Rural living seems to involve a lot of animal management of one kind or another. In the case of mice and carpenter ants in Fred it means trying to find a way to keep them out. The mice continue to gobble up my mix of peanut butter and mouse poison but I have no way of knowing if that cocktail is working. I'm a total failure at getting rid of the ants.
The leaves of a rhubarb plant are poisonous except, as it turns out, to chickens. My two new plants are now surrounded by netting and I'm hoping they'll recover now that the chickens can't get to them. The blueberry bushes, too. They were already surrounded by netting, but the chickens found a way to get under it, or through it. I've beefed that protection up with another layer of netting.
I got a call from Connie, the wife of the guy who's going to cut down my trees. She asked for information, including my email address. An hour later I got an email from the OR Dept. of Forestry with a copy of the online page listing me as a timber company, their way of saying I plan to cut down trees. It specifies that the trees are within 100' of a waterway and a formal cutting plan may be required. Yes, it will be required, but can't be created until this public notice has been up for 14 days so that anyone so inclined can object to the cutting. We're not worried. Even if someone did object the state would allow me to proceed anyway because the trees are infested with the Engraver Beetle, dying, and pose a threat to structures. This first formal step in the process suggests we're on target for cutting the end of this month or early in August.
Have you seen the latest Chia Pet commercial. It actually looks like Bernie Sanders with green hair.
Josh gave me directions that will help my knee and perhaps avoid the need of a doctor and the $$$ that go with that avenue. I started his suggested regimen this morning and I'm cautiously optimistic. The ibuprofen, wrap, and ice seem to help significantly.
If you're going to be old and marginally competent on key matters it helps to have sons who are bright and helpful.
I've got two of them.
This is what chickens will do to rhubarb plants if they're not protected by bird netting:
And I learned these are called "pullet eggs." The word pullet refers to a female chicken up until she lays her first egg, at which point she's a hen. Hence, a small egg is a pullet egg. An oblong egg is just weird. (Note: Sue, I kept my thumb in for your sake.)
Yesterday we got another letter from the IRS. To review....
This all started a year ago when they sent the first letter saying I needed to file an amended return for 2014 because I hadn't declared the subsidy I got from the feds when we enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. Except we never went near Obamacare; we got our health insurance through Pam's job at the hospital. So I went to the IRS office in Eugene where the guy first said, "Ignore the letter," and then agreed that maybe I should write a letter asking for proof I had been in Obamacare before I'd file any amended returns. That led to a long wait, and then letter #1 ("We got your letter and will respond"), then letter #2 ("We need another 45 days to do more research"), and letter #3 (same as letter #2).
Yesterday's letter came with two forms I needed to fill out and return (I didn't even look at them) and a cover letter that said I needed to file an amended return for 2014 because I hadn't declared the subsidy I got from the feds when we enrolled in the Affordable Care Act!
Yep, it was the exact same letter that got this whole thing started.
I called the 800 number and waited on hold for over 20 minutes to get a person. She then put me on hold for 10 minutes while she researched my case file. Then she came back and gave me her official wisdom on how I should proceed. Wait for it....
"You should just ignore that letter."
Her computer shows my case has been closed, so she can't explain why I got another copy of that letter. She also can't guarantee I won't continue to receive them at regular intervals, and has no way to tell whatever department generates them to stop.
Part of me wants to resend my initial response just to respond in kind.
If some future post begins with the words, "From Leavenworth, KS" you'll understand why.
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