12 January 2025
Oops! I originally typed 2024 instead of 2025. It’ll take a while.
It was another luxuriating day. I was awake at 5 am and got out of bed around 7:30. Fresh sheets on a bed is a real luxury. I change sheets weekly. I know some change monthly. I had a roommate at Florida State who didn’t change his for the entire summer session (3 months).
John and I went to lunch at Rendez-vous. It’s a French bakery and bistro on Oakland Park Blvd. Two of the waiters were obviously French speaking and I suspect more of their personnel were multilingual. The food has always been good here. I had their ham and cheese crepe or should I say Jamón et fromage crêpe? It was delicious. John had eggs Benedict.
The coffee was outstanding. I asked about it and apparently it is an Italian coffee, mild roast but prepared the French way. I’m dubious about the last part. I didn’t see any French presses, just the normal cafe coffee urns. In any case, I liked the coffee.
John managed another BOGO for the min-Bundt cakes.
This one is Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter. It was a dollar more than the other mini-Bundts because this is apparently a promotion. I thought promotions were cheaper.
I’m getting things together for a Viet Nam Veterans pick up. I’ve got lots of tee shirts, regular shirts, pants, jackets and a massive roll of bubble wrap. I also have 90 books to donate. I understand Broward County libraries no longer accept books but the Wilton Manors library (private) does. I’ll also call around to the Stonewall Library and see if they still accept donations. Most of the books are like new and have either never been read or read only once.
January means it is time to think about taxes since you get forms from whatever income you have. I’ve already received the Florida Retirement System form and all I’m waiting for is the Social Security form and the form for my savings account from which the interest is so small, it never counts. The one other form is for my HELOC which will be nonexistent next year. I generally get my forms into my tax accountant by the end of January and usually get a check back from the IRS sometime in March.
I could easily do my taxes now but I got used to the CPA doing them when my taxes were more complicated. I just send him the forms and his questionnaire and he takes care of everything and e-files it for me. I pay him $300 and if there is ever an issue, he will deal with the IRS with me. It makes my life easier.
It’s that time of year that South Florida is warmer than any other part of the country. That results in Snow Birds arriving and adding to the local economy. It also means traffic is worse, getting reservations are more difficult and you have to watch out for anyone with a Quebec license plate since they drive like the French. Otherwise, life is good.
Stay tuned!
