a story to post from ghostsniper via comments

New Maff

We spent more money today than in the past 6 months.
(house was paid off last Dec)

First, the income tax, both fed and state, went out in certified mail.
20+ years ago we got slammed between the criminal IRS and the criminal USPS with the result being a $1300 penalty for not paying our taxes on time even though we did. We sent them in by the regular mail like we always did before. But the USPS dragged it’s feets and the IRS didn’t receive the payment until after the deadline. We tried, but found out, you simply cannot argue with the criminals. I’ll not disclose how much was sent today because the very though ignites all my fibers.

Next up.

The vehicle insurance for 2 rides. I pay by the year because it’s less expensive overall. Almost a thou. Then, about 2 months ago very high winds tore through here and knocked over 2 white pine trees about 100′ tall. One hit the ground but the other one got hung up on a 40 degree angle in a very large beech tree. Very dangerous, and our power pole was within the arc.

So:
1 cherry picker
2 trees
3 experienced doods
4 thousand of my favorite legal tenders
made the problem go away.

We’re not used to the idea of spending that kinda money, and not getting anything for it. We already owned the trees, and we still have them, but they are now cut up and no longer live and function like the did for all of their lives. So yeah, money for nuthin and the sticks for free. or sumfink like that…

Anyway, the doods did a good job, took only about 3 hours, and though we paid them with a check, I gave them a $100 cash tip.

Further, the owner asked what I do and I told him I’m an arky and he said he may have some work for me. So there’s that.

Union Major-General William Tecumseh Sherman’s armies entered and occupied Raleigh. Raleigh was the ninth of eleven state capitals to be occupied by Union forces. Only the state capitals at Tallahassee in Florida and Austin in Texas remained in Confederate hands.

Confederate Brigadier-General Henry Harrison Walker formally announced the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia to President Jefferson Finis Davis. At 10 am, Confederate President Davis reconvened the military conference adjourned the day before in Greensboro. The remaining Cabinet members met first, and all the members present, except for Davis and Secretary of State Judah Philip Benjamin, clung to the belief that further resistance was feasible. When General Joseph Eggleston Johnston and General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard joined the meeting, the President invited their views on how to continue the war. Johnston gave an unflinching statement of the impossibility of continued resistance because of desertions from his dwindling army, the lack of resources, the hopeless military situation, and the exhaustion of the people. Beauregard concurred with his views. Davis was finally forced to concede permission for Johnston to meet with Union Major-General William Tecumseh Sherman to discuss the terms of surrender. Davis dictated a letter for Johnston to send to Sherman, requesting an armistice.