Fun Monday - Lazy Hazy Days of Summer

School often gets in the way of fun, and I can't recall the last time I was able to participate in a Fun Monday. I just couldn't resist trying to join in the fun once again, and our hostess Jan has come up with a topic that doesn't require research and has easy to follow instructions (see comment on school above to understand why this is important to me). Her instructions to us:

Since the Lazy Hazy Days of summer are upon us now, tell us what activities you enjoy doing outside and how do you stay cool. Share some photos of both if you wish.

When we bought our house, it came with a pool. I have to admit that having an outdoor pool in Northern New England is kind of like having an outdoor ice skating rink in the Mid-South; there are years where it just doesn't get a lot of use. Like 2009. However, today the temp did hit 80, it hasn't rained (yet) and our pool is above 75 degrees, so things are looking up.

When we first saw our house, the first words out of my mouth were "gee, this looks like a great party house." So we like to have friends over in the summer to enjoy the pool and our toys.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but Diva's swing set is about 10 feet tall, and will easily accommodate two average sized adults along with a boatload of kids. I still love to swing! In the background is the famous treehouse, and one of our horseshoe pits. We also have a tetherball set up and a basketball goal. When company comes we add badminton and croquet, and sometimes volleyball to the mix. And of course we eat and drink around the patio table:

Finally, my new outdoor activity (other than drying the laundry on a clothesline to save energy, and I'm not showing you a picture of that) is attempting to do a little gardening.

Don't laugh at my puny lettuce and spinach! Remember, the growing season here is short; and this year promises to be shorter than usual.

So I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into the life of my family in NH - now click on over and see what the other Fun Monday folks do to stay cool!

Indoor Sunshine

We may not have been having much bright and sunny weather in NH this summer, but one look at these eyes and the inside of my house seems to be filled with sunshine:

My foster care kittens are now 3 weeks old, and eager to explore the world outside of the 'queening box' that has been their home so far. They are shuffling along, unsteady as a toddler learning to walk, but with the added challenge of four feet, and in two cases, extra toes:

I don't think these gals and guys will have a hard time finding a home. Just look at this face:

I'm a bit more worried about Mama Cat, who is little more than a kitten herself. She has all of the kitten behaviors that are so endearing in an eight week old kitten, annoying in a fully grown cat. We've about got her broken of her play-biting habit, and she has learned when she sees the water pistol that she needs to jump down off of whatever she is climbing on that she's not supposed to be on (like the kitchen cabinets.) But she has now grown comfortable enough in our home to attempt to sneak out of it (she really does remind me of a wild teenager, not that I was ever one myself.) And a closed door is just a challenge to her - she'll lie in wait patiently until it opens and slip herself through faster than the eye can see.

She is a good Mother:

And yep, that big bruiser there is almost as big as she is. He's going to be one big cat, and he's got the extra toe thing going on too.

I'll hate to give these guys back when it's time for them to be adopted out...

Enough, already

I'm sure somewhere there is a website that will gladly tell me how many consecutive days of rain we've 'enjoyed' here in the Granite State. I don't need anyone to tell me, I know the answer: too #&^% many.

This seems a bit unreal when I talk to my friends down south, who complain about the heat and humidity. Our high today might hit 65 if we get lucky, and we are under a flood watch. Again.

Here's the view out my back door:

The observant among you will note that the solar cover on our pool is very high. That's because we haven't drained the pool today, yet. We have to drain an average of two inches out of the pool every other day to keep it from overflowing. The water temperature is up to a balmy 73 degrees now. Needless to say, Diva is the only one young enough to get in that water.

How about the view out my front door:

Here you see the small river running down each side of the street. You may also notice how green the grass is. Lucky for us, it occasionally stops raining long enough to run out and cut the lawn.

Q: How do you know someone is from NH?

A1: They have recent Googled "how do you build an ark?"

A2: They can tell you 10 different ways to remove mold from bark mulch (ickkk.)

A3: When the sun comes out, they run out the door regardless of state of dress.

A4: Misting is considered 'not raining.'

A5: They have seen at least five movies since school ended - a week ago.

The Circle of Life...

Here in our house of cats (almost said cathouse, then realized the connotation that goes with that, oops) things continue to be interesting.

