We had a fun and busy weekend.

Friday night after work, DH mowed the grass and I did the dusting. Saturday we went with a friend to Columbu, OH to the Tesla dealership there. Our friend has ok one on order that will be here in October and she needed to go pick some options and she also test drove it. I did too. We used the self driving feature on some of the test drive, as well as the self parellel parking It was pretty cool.

Sunday was church, some grocery shoping and out to dinner with friends. Today DH and I moved all the furniture and cleaned and damp moped wity Murphy's oil soap all our wood floors.

We also rented "The Book Club " and watched it.

John started his 2 week liquid diet today in preparation for his upcoming surgery on September 17. I am doing a modifed version of it with him this week. The 2nd week I might do it with him full on

I am heading to bed but will be back tomorrow to catch up and do personals.

Morning all.

Shad – Congrats on your new set of wheels. Good luck with learning all the new bells and whistles. == I hope there’s nothing of concern with the blood test. == The office move is in early October. Only our datacenter (network servers, etc.) moved on Friday. Makes sense to have it offsite – why pay the expensive downtown office rents for something like that? I just hope the guys who ran the datacenter in our office didn’t lose their jobs…

Susie – How fun to try out the Tesla, especially the self-drive function. == How did you like “The Book Club”? == I hope your dh does well with the liquid diet. You’re a good wife to join him with it. It sounds like a difficult thing, even when it’s for a very specific purpose like his.

Ceejay – Congrats to your niece on passing the driver test. – How did you like your nephew’s new house?

Hellos to Happy, Annie and Dee. Hope you all had a good Labor Day weekend.

==I had a nice 4 days off. Didn’t do much at all, and kind of glad not to have plans because the weather wasn’t the greatest – heat, humidity, rain, storms. Out in our far NW suburbs, a few structures had fires due to lightning strikes.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time indoors. I tackled my mountain of mail, did some laundry, did some grocery shopping and weeding, and watched a good amount of the US Open tennis tournament. Good stuff. I worked out at the fc on Thursday and Sunday. Oh, we went to a wake on Friday afternoon. Very tragic – the 18 yr old son of a neighbor two doors down was struck and killed by a car the previous weekend. So young. The driver was not found at fault, and it is not known why the boy was out walking where he was late at night. It’s a big road (2 lanes each direction) with fast traffic, and dark. Very sad.

I started watching the tv series “The Americans” on our Amazon Firestick. Now I’m hooked. I watched the entire first season, and now I’m on the 2nd one. It’s about Russian spies living in the US as husband and wife, with two kids. It takes place during the early 80’s, the Reagan era. Very interesting to me. It ended in season 6. I hope it has an actual ending and wasn’t just cancelled with the audience left hanging.

I was surprised (and relieved) to not show a gain on the scale this morning. I should not be allowed into the supermarket by myself because I always end up buying foods that I have no business eating. I put a giant dent into a package of Oreos yesterday. So I either dodged a bullet or those Oreos will catch up to me in a day or two… I’ve asked bf to hide them somewhere for me, though he knows this will mean I’ll be asking him to dole out a couple at a time, every day or two LOL.

I need to order some new sneakers. I think I’m just going to order the same brand/model I have right now. A newer version is out in new colors, but I read that the new version isn’t all that different from the previous, so I guess I should be okay.

Tonight I go to the fc for a workout.

The admin is out this week taking vacation. The boss has just stopped by to ask me something about his budget that he doesn’t remember and he seemed annoyed that I didn’t know the answer either. (But I don’t feel bad – it’s his part of the budget not mine so how am I supposed to know??) Anyway, I cannot wait for him to be out of the office starting next week. He (and the 2nd) will be gone the better part of two weeks. The admin was smart in the timing of her vacay – she will avoid him for nearly three weeks. Okay enough rambling. Everyone have a great day.

