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We all have the people calling us for free advice so they can do their returns themselves. I have developed a method.... Client "Can I ask you a question?"Me "Yes, I answer questions. The first one is free."Client "How much are the other questions?"Me "$100 each." "What is your second question?" Any of them with more than 3 brain cells get the point...

HUGE bald eagle flew at low altitude over my car and then landed in front of me (I was going slowly to start with, and stopped). First time I've seen one live and in person. This was in Lexington MA, barely a 1/2 mile from a major interstate highway. Wow. Just wow.

Yes, I saw that too, some bird that was being fed in tiny morsels. There was also the remains of some fur-covered small animal that looks like a rabbit in there and over to the left edge something that was attracting a few flies. A buffet with choices.

Here is a link to a LIVE eagles nest outside Hanover, PA. The state has had this for about three years now. Since they are "sitting on eggs"; now is s neat time to view. http://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/WildlifeSpecies/BaldEagles/Pages/default.aspx

Sheep have very poor vision, but they always recognize the Shepherd by His voice. Just sayin' is all....

Thank you! Silly me, I checked the A and 8283 instructions, and TTB, and hadn't gotten to the pubs yet. Clients driving me crazy today.

picture this big - very big, really big, black Angus cows cattle trailer pulls into yard, wife says here is Rita (the cow) - who was right there in the fenced in yard a minute ago. client turns around to show her off and what - where is she?? No where to be seen - looking around pasture.. and here's the picture - big black cow - really big cow is peeking out from behind the pine tree - no way is that trailer coming for her! It is not summer and time for moving to greener pastures or fall and moving back to the barn - stranger danger - Can you imagine?! Cows must be smart. smarter than sheep that is for sure. Bible says be like sheep - All I know is they follow the shepherd cuz they are really dumb otherwise! I digress, good night! D

a client sent a bouquet of flowers to the ladies in the office! he hangs out here too often but they are nice and I do owe him a call to straighten out his 1099 - or not! billed his brother $11,000 for the money ha gave him for land so his books would show the payments in - however, $5,000 was for actual payment - the other $6,000 was legit as stumpage. So the bro screamed - rightly so and when I finally figured out what was going on, the second bro said - no I'll take the $11,000 as capital gains - stumpage as my income - I am saying no - we are going to correct this - so I am not returning wither call - second bro is hubby of old friend out of state - so treading a little carefully but hey - I don't do their taxes and he is trying to cheat!!! now. Write a book - right but no one but tax people would understand it!

I thought we did this for sh and giggles?

so how do you keep track to know you are up 16%? I am still doing January's - 24 from then yet the W-2's being filed by 1/31 threw us for a loop - office manager of 14 years leaving in August was a curve ball and then finding Sunday Jan 29th - even my payroll was wrong! from 1st and 2nd quarter - sometimes change is not a bad thing! But all new staff - longest now officially 1 year in March - wow, taxes are like a foreign language! and for every 1 that did their own or I took too long - 3 more come in.. trying to sleep this year as dad had vascular dementia which is from brain cells dying! and eventually all the brain is white as it keeps using the ones we do not use but eventually from lack of sleep - they are all used up - sound familiar folks!! Feb - I made it to bed by midnite 6 times.. March -what time is that - I went to bed at 6:30 am and 4 am but slept to 9:30.. so heading off now. - after this return - and yes they all seem to be messier. Between 8867's and 1095-A, I am ready to scream - I guess my letter to Trump will have to wait until after April 18th, maybe May 1st as we only have 8 days!! to do quarterlie's - and why do we even have to do extensions - IRS says yes - can't they just realize if we do not file by April, it will be October - and then they can look for tax payers - it takes ssssooooo long to rollover and file extensions! love the pics!! but until we have a consumer tax and IRS loses their job security - what'cha going to do?

Was there any significant breaks between the contracts? Otherwise, I think his tax home moved to NC when he exceeded 1 year working in NC. Tom Newark, CA

They are a Majestic Bird, for certain...

Yes, the December to February period we see them on the way to work regularly. Glad you got to see one. It is pretty cool. Rich

Excellent! We have a fair number of them around Blackwater Refuge in MD. I used to see one every morning sitting in a tree. Awesome creatures.

Meal time in the nest now. It might be a dove or other bird getting plucked and ripped to little pieces for the chicks.

I read page 9 of Pub 561, 1/2 way down the left-hand side of the page, exactly as you state, Judy. I would copy and paste the paragraph here, but my computer is disgusted with me right now and will not allow the same.

