text (for a change)

It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged words, at least more than a picture’s subject. I suppose the pictures stand in place of the thousand words they say they’re worth. The problem is, they may be worth a thousand words to me but to one who wasn’t there they’re nothing but hints. Signs. Open to interpretation.
Yard work! Over the weekend I took the trip down to my ageing fathers house to bust my ass for peanuts and cheap beer. Before I headed down I did some research on dealing with elderly parents (dealing with parents took me to websites for teens). I didn’t learn that much but it did give me some new perspectives. Basically, it’s difficult. I’ve gotten over the shock and awe factor when I see his house and yard, most of it’s expected. This time, however, I was floored by a bee’s nest on his back patio. I’ve never see so many bee’s in one place except on documentaries. I’m not fond of bees, to be honest they freak me out. He was fine with them and enjoyed watching them from his chair, not 10 feet from their nest. I had just about gotten comfortable sitting near them when all of a sudden Saturday afternoon they decided to swarm chaotically from their nest all around the patio and into the air. The sound was amazing and in 3-D. After about 2 minutes they returned to their tight clustering around the honeycomb.
Today my muscles still ache from moving a wood pile, trimming trees, chopping ice-plant and the rest of it. As he dropped me off at the train station he lectured me on finances again and I bit my tongue. It would be more financially sound for me to stop spending weekends at his house performing hard labor for much less than minimum wage. Earlier today I researched filial piety, I suppose as some sort of consolation.
I completed my taxes just before the weekend and mailed them off. One thing on my mind lately is the Schedule C (or Schedule C-EZ as I usually use), Profit or Loss from Business. This year I read more about it than in years past, but will most likely file next year in much the same way I did this year, using the cash accounting method, keeping receipts from supplies to deduct, etc. I did make a break through regarding keeping receipts through the tax year, which was to create a hanging file folder for the next (this) year’s taxes. I can drop receipts in there and they’ll be ready and waiting when I prepare next years taxes. Might not seem too genius, but my previous method was to write “Art Receipts” on a business envelope and put receipts in it all year. I know I’ve misplaced the envelope several times and I’m never sure if all the receipts made it into the envelope. This year when pulling all my tax paperwork together I could find the envelope of receipts for a couple days.
I’m currently reading “Candide” by Voltaire.
A woman bought her boyfriend three drawings of mine, for his birthday.
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Two squirrels were out scavenging one day. The sun was bright and the breeze was cool. A scrub-jay skwaked from the high branches above. One squirrel, upon seeing the other make a discovery at the base of a, tree darted over, running zigzags, to chase the first away. The scrub jay landed on the ground a few feet from the second squirrel who jumped with skittishness. The squirrel hunkered down and stared at the jay. The scrub jay turned to face the squirrel whose tail was now flapping about. They stared at each other in utter silence. It was as if the wind stopped blowing, no leaves were falling and everything centered on the set of eyes staring back. The jay took one calculated and heavy step forward, snapping a small twig in the process. The squirrel stood its ground, nearly trembling, staring. The jay, seemingly unconcerned with the squirrel, pecked at a gum wrapper in front of it. A car drove by. The jay, not caring for the shiny bit of Wrigley’s refuse, took lackadaisical flight to a lower branch just above. The squirrel let out a few barks, as if insulting the jay’s mother, and darted zigzag off to a jasmine bush.