Good Morning Chickies of the World,

It's a quiet, very rainy Tuesday morning and aside from the thunderclaps and the sound of Bimmy thumping around upstairs on her new cat tower, it's blessedly peaceful and quiet. For the first time in about 4 weeks I mostly have the day to myself. Mount Washmore is an entire mountain range. We are running out of clothing which says a lot because we HAVE a lot of clothing. I must have at least 12 loads which will be interesting because I can only wash 3 a day with the septic system. We are getting flooding rains right now - what is it with the weather? So crazy. The hummingbirds have left to go south - there's only one or 2 at best still stubbornly hanging around. The acorns are dropping and the squirrels are busy gathering them. Next week is supposed to be in the 60 degree temps during the day and the upper 40's at night so autumn is in the air already. August just flew by - I had 86 hours of volunteer time (that I could remember) just at the senior center. There was at least another 30 easy at the thrift shop and shelter. I hope the crises have calmed down - that was really too much for my tastes. I am hoping for a quieter September - there is so much to do before the really cold weather sets in come October. I'm kind of dreading the winter - my aches and pains have been on par with winter all through the summer - can't say I got any relief due to the warmer weather so either I'm going to go off the deep end in November or I just have to accept year round pain. That's the hardest part - it's difficult to do many of the physical things I need to get done like standing on my feet for 8 hours sifting through things because things have gone wonky - knees, hips, feet and now my dominant shoulder has jumped into the fray. I will still keep trying to work around it.

My Mom is driving my sister crazy - nothing new there. She only has one doctor's appointment per month until the end of the year and that's not enough to satisfy her. So she wants to make more useless appointments -useless in that there is nothing wrong with her and she only wants to the doctors to tell her how wonderful she is and oh - have the government pick up the pricey tab for the appointment charge - ie. have Medicare pay for that. She went to the dermatologist because she wanted some skin tags removed and the doctor told her that Medicare will not pay for this so if she wanted them done, she would be be responsible for the $150 charge for that. She balked and said "I'm NOT paying THAT"! As long as it's free, she's taking it. so she wants to go back to the dermatologist because maybe Medicare changed their minds and she wants these moles removed. I told my sister to tell her the doctor is away for 3 months on a medical sabbatical to Africa or something.

I picked up a box of tomatoes this weekend at the Farmers Market - was going to donate most to the Senior Center but DH got it in his head to make and jar up some salsa so we may do that. I know he's going to want to do that today and I have other things planned. PLEASE LET ME HAVE ONE DAY TO MYSELF. and that day will include 3 loads of washing, drying and folding laundry. I also got 18 ears of corn which I am going to try bagging and freezing. The farmer suggested husking outside on the deck - less messy with the silks than doing it inside. With today's torrential downpours, I guess that's another task for tomorrow. Perhaps that's what I will tell DH - let me do my thing today and tomorrow we will do some canning and freezing. I have to read how to use my new vacuum sealer anyway.

I am feeling badly because the pontoon boat is sitting in the yard - we only used it once this year and we are moving into the cool and rainy season now so if we get it out one more time that would be about all we could hope for. I talked to DH about it this week and he agreed, we should probably sell it. It will KILL ME because it's been used about a total of 7 times in 3 years and we will be lucky to get 50 percent of what we paid for it. If we are lucky. It has a souped up engine so you could more than likely go fast enough to tow a skier. It has a separate area in the back with 2 seats, live well and rod holders for fishing and it has an onboard pop up changing room / could be a potty!!! LOL. Except for a few tiny spots of mold which can be easily cleaned off the upholstery, it's in like new condition. I am torn about getting next to nothing for it. We could try and sell it on our own but we would still probably have to store it for the winter and that's another $800. Logically we are throwing good money after bad. I was not keen on the boat idea - that was DH. Said if we live in a water place like this, we should have a boat. I might have resisted this harder if I realized like the ATV - they are the 2 things that lose the most value the fastest. He wanted to sell it last year and I said give it one more year since last year was a bad weather year. I have to learn to just cut my losses sometimes and move on with things.

I can't believe it's September already. I know I've been busy but just about everyone I talk to said the same thing - this month just FLEW by. Let me post this and catch up with you lot and post personals...

Good Morning/Evening

What a crazy weekend. Didn't do much to speak of. Did go to a Japanese Hibachi steak house for dinner on Sat evening with my bro and sil. Quite tasty. I had shrimp and veggies. Then we went back to bro's house for cards and games. Got home about 11. It was a fun evening. The rest of the weekend was just running around getting stuff done. Laundry, cooking cleaning. I did make some awesome BBQ ribs for dinner last night. It was too dang hot and humid to go outside and do anything. 90s with heat index in the 100s. Humidity was 100000000. Unless you were in a pool, forget it.

