Tag: Work

Sunrises and Rainbows, Moves and Changes, and Quarter End Crunches

On By BackporchwriterIn Uncategorized13 Comments

We have had lots of beautiful sunrises and sunsets and rainbows. I’ll scatter the pics across today’s post. The camera doesn’t quite catch the beauty, especially in the window. I’ve used my photo editing on the Mac to try and correct the photo to what I actually saw. The iPhone camera seems to be deteriorating over time. Is that possible? It just doesn’t have the precision it used to, but soon I’ll be upgrading to the 13 – either Pro or Max – not sure which.

I hesitate to even blog today. Have mostly been working on quarter end and the next video while at home. Thank goodness at home, I’ve had less to do. It’s the calm that God is delighting us with before the storm of a busy season and moving again of Mom and getting her settled.

I only have two more returns to do today and both are bigger ones. The federal return for Transport, I stayed and worked on yesterday and have a draft copy ready to go. I will seek advisement from my boss on the COVID amounts and how that impacts it. I will let her look at it before sending it in to have it blessed before I do. I also have an STT return to do and pay the tax for – for Oregon. That takes about 1.5 to 2 hours and the computer (online) does not save your work for manual entry. So you have to have something to drink, have been to the bathroom, and a good stretch of time, and no interruptions because if times out – you are screwed and have to start all over. Can you tell I’ve been there done that?

I had a return yesterday that even though it had a save button, I didn’t know that the system had already timed me out. I had stopped to answer a question or phone call or something like that and went back to it. (This was doing the Oregon “all in one” return where I have to manually enter all the employees, their earnings, their withholdings, their hours worked). I entered everyone and it let me but when I went to save it – it would not do anything. I printed out the page before trying to save it (thank goodness) as I had looked up all that info from various reports. But I had timed out and it went back to the log in. (Insert eye roll emoji.) So putting it back at least when I entered it the 2nd time – I at least had a print out and didn’t have to look up the data from various sources again. Except it was in a different order (insert favorite eye roll emoji here). Then I was .52 cents off, lol lol. But I found it pretty quickly.

I wasn’t going to eat lunch out but this week I’ve not had any good frozen meals that looked appealing. I’ve eaten those for weeks now. And I don’t want McDonald’s which is the only fast food place really close without driving 10 to 15 minutes. So I went to Santa Fe and got fish tacos one day. It’s really close to work.

They were real corn tortilla’s. The fish was good and on my “list” of things to eat once a week at least. So it was all so good. And I was done in 45 minutes which was surprising.

I did the bad thing and went for fish and chicken dinner at Captain D’s yesterday. It was good to have the time away and my head out of the numbers and papers for a few minutes. It appeared that I would have time to get everything done and I’m on the last stretch and will barely make it.

We’ve had a lot of rainbows.

I’m sorry my iPhone camera is just not pulling through for me these days but hopefully it’s better than nothing. It was also a low light situation with the sun just coming up.

This was a great shot after work yesterday. There’s my car too.

A beautiful display of the storm squall as it passed through and also appeared to be dissipating. I’ve started taking the back roads. The interstates have been full of aggressive drivers lately, people just trying to run over you, pulling in front of you, tailing you, racing and threading in and out of traffic at high speeds. The trucks are going fast and often do not seem prepared to brake (some do and I give them credit), but the ones who don’t taint the outlook of having to drive with them around. Lately there have been people shot at on the interstate, pointing guns at people on the interstate, police chases, horrible wrecks shutting it down (of course, stupid drivers aggressive behavior catching up to them), fatalities, and you know, I want to live to see my grandchild grow up and be able to enjoy my retirement days. So I’ve decided to take backroads. It takes 10 to 15 minutes longer on some days but I just enjoy the ride now and go at safer speeds and usually the crazy people are on the interstate. Not always but usually as they are too impatient to take back roads. There are more lights and school zones. I just have a good audio book on and it gets me through. Or some good music. So my commutes are back up to 45 min long now instead of the 23 minutes on the interstate during virus times. But oh well. At least I’m safer. Not really sure what it will be like when I have to go to the new plant. All that remains to be seen and we’ll either readjust something or make some “difficult decisions”. A lot of our office employees live even further out than me and our offices will be moving south of town. I’m pretty worried about losing a lot of our office staff when the time comes. Some people already spend 45 to an hour getting there and will be looking at doubling their time. Change comes and it comes often and we have to be prepared. At least there are job openings everywhere now. Some even at home or anywhere you want to be as long as there is internet.

