did to make the appliance work and dry her clothes. With her advice I headed back to the basement. Reset the dryer. Waited a while then went back and checked on it. The clothes were still cold. The clothes were still wet. This despite the fact that they had been tumbling for over 2 hrs. Now real frustration has hit. I can't accomplish the first 2 tasks on my list. Bad omen for the day!

Well, onward and Upward!, I always say (actually, I never say that, well, hardly ever}.

Next task. Trip to the credit union. I can do this. Well, I can, unless the car blows up or there's a flat on it... or something horrifying is going to happen. I stuck my head out the door to prepare me for the worst. Then I stuck all of me out the door. It was positively radient outside. The weather was totally balmy. I realized for the first time since November I was going somewhere and not going to put on a coat. The sun had come out. It was one of those "indescribably awesome, winter has died" days. I took a deep breath and we set out on our excursion (the credit union lies in a town 20 miles east of us) through the countryside. No need to hurry over the freeway (you have to threaten me to drive on that road anyway. Freeway drivers today are totally nutz!). Ten minutes out and I had forgotten the incompleted task of filing my taxes. My wet clothes sitting in a dryer, not drying. It was the first coatless day of spring. I felt good.

We grabbed lunch in a favorite eating spot and made a decision that we could live without grocery shopping. We stepped back into the bright sunlight not really wanting to make the return trip home. But we did. I began looking for the Harleys as we headed back. 'Guys on motor bikes' is my first sure sign that spring has arrived. It wasn't but a few minutes before I saw the first one ahead of us. This is it. Spring for me has officially arrived. Forget the robbins. Forget the equinox. On this Saturday of unaccomplished tasks the greatest event has burst on the scene. Spring is here!

I am happy. We call my mom. Make arrangements and pick her up. Soon we are headed into the world where farmers have begun tilling their land, more motorcycles and a sense that I shall not freeze anymore this winter. Incomplete tasks pale in comparison to cows lazing in pastures and spring fields hinting of green, blue skies overhead, and warm sunshine pouring through my windshield.

It is a good day!