SUSIE...did you like "The Book Club"? I tried to rent it but it was out all weekend long.

SHADDIE...love your new ride. Didn't you just get a new car a couple of years ago? You are always painting something. You can always come paint at my house. I don't like to paint nor am I patient enough for it.

CEEG...welcome back home! Congrats to niece on getting her license back.

LAURA...hmmm, keeping track of your bad eating is somewhat of an accomplishment. Not a great one but oh well. Try to do better this week.

HAPPY...geez woman, come up for air. If you are going to work full time at least get a job that pays you.

Hello to the rest of ya's.

Hugs

Laura - sounds like the boss is universally despised. We used to have a picture of one of our bosses like that with a red circle and a slash through it. We'd post it when he was out of the office - it made everyone smile when they saw it because it was almost like having a holiday! Did you get a lot of rain up your way? My Mom said she's gotten very little in the city itself and I guess there's a swatch south of us in Madison and almost reaching to you with flooding rains lately. Will make for a yucky mosquito autumn trying to enjoy those few last bits of good weather. How did the window boxes come out? I can't believe you were able to keep flowers alive in flats for so long - they are hard to keep wet in those plastic trays.


Susie - that is nice that you are supporting your hubby with his prep diet. Will make it easier for him I'm sure. I knew a girl who got herself a Tesla. She loved it too. I am totally against these self driving features - in my opinion it just enables distracted driving and the dumbing down of society. Except maybe for the parking assistant because let's face it, who can really parallel park I saw that The Book Club is on pay per view, I was planning on watching it also. People who saw it liked it. I am eagerly anticipating the return of the TV series Murphy Brown later in the month - always liked Candy Bergen's wit and delivery. Thanks for mentioning the goldenrod - it's all over here along the sides of the roads - no wonder we are all sniffling!!!


Shad - yes I do believe that Mel is still floating around, popping in at times to shake things up and remind us not to forget her. Congrats on the new car. That is the thing with new cars now - they are adding so many features that it's a whole lot more than just getting in and driving! I am still debating what to get myself - thanks to our "wonderful" leader - NOT - and his tariffs and retaliation, I guess I picked the wrong year to buy a new car as the prices have gotten driven up. Why are you going to Tasmania? Seems like you have the same issue with contractors and such that we do here. People are not reliable anymore. Thanks for the tip on the auto restore - I did notice it periodically saves our posts. Still wonky at times...


Ceejay - yay on the niece getting her act back together again! And just in time for you to stop travelling over the winter. The chili party you went to - was that the nephew who bought the mansion? Sounds like Miley is just as rambunctious as my Bimmy is. That is part of the issue of having a younger, more energetic cat. And if Bimmy doesn't burn off that extra energy - she tends to find ways to get herself in trouble. Sometimes it's better to get a 5 - 7 year old adult cat who is more calm.


Annie - saw the pic of you and Sassy on FB. Your new "makeup" looks great. I like the lip stain color. Now can they do something about the lip line shrinking / turning under. Seems our lips disappear as we age. I see these young girls with full pouty lips and I try to remember - like high perky boobs did we have fuller lips too? Some of them have unusually large lip lines. Vacation time is creeping up - are you ready for it? I hope you have good weather.


I think I'm going to shower up and then go meet DH at the Senior Center for lunch. Salad bar today. I am going to be frustrated on the ride over there because we both need new windshield wipers and I have reminded him at least 5 times about this. Several times when we were out and about and COULD have stopped at the auto parts store and picked them up. And now today it's raining which will make the drive more annoying. My husband is turning into one of those doddering old men and I hate it. I know if I go to the store myself he will tell me I got the wrong ones and when I ask him to put them on my car he will pout and say - well I need new ones too - why did you only get them for you??? Argh.


Anyway - have a good one everybody. Happy September.

Annie - I love hibachi Japanese style cooking. Haven't been to one since Memphis days but I think there might be a place up in Duluth. Love the ribs too although with keto, do you just do a dry rub and skip the sauce?

For all of you suffering with the heat and humidity - it's in the upper 60's here almost touching upper 40's at night and outside of the rain, dry here. There were times last week we were 30 degrees cooler than many of you. I think it's preferable to the blazing discomfort you are dealing with.

