Reading your comments about taxes was very interesting. I read them out loud to Don. The whole thing is shameful. Don earned about the same amount of money in 2017 as he did in 2018. In 2017, we got a refund from the IRS of a few thousand dollars. This year, with the same income, we’re paying at least $5000. Since we live most of the time on a fixed income, I can see a future with our savings being quickly depleted.
Anyway, today I’ll print out a voucher form, write out a check, and mail it to the IRS. And throughout it all, I’ll be sending a symbolic middle finger to the GOP.
I did some work in the garden yesterday clearing out the garden beds closest to the kitchen; the memorial garden and the bed where I plant my morning glories and zinnias. I did a bit of work elsewhere, but the constant raking, loading onto a tarp, bending down, carrying a heavy tarpful of leaves and debris to our pile, and then back again to do the same thing tired me out. I’m not in full spring/summer gardening and mowing shape yet. This part of the property cleanup is tedious and I can’t wait to finish it. But, even through the tedium, I so enjoyed being outside again and seeing little green plants emerge after the removal of the leaves. So far, I can see hostas, daylilies, coneflowers, catmint emerging from their winter slumber. Oh, joy!
Yesterday’s egg cups:
Egg cups with shoes and socks. The one on the left is from a company in England, part of their Walking Ware line. The one on the right has no mark. And, by the looks of them, the shoes need a little dusting!
Today:
An Assortment of Animals.
On the left a rooster pulling a cart – made by California Pottery. The sticker is still on the cup!
A bunny rabbit who reminds me so much of Scout that I’ve named her Scout. I mean, those pink ears! Just like Scoutie’s.
A souvenir egg cup from Chambéry, France. I had to get it because, if you look closely, you’ll see two groundhogs.
And an adorable pig holding up an egg cup.
Happy Monday.
very upsetting tax changes and hardships put upon so many hardworking and decent people by our so-called “leaders” … scary, maddening. can’t they see where this could lead? nowhere good.
love your eggcups, however. especially the especially sweet scoutie one.
and glad that you can do some gardening (even if this part isn’t your fave).
here’s to better days and to having the strength, fight and hope it takes to get there.
kathy in iowa
Thank you, Kathy!
I got hit with the tax burden as well. I too have to pay well over 5000.00. It made my stomach turn when I wrote that check. What happened to the so called tax break? I used to be able to itemize and now I cannot. The standard deduction for married filing jointly is lower than what I’ve been able to itemize in the past. I’m sure that is true for you as well.
On a lighter note I went to the Goodspeed Opera House yesterday and saw a thoroughly entertaining production of The Music Man. It was a gem of a show. I noticed in the bio’s of the actors, one has done work at the Old Globe – he played the male lead in this show and his name is Edward Watts.
Enjoy being outside and the warmer weather, though the week looks to end in lots of rain.
It’s shocking. I just wrote out the check and wanted to scream bloody murder!
I love The Music Man. Glad you had a good time. I don’t know the name Edward Watts, but then again, I haven’t coached there in many years!
Have you heard? Notre Dame in Paris is on fire. Je suis désolée. 😥
Oh no! I will turn on the news immediately!
I have to get out there and rake pine needles. Not my favorite gardening task. I’m not garden chore ready either, so I’ll have to take it easy and take for just an hour or two. If I do any more than that first time out, I get a bad stitch in my side. My body isn’t used to that rotating raking motion yet. The feet egg cups are so cute, with their little socks and shoes!
That raking motion gets me every time!
Thanks for the egg cup reminder; I was going to send mine to the GK. hope you have a nice Easter!
You’re welcome, Judy. Have a lovely Easter!
My God, Claudia, I woke up late here on the west coast to my husband shouting, “Notre Dame is on fire; turn on the TV!” All I’ve done is cry since. How, how, how could such a horrible thing happen. The building has been there for like 750 years or something; it survived world wars. What is Paris without its cathedral. My heart is with the Parisians on the street as they stand there in horror. I thought of you and your love for the city. I thought of me, how lucky I saw it when I did even though it was a long time ago.
Heartsick. I’m watching footage of the fire. Devastating. My heart is in my throat!
My heart is breaking!!!To see the beautiful church destroyed.
Devastating. There are no words, Trina.
as I am watching heartbreak in Paris right now, my thoughts turned to you and your husband … I am so so glad you got your glorious visit there and have all your lovely pics-
as always, regards from Texas-
barb
I’m very grateful we had the opportunity to see it intact. I’m watching footage right now. Broken heart.
It seems like it has no chance. Under the stone in those towers is wood framework; they say once the wood burns, the towers/stonework can’t stand on their own, and they’ll take the stained glass with it. But wouldn’t the glass be mostly gone anyway by now, from the heat alone? The organ; did they say it has 8,000 pipes? All the statues and art. It’s unbearable. But the roof has already fallen in anyway. I’m walking around in a daze; can’t get anything done. Keep turning the TV back on, like I can’t look away. Broken heart is right. I remember 7th grade French class, age 12/junior high; the cathedral was one of the first things we studied. It’s driving me nuts when a commentator from major cable keeps calling it ‘Noter Dame’ with a long A; at least pronounce the name right on TV; can’t somebody correct her by now? Have some respect. I think I’m focusing on something like that because I can’t stand to focus on what is happening in real time with this beautiful, historical place. Is so, so sad. Such a loss.
