#1853 three things: taxes, allergies and physical therapy

I've got three things to talk about tonight.

1. Taxes. We have our taxes done by a CPA named Russ. He has been doing our taxes for several years now, since the properties got complicated beyond my scope, I feel good about having Russ prepare and advise. We knew that 2016 would be interesting tax-wise because MT did not have a W-2 job, so the only entity withholding taxes from his earnings would be us and we weren't really sure what that would look like. We thought that holding out 30% for taxes was probably a good number, but then money was tight and we didn't hold out anything. We have a plan to pay for the taxes, so that's good. The thing is that Russ called us on Saturday with what we owe the IRS and the State, and holy crap it's a big number. I might have hyper-ventilated just a little. And I didn't feel like we made all that much money. Ugh. The amount that self-employed people have to pay is crazy. Russ told us that whatever MT made, he should hold out 50%. It's just another thing to factor into bids and stuff. I'll be straight with you...this life is stressful for me. On the other hand, MT is having the most job satisfaction that I've seen him have in 15 years or so. I'll be all right.

2. Allergies. It is spring and I am happy and slightly miserable. This season's allergies are taking the form of a dry, scratchy throat and red, itchy eyes. The dry throat causes me to have an annoying hacking cough. Sometimes my eyes itch so much that wearing my contacts is uncomfortable. I usually take out my contacts soon after I get home, but it's all I can do not to rub rub rub my eyes. Spring is so beautiful with the flowers and the green lawns and trees getting their leaves, but oh my goodness, it is hard on my sinuses.

3. Physical therapy. I reached my goal bend of 125 degrees last Thursday. I have two more sessions scheduled with Lovely Paul so we can make sure that 125 is here to stay. He said that he would give me some instructions for exercises to do to keep working on the knee to make it and the muscles connected to it nice and strong. Those exercises are no joke. There are a lot of exercises that strengthen the hip and glutes because there are so many muscles and ligaments and such that connect to the knee. I do get quite a good leg workout at physical therapy. Lovely Paul is also pleased because I have started going back to spinning class at the gym. Okay, I've only been to two classes. I went last Wednesday, the 12th, because it was my three month anniversary of the surgery and I wanted to see if I could pedal that bike for an hour. I can do it. The first five to ten minutes were a little difficult. It didn't hurt but it felt kind of weird. Then I got used to it and rode well for the next 30 minutes or so. About 45 minutes in, the knee got tired. It sounds funny to say that, but truly I was pedaling along with the group and suddenly my knee told me to ease up. I took off the little tension I had on the bike and just continued to spin slowly and steadily. When I got off the bike, I didn't have any pain, but my left leg was definitely more fatigued than the right knee. Pretty much the same thing happened in class on Saturday, but I pushed myself a little harder through the majority of the class and eased up with about 15 minutes left. No swelling, no pain, no limping. It felt good to get back out and break a sweat on a bike, even if it was inside. I don't feel like I'm quite ready to get back to Zumba though!