There is a saying that goes "The only things for certain in life are death and taxes". Well, when you run your own business (i.e. a family ranch), January is a good time to deal with end of the year finances and tax reports. It's too cold to do many outside projects, and I find the sooner I finish this dreaded task, the better the rest of the year! I should have taken a picture of my disgustingly messy table (and the rest of my house) just to show that NOTHING besides book work is occurring, but then that would be admitting that I'm not superwoman! Homeschooling becomes bare bones (reading, math, science) and the Ranch Boss becomes "Mr. Mom" (laundry and meal duty) for 2 weeks while I turn into "Monster Mom". Any kid foolish enough to dare to ask for a snack is met with a snippy "I'm pretty sure your father can peel an orange!" while I add my column of numbers all over again. I handle the financial reports in our house not because I love it, and not because Ranch Boss can't do it. (I'm pretty sure if I get run over by a cow tomorrow he can still get our 1099's filed.) I do it because it works better in our house if that is one of my responsibilities. Plus, Ranch Boss gets crabbier than me when it comes to taxes, and financial reports are the catalyst to a diatribe about the stupidity of government policies. So, because of tax preparation, my goal of a blog post every week has already been compromised.
I've heard people say that taxes are why we broke away from England, but that isn't entirely accurate. The issue the early American settlers had with taxes was that they didn't have a say in how or why taxes were issued. When a society shares infrastructure (schools, roads, etc.) people should share in the burden of creating that infrastructure. Taxes (to a certain extent) are a necessary evil. Fortunately, we live in a society that DOES allow us to have a say in how or why taxes are issued. Sometimes for those of use who live in the "fly-over" states (which incidentally are full of ranches and farms) feel like we are overlooked by our representation. If that is you, I encourage you to make your voice heard by contacting your representatives (often if necessary). I have seen first hand how my opinion was regarded (or at least heard so I'd quit calling) in many issues even in our little area.
One more good day, and I should be ready to pay my dues to Uncle Sam. In the meantime, you can pray for my poor family! Just kidding. Actually, tax time is a good lesson for my kids in government and how it works, on financial planning and budgeting, and on PATIENCE! It's also a good lesson in gratitude, because even though our country isn't perfect, I'd still rather live here than anywhere else!