The Taxman

It's after 10:00 pm, and I sit on the couch, nibbling on a ginger snap, and trying to keep my head from exploding. Today was supposed to be just a couple of hours more on the taxes. I'm still not done. I finally forced myself to put down the tangle that is our moving expenses, and I'll pick it up again tomorrow when I'm fresh. Unless I slit my wrists tonight to avoid it. Every move to a new state brings a change in taxes. Texas has no state income tax so there is not deduction on the federal taxes for what you paid into the state. However they have a hefty sales tax, and the federal rule is that you can deduct either what you paid into your state for income tax OR what you paid them in sales tax. I wish I'd known that when the year started--I'd have kept better track of what we paid out in sales tax!

However with a couple of hours of effort this afternoon, I was able to cobble together enough receipts to get a decent deduction. We also bought the solar system and an electric car last year--both of which qualify for federal tax credits--and it took me awhile to figure out those forms. Then I started on the move. Wow. I knew it was complicated when we were driving out the monthly (almost) U-Hauls, but it really got convoluted when Dave was flying back from Austin to drive out teh U-Haul so I could drive out the minvan. Between my calendar and the credit card bills I just about have it hammered out, but, good god, I am so glad we are NEVER MOVING AGAIN!!!

I need to be done with it tomorrow so I can get back to the garden again (and now that song is stuck in my head for another night). The guys have been doing great without me, but it's time to get the first plants in the ground and do a census of what I still need.

Sometime soon I'll get back to glass, back to spinning, and back to ikebana, but for today I'm just glad my house is clean (I broke down and hired it cleaned today--it was so worth it!).