I love my job except for maybe a few weeks out of the year, this being one of them. It is not always a convenient job for being able to go see my family in Texas. Quarter end and holidays are always the best times for us personally to go but not the best time for me from a work standpoint. That has been tough. We wanted to go for Thanksgiving which is ideal personally and also for Katy but it puts too much stress on others that have to do my job when I’m gone. So we gave up that idea. Only 3 years to retirement. But we’ll have to see what this move brings and how long the drive is on the back roads because I don’t want to take the interstate. That is in an even rougher part of town.

We have enough going on right now though than to worry about the office job location change and commute. We’ll worry about that one later. Right now we are about to embark on moving Momma again.

Monday we see the house from the inside for the first time. And then a week from today is closing. We are all getting excited. We are not excited for the move itself. I worry about George but it will be easier and we can take our time this time. Mom will have to buy a lot of appliances. We’ll have to line shelves and all that. It’s going to take a bit to get it all settled enough for her to move in. But it’s about to happen.

I like to organize and decorate so will help her with that. I also like unpacking but it’s hard when it’s someone else’s stuff.

I’m also looking forward to having my big bed back, my closet back, my bathroom back and more space across the board. I’m looking forward to us eating while we watch a show and not at the table, so we have time to watch our shows again. George has to rush to the back to Mom’s room where his computer is to pay the bills and do things on line so he is usually doing that after dinner – either that or delaying dinner by doing it before. He often would get in there in the mornings but she is asleep so he can’t do it then. It’s been a reshuffle for sure on our routine but it’s been for a good cause and we knew it was only temporary. When I move back into my bedroom, I will have the bigger closet space and shelving and can get my fall clothes out and will have my shoe rack back instead of this two little baskets I’ve been using. Then I can put my office stuff back in the closet shelves and bring my extra office table back and my supplies and camera equipment can sit about again and I can get the office stuff out from the baskets under the bed. I have to stand on my head to get any thing out of them. So I’m glad Mom will have her own space and we can go back to what we are used to. And to our routines. I’m also going to be glad to have my recliner back. I’ve missed it!

So not only do we have to move Mom but we’ll be doing some internal moves in our own house as well getting things back to the way we like them. Even little things like having my robe hang in the bathroom instead of the bedroom and having my towel rack back. And not having to change the bathroom trash as often. I’ve had to change it every other day instead of the usual once a week. An easy task but that has been one Mom has completely “let me” do. I have to chuckle at that. lol

Anyway, I’m going for more coffee and need to head in to do this last day of Quarter End. I’ll probably be back on Sunday for an update. The last hoorah weekend before we start running around like chickens with our heads cut off again. I’ll work on the video tomorrow instead of blogging but will be back Sunday. I’m making good progress on video but likely be the following weekend before it’s up and live. Just a bit more editing and graphics and overlays and it’ll be time to upload.

Oh but let me leave you with this. This is the audio book I’m doing currently. It’s pretty good. It involved an RV trip is why I downloaded it. ha!

Have a great weekend! What you gonna do this weekend? I think we are gonna rest! Might go to the new Christmas shop though.

