Taxes Done!

It is tax day tomorrow and taxes are all done and mailed away and off my list of things to do! Yeah!!!! For the first time ever I overpaid, and do not have to pay anything tomorrow! I am usually very anxious in the weeks leading up to April 15, wondering how much I will have to scrounge together to pay for both the year prior and the first quarterly payment. I add up all my numbers and communicate the details to my accountant and am always hopeful that the news will be good. Of course, every year I am disappointed and dismayed with the final tally, so with all the bad economic news these past months, I am relieved to sail through tax day. Of course, since I will not be making any money next year, taxes will be minimal. Making money means paying taxes, so it is not particularly good news not to be paying taxes, it just feels wonderful for the moment.

My list of tasks to be accomplished before I go does not appear to be shortening despite completing tasks almost daily. More just get added to the bottom of the list, and the more I clean the more needs to be done. The work on the house feels endless.

I will be traveling to Canada this weekend. It is my mother's birthday on Saturday, and I will surprise her with a visit, which will make her happy I hope, but I am also checking on her and making sure she is getting adequate healthcare. She has been more and more forgetful lately, and it feels as if she is deteriorating quickly; my father has expressed concern, and talking to her on the phone suggests significant forgetfulness. I called her doctor and urged him to have her evaluated for dementia, but he gave her a clean bill of health today, so either I am mistaken or her physician is wrong. I have no idea how to present my concerns to her, I do not want to hurt her feelings or anger her. I worry about both my parents when I am living so far away and unable to be as available to them. My father is 89 and fragile. My mother has always taken care of him and is strong and supportive, but if she loses her cognitive function, they will have to be taken care of. I am feeling guilty about not being close enough to care for them.

With Quito being at an altitude of over 9000 feet, it is unlikely that my parents will visit. My father has in fact been to Ecuador before. He worked for the United Nations FAO when we lived in Rome, and had an agriculture project in Ecudaor in the 60's. I remember he came home with beautiful crocoldile-skin purses for all the women in his life, and I still have the one he gave me although it is much damaged from overuse. I imagine that Ecuador was very different 45 years ago. I will ask him what he remembers when I visit him on the weekend.