A Pain In The Pa-tootsie

Alex was a real pistol yesterday.  While I was attempting, note the word attempting, to sort out the tax information, he kept on getting right into the middle of everything.  He’d push the folder on the floor, he’d start chewing on the paperwork, he’d attack my pencils and pens, and he’d push buttons on the calculator.  And yes, he pushed a few of my buttons as well. 

Then it was Judy’s turn.  He was into “everything quilting”.  He’d steal pieces from her blocks and carry them off to the other side of the room, he’d attack the cutting equipment, and then he’d stretch out across just as much of her sewing “stuff” as he possibly could.

Don and Gloria stopped by for a short visit and Alex gave Gloria a little nose kiss just before he hissed at her.  After they left he turned on Katie.  She was comfortably sleeping on her blankie, but Alex decided he wanted her blankie.  So he pounced on her and chased her up into the bedroom and returned to commandeer her spot on the sofa, stretching out in the sunlight.  What a pain in the pa-tootsie he was.  I was going to make him give up Katie’s spot, but Katie curled up in Judy’s recliner so I decided to just let him be.  No sense in waking a sleeping giant.

I managed to finish our Federal tax return, but being that we owe the Gummint seventy one bucks we’ll just wait until April to file.  I do have to do the means test for the VA and the state taxes for Kentucky.  We should get money back from Kentucky which will offset the dollars we need to send to Obama – someone has to pay for Obama-Care. 

Each year I have to do a financial means test for the VA to determine my eligibility.  Our household income is over the allowable limit, but we offset it with our medical expenses thereby just barely squeaking by.  Next year it just won’t happen because we’ll earn too much money workamping in Michigan, but in July I turn Medicare so it won’t matter.

I decided to help my wife by making the bed.  You know, I just don’t know how to make a bed.  Oh sure, I was in the military and know how to make hospital corners.  I can stretch a sheet as tight as can be so that you can bounce a quarter off from it, but I don’t know how to make a “civilian” bed.  Since Lucy and Ethel are no longer on television, I think Judy lets me do it just for the entertainment factor. 

She has a way of flicking the blankets and they rest nice and flat on the bed.  I flick them and they’re nothing more than a heap on the bed.  I walk back and forth – a hundred times – just to get everything straight and even.  And then when I back off to look, the sheet is stil hanging down like the old preverbal slip under the skirt during the 60’s (do women even wear slips anymore?).  So back and forth I go until everything looks satisfactory.  It only takes me an hour and a half to make the bed while Judy gets to be entertained.

Finally I throw the pillow scams on the bed and just walk away – we’re only going to mess it up again in about 10 hours anyway.  By the way, using scam instead of sham was on purpose.  If you consider the price of those things you’d know why I think they are scams.  Well, the bed was made, but it’s not any longer as we needed a place to sleep last night so I just might get to do it all over again today.

Okay, enough of that.  What’s up for today?  I don’t know for sure but I suspect that quilting will be progressing and a serious wash job on the coach will get underway.  We’re working hard to get all our “projects” and “chores” behind us so when Mike and Peggy show up here we’ll be able to go and play.  So hang in there, we’ll get out of our “routine” and start having some fun things to write about pretty soon.

Take Care, Have Fun, and God Bless  - - - - - - - -