Weird Week

This week was already shortened due to returning from Cincinnati on Monday night. I had to play catch-up with my work, plus try to ready the house for Jim's sister and her fiance, who arrived on Friday and left around 3:30 this afternoon. We had an IRS issue with one of our trucks, so that necessitated a trip to the IRS office in Chesterfield. Mapquest could not identify the exact office of the only St. Louis County location for the IRS. Apparently the government always wants to know where you are, but doesn't want to be found itself. Mapquest gave me an approximate destination, which I thought would be close enough for government work. Yuck, yuck.

When I arrived at Town and Country Commons Thursday, I could not locate their office. After circling the over-sized strip mall parking lot a few times, I popped into Great Clips to see if they new where I could find the office, and a kind employee suggested I follow her as she was headed to the post office which was by the IRS office. It ends up that the Commons is on both sides of Clayton Road, and I needed to be on the north side not the south. After having my purse and files searched, I passed through a metal detector before being directed to the correct office. Apparently IRS agents get enough threats to warrant scanners. Imagine that. After waiting for my number to be called, I explained to the agent that we had made an error in filing our trucks last June 1 and had neglected to add a truck we had purchased in May 2009. The agent was saying he would just give me a waiver for last year so that I could get my cab card from the Missouri Department of Revenue. Hmmmm....was this a trap? I told the agent that we owed the money for last year because we had used the truck the past 12 months. He asked if we drove it less than 5,000 miles. Then he could still give me a waiver. We drove it more than that, so he said you know you will have the $550 fee plus interest and penalties. I know, believe me I know. I took my lumps, paid the fees and walked out with the paper that would allow me to get the new cab card from the state.

From there I had to deal with getting money moved around at the bank to purchase a new piece of equipment we had bought at an auction on Wednesday. Thankfully this machine is used for making soil and won't go on the roads, so the IRS won't be involved. I'll only have St. Louis County with their hand out for personal property taxes. I managed to get the monthly invoicing done Thursday afternoon. Then on Friday I again dealt with the bank to wire transfer money to the auction house. All of this was complicated by the fact that National City is now PNC. More hoops and less knowledge so far with this merger.

At any rate we had a nice visit with JoEllen and Bruce, who drove in from Kansas City. We grilled steaks Friday night and enjoyed eating out on the patio with the wonderful weather we were experiencing. Saturday we walked a couple of blocks and enjoyed the great hometown July 4th parade, which again included the Clydesdale's. Following lunch on the patio of McGuirks we headed to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Katie went along, and we were finally able to get a picture of her and me to go in the picture frame she purchased for me as a Mother's Day gift. Last night we walked up to watch the fireworks, and this morning I treated them to Gliers Goetta, which I had brought back from Cincinnati with me.

Tonight I am here with just Katie, enjoying some quiet time. Jim took the dog and went down to his partner's lake house for the evening. I am feeling tired and talked out, and just didn't feel up to going out. It will be an early night for me, I think. Independence, indeed.