Enid, Lucille, Ceil - Doesn't Matter What You Call Her, She's Grandma to Me

I have been thinking about my Grandma a lot lately.  Between her birthday and the fun of the NCAA basketball tourney, March was always one of her favorite months of the year.  Yesterday she would have been 100 years old.  I would have loved to have celebrated with her.  She would have had quite a bit to say about this year's tournament and I am sure that her bracket would have beaten mine easily.  I know that she also would have had a lot of thoughts about the pandemic as well.  She was born after the Spanish flu of 1918, but I wondered if she remembered how it affected her family back then.  Recently, one of my aunt's friends remarked that I looked like my Grandma.  I had definitely noticed the resemblance as well and wondered if she would have noticed it too.  If I could still talk to her today, I would have loved to tell her about Doug's trips to Ocala and the company that he was working with there.  I know that she would have enjoyed that and listening to my parents recent adventures in Florida as well.  I wish that my children had gotten to spend more time with "Granny".  She would have loved to see what wonderful individuals that they have grown up to be.  They have memories of her and PawPaw, but it would have been fun to add more.   Mostly, I just miss my Grandma.  She loved me unconditionally and was one of my biggest supporters.  Not every child has a special connection with their grandparents.  I feel incredibly blessed that I did.  

Happy Birthday Grandpa Cutes

Today was Grandpa Cutes' 78th birthday and I believe that it was an enjoyable one for him.  He first got to play golf with his friends besting his age by 2.  He then was able to visit with Cameron and swap golf stories later in the day.  He opened gifts from Meg and Cam including a snake like flashlight with a magnetic tip to pick up anything that he drops while working including his teeth and a Grandpa journal to write down all of the memories and stories that he had collected over the years.  He also received texts and phone calls from Meg, Brett and Cal and had Texas cake for dessert.  

I couldn't imagine a more appropriate day to celebrate Grandpa Cutes than this one.  It was so different than last year when we were all shuttered away wondering when lockdown would be over.  The weather was miserable then and no one was sure if the golf course would even open last spring.  I don't know if the pandemic will make his memory book, but it definitely made for an interesting year.  No matter what stories or memories that Grandpa Cutes' chooses to write about, the Heinisch children have been looking forward to hearing them.  From growing up in Milford, to living in Chicago, to working at the radio station, to changing the wrong flat tire and finally almost driving his car into ten pond looking for fish worms, he has definitely lead a memorable life.  

Incredibly happy that we could celebrate with him today.  He is by far the youngest 78 year old that we know and we enjoy having him around even if it is just to poke fun at him when he wears two different shoes to work.  Happy Birthday Grandpa Cutes!  The Heinisch family loves you!

The End of Tax Season

I did our family's taxes when we first got married, but stopped once Doug became part owner of PVC Compounders.  I remember the long forms that we had to use and the booklet that explained all of the rules, had the salary charts and held the codes that we needed to complete the process.  Back then it usually took me several days to get them done.  

Even though PVC had dissolved years ago we still had someone else prepare our taxes for us.  I was teaching and didn't have as much time as I did in the past to devote to tax regulations.  Once I quit I decided to try doing them once again.  It would save us over a $100.  Plus both Brett and Cal needed someone to do theirs, so it made sense to see if I could just do everyone's.  

Preparing taxes had changed drastically in the ten years that I had stopped doing them.  Tax software had replaced the booklets and e-filing took care of all of the forms.  I tried several different sites and finally settled on FreeTaxUSA.  It gave me the most information and explained it well.  Some sites were completely free to file both federal and state tax returns, but they weren't as thorough.  There was no charge for the federal return on FreeTaxUSA, but I did have to pay around $12 for the state return.  I found it to be well worth it as it had saved me way more than that every tax season.

This year was no exception.  We all saved money through their maximum refund analyzer and complete review of our tax information.  I filed Cal, Meg and our's in February and we were extremely pleased with the money that we all got back this year.  The software also allowed me to prepare our taxes before the IRS even accepted returns making ours one of the first to get processed.  We all had our money back in our accounts well before March.  Meg used hers to help pay for a new pair of Birkenstocks, Cal saved his for his new apartment and we used ours to pay off Meg's new car.

Brett's taxes were a little more complicated this year as he had worked for four different companies.  I had started on his when I did ours, but once I realized that he would owe money this year, I decided to wait until closer to the deadline to finish them.  Even though the IRS had extended theirs until May 17th, Brett still wanted to have his taxes done by April.  He had the money saved in his checking account from his stimulus check already and Indiana hadn't extended their filing date.  Therefore, it made sense to get them done.  