Foggy Mornings, Big Brother Listening, and Necessary Blog Upgrades

On By BackporchwriterIn Blogging, Computer, Life, Lifestyle6 Comments

Good morning here! Sipping coffee and finally getting some blog time. We find ourselves sitting on a Wednesday already. The week has been fast yet I do find myself asking if it’s Friday yet. It is so doggone hard to get anything done during the week. Just work, eat, sleep or try to sleep and get up rinse and repeat.

So the early mornings this week have been foggy and full of deer. The deer make me smile so long as they are not meeting my front bumper. Yesterday morning was almost a bit frightening as it was pretty dense in some places. It actually started to clear up some here.

Payroll went well. I am a bit worried about getting quarter end done without having to work weekends. I have to take Mom for her eye appointment today. So I’ll leave at mid day to go home and get her in Mount Juliet and then get her to Hendersonville. She also has another medical situation that has crept up and if not in control we’ll be going to an urgent care this evening or tomorrow. It is what it is. What can you do? But I’ll be glad when quarter end is done so I won’t have to worry about THAT anyway. I will probably work later in the next two weeks to try and avoid working on the weekend. I usually get the Transport information way late and that makes me have to rush during that last week, and/or have to work weekends. Or not and get in trouble later, lol. It depends. I may not have a choice if we have things going on with Mom. And there usually is. So….I have prayed about it and it will be what it will be and I will do what I can for the company and likely will put family first as it should be and what remains after that, simply does. I can’t worry about this every day. I’ll just do my best and it will be what it will be. But I’ll be honest. When I leave here at 7 and hardly leave my desk. I’m ready to leave at 4 and I usually don’t leave until 4:30. That is 9.5 hours and then 45 min commute which is 1.5 daily. The traffic is up and also I’m going the back way most days because the interstate is getting dangerous. People are even being shot at, as if these Nashville drivers were not bad enough. ::sigh:: My point is that any hours worked beyond 4:30 my brain is mush at that point.

They are Listening. But Who are They?

Define they. I’m not sure. Some Alexa or Apple employee or some third party ad partner gone astray and crossing boundaries? But take note of this:

So we are sitting at the dinner table and Mom says “hey you remember that guy that you gave a ride to, when a bunch of you went to see your friend in the hospital?” and she mentioned the guys name. Let’s call him David Longbutt, (That’s not his name but lol, might as well make it fun). So….Mom said the guys father (Mr. Longbutt, Sr) had called and blessed Mom and Dad out because I let his son ride with me and I was only 16 (at the time) and didn’t have his permission to ride with me.

First of all, I did not even remember giving him a ride to the hospital. I remember giving him a ride home from church once. And I had to laugh because I was thinking as Mom told me this – what a goofball, you don’t punish the other person who is being nice to give a ride, you punish your own child for not following your parenting directions – if directions were even given. I’m surprised I wasn’t arrested for kidnapping, the way Mom made it sound. Anyway, aside from all that and our discussion at the table, guess who I got a friend request from the next day?

You guessed it. “David Longbutt”. Now how the hell heck did that happen? What is the irony of that? I did not have my phone with me, but I had my Apple Watch on. Alexa may have been within ear shot but two rooms away, so not sure. The room could have been bugged by neighbors, employers, FBI, lol. As the sunroom’s back handle door was compromised once and put on backwards. We never figured that out although I have my suspicions. I seriously doubt that Mom or George would have created an alias and done it to mess with me but who knows? Anyone of these options are suspect. lol lol lol.

So the Facebook account appeared to be a cloned account of David Longbutt (not the real name) as the cloned account used pics of the real person’s account. Unless the real person created another account for himself suddenly just to befriend me, but is this not weird. He also sent friend requests to several of my friends, some of who accepted. I deleted before I thought to get their names to warn them. I thought Facebook would take care of it, but no they refused to delete the account. It’s up to them if they want to keep fake accounts, but I guess they did not do their research. But anyway, I deleted him. I also stayed up half the night last night from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. (awake anyway) to try and secure my Facebook account. Although I doubt the “hearing” of the person’s name that triggered said friendship request was a Facebook issue. I still decided to tighten my account. I got rid of friends (about 40 of them) that I thought really had no business being on my friend list. I’m ok with acquaintances that had been nice to me during periods of my life for a time, even people I’ve met on a whim that we hit it off and I could tell they were ok. But there are some that I just didn’t have that much of a bond with that I felt were there for spy purposes or for their own personal interest. Some I just didn’t know very well but we were part of the same wellness group and no longer interact and didn’t really ever remember interacting to tell you the truth. Those were deleted. I kept those that inspire me, challenge me, interact with me on some level though.

