Last week, sorting through some papers besides David's desk, I found our tax work. David has done our taxes for years and years. He sort of liked it; I couldn't stand it, so it was a good division of labor.
In late March, he filed for an extension, and completed our fed and state taxes in June, but when I checked Cheshire's tax forms, I found that he had not filed them. Last week, I was sure that the deadline for filing was not the 1st of October, and so I scurried to do something with hers before the 1st. I tried filing it electronically because we usually use Turbo Tax, but her forms came back to me because of an error on our tax forms. I checked out form and found that David had included Cheshire as a dependent. To be honest, it would have been the first year that she was not a dependent, but it also made me realize how much David was not really ready to do work that ordinarily he would have done. A well David would have never made that mistake. I would have, but David proofed everything and caught things like that.
So, I generated amended tax forms, called and talked to an accountant who I will use for next years taxes, and mail my amended and Cheshire's originals out. I don't complain about paying taxes generally. I have a deep belief that we need to pay for the services that we use and it is a responsibility that comes with citizenship. However, something was not really fair. My first thought to fix the forms was to have Cheshire not declare herself and pay the extra taxes myself, but when I calculated that, Cheshire would have owed and extra $1500 in taxes. When I calculated what our taxes would be without Cheshire as a dependent, I owned a bit over $500. And I wondered if the tax should have been closer to the same.
Please, no one explain it to me! I don't even want to know now. Maybe in 6 months. I just amended, wrote the check and mailed everything. I may have made mistakes on Cheshire's NYS taxes, but hopefully, not too badly.
The accountant does it for 2010!
I owe email and I am having trouble keep up. Too many PTO mails. I will get to the more social mail soon.
Change of topic
Julia and I were up late this morning again. I may have to set an alarm clock across the room! I've never had to do that, but these days . . . The child was intent on making it to the bus, and she did with most of breakfast in her stomach, dressed and combed, and with a packed lunch, but it was not easy. We can't keep doing that. Even once a week is too much.
Another change.
I have to get used to the fact that Julia and I are going to be eating supper at 7 during the week. It is way too late for a little girl who takes forever to eat and who goes to bed around 8, but with her current therapy schedule, it is necessary. I have been fighting it, if only in my head, since the reality has existed since school started. I just have to accept, give her a hardy snack right after school, and let it go. We are almost mid-way through the intensive therapy (we get three years from the state) and it has done so much good for her. And probably for me as well -- relieving me of the intense work/play times with Julia. I can structure life around the therapy for as long as we get it.
About a week ago, Julia received a card from Abby, her "best friend" in China. Julia is still talking about it and if nothing else, this weekend, we will work on a reply. Here too is an example of what therapy makes impossible. I could ask one of her wonderful therapists to work on this with her, but I am more inclined to have the two of us do it unless Julia brings it up as a project she wants to do with someone else.
Change
I am lonely. Still. There is a hole no one fills. I drift further, grow independent, curse the fates, and pick up and move on.
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