I spent this morning working on Brett's taxes.  I rechecked everything that I had entered for him previously to make sure that there were any errors.  I was so thankful that I did.  His state W-2 from storage express was difficult to read and I hadn't recorded the correct local and state taxes when I first worked on his forms.  Once I fixed that error, Brett instantly recouped $200 on the total that was owed.  That was great news. but I really didn't think I'd find much else.   Thankfully, I was wrong.  This was the first year that Brett had worked as an independent contractor for an election reporting company.  He didn't make a lot of money, but since they didn't take out any taxes on his 1099-NEC, I thought he'd owe quite a bit of it.  I did a lot of research and realized that because he worked from home for them during that six month period, he could claim part of his rent and utilities as a business expense.  I called Doug to make sure that he that he agreed with the information that I was reading.  He definitely did and once I put in the changes Brett's taxes were cut by almost another $200.  I called Brett right away and he was thrilled to hear that instead of owing $598 he would only have to pay $218.  I was very excited for him and proud to have helped him with the the savings.  I always told Doug that I should have been an accountant instead of a teacher.  Maybe I was right!

Thomas The Tank Engine

Both Doug and I realize that it's early in the process, but in order to get our home ready to sell in the spring of 2023 we feel that we need to start cleaning it out now.  Although we have gotten rid of a lot over the years through donations, garage sales and outfitting college apartments, there's quite a bit left in our home to sort through.  I made a good dent in that project this winter by organizing all of the boxes stored in our furnace room and moving them over to my Mom's for her garage sale this summer.  Even with that accomplishment there's still plenty to do.  

This week's project was a lot more fun than the previous one.  I started cleaning out the toy storage room and found the Thomas the Tank Engine set.  I knew that the set was something that we wanted to hold on to, so I decided to investigate the best way to clean the trains, tracks and buildings. Thankfully, Dawn soap was highly recommended and I had plenty of that.  Next, I also did some research concerning recalls of the trains.  I remembered that there was an issue with lead paint in some of the trains.  I had mentioned it to Brett before and knew that it was time to find out.  We were both relieved to see that the trains that had lead paint in the them were ones from 2005 to 2007.  The majority of our train sets were purchased well before then.

I printed a list of the recalled trains, buildings and accessories to show Brett.  He instantly said, "Oh no, Mom, Skarloey is on the list."  I was sad to hear that, but impressed that Brett recognized him immediately with the grainy digital picture that I had sent him.  I spent several days sorting through all that we had accumulated over the years.  It was a lot of fun reminiscing.  There were tons of memories in those tubs.  I called Brett multiple times to check on when we bought something and what he could remember from his youth.  Doug enjoyed the process as well, sorting through some of his favorite trains - S.C. Ruffy, Gordon train, Rheneas and more.  In the end we were all pleased to learn that only two items were on the recall list, the Musical Caboose and a cargo barrel.  Fortunately, we had purchased the majority of our red and yellow trains well before 2005 including Brett's beloved Skarloey and James.  After several days of enjoying our train set once again, everything was cleaned and put into tubs to save for the Heinisch family grandchildren.  Definitely not rushing that, but it will be something fun to have for them once they arrive. 

 

One of Those Days

 Today was one of those days where everything went wrong.  First, I had to run to Warsaw to pick up my contacts.  I decided to go grocery shopping while I was there.  I walked into Aldi's and was surprised to see that I was one of the few people wearing masks.  I hurried and bought my groceries, thankful that I had double masked for the stop.  Menards was definitely better, but they didn't have the guinea pig bedding that I was looking for which meant that I would have to stop at a third store on the way home.  Next, I picked up my contacts at Grossnickle.  Once I got them back to the van I realized that they were a different prescription that I had previously.  Since I wasn't 100% sure I decided to keep the contacts and check once I got home.  My last stop of the day was Walmart.  I still needed guinea pig bedding and was hoping that they would have some as Amazon was out of the kind we used.  I found what I needed and  picked up a couple of other items as well.  When I reached the self scan aisle I was generally tired of shopping. By the time I headed home I was in tears.  I  had spent two hours in Warsaw and was exhausted in general from all that I had been doing at home.  It was going to be a busy afternoon as well.  I had received a text from Cal.  He was coming home this evening and I needed to get back and pick up his bedroom.  I had been using it to sort through tubs that were housed in the toy storage room and I was overwhelmed with the thought of finishing that project a day earlier than I had planned.  

While I was unpacking groceries Meg called to give me an update on her day.  She was visiting Nick at Purdue to celebrate her birthday.  She also gave me a list of expenses that she had accumulated on her visit.  Some needed to come out of my budget, some out of hers.  After she hung up I started to log the purchases into my computer.  I quickly realized that there was no charge on my Discover from Walmart.  I thought that was odd as Aldi, Menards and the eye doctor were all recorded.  That's when it dawned on me.  I had walked out of Walmart without paying.  I remembered having someone ring up the alcohol on the self scan for me, but I did not remember even attempting to swipe my credit card.  I had been so preoccupied with everything else that I just blew it.