I think most of you saw that DH had his echo test today to see if he is clear for cardic clearance for his upcoming fistual repair. We should hear tomorrow. We really just want to get this other surgery over with.


Happy: That is a lot of volunteer hours to put in! You worked what I worked last month with the VP here.....and you didn't get paid! If I lived closer I would come over and shuck that corn...I love to do that...and snap beans too. It's the farm girl in me.


Anne: I love to play board games. I'm not very good at cards as I didn't play much more than Hearts when I was a kid, but I love to play games like that. I really like "The Book Club". We hae cable and I could rent it from there. It was very entertaining.


Shad: I wish I could hire you to paint my kitchen...do you do dry wall repair too? My contractor has given me a fair bid...I just wish I didn't have to spend the money. However, the kitchen hasn't been painted for 7 years and it is past time for sure so why not get it all done when he repairs the dry wall. Fresh paint will be nice in the kitchen. I am lucky I have a good contractor. I have had my share that don't show up.


Are you loving your new car? it is beautiful!. I am praying for good results from the blood test you had.


Laura: Good idea to put the Oreos in hidding and have to ask BF to get them for you. I have had to do things like that. Don't be too hard on yourself about the binge...you are doing very well and while you had a small set back you already have a plan to overcome it and not let it happen again.


Ceejay: how excitng that you are home and your niece has her driivng license back! What will you do with all your time now? Are you still playing the piano at church?


Hi Dee! Are you out there?

Happy Hump Day!!

Man time flies the older we get. Momma was right about that. Royce's first day of Pre-K is today. He is even more excited than Jacob ever was. He is in the afternoon class and doesn't go til noon. He told me so this morning. "Not just yet Nanna, in a little bit". Geez I love those boys.

Nine days till vacay. I am so looking forward to doing a whole bunch of NOTHING. Laying by the pool, floating on the lazy river. Eating seafood at EVERY meal if possible. Little iced tea drinks with umbrellas. Playing with the grands. Oh yeah.

Hey gotta go to the girls room will be back for personals and such.

Hugs.

Morning
Been a busy couple of days. Nephew called yesterday to see if I could go to their house to meet the internet service people. I did find my way out there and stayed until his wife got home. Later that afternoon nephew was working in the yard and some how got his foot under the lawn mower. He's minus a big toe. He was in surgery while ago but the surgeon decided to leave it open to let the infection drain and they will close it on Thursday.
Went to the gym yesterday and did 20 minutes on treadmill and 20 minutes on the bike. I've lost my fitbit again. I'm obsessed with that thing. I've been "trying" to lose these 50 pounds since 2002. I don't really have the mind set for losing the weight. I know I need to but..... I am getting better at exercising.

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Happy
Yes the chili supper was held at nephew's "mansion" It's beautiful out there. My goodness that is a lot of volunteer hours. But they were probably worth it. Miley is getting more vocal with her meows. Her favorite toy is hair ties.. I'm getting more used to her being around but I'm not sure if I'm ready to keep her. She loves it here.

Susie
Good news on DH's echocardiogram.

Annie
I do not like sea food. I'm dreading that part on my vacation. but hopefully there will be other choices.

More later. Need to get busy in the house. Before I was summoned to help my niece I was going through some stuff to donate so I'm going to work on that this morning then work in the yard later this afternoon.

Just can't today. Prayers please.

Annie - what's going on? and a few prayers too. I hope you are ok and those within your life.


Ceejay - that is HORRIBLE about your nephew's accident. OMG. Good for you for getting to the gym. Hopefully if you are home more often now, you can get into a routine. I know I need to incorporate exercise in order to lose and running around all over is just NOT doing it. I hear you on spending years trying to lose the same amount of weight.


Susie - I'm glad hubby got a clean bill of health on his pre-test. How's the adjusted diet you are doing working out for you?


Laura - often times I think it's better to buy the little snack packs of things so that they are self portioned. What is it about Oreos that makes them so good?


