Jessica's Rose Garden

[Lori Dee ✅]

Short range sounds like an antenna problem.

They are usually just a short piece of wire. I would check the connection for a loose connection or corrosion. Maybe you need a bigger antenna.

You could try using a longer piece of wire or install a satellite dish pointed at your driveway.
😆

[ChrissyRyan]

All of this stuff should have been checked and tested throughly by the servicing technician.

But good to check by you now Jess.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

We have a wildfire about 14 miles north of our house. I don't think we are in any danger, but we're definitely going to watch it closely. Called the '24 Fire', it's over 2000 acres. In addition to the ground crews, there are two 'Super Scooper' planes dropping water, and a C-130 along with a twin-engine jet dropping fire retardant. There are also a few helicopters helping out. Unfortunately, the fire still looks impressive.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Lori Dee ✅]

Great pics, Jessica!

You can see the southernmost fire to the left, the main fire in the middle, and another to the right.

[Paulie]

I've had a half dozen or so fires close to the house over the last 30 years.  It's tough to get to sleep at night with something burning that close by. Thing can change quickly when the wind shifts. 

Please keep us posted Jess.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

The fire is now over 4600 acres. I still see some flames, but only a small fraction of what was burning yesterday. Containment is still being shown as 0%. The light winds are now out of the East, so it's blowing back over the areas that already burned. A cold front came through yesterday, which dropped the temperature over 20 degrees. There is still a lot of work to be done, but maybe the tide is beginning to turn.

Susan and I filed our taxes today, using some popular tax software. In addition to Federal taxes, we had to file taxes for two different states. We should be getting refunds from all of them, but I expect someone will complain and we'll either get a lower refund or need to pay a little. It doesn't really matter to me, I'll just be happy to close the books on last year.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Northern Star Girl ✅]

  @Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:
    The wind is a big contributor to a wild fire spreading making it difficult to contain.
I hope that it stays a good distance from your home.  Unfortunately I am not seeing
that you will not be getting any amount of appreciable rain or snow in the near future.

    Regarding yours and Susan's Federal and State income taxes.  Congratulations on
getting them filed so early.
In my business, less than 25% of my clients have given me the paperwork for their tax filings.
Many of them are procrastinators and wait till the very last few days ahead of the deadline
filing date of April 15th.  I have two gals working for me now and can add another one if needed.

    Yes, when you wrote that you'll just be happy to close the books on last year... I can fully
understand your relief based on your planned and unplanned activities last year.

HUGS, Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

[Paulie]

Yes, the wind it probably the greatest factor in the spreading of a wild fire, but it's amazing mow much a drop in temperature can go towards getting a fire under control.  I'm happy things are looking better out there.

I did my taxes today too.  This is about as late as I'd ever want to have it completed.  That 25% number shocks me.

 

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

The evacuation notice for the area closest to the fire has been canceled, but they warned the residents to be ready to leave if conditions worsen. There wasn't much smoke today, the active area appeared to be much smaller. Officially, the fire has grown to 7385 acres and is still 0% contained.

I usually have our taxes done by mid-February. We hired a tax preparer to do the taxes for my dad's estate. They needed the estate K-1 so they could prepare K-1 forms for the beneficiaries. All of the returns we sent in have been accepted. Now we just have to wait a week or two.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[ChrissyRyan]

What is that simplified tax postcard to be returned to the IRS?


It asks what you made last year, then informs you to send in that amount.

[Paulie]

Well that's kind of good news about the fire, wish it was better. 

Also, hiring a tax preparer for your dad's estate was probably a wise move.   

Take care Jess.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Christine, I think the billionaire club should all be using that simplified tax form! Most of them pay a shockingly low amount of taxes, if they pay anything at all.

The tax situation around my dad's estate was too confusing for me. His primary residence was part of an irrevocable trust, but the rental house was never added to the trust. Luckily, the title company we used to sell both houses understood the potential tax implications. We transferred the rental property into the trust before selling it. There were also some annuities, bank accounts, rental income, depreciation, and a host of other financial numbers to deal with. We used the same tax preparer that my dad used, so they were familiar with the situation. Their fee was also very reasonable (under $350).

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

We have already received our Federal Tax refund! I expect it will be another week or two before we get a response on the state returns. While we expect refunds from both states, there's always a chance they will find an error.

The '24 Fire' near us is now 61% contained, and they have reopened the state highway. There are still occasional flare ups, but the fire crews appear to have it mostly under control.

I'm currently having trouble with 'hyperacusis'. In addition to tinnitus, I've become extremely sensitive to sound. Talking at 'normal' volume is uncomfortable. Even my keyboard seems to be loud. Once a certain volume is reached, it's like amplified feedback. It's very uncomfortable and at times disorienting. A white noise generator has helped a little. From what I have read, it can take months for the condition to improve.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Gina P]

Christine, I think the billionaire club should all be using that simplified tax form! Most of them pay a shockingly low amount of taxes, if they pay anything at all.

