Taxes and ice

Yay, nice way to end the week. My eye candy is back again... oddly enough, dressed in a suit the precise color of mine. Yeah, I'm all dolled up, because I have a date with Louisa later. This girl is cuter, though. Younger... too young, of course.

But fun to admire.

The ice wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expected. We never lost power (though it flickered once) and I had little trouble getting out of the driveway. I saw Margaret this morning, and I put more food out for her. I think this weekend's project is going to be bringing her back inside, forcibly if necessary (it's OK, I have a Hav-A-Hart trap).

Last night's other project was reviving my Ionic Breeze air cleaner thing. It stopped working a few months ago, but I didn't worry much about it, as the windows and doors were open and the fresh air kept the house pleasant. Now that the doors are closed, though, cat whiff can sometimes build up, and the Ionic Breeze helps a lot. Alas, it wasn't responding to the power switch. A quick disassembly showed the problem: cats had knocked the unit over and broken the power switch, so I rigged some temporary wiring around it and the ions began to flow once again. Within an hour the air was much nicer. I should probably buy a couple more of those things... not new, of course, because they're way overpriced relative to what's in them. I bought this one used on eBay a year or so ago, so it'll be back to eBay right after Christmas, when my raise kicks in and my changes to withholding take effect.

I don't think I'll have the monumental tax refund this year that I had last year, but then again, I've much enjoyed the higher net pay I've gotten every month from adjusting the withholding downward to better match what I think I'll owe in taxes. Since I refinanced the house this year, I should get a nice deduction off of all that activity.

Someone I know has a birthday today, I just can't remember who it might be.

Oh, wait. Yes, I do. My late friend, Yvonne Reville. She died in the summer of 2000 of breast cancer at age 37.

I hate when I remember sad things when I'm feeling good. I do miss her.