Taxes! Most years the deadline to have taxes filed is today. I have not even started yet! Most years, I have them done and filed by Feb. 15, at the latest. Talk about procrastination; I’m becoming a Pro-crastinator! It’s on the agenda for tomorrow afternoon; once I’ve delivered your papers to the post office. It’s also possible an extension may be filed! LOL!

Speaking of taxing, my mom was recently certified in a canine training course. She is proud of herself and won’t stop talking about it. I am proud of her. It was a lot of material to cover, and she did well, but don’t tell her that! I don’t want her thinking I’ve gone soft. LOL! Honestly, I don’t see why she needed a certificate to prove she was able to train a dog. She has been training them since I was little. In fact, she was the one who taught me how to show my dog for 4-H. I guess it’s like most things these days; you can’t just say you know how to do something; you have to have a piece of paper to prove it. Anyway, I’m proud of you, Mom!

Things at the “money pit” are moving along, a bit behind the “tight and rigorous” schedule I had in mind, but none the less we are getting there. The yard is almost to that “blank slate” that I have been dreaming of, which allows me to get an idea of what I would like to do as far as landscaping. I used to dream of a yard with beautiful gardens. Now I dream of a yard that is easy to mow. If I could get away with it, I would pour colored concrete and skip the mowing altogether. The majority of the rocks - so many rocks - have been moved to allow us to mow without killing an innocent passerby or breaking our neighbor’s windows. George would like to build a Koi pond with a waterfall in the backyard someday. I do believe we have the rock to do it. That also means less to mow, so I am all for it! He will have to take care of it, though, because the last time I had fish, I forgot to water them!

Last week George hurt his wrist, helping Jacob change out his brakes and routers. I had to take him to urgent care. When the nurse asked about swelling, I said, “Well, his fingers are pudgier than normal.” I have not heard the end of that. Then, as they discussed pain management, I said, “You cannot take that much ibuprofen at one time.” To which he replied, “I’m a big guy, I can handle it!” and I replied, “Fine, do what you want, I don’t care!” So now I am an uncaring, inconsiderate wife who called my husband pudgy. This has been the ongoing joke for a week, and quite frankly, I quit caring, so maybe it is true! LOL! X’s & O’s!