When the Government is run by million/billion-aires, what would you expect? They pass the tax laws. I laugh when someone running for office says, "I think all millionaires should pay their fair share of taxes". Then you look at their income and their a multi millionaire.

Sorry to here of your condition. I will type softer. I also suffer from Titanites but the other, sounds awful. I hope whatever treatment they prescribed ,works.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Sorry to hear that, Jess. I hope they can figure out the cause and get it treated. Is this something new, or has it been around and getting worse?

I'm a long-time tinnitus sufferer, but I haven't had what you are describing. For me, it is only certain high frequencies, like those produced by certain notes on a violin.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

I had a momentary hearing protection failure at the indoor firing range. A 9mm in an enclosed space makes a lot of noise. My hearing is improving, but it's a long, slow process.

My manager's manager visited Colorado Springs this week to meet with some of the local employees. She invited me to join them for dinner yesterday. I left home early, because I decided to add a side quest. Susan loves braunschweiger, but none of the stores near us seems to carry it. The Walmart near our old house in Monument usually had some in stock, so I decided to look there.

The store layout had not changed since my last visit over four years ago, and it didn't take long to find my target. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a cooler and some ice. I couldn't go home with it, so I bought a small ice chest and a bag of ice to keep it chilled until I returned home. Susan was very happy, and I earned some bonus points.

The dinner went well, although the noise level was uncomfortably loud. There were 12 people, and the four women all sat at one end of the table. I don't know if that was accidental, or if women tend to cluster together for safety even when there are no obvious threats.

I did learn something about my manager's boss. For the last year or so, I had been keeping her and my manager up to date on some anti-trans legislation. My manager wanted to know because he understands that it does affect me. During dinner, my manager's boss mentioned she had a trans son.

There are four people on my team at work, and only three of us are on the on-call rotation. Our employee turnover is exceptionally low. I joined the team 20 years ago. In all that time, no team member has left the company. One person moved to an internal consultant position, and he was replaced by 'D'. One person moved to the DB2 Admin team, he was replaced by 'B'. That's it, in 20 years we only had two personnel changes. Tuesday morning, I discovered the person who took the consultant role was going to retire. He is being replaced by 'D'. While I'm happy for 'D', that means our on-call rotation will now only have two people. I expect we will bring in someone new soon, but I'm going to be stressed out for a while.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Lori Dee ✅]

that means our on-call rotation will now only have two people. I expect we will bring in someone new soon, but I'm going to be stressed out for a while.

That sounds like leverage for pay raise negotiations. It would cost them less to pay you more than it would to hire and train someone new. But employers don't see it that way. They think a new hire is paid less, so it is cheaper. The math doesn't work out over time.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

That sounds like leverage for pay raise negotiations. It would cost them less to pay you more than it would to hire and train someone new. But employers don't see it that way. They think a new hire is paid less, so it is cheaper. The math doesn't work out over time.

This may sound odd, but I'm happy with my pay. I may go on 'reduced hours' next year. It would be a 20% pay cut, but every weekend would be a three-day weekend. Hopefully, it would also take me out of the on-call rotation.

On a different topic, our heating and A/C air return seemed to be very loud. I didn't remember it being loud when we first moved in. I had also noticed the filters always looked deformed when I replaced them, like they were being sucked into the ductwork. I had been using air filters rated 'MPR 800'. I switched to filters rated 'MPR 300', and now the air return is significantly quieter. Although the lower rating may mean a little more dust, the reduced noise is worth the trade.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

I received my Federal, Colorado state, and Arkansas state tax refunds, which completes the 2025 tax year. I didn't receive any letters from any of them, and the refunds were exactly what I expected.

My hearing is still slowly improving. Some days it sounds like I'm in a tunnel. I'm usually OK as long as there isn't too much ambient noise. Noisy stores are uncomfortable.

Susan has quite a few vegetable plants in the house right now, she is just waiting until it warms up a little more before moving them outside permanently. I set up a temporary deer fence near a basement door, so we have a protected area for our raised vegetable garden. Hopefully, the deer will respect the temporary boundary.

We're planning a trip later this month, deep into 'enemy' territory. We plan to visit people in Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, and Wisconsin. Part of the trip is related to my dad's estate, while another part includes delivering some of the items my late brother gave me to his son. Although I do like some of the items, I think his son may have an even greater appreciation for them.

The nephew we are visiting did not have a lot of contact with his dad while growing up. His parents divorced, and his mom took him out of state. I don't think we even saw him once a year. He's married, with a few sons now. He and his wife are both religious and Republican, but they are slowly warming up to me. I was a bit surprised they offered to let us stay in their home when we visit later this month. Hopefully, they will one day realize that people in our community really aren't that much different from everyone else.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Susan and I are packing for our trip. @Lori Dee  will be taking care of our plants while we're gone. The current weather forecast along our route (about 4000 miles) does not include any strong storms or snow. Our longest day on the road should be less than 9.5 hours. This will be the first long trip we've taken since moving last September. We plan to leave Monday afternoon.

Love always -- Jessica Rose