Saturday I had launched myself out of bed at 6:30 a.m. intent on being first in line at the University of Colorado Business School where, I'd been told in a phone conversation Wednesday, they would be able to do my taxes for free including an EZ Schedule C.
I got the wood stove going to heat my water so I could wash up. Finally about 7:30 a.m. the water was warm enough to wash in. I cleaned up, dressed and, using my ski pole, climbed over the deck railing and made my way to the car fighting wind gusts. The snow had drifted deeper south of the cabin but was still preferable to that on the west and the car was totally free of snow so I got out without shoveling.
I drove to Boulder, made my way to the campus and found a free parking place which seemed like a good omen since parking is at a premium and most of the lots are parking by permit only. It was also cold and windy in Boulder and I had to walk what seemed a quarter of a mile to the correct building..
I found the room in which the free tax services were being offered and after showing Susan, the supervisor, my paperwork was told, despite our phone conversation earlier in the week, that they could not do my taxes because I would be filing a business loss on my Schedule C. I suggested I claim the income and forgo the expenses and was told that no way, no how were they going to enter into that arrangement and I really needed to find a CPA and do my taxes correctly. I took an instant dislike to Susan.
BUT Goodwill, which was having a 50% off Saturday, is just a block south of the Business School. So I went to McDonald's, got take-out breakfast and swung back around to Goodwill and got that parking spot right in front of the front door again. I ran into a "junqueing" acquaintance I hadn't seen since last June and he told me where H&R Block was located. I drove there and dropped off all my income tax materials and made an appointment to return Sunday at noon. It was so cold and windy, both in Eldora and Boulder, but, in addition to this spectacular view of the Flatirons, a Boulder landmark...
Spring had sprung while I was having my taxes done, the wind had died down and it was sunny and warm and I celebrated my refund and my birthday by going to Aspen Leaf Yogurt in the same shopping center where numerous self-serve flavors of yogurt and a smorgasbord of toppings are available for 45 cents an ounce. I got by for $3.39
When I got back to the cabin, the weather was equally pleasant here so I smoothed a little path from the south deck to the wood pile and brought in enough wood to fill the wood box and emptied the ashes, which just isn't something you want to try to do when it's as windy as it had been.
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