I heard one commentator say that fireman were trying to salvage artwork, but I’m sure they couldn’t stay there long. I can’t turn the television off. It’s so devastating – something I never thought could happen.
I heard that as well and was hopeful; something, too, about bronze statues having been removed for the renovation work (that scaffolding, contributing apparently to the ferocity of the fire). With the soaring ceilings and cavernous spaces, I’m trying to understand how they’re saying it’s like fire roaring and swirling in a canyon; I dunno, it’s all so awful. A NYC firefighter was interviewed by phone and was trying to explain the complexity of trying to fight this kind of fire, this kind of building; the danger is immense. Trump said why not fight from the air and I almost had the same question for a fleeting second because I’m from SoCalif and that’s used so much here in our wildfires but then I thought, crap, they could hurt people/drown(?) people in such a densely-populated area but it’s more than that – – the weight of the water would further/completely collapse the building if anything else is to still stand and be saved, not to mention surrounding buildings(?) which would be damaged from the water drop. So very complicated. What a hard call; I imagine firefighters in Paris have always dreaded something like this happening. (I keep thinking, OMG, the Louvre.) The NYC fire chief was saying that with something like Notre Dame, even installing overhead sprinklers in the interiors poses an impossibility, I didn’t quite understand why. But when he was talking, it made sense.
You know it just struck me how you’re watching TV too, like me. In times of natural or world disaster, TV isn’t obsolete; we still turn to it instead of our devices.
I didn’t mean to blow off your post today. How ironic to see your lovely egg cup from France with the groundhogs. The world links hearts with France tonight. Thank goodness you were in Paris between riots and that you had the time of your life with Don; that you saw Notre Dame in its glory.
Random, scattered thoughts. The stained glass that can never be replaced; I’m hung up on that because I’m a great admirer or old stained/leaded glass; used to think when younger and had steadier hands and better vision to take it up as a craft/hobby/art (it’s also in my ancient history, the ancestors; they were glaziers in Europe). I remember on my so-long-ago trip to Europe of spending a full day at the Dom which is the Gothic cathedral in Cologne, Germany – – how it was very obvious to see the replacement windows from the originals that were bombed in WWII. No comparison to the other earlier windows still there; just not the vibrancy of color and intricacy of the work, although they tried their best for a good match. There is just nothing like that early glass, and Notre Dame in Paris had so much of it. If the Rose Window goes, well, I can’t even write about it.
It has more than one rose window, of course, but we all know which one we’re talking about; it’s so iconic and lovely. Gotta have hope and prayer here. A lot of news articles are contradicting each other. It’s too soon yet. And still hope that no one is dead or got hurt due to the fire.
A few injuries, but no death, thank goodness. What brave fire fighters!
It can be rebuilt but some things can’t be copied, they lose the patina of age.
It’s so upsetting to see what’s happening to Notre Dame. They’re saying it might be caused by renovation work. I hope they can save the Rose Window. Last time I was in Paris, I stayed very near to the beautiful cathedral.
My sympathy to everyone affected by the changes in tax laws. It’s outrageous that one year you’re entitled to a rebate and the next you owe a substantial amount without your income changing!
The Rose Window is so astonishingly beautiful, as is the entire Cathedral. I cannot take it in, Dee Dee.
I had appointments and errands today and just came in to read about Notre Dame. I am in tears. What a loss. I have no words.
Watching on TV now and just devastated.
xoxo Same.
There are no words. It’s impossible to take in the horrific amount of loss.
Catching up, was gone a couple of days. The tax thing is just awful. Can still see those nimrods shaking hands and high-fiving in the Rose Garden after Trump signed it into law.
I too am watching the Notre Dame fire while looking up the pictures I took near it on our last trip several years ago. It stood for over 800 years. Now, thanks to the latest renovations (they think), it is now gone. Sick to my stomach.
Me too, Kay. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
I’m hoping today is full of better news about Notre Dame. I see lots of French people and companies and offers from other countries to help rebuild. I worry about the stained glass and rose windows and paintings. I know this is another blow to you and Don and my thoughts are with you. Perhaps there will be a chance for the divided parts of the country to come together in a project that can be healing. We all need so much healing. I guess remembering that this glorious edifice has been there for almost 1000 years reminds me that deeply troubling times have always existed, nothing so special about today’s problems except that we are living them. I hope you and Don have a beautiful spring day!!
Thank you, Nora.
It is lovely to see your sweet egg cups today. They lighten me a bit. My heart is so sad with the devastating fire about Notre Dame. I wrote about it because I had to in my heart but even that didn’t help too much. Perhaps it made me even more sad, yet so grateful to have experienced this place more than once. A true treasure chest of civilization.
Yes, indeed.