Anyway, not sure what happened but yesterday I was thinking about banning Alexa, taking off my watch, hiding my phone – I mean sheesh. I guess I’ll do some study of how to protect ourselves more. And try to understand how to do that w/o being inconvenienced. I’m ok with them looking at my activity and sending me ads that apply to me. I’ve found that helpful actually. I’d rather see ads for things I’m interested in. But getting a friend request from a fake account from someone over 30 years ago I’ve not spoke of until last night, is just bizarre and apparent and obvious that either someone in that room (George or Mom) or either someone listening on some device, sent that request. Again, I am not accusing anyone, I’m just like the police and listing all the possibilities. And what would the goal be? And my friend list is hidden to only friends. So it would have to be someone that could see my friend list. Hmmmm.

Blog Upgrades Ahead

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

I am highly dismayed that I’m at 96% media (photos and videos space) storage with WordPress. I have a personal premium account but my space is about to run out. It’s going to be around $200 to keep on blogging here and I’ll have to upgrade to a business account. Sure I get all kinds of perks with it. Not sure if I’ll use all of it but the storage vastly – I mean vastly increased. I’ll probably die before it runs out, but the cost is annual. I’m guessing around $300 to $400 annually. I suppose it’s worth it because it is something I love doing.

The other option is to start over with a new blog, and if I did that I’d probably have to start with a new VLOG too and YouTube. I don’t really want to do that. I also already have subscribers and it’s so hard to even get a few in these first few years of vlogging. I’m kinda fond of the Less Hustle More Coffee vibe. It’s so me. Let’s not rush here but sip and have coffee – has been my whole meaning of life. Well not really but it’s always there in the back of my mind as I rush off and try to meet everyone’s agenda including my own.

So as of now, I’ve made the decision I will do it when it’s time. I get credit for what I’ve spent already this year on this blog, that is why I’m not sure how much it will be when it renews. I will have to look at some other things though. My hobbies and online internet expenses are adding up. I’m paying some bucks for online services and storage and for digital graphics and animations, music that doesn’t violate copyright issues, etc.- also Apple iTunes, Audible, YouTube Buddy, Apple storage, and so it goes. I also pay for my domain to have the name on it’s own instead of a WordPress location.

Now maybe someday I can switch to another internet company like GoDaddy or some of the others, but I’m pretty happy with this set up for the most part. So I need to let George know that when the time comes (soon), I will have to pay or not blog and I know which one I’m choosing. I could delete media (photos) but what fun is that and when people read the past blogs, which is often as I get likes here and there as it gets attention on the internet some – according to title or subject. So I guess I will just keep going. There is a WordPress seminar in Nashville and I’d love to attend but I guess I’ll have to wait until I retire, lol.

I have it on my list for 2022 to sit and map out my goals with this blog and with the vlog. I want to redefine – or narrow down a few things before I try to grow it any further. I will determine what is in, and what is out, as far as my goals and what I want to accomplish. I think it’s something you have to look at every year. This year has been more of a “test” year of “can I do this?” and “what can I do” and now I think it’s more of “what do I want to do?”

So anyway, I’ve blogged on enough. Need to get going and get to work and get as much done as I can. I leave today to take Mom to the eye doc for her eye injection and then tomorrow will take her for the other appointment unless it is worse today. If so we’ll have to go after the eye appt.

