Wednesday Extremes Equal Exhaustion

Yes, I know that I really should be in the shop working on keys. After all, it's only 3:30 p.m. What hasn't been said is that I have been awake since 2:30 a.m. and with the exception of maybe a half hour for food, I've been working non-stop since 6 a.m.

Yesterday I shipped two boxes of finished keys. Two boxes of keys arrived to be worked on. And...my afternoon job resulted in bringing home a set to be rebushed. Three sets anxiously awaiting me in the shop. And still the melodeon work, of course.

There was a message from the piano movers on my machine. I got the message around 7:30 p.m. They said that they would be arriving between 9:30 a.m. and noon today. I also had a message from a customer needing to schedule a piano tuning. Called her and scheduled it for next week. So, I'm thinking....get up at 6, fold papers, haul ramp and plywood up from cellar and get ready for the piano delivery. Deliver newspapers and be back before 9:30. Work on keys, etc. while waiting for movers. I think all the anticipation of the tight scheduling is why I awoke so #!*&&!# early in the morning.

Everything went very smoothly. The piano arrived at about 11 a.m. "Fragile Freight" is a great moving company. Since they had some mud in their shoes, they even removed them as they were wheeling in the piano! This was very much appreciated by my mom! Super, super nice guys. They had already delivered a large (and very heavy) grand piano up 20 stairs before arriving at our house. They were heading for Maine from here.


So, albeit a really lousy photograph, here are the three guys off-loading the piano.











And here's the piano! The lid is off so that I can finish refinishing it. The bottom panel and the fallboard also will get a new finish on them. I've still to finish the top player action. Need to put the pedals in.





Anyway, there's one more pic I put in as an afterthought and then the rest of my day.







A bit out of order, but I thought I should show a picture of the ramp. The blocks to either side and partially under the ramp served no purpose. I just got tired and didn't bother to move them as they weren't in the way. They were a part of the original layout, before the new decking and gate.

I spent a good part of the afternoon "undoing" and putting away the ramp and the plywood "walkway". Then I got all the unfinished player parts out of the piano and down to the shop. Then it was back to work on keys.

So, not a bad day, huh?

Well...............................

Went out to get the mail. (Insert every nasty word you can think of)........got an "assessment" letter from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. This means tax audit. (Reinsert those words here, too).

I will preface this with...I have honestly filled out all my tax forms! I don't earn a lot of money folks. Just enough to get by...just. The MA Dept. of Revenue owes me a refund of $56.00. They sent me this letter demanding that if I want them to consider sending me the money (they mistakenly say $57.00) I must provide them with copies of ALL my receipts, Federal tax forms, and names, addresses, phone numbers and the amounts paid by every one of my customers.

I haven't counted but I'm sure that I have in the neighborhood of a thousand receipts! What a pile of crap! All for $56.00! They've got to be out of their #!!&&# minds. BTW, do the math. 371.00 X .15 I get 55.65. MA taxes require that you round to the nearest dollar. Sooooooo tax people, that means $56.00 NOT $57.00!

In case you haven't noticed, I'm extremely furious about this. I know how it works...pick on the poor working, tired, can't afford to hire it done individual. Then they won't bother about it and the state gets to keep the money. I'm calling them tomorrow...or maybe in a few days...I have 30 days to respond...I might say something nasty if I call too soon.

Tomorrow I've got to get up early again to take my truck for an oil/filter change, etc. Then it's more work.

I am totally exhausted.