I’m running out of photos. It’s so frigging hot and humid out there that the windows are permanently steamy and it’s too miserable to be outside. Plus, if I take my camera outside, the lens immediately steams up. We’re supposed to get storms today (we had one during the night) and the weather will break for about two days, then we’ll be back up in the nineties.
I read an article in the NY Times this morning about the abnormally high temperatures in the northern half of our country – and not only here, but in Europe, as well. This does not bode well. Global warming is a reality. Climate change is real. I’m glad Scott Pruitt resigned, but he resigned because of the backlash against his corruption, not because of his attempts to undo everything that was in place to try to save our planet. His successor has the same mindset. Big business, big oil, coal – all of that is more important to these despicable people than the future of our planet and the world that we are leaving to our children and grandchildren.
This is the first summer in which I’ve felt truly alarmed about the weather. We’ve had three long periods of abnormally high temperatures and it’s just the beginning of July. This is not normal.
The mystery plant is definitely Meadowsweet or Filipendula ulmaria. I assume it self-seeded several years ago. I’m so grateful it did. I really love this plant, and as it’s getting bigger every year, it’s become more beautiful.
I cannot tell you how many weeds there are here and it’s been too hot to pull them. I did mow the corral and the back forty yesterday. I also did some weed whacking. It needed to be done and I