And only two weeks away for seeing her house inside and also the closing 2.5 weeks away. The truck to move has been scheduled by George!

Weathering a Taxing World

On By BackporchwriterIn Uncategorized6 Comments

Tropical Depression Ida

Our clouds have looked like this the last couple of days from Tropical Depression IDA. I’m hoping for sunshine today but enh – it doesn’t really matter. It will be what it will. We have had rain but with breaks at times. As our weather woman said “it’s coming in waves”. As I got out of the car yesterday morning, the wind blew my umbrella inside out immediately. I had to switch from the little umbrella to the big one as torrents of rain fell from the sky. I had driven the back roads instead of the interstate. The interstate is starting to scare me because of the latest “bloom of idiot (likely on drugs) drivers” that can’t drive and cut you off and drive 100 (or try to) in traffic that is doing 55. Their game is weaving in and out like a Nintendo game. What they don’t know is that we will see them on the news in the morning or upside down clogging traffic while ambulance crews arrive. I don’t want to be in their game or on the news. So I’m starting to take the back roads more and more and that of course takes longer with the red lights. ::sigh:: Long story short – neither umbrella protected me from the rain. I was a soaking complete mess from head to toe walking just 40 feet or so from the front door. I had to dry off with paper towels.

Too Much Work and No Play Make for a Tropically Depressed Sonya

Mostly my efforts this week have been toward the work front. I’ve put in a lot of hours extra, which are my “deposits” for Mom’s doc appointments. I go in early on Tuesdays all month to cover the afternoon of the “eye injection” appt once a month and I’ve been staying late 30 min across 4 days this week to cover the Friday morning heart test she has. That way I get my work done and my “allotment” of hours in. I’m salaried but I want to make sure I get the hours in! With the way life is right now this year, I could easily be gone hours from every day just trying to get Mom’s life situated, and my own life done, lol. So I have to make sure I get work done!

Some of the appointments have had to be pushed out too because inevitably the day the doc is in – is on a Tuesday when I’m doing payroll or a Monday afternoon when I’m doing time sheets. lol Rolling my eyes. Her reading of the heart test is a month away b/c the doc and I could not get our schedules to work. I hate it but unless she is willing to uber, it has to wait for a non-payroll related day. It’s not easy to just tell someone else to do payroll. It’s a very finicky process and one in which if you hit the wrong button it WILL explode! lol. It’s always best that the one used to doing it – does it. It’s easy for me now, but even I worry I’ll hit the wrong button. I always sleep better on Tuesday night than I do Monday night before payroll!

Some things happened lately that made me want to give up on a few things. Or change a few things. It’s really all up to God. He sets the paths. There’s just been a few situations where regardless of the efforts of my own, LIFE and or others, or situations have tampered with, changed the situation, or caused a stumbling block – likely none intentional – but it is what it is. And it is just so discouraging, to know the efforts you make to just be less than stellar because of the circumstances and it makes YOU look bad. I’ve just had to give it up worrying over it. It’s nothing I could have done, I did what I could do with what I had at the time. I made the pot with the clay I had in my hands – that is the best way to put it. If you have rotten clay the outcome will not be a beautiful piece!!!!! And yes I do make mistakes and can make mistakes so put that on top of it. We all do regardless of trying your best. But yes at least everyone is trying – with the mangled world and data we have.

My unhooking skills (different from uncaring) have come in handy. When you Unhook and then attach said situation to God, it suddenly becomes a winning situation. I no longer have to worry. God deals with the spirits and principalities of this earth or UNIVERSE as they call it, so I don’t have to. He has the power to overcome.

