White-Tailed Kites in Malibu Creek State Park

The white-tailed kite is a small raptor that I see time to time in the Santa Monica Mountains and Conejo Open Space, including Malibu Creek State Park, Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa and the Conejo Canyons Open space.

They are very distinctive with their wide heads, intently surveying their surroundings. The kites pictured below at Malibu Creek State Park on Super Bowl Sunday morning, February 7th, were perched here well over an hour.

White-tailed kites feast mainly on rodents and small mammals.

You may see them hovering above the ground, flapping their wings into the wind, searching, waiting for prey, as you’ll see in the video below taken in the Conejo Canyons Open Space.

Sherwood Homes in Newbury Hills in the Conejo Valley in 1969

Sherwood Homes in the delightful new community of Newbury Hills offered 3 and 4 bedroom homes in 1969 with pass thru service bars, ceramic tile kitchens, double door entries and more. Starting at $21,820. Walter Avenue and Wendy Drive. See you there!

Today (2021) these homes are in the $700K to $800K range. That outpaces the inflation rate over that period by a five!

Options For Getting a Copy of a Prior Year Federal Tax Return or IRS Transcripts

Are you in process of refinancing, applying for student loans or dealing with some other issue that requires information from a prior year tax return, but you can’t find a copy of the return? Here are your options.

Who Prepared the Return?

If you paid someone to do the tax return, it is likely that they can provide a copy of the return. If you did the return yourself using software like TurboTax, you should be able to log in and retrieve a copy of the return.

How to Obtain an IRS Transcript

If the above does not work and you primarily need information from the return but not necessarily a complete copy of the return, you can request a tax return transcript from the IRS. This can be done online (and almost immediately), by phone or by mail.

Obtaining an IRS Transcript Online

It’s actually quite simple obtaining a copy of tax return transcript or wage and income transcript at www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript. But first things first. You need to establish an eServices account with the IRS unless you already have one.

Setting up an eServices account at https://sa.www4.irs.gov/eauth/pub/es_general.jsp will take maybe 5 to 10 minutes. You’ll need the following information: Full name, Social Security Number, email, birthdate, most recent year’s tax filing status and current address. To verify your identity, the IRS will also need information from one of your financial accounts - such as the last eight digits of a credit card or other loan. You’ll also need your cell phone registered under your name to confirm you are you.

After you’ve set up your eServices account, you can log in to obtain your transcripts. Make sure your cell phone is handy, as the IRS uses two-factor authentication each time you log in. They will text a code to your phone.

When you log in, after selecting the reason for needing the transcript (e.g. Higher Education/Student Aid, FEMA/Disaster Related, etc.), you will have access to up to four years of return transcripts, five years of account transcripts and 10 years of wage and income transcripts.

Obtaining an IRS Transcript by Phone or Mail

You can also call 800-908-9946 or complete and mail in Form 4506-T to obtain a transcript. There is no cost for this. The form is at www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-4506-t.

Request a Copy of Tax Return From the IRS

If the transcript is not sufficient and you otherwise are not able to obtain a copy of your tax return, you can request a copy using Form 4506. Copies of individual tax returns (1040, 1040-SR, etc.) can take up to 75 days to be processed, so get ready to wait.

And yes, it does cost you to obtain a copy of the return. Up until very recently though, it was $50, But the new Form 4506 shows a fee of $43 for each return requested.

Returns are generally available for 7 years from filing before they are destroyed by law.

Send an Email Into the Future with FutureMe.org

A year ago I tried this, completely forgot about it, out of the blue, received an email yesterday morning. At first I thought the email from FutureMe.org was spam, but the title I created exactly one year ago, "Writing to My Future Self," enticed me to open it.  Kind of neat surprise! I didn't write much but I was happy to receive the email.

FutureMe.org is really simple. Type an email to yourself and schedule it to be sent anytime up to 50 years into the future. Or create an account and send others an email in the future. There is no charge, though donations are accepted.

It's so simple that you don't have to read any instructions. I love that! A form is displayed prominently on the FutureMe.org home page with the caption "Your future letter." Within minutes or seconds you'll be done.

What a great way of reminding yourself of something in the future. Or how about emailing an anniversary or birthday wish to someone years into the future. Or use it like a journal. You can also add a picture to the email.

One thing to consider if you're sending something to yourself say 20 years from now is...use an email address you anticipate you’ll still be using in 20 years.

Another time I wrote a letter to my son, to be delivered exactly one year into the future. Among other things, I predicted what his accomplishments would be during the coming year. It was interesting to be be reminded of those predictions when I received a copy of the email the subsequent year.

First Snow of the 2020-2021 Winter Season Seen From the Conejo Valley

Mother Nature successfully brought us snow capped mountains before the end of 2020, just in time for the new year, though a few days late for Christmas. Either way, we’ll take it.

1964 - The First Christmas Season in the City of Thousand Oaks

The City of Thousand Oaks was incorporated in the fall of 1964, thus making December 1964 the city’s first Christmas season. Here are some advertisements from that year.

Christmas gifts at the local Conejo Village Camera store.

Double feature at the Fox Conejo includes Roustabout (starring Elvis Presley and Barbara Stanwyck) and Looking for Love, starring Connie Francis. Roustabout featured scenes shot in the Conejo Valley, including Elvis’ “Wheels on my Heels” scene in local Hidden Valley.

The perfect head to toe Christmas gift from the Los Robles Greens Gift and Golf Shop.

Talk to Santa Claus, courtesy of the Conejo Village (now Janss Marketplace) Shopping Center. KNJO “Conejo” signed on in 1963, whose claim to fame was that it was the first FM station on the west coast to broadcast in stereo. The original owner of KNJO apparently was Sandy Koufax!

Santa appearances at Jungleland every Saturday and Sunday!

Hillview Homes in Thousand Oaks in the Mid-1960s

Perhaps some of you live in the Hillview tract in Thousand Oaks, off of Erbes Road and Sapra Street.

"When you see the homes at Hillview you'll realize just how much you really knew about the home you've always wanted. It’s like coming home from a long journey - and you know the search for contentment and security is ended."

Care-free comfort and convenience includes electric built-in double ovens and countertop range, decorator carpeting, underground utilities and special added feature: ELECTRIC AIR CONDITIONING (included in price of home!).

"Here you can relax with family and friends in the quiet country charm of Thousand Oaks."

From $27,500 to $32,500 in 1966.