It's That Most-DreadfulTime Of The Year

Dateline: 16 February 2017

Me & Marlene in March of '77

It's that time of year again.... tax figuring time. I think I've complained about tax time in my blog writings for as long as I've been blogging. And that's been so long that I don't even remember anymore when I started. The good news is that I've gotten better at bookkeeping, but I still use paper and a pencil. No computer. I really need to figure out Quickbooks, or something like that.

Back in the spring of 1977 I didn't have to worry about figuring income taxes. That's because I had no income to speak of. I was enjoying a wonderful year of vacation at what is now known as Sterling College, up in northern Vermont. There were no barbers up there.

Not having any income does have some advantages. But I still prefer productivity and income, even if the government extorts half of it from me in various taxes.

I was home for some sort of school break in the picture above. Marlene and I had been skateboarding down that hill. Amazingly, that is the road we now live on. Our home is up the road on the right. But when this picture was taken, we had no idea that we would one day build our dream home up there. This Upland was kind of special to us even before we made it our home!

A lot of people, when they see this vintage picture, wonder about the car. It was a Chevy Nova (1972, I think). It had a very responsive V8 engine in it. When you stopped at a red light or stop sign, then stepped on the gas, the car practically jumped ahead. 

It was Marlene's car. She was going to community college and living at home. She needed a car. Her dad helped her pick it out at Ames Chevrolet in Cortland, NY. I bought my first car at Ames a few years later.

During high school, Marlene worked at a nursing home in Moravia every day after school. She was a good saver. She bought her first car with her own money. I think her dad payed the insurance. 

During college, Marlene had a job as a life guard at the school's pool. She was also a lifeguard for the Moravia summer recreation program at Fillmore Glen. And she had a job staying nights with General Thomas Greene's widow in Moravia. Marlene was never a slacker.

When Marlene looked at the picture above a few minutes ago, she said, "I wonder how much I weighed in that picture?"

Yes, we've changed a lot in 40 years.