Weathering the Taxes in a Virus Ladened World

This was on the calendar yesterday. And it’s funny, considering the issues WE have at work with the tax returns. We have had some tax returns to come back. I guess the IRS workers finally came back to work. lol. I do *some* of the tax returns, not all of them and I do them modeling the “big return” that someone else does when I do them. I also make sure they match the numbers I’m given. And I also make sure that I report on Schedule B the payments I made, exactly as I made them. But then the “dreaded virus” credits the government allows changes things and messes the whole thing up. I was asked to change a number on a return because of the credit and when I did – then my payments didn’t match the return but I didn’t realize it at the time. I thought I was “done”. lol. I think I was supposed to have made a credit in the payments too but I didn’t know it or wasn’t told to. (My ability to read minds IS pretty good but not perfect.) So it came back.

Then another time I was given the same tax form for a payroll two weeks in a row instead of the correct week and so I noticed on the return I had paid one week twice. I can’t imagine how I could have fouled that up when I just pull the tax form from that company’s payroll each week and pay it that week. I wouldn’t have gone back and pulled the last week tax form and made a copy as there is no copying, I simply pull what is given and pay it the week given. Anyway, when you see a tax paid the same number back to back when I did the return- it was suspicious. So I had to go ask for the correct payroll week for that week I didn’t have and apparently never had – then owed more $. Which I paid but it was late at that point. So we’ll owe interest as it didn’t show up until I did the return.

Anyway, I’m not an accountant! So the federal returns are not something that comes easy for me. I just have to model the big one and then work it til the numbers finally match, but then the credits come and it messes the whole thing up. You add these things, others errors, plus any I make, and it makes me look like I’m goofing the whole thing up. But I’m sure they (the big guys in the company) probably know I don’t file all of them. It’s not just me – but the credits, the other things that went afoul and then anything I missed or didn’t realize – makes the returns come back. But I’m choosing to let it go because it what it is and not much of it is in my control.

I am a payroll person though and I enjoy doing the withholding taxes and returns and the unemployment taxes and returns as apart of the accounting side of it, but I don’t like doing the federal tax return for one of our companies that I have to do because of all the credits and ins/outs. It amazes me how the numbers can match and it’s still wrong, lol. I’m not even sure why this position was assigned to do the federal return itself when more capable others are in the building that are familiar with the credits and what they are doing and what is going on with all that. Anyway, I just try to make the numbers match and even then it’s wrong. So go figure. I just make the tax payments but probably NOT the best person to do the return itself since I’m not involved with the credits and figuring all that. God gonna have to do them from here. I’m afraid to touch them with a ten foot pole now.

And I’m just not really one that is used to dealing with that or the credits happen after the fact and mess it up into the next quarter. It gets confusing and it’s not something I have to deal with every day. So my mind is just not wrapped around this I guess.

Then there was an annual tax that I thought was paid at the end of the year. I mean – an “annual” tax is what it is called. But apparently we make quarterly installments. Who knew? lol If I weren’t so bummed about it I’d laugh. Maybe one day.

I am shaking my head though. Not a lot I can do. It’s just a bit over my head with my level of accounting experience, but I absolutely love doing the withholding and unemployment returns. Payroll also remains a first love! But those federal tax returns. Ugh! I am totally afraid to touch anything with them now. I wish they would go away. lol

Meanwhile in Texas

Someone is enjoying himself in the mirror. He sees a baby! He loves the baby! He also loves his basket of toys! He’s sitting up good and on the verge of crawling. But having trouble lifting that belly off the ground! He swims instead. He’s so close as he’s pushing his knees up and he’ll go in circles on the floor.

Look at those fat rolls on his arms!

So the rest of the week – finish out payroll and tax responsibilities at work and get my nails done one night and Mom to her heart test on Friday where they see if her valve is working properly.

The house is coming along – dry wall up and windows in! They are waiting on the brick to arrive. That is next I think.

The weekend plans are building which is not much. KFC one night and burgers on the actual day. Not a lot of plans to go anywhere. I have plans to fall decorate and plans to work on files and start the next video.

Better go. I’m now running late since I didn’t have anything to say today (I thought) but I did!

So what are your Labor Day plans for those of you who celebrate?