It took 6 weeks for the weather to be right and to resolve a problem with the original shipment last week, but I've received my plants from Orchidview. I must say: I am delighted!!! First, Katherine and I finally agreed to ship my original 3 plant phal order last Monday, there were cold weather issues for the previous 5 weeks. Long story short, something got messed up in shipping (my post office lost it???) and I never received the plants, they were returned to Orchidview last Saturday. I had been tracking the shipment and contacted Orchidview once I realized the shipment got messed up. After a couple of e-mails back and forth and telling Katherine I really liked their phrag offerings and would probably consider getting one or two in the future, she and I decided to try again this week and for my trouble she added a BS Phrag. Cahaba Glow (1 mature growth and 1 new growth). She said she would also sell me a 3 1/2" NBS Fritz Schomberg for $60 (1 small mature growth, 1 larger nearly mature growth). So, I this morning I received: The 2 phrags mentioned 1 Phal violacea ('Blue July 4th' x 'Gaston Bleu') LS 1 Phal violacea ('Bonnie Blue' x 'Blue Beard') SS 1 Phal Samera (bellina 'Orchidview Blue' x' violacea 'Blue Chip') NBS All arrived in good shape and I'm darn happy. Will do more business with Orchidview in the future and Katherine was absolutely wonderful to work with. Bob

Hmmm...very interesting. My immediate thought was having to see just how many old bills I would have to gather together. I see it will be much easier to just go with the standard amount. What is the standard amount? Individual taxpayers can take a standard amount from $30 to $60 based on the number of exemptions claimed on their tax return. For those claiming: * one exemption, the standard refund amount is $30 * two exemptions, the standard refund amount is $40 * three exemptions, the standard refund amount is $50 * four exemptions or more, the standard refund amount is $60 And "no" you certainly aren't stepping out of bounds here...your post is most appropriate for the forum...and could/should maybe be shared on the Money Saving Tips Forum as well. Thanks for posting. Sue

Hi Jock Ewing, Being a furriner - I have no useful advice to offer regarding your Incentive funds, tax refund, etc. ... sorry about that. However - I'm with dadoes ... wouldn't it be a good idea for you to plan to reduce your tax refund to close to $0.00? Over the years that I've worked as a personal financial advisor, one of my major suggestions to clients and others was that they reduce their income tax refund to $0.00. Even at low rates of interest ... money in your bank account does develop a small amount of interest, during the year and a quarter to a half or so that some of it would be there. I'd like to suggest that, during the year while your extra large withholding is being held back and sent to the IRS as an interest-free loan, you check with your bank as to the amount of interest that the extra amount withheld would have earned. Then when you receive your tax refund, suppose you take an equal amount and, in the presence of your family, throw it into the street. Do you figure that they would, on the strength of that act, judge you to be a wise manager of money? Not only are you losing the small amount of interest (let's call it a "pittance") that that amount of money would earn if you'd taken it and put it into a separate and inviolable bank account ... it would have been available in case of need to deal with a major emergency expense. The IRS wouldn't have been too sympathetic had you, facing such a need, asked them to pay you a portion of that potential refund during that year. Which relates to another major suggestion that I made to my clients ... that they try to have at least 3 months' income available in easily accessible asset in case of an emergency. With six months', nine months' or a year's amount being built up in case of substantial unexpected need - including, in recent years, a possible extended period of unemployment. I shared with a number of them the information that I often did not have that on hand myself during my years of recent employment, as I held a "credit" (really "debt") card with, usually, zero or almost zero owing, with full amount paid off monthly prior to due date, plus a line of credit at the bank, usually sitting unused (with no set-up or maintenance fee if unused) which I could draw on to pay off the credit card balance due after use to cover an emergency. Actually, I recently signed up for another card, with 1.9% interest rate for 9 mos. on transferred balances, to use to purchase stock, should I so choose, as I would have to pay 5.00% currently on my line of credit but can buy the stock using the first card, then transfer the balance. But - the first card will charge interest at regular rate (about 18%) from the date that I draw on it till the date that it moves to the second card. By the way - I'm 80 and live on less than the income from my three pensions (one governmental with residence requirement, so housewives qualify, a second contributory related to my former income, and a third private contributory one) plus a small annual required amount of withdrawal from a tax-deferred retirement account. That income is much more secure that most employment income, as all that I need do to qualify is ... ... stay topside the grass! Which makes my pension income almost a guaranteed income (as long as the private carrier and the government stay solvent - and ours is a lot closer to that than yours). Do yourself a favour, Jock, please - set up a bank acocunt that you promise to leave alone except in case of extreme emergency ... and deposit the amount of withholding overcharge from every paycheque. With a name such as yours - you may have a drop or two of Scottish blood in your veins ... and you know their reputation for being careful with the use of money. Good wishes for what's left of winter, the spring - and the rest of the year. ole joyful

The refund is an early payment of the increased child tax credit you deduct when you do your 2003 taxes next year. It is not being paid to people who do not "pay" taxes.. ie, their "refund" is actually "credit". If you don't get the max per child ($400) but when you do your taxes, find your income has increased enough to get the max deduction,you can get it when you do your taxes in Jan. If you shouldn't have received it and do anyway, you get to keep the $$. Remember the headaches and confusion caused by the last tax rebate?! Keep your letter with your tax stuff! You'll need it in January! I got mine Saturday 7/26, my sister got a letter this past Friday saying hers was coming, but she hasn't received it yet. They can use it, surely... their income is above the threshold to get earned income credit, but really too low to support a family of 5.