I wasn't quite sure what to do next, but thought it was best to call Walmart before they hunted me down.  Visions of Mrs. Greipentrog being arrested for actually stealing from the store kept going through my head.  The lady on the other end of the phone did say that they had an issue with an order today and asked for me to come in as soon as possible.  She wasn't very friendly and I was extremely worried that I would be arrested when I walked into the store.  I called my Mom bawling on the way over.  It had been such a terrible day.  I couldn't believe that this had also happened.  Thankfully, the woman at Walmart was very understanding and was able to find my receipt so that I could pay without penalty.  I was also able to come up with a solution for my contacts as well.  To help alleviate my stress my Mom dropped off my favorite candy - Good N Plenty - and Doug ordered pizza for us.  I appreciated both.  It definitely wasn't my favorite day, but at least I made it through and had an enjoyable evening.

Coaching Rumors

 Last week Cam texted our group chat to let us know that IU had fired Archie Miller as the head men's basketball coach.  Although all of us were happy with the move, we were a little surprised.  The buy out to his contract was over ten million dollars.  We later found out that one private donor offered to pay the entire amount if they got rid of Archie.  With that concern out of the picture we were all glad to be done with the "Miller Time" era.  He had never found success at IU especially offensively.  His teams performed poorly in the Big Ten tourney and never made the NCAA tournament.  More importantly to Hoosier alumni, however, was his lack of enthusiasm for the school and the program.  Brett had heard through the athletic department that no one like Archie Miller as he was an a@#hole.  It sured seemed that way watching him scowl on the sidelines.

With his departure there came a lot of rumors and speculation about who the next IU basketball coach would be.  Brad Stevens was the first and most prominent name thrown out.  It took almost a week, but Hoosier fans finally came to understand that he was not leaving the Boston Celtics for Bloomington.  Another name that kept creeping up was Rick Pitino as he had lead Iona to the Big Dance this year.  Doug stated instantly that he'd rather have Archie back if that was the case.  Pitino had left college basketball amid allegations of recruiting violations including paying prostitutes for recruits.  Doug wasn't the only alumni who did not want to see him at IU and that name was quickly squashed.  Next came the talk about Steve Alford coming home to coach.  Those rumors stemmed mostly from those who were not part of the Hoosier nation.  Everyone affiliated with IU realized that he had found little success in his college coaching career and wasn't the leader that the Hoosiers needed.

This week talk has swirled around Thad Matta, a former Ohio State coach.  Supposedly, he failed his physical and IU ended talks with him.  Cam said another rumor was that IU had interviewed Calbert Cheaney for the position.  That was most interesting to both Doug and I.  Cheaney graduated the same year as Doug and was easily our favorite college player.  He lead the Hoosiers to the Final Four in 1992, won the John Wooden award and was still the all time leading scorer in Big Ten history.  It was an interesting name to throw out as he was currently the assistant for the Pacers and had found success at St. Louis University several years ago.  He would bring definitely bring enthusiasm to the program for the IU alumni.  It had worked well for Juwan Howard to return to Michigan as a coach.  If IU also hired a more seasoned veteran as his assistant as the Wolverines had with Howard, maybe it would be just what the Hoosiers needed.  

Ultimately, none of really know what will happen with the basketball program.  Although it was nice to get rid of Miller, it will take some time to rebuild after his departure.  Several current players have entered the transfer portal since he was fired.  That may or may not hurt the team.  When Tom Crean was let go, there was mixed feelings on the decision.  This time, one thing was certain. Everyone following IU basketball was ready for a change.  

Happy Birthday Miss Meg

Meg had a wonderful time celebrating her twentieth birthday today.  She started her day by taking a walk with Brett.  He gave her his present - a copy of the movie Song of the South on DVD which she was extremely pleased to receive.  She studied at the Union in the afternoon while reading many well wishes on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.  She made time to talk with Grandma Jane, Grandpa Cutes and Grandpa Heinisch as well.  Yatsiri met her for dinner before she headed back to her apartment to watch Hair Spray and finish studying for a global business test scheduled for tomorrow.  

Every time I talked to Meg today she was extremely happy.  It was a beautiful day in Bloomington and she thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was so glad for her.  Meg's 19th birthday was very low key as lockdown had just started and we couldn't have anyone over to help celebrate.  We did make the best of it with presents, a homemade cake and her favorite dinner, but it was a scary time in our lives and we weren't sure what was gone to happen with the pandemic.  Thankfully, life did return to a new kind of normal for Meg which made this year's celebration even better.  None of us thought that we would still be talking about coronavirus a year later, but at least this year Meg was able to be on her own again and to be with her friends for her birthday.  

Meg also made plans to go to Purdue tomorrow to celebrate with Nick.   He even offered to make her another homemade cake.  We will be down Easter weekend and plan another celebration then as well.  Since I couldn't be with her today, I decided to look through some photos from her graduation slide show.  There were so many good ones and I posted a few on Facebook in honor of the day.  Meg enjoyed them as well and could remember every moment from each of them.  Although I really got a kick out of the one in which she was mad about getting pasta salad for Christmas, my favorite was one in which Doug was holding her at Grant's Farm.  It was such a fun trip and the expressions on their faces reminded me of Jeanette.  I wished she could have been her today to receive a phone call from her eldest granddaughter.  I know that she would have been so proud of Meg, just as we all are.