Hello Shad and Dee


Yesterday DH and I went to the agricultural farm (university extension) and picked up a bunch of produce for the Senior Center kitchen - tomatoes, red cabbage, red green and yellow bell peppers, some kale, cucumbers, string beans, cantaloupe melons, and kohlrabi. All free. All from their horticulture gardens. I could have taken more to share with our other meal sites but didn't want to be a hog. Then we stopped at at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and I purchased a couch and side table for the respite room at the Senior Center. The former director gave away the couch that was there (should not have) and they suspended respite for a while which people really depended on. It's for caregivers and until you've been one, you can't imagine how the idea of a few hours to yourself can be something you look forward to. So they are starting the program again soon which will be good. There is still so much chaos going on there - people are working so hard and they are about to burst from the strain. Breaks my heart so DH and I do what we can.


Things are a little quieter this week. I have to run to TOPS shortly and they head back and try and get some tomatoes or corn processed before I have to leave again for Bingo tonight. I sure would like to take 2 weeks off of bingo but we don't have enough workers to do that. I will talk to D tonight and see if we can work something out. Next week will be busy again - I stopped at the dentist yesterday and made an appointment to get my chipped tooth fixed. I am self conscious about it especially since people are asking me to be in pictures lately. One of my big things for early next week is getting that dumb colon test finished. It requires some advanced planning ...


Nothing else exciting to report so I will post this and try and find some lightweight clothing for weigh in today It was 39 degrees this morning. Fall is coming quickly. I sort of hate the idea of winter approaching - totally not ready for it and so much to think about and do including deciding if I want to get a new car.


Anyway - take care. I hope you are alright Anne

Annie
Hugs and prayers.

Happy
Glad to hear that things will be a bit more quiet for you this week. I'm hoping things will settle down for me to get into a routine. Miley loves it here. Wish I had some of that fresh garden produce. Hoping for the best at weigh in today.

Shad
I understand about doing for others just because other think you don't have anything else to do because you are retired.

Hi Laura and Susie
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I've been concerned about my nephew the past couple of days. I hate driving in the center of Springfield where the hospital is because of the traffic. I also have a feeling that I will be called upon to stay with him while he recovers. and I will if needed.
Can't decide whether to go to the gym or wait a bit later and do some yard work. I really need to work in the yard and put on some chicken to make some chicken stew.
This is about it for me.

Afternoon all.

Happy – I’m glad you had a peaceful Tuesday, hope it was peaceful the whole day! == Yikes, 86 hours!! I hope your September is calmer. == How are you doing with the laundry? That’s a LOT of loads. = We’ve also gotten a lot of rain. == I think it’s a good idea to cut your losses with the boat. And to get it out of sight and out of mind – I’m sure every time you see it sitting on your property, it bothers you. You don’t need that in your life (i.e.,getting more grief out of it than enjoyment). == I didn’t actually plant the window boxes themselves, I just cut the 8-pack flats down the middle so they were narrow strips of 4 plants each and put them into the boxes. I was amazed I’d kept them alive because I mostly forgot about them and they were watered only sporadically. They are somewhat leggy now, and they dry out quickly since each plant is in its own little plastic section…oh well, better late than never. They don’t have drainage holes, so until the flowers are done for the season, I open the kitchen window and bring the container inside from the window ledge, remove the 4-packs from the inside and water them in the kitchen sink. For next year, I’ll have bf drill drainage holes in them. I might also try to find some sturdy plastic containers to fit inside the metal container and act as a liner. == I do agree that I do better with individually packaged portions of the snacks. == Yikes, 39 degrees??!!

Annie – I hope everything is going okay with you and the family. Hang tough!! == Vacation coming up soon – I’m sure you are more than ready for some R&R.

Susie – I’m glad your dh came out okay for the surgery. It’ll be good to have that taken care of.

Ceejay – Oh how awful about your nephew’s toe! I wonder how long it will take for him to recover. == Do you at least like fish? == I bet now that your schedule is more open, you can get back to a routine for exercise, and eat at home more regularly.

Hi Dee, hi Shad.

==
My mom is having a procedure today to remove fluid from around her heart. She’s said she feels good, and hasn’t had any of the typical symptoms, but understands this is something more common in people who have had heart attacks (she had a minor heart attack a few years back). It’s hard to get an idea of how serious this is from talking with her, so I’ll probably have to talk to my sister about it. All I know right now is that her 1:30 appointment time was delayed until about 3:15. She wasn’t sure if she would have to stay overnight, but it is a possibility. Please keep her in your thoughts.