I found the answer that furniture is dissimilar from clothing from kitchen & dishwares, etc. Now I'll break down those contribs into their components so it should be obvious that no one group exceeds the threshold even though the total does. I think that will work. Does anyone see a problem with this?

I just checked the link and the eagle flew off revealing a couple of fluffy chicks! Wonder if food is on the way. I watched ospreys nesting and raising chicks last year and saw some, um, interesting meal times.

Yes - with the switch over to the MeF system a couple of years ago, I believe you can file 2 years back and the current year via e-file. My office, however, has made it a policy to paper file ALL prior year returns. Every time we have attempted to e-file prior year returns, we have experienced some sort of problem - whether at the Federal or State level. So as to eliminate those issues - we just paper file prior year returns - and up-charge for the inconvenience.

Some videos posted by The Inn at Starlight Lake in Starlight, PA: https://www.facebook.com/StarlightInn/

We used to take our boy scouts to Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge near Mound City, MO. It is known as the snow geese capital of the world. Eagles eat snow geese. In the fall there are at least 100,000 snow geese migrating south and they stop at the wildlife refuge. The eagles follow them. Two hundred to three hundred eagles. They also have a demonstration and show off 2 - 3 eagles inside a barn. They even let them fly around in there.

Baby eagles are called Eaglets. Tom, you will see all sorts of them in Alaska. Still makes me want to pullover and watch when I see them in the morning.

WiTaxLady: Wow. That is a lot of stuff going on. The ATX extension process is a PITA. Roll it over, go to each one, 13-20 steps later, you have two extensions that can be efiled. Stupid. They have the process from the Return Manager that will "print" your extensions... but that doesn't help to efiling, and your computer is locked up for 4 hours while it processes them all. How do I know I am 16% ahead of last year? How many engaged to prepare now as compared to the same date last year. 350/300=16% But we are not keeping up with getting them done.. Rich

There are two that nest in a tree on the side of a lake in the Berkshires, MA where I go often. I've seen them swoop down with talons out to grab a fish. They had a baby eagle ( a chick? I don't know, I'm a city kid) and I once saw it learning to fly from one side of the lake to the other. Being from the city I used to think all birds were pigeons and those little brown ones. One of my clients used to send me his W2 by carrier pigeon, well, maybe not, but he could have if he wanted to, now that's a smart bird.

we see them hanging out around a minnow place near here (we are in the middle of WI near nothing for them ;)) and across the state when traveling along the Mississippi - we always say Hello Jeremy - reminds us our son is watching over us! and to remember him... that (those) eagles show up at the darndest times and places...

It is awesome to see them in person. I had that experience some years ago at Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge. We were fishing its canals and had an eagle fly straight down the canal toward us, swoop down and pluck a carp out of the water. He was close enough and being wet, he didn't get much altitude as he then flew directly over us. It was a surreal moment like right out of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom show. It sounds corny, but I still remember seeing the eagle with that carp in its talons and the carp's scales glistening in the sun.

The "kids" see them at The Inn at Starlight Lake in PA, but I've just seen them flying over the lake and not up close and personal.

I agree with Tom and the others that this can't be considered temporary. Pub 463 differentiates between "temporary" and "indefinite", and if indefinite then that area becomes the tax home. If you need a reference, MTG shows the IRC that covers this is sec 162(a) and also has Rev Ruling 93-86 for "indefinite" and RR 99-7 for "temporary. If you have a MTG, look in the index for "temporary vs indefinite test".

Daylight.....I see....daylight.....

I am going to Alaska this summer and I am hoping to see many of them. Tom Newark, CA

Yes, none of that side hug crap. Make it count.

This year is one of my strangest every. Many of my April filers came in February, quite a few of my February came in March, but dollar wise I am still about 10% ahead of last year at this time. So I'm still sitting pretty good. I'm pretty sure that I lost a few clients that normally come in early February probably to the do it yourself software available, but I bet in a year or two they will be back. It seems that they always come back.

Seems like everybody (including the early birds) is coming in about a month slower that usual.

I am so far behind I don't know when I will see the light of day. I've lost count of how many returns have been dropped off and are waiting. I'm up 25% from last year - and I was up 45% last year from the previous year. Local CPA firm was acquired by a larger company and decided to double and sometimes triple their fees. It's been good for business. This is the last year I will attempt it as a one-woman operation. Next year I will be hiring some administrative help. But, hey, maybe there won't be a next year since I just received a text saying my mobile number had been randomly selected and I have won $2,000,000!