Arthur Godfrey: "I'm proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money."

Mr. Bentley, "Find a nice quiet spot and just try to chill out."

Good morning and welcome. It's Wednesday, October 14, 2020, and, I don't know about you but for the first time in my adult life I am doing my best to untune into the political cannibal show in progress. Don't get me wrong, I still try to check the headlines but no eyes glued to the set this go-round. I already know exactly how I will vote, therefore, that part is not up for any changes. The entire process being pursued seems to insult me on a level I've not really experienced before. Maybe that's why more and more folks see our country as the loser in all of this. I often remind myself how God is more than well aware of, as it is called, the facts on the ground. He knows about the Coronavirus, He knows about those suffering, He knows about this election, and, He knows His own. Therefore, He is at work in all of these challenges and circumstances to bring about good for those who love Him and are His called-out ones according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)  Amen.

I had an interesting phone interlude with the IRS on Tuesday. I couldn't interlude with them on Monday because it was Columbus Day. (A day the liberal politicals want to abolish but they don't show up for work on it because it's a holiday!) It seems there was an issue in establishing my identification on my 2019 return. They sent a letter. I first checked out the letter to make sure it was legitimate. (It was, according to the IRS website. I didn't have a way of checking to see if the IRS website was legitimate, but, that's a different story for a different day.) If you receive this particular letter you are to call a number dedicated to those who receive this letter. I called at 7:30 a.m. The estimated wait time was between 5 and 21 minutes to talk to a representative. I am not the best at waiting but I drank coffee, paced the floor, and even carried the phone with me on an excursion outdoors with Mr. Bentley. The lady finally came on the line and gave me her control ID number. I dutifully wrote it down. I had to give her the control numbers off the letter they sent. She then went through a verification process to validate my identity. It included information from the 2019 return and the 2018 return. Once she got everything she needed she said she would need to be off the line for up to 5 minutes while she worked on my file. (I have a file. Who knew?) When she came back she said it had been updated and released for processing, but, it would take a minimum of 8 weeks for it to clear. I told her I realized based on the letter that she was not able to answer any questions regarding the reason for this validation, but, I asked her anyway: "I mailed that return in July along with a check to pay what I owed. The check was processed within the first week, but, in October I find out the return has been flagged, doesn't that sound odd? She didn't hesitate, "No sir, that's not odd at all." I then lavished thanks on her and I could tell it took her aback. She had been very professional and courteous and IRS employee or not, she deserved the words I used. She acted very oddly herself as she encouraged me to have a great day and that was the end of that. While she couldn't tell me why this had happened, during my 20 plus minutes of waiting, I figured it out. Last year was my first full year of not having a full-time day job. That seriously changed our income profile and we paid considerably less in taxes. That my friend will flag your return any day of the week and seven times on a Sunday.

Anything to keep old people engaged. After dealing with the insurance company and checking out potential contractors, we have the roofing company starting next Tuesday. We are trying to fit in our flu shots. We are working to finalize a visit over to SanAntonio to see our newest great-granddaughter, Ava Ramona. We would like to see her before she starts walking. Joking only. We did meet our eldest Chris and his wife Sherrie over in their home area for dinner to celebrate his 55th birthday. We had that scheduled before but it got postponed due to the death of our sister-in-law. There are some things I do well. I'm not sure I could name them, but, I'm pretty sure there are some. There are plenty of others I am not as good at. Period. My stepdad for nearly forty years was one of the most organized people I have ever met. If he was working on anything he made a file for it. Anything and everything. His eldest son, my brother Victor, is just like his dad. Right now with all the stuff I'm dealing with, I could use some of that. I do have a filing cabinet. I do have folders. I do have an office. Oh yeah. That's the place that has a 'round to it' motto attached. It's a joke. You can laugh. I will too. But, later, after I get the taste of the IRS out of my mouth. Have a great rest of the day and may God bless each one. Amen. ....More later.