What else…Still watching the US Open tennis tourney. Also watched another episode of The Americans. It rained pretty good when I got off the train yesterday after work. Bf was there to pick me up. My bike is still locked in the shelter at the train station. Bf dropped me off this morning. I hope I can ride the bike home today.

I’m having asthma symptoms today and not feeling 100%. I’ll use my albuterol inhaler and hope that helps. I do plan to go work out tonight, but might have to ease up a bit. I’ve been trying to challenge myself with the resistance on the recumbent and upright stationary bikes.

That’s about it for me, so let me get this posted.

Morning all,
Annie - whatever it is, I hope you feel better this morning. I hope that Royce enjoyed his first day at school.

Ceejay - You seem to do as much for your family as I do for mine. It's good to have family isn't it. Although there are times when I would like to go back to bed and put my head under the pillow. Or shout and rage at them because they are being stupid.

Susie - I saw on Facebook that the DH got through his tests easily. Here's to the next stage of his health. How's the liquid diet going?
Yes, as well as sanding, sealing, painting, I do repair walls - had a big patch to do in the room I am doing now since with age and everything the plastering tape and some of the dry wall gave way when the electrician was fixing a new power point and I had a big hole to fix. All done and ready for paint. As the house ages, more and more maintenance becomes evident and it was built all that well in the first place - as the saying goes "built down to a price, not up to a standard'.

Happy - weather is great here at the moment. No humidity, cool nights, warm days - mid 70F to 80F. Remind me of that when I start whinging about the heat.
Why am I going to Tasmania? Well this is a trip I planned with my friend R years ago and for 1 reason or another, mainly our work, we never got there This will be my Christmas present to me. With airfares the way they are at the moment I should also dig into my flights to and from USA and Canada. It's coming into a price war out there. Asia and NZ are as cheap as, next on the list apparently is Europe with return airfares to Britain at under $1000. And soon we should hear about prices to the Americas.
Sorry to hear that DH is turning into a dodderer. Still he must still have his good points - you don't complain that often. Sometimes you just have to laugh. I don't have the problem.
Your Mum is becoming a problem tho' by the sound of it. What a shame you couldn't just pack her up and take her to that retirement home.
Your 'President' is trying to isolate the USA and make America great again. Unfortunately he and the likes of him, turned the financial sector into a global affair and none of us can get out of it lightly without incurring the wrath of the world and financial hardship. For a self professed genius, he sure doesn't look back to look forward.

Laura - hope you are enjoying not having the boss around. Things tend to go much more smoothly when they are not. We all used to heave a sigh of relief and get on with the job when that slimeball I used to call a boss wasn't around. Sounds like you are making progress on the paperwork around the house. I too have been checking it out and shredding a whole range of stuff that I no longer need. Only have to keep tax stuff for 5 years now and the majority of it is now online. I keep all the paperwork for 5 years so I can look back and see how much prices have risen or where I have strayed from the budget.
Hope the Oreos have now moved along. Perhaps I am fortunate in that I am not overly excited about sweet stuff. Occasionally I have a bit of a binge but not often and the soft drinks (sodas) are now down to 1 or 2 a month. That will probably rise in the summer. There are times when coffee, tea and water just do not cut it.

Right better get on with the day. It's supposed to be fine today, good time to get out in the yard. Cat has eaten so much this week that I will need to go down to the pet barn to get some more food for him. I see a couple of strawberries have ripened, it's a miracle. These plants are the ones I ripped out of the moving neighbours garden. I drilled holes in the bottom of the dogs old plastic pool and put some good soil in there. Then put the strawberry plants in that and filled up the bath with soil. They have prospered where I thought they might die off. And now I guess I will have to buy the dog another pool. He was too big to fit the small pool anyway. If he got the front half in, then the back half fell out. It was funny to watch
Today there is painting on the menu. Should finish the undercoat in the 3rd bedroom today and maybe get some undercoat on the hall wall. It's happening at last. Then I should go and do some shopping for food for the cat and maybe get out to pull some weeds which are getting out of control. Oh yes and order the fencing material from the quote I got the other day. That's enough to be going on with.

Laura - you were typing over my head. I hope your mum is okay. LOL on the planter boxes. I wouldn't mind a few window boxes myself but I only have a couple of windows that would take them. Oh well I'll see what I can do with those.