Venting about gas prices and taxes.

Good morning everyone!

Before the venting portion of this post, check back later today for a link or two and perhaps a picture from my library. I had obtained my first digital camera over five years ago from my good friend David (The link to his blog is over to the right under my favorite links).

I discovered last night I have over 11 thousand digital camera pictures I have taken since then! I am on my third camera...the one David Sent me took a spill years ago when my (at the time) brother-in-law and I were mounting a satellite dish on the roof of our house in New Jersey..HE dropped it! That camera, after some repair ended up with my brother in NJ and finally died last year.

On to the venting! Back in December when I got my first natural gas bill of the heating season I was shocked that it was over twice what the previous years had been! I had heard gas prices were going up and I had adjusted my thermostat to use less heat, and here's a bill TWICE as high!!??? How do people on a fixed income get by?? People with minimum wage jobs?? It's a crime in my humble opinion! Gas and oil companies posted record profits this past year, how can they make the statement their price has gone up and they are losing money......

I noticed on Tuesday when I headed home that Gasoline prices gad gone up 30 cents to the gallon at my corner stations! I knew I had to do my 'tick' the next morning, so, yesterday I arose a few minutes early and hit Costco's gas station at 6:15AM. From talking to the attendants there we have discovered they usually only set the price once a day, some time between 9AM and noon. SO, gas there was still at the before 30 cent hike and was now 36 cents cheaper a gallon. I felt smug filling the tank! It's like having a mini gas hike time machines.......The savings on gas alone has justified the annual cost of the Costco membership several times over! However, gasoline prices are just too high these days!

I also picked up my taxes yesterday, quite a far cry from the married filing jointly refunds we used to get. Through creative accounting I'm getting a very small refund (about 95% less than when filing married) but, at least I do not have to pay. However the X and I now have the extra expenses of car insurance and time share maintenance which used to come out of the taxes. I am glad at least that the X feels the divorce was for the better...if she is happy at least something good has come of this.

OK, enough grousing for now.....It was great having the kids yesterday, I took them to dinner at IHOP where I had a t-bone steak and eggs, Danielle had the (I shudder to type it) Rooty-tooty Fresh and Fruity breakfast, Scott French Toast and Christopher Stuffed French toast. We then zipped down to Gamestop so Scott could get his 'got a good report card' present.

As the kids slept over last night (and will tonight as I have them for this half of their spring break) I parked the Mustang outside since my older boys room is off a stairwell in the garage. While he sleeps the sleep of the dead, the booming sound of the Mustang's engine and the roar of it's throaty exhaust is enough to wake the dead. This cacophony is only complemented by the sound of the creaking garage door opener could be described as "the Devil's own noise'....so, I like to spare him of that. Last weekend though I informed him that since the low temperatures were expected, the mustang was being parked inside! I felt justified last Saturday morning doing that as the temperature was one degree. This morning at 27 I had enough fun getting the ice off the windows.