Our senior citizen appears to be eating well and gaining weight now that she is on her twice daily medication. But the drugs (or something else) has changed her personality. Normally a cat who spends the day sitting on my lap while I work, and the night trying to get under the cover with me in bed, Katie has become a solitary feline who hangs out in the downstairs bathroom next to the shower, only coming out to beg for food. Then when food is produced, she eats two bites and heads back into the bathroom. Repeat this scenario 10-15 times a day.

Katie's behavior has led to a lot of guessing what is meant by a particular version of 'meow.' Oh, that one sounds like she is in pain. Now she's hungry. Now she's jealous of the other cats. Now she's just downright mad about something. Twice she's been acting miserable enough that I've been ready to call the vet for the 'final vet appointment' and she has miraculously bounced back before I made the call. At almost 17, she is old, but some cats live into their 20's so she's not ancient.

Meanwhile, in my upstairs bathroom is our foster care cat. The shelter calls her Zulu, Diva wants to name her Alexis, and I call her Jaws since she decided my hand looked like a tasty kitty treat last week. Yesterday, she presented us with five new arrivals:

You may now ooh and ahh over how stinking cute these kittens are.

Two of the kittens look just like Katie did when she was a foster kitten. Diva is begging to keep them all - that would be 8 cats total in the house - a few too many for this family. So in about 8 weeks at least some of these incredibly cute kitties will be at the Manchester Animal Shelter looking for a new home....

Catching Up

You may be wondering where I've been the last six weeks or so?  Well, first there were final exams to get through at school, so no blog time.  Then there was a vacation to prepare for - we visited our family favorite - Disney World.  We visited the week that Florida got all that rain.  I think it was measured in feet.  Oh well, at least it wasn't frozen and I didn't have to snow blow it!

Now I am running my animal infirmary.  My almost 16 year old Katie has a hyperactive thyroid.  At the same time, I succumbed to Diva's pleas and we are fostering a pregnant cat for the local humane society, and she has a really bad respiratory infection.  So my days are filled with trips to the vet and dispensing kitty drugs.  And let me tell you, these cats are not cooperative patients!  

So one day soon I'll download a bunch of photos that I've been aiming to post from my camera, and get them on the computer.  But now.... I've got to go dispense some antibiotics.

How to tell it is spring in New Hampshire

1. All but the last shaded pile of snow has melted.
   
2. Dairy Queen has reopened.
   
3. We drive with the sunroof open (and the heat on).
   
4. The Coast Guard has to warn people that water temperatures are still dangerously cold.
   
5. Skin (other than faces peaking out of a tiny hole) starts to appear.
   
6. Flowers appear (my favorite!)
   
7. Frost heaves disappear (and everyone gets their car realigned).
   
8. April school vacation week (just when we stop having snow days)
   
9. The NH state bird (the blackfly) stops by to annoy us all.  Males appear first, but only females bite.
   
10. The sound of hammering, sawing, and occasional swearing as Kilowatt starts on this years outdoor projects....

April 16 - Do you know where your tax forms are?

Today is April 16, which means my taxes have been in the hands of the IRS for about 48 hours now.  Is there any exercise more frustrating than filing your taxes?  

Let's put this in perspective - I have an advanced degree in accounting.  I should be able to file a tax form with 100% confidence that I did everything right.  But every year I have some strange question that I need to get answered.  One year I tried reading all the instructions on the IRS website - won't make that mistake again.  The next I tried calling that toll free IRS helpline - but they've obviously been told not to give yes or no answers.  I hung up more confused than ever.  I've purchased tax books, watched videos on how to do taxes, and called up my CPA friends who specialize in income taxes.  Still, every year, I wonder if I'm doing this right.  

And every year when I hit that 'send' button on TurboTax, I pause to say a brief prayer.  "God, please let my form 1040 sail through the system, let my Schedules A, B, and C be correctly alphabetized, and let form 88-whatever be accurately reporting whatever the heck it is that I have to file it for."

I'm so concerned about accuracy that I pulled out a $150 deduction this year because the receipt I had lacked a taxpayer ID#.  I don't think most people are as paranoid as I, because TurboTax has this lovely feature that allows you to compare your return with national averages.  And every year, I discover that we pay far more than the national average in taxes.  This does not comfort me.  It makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong?

Ultimately, it isn't paying my taxes that bothers me.  I think I get a decent return (it could be better, but still it is decent) in terms of access to education, interstate transportation, and national defense.  I don't think I'll ever get any return from my contributions to healthcare or retirement.  But what really bothers me is this:  trying to do the right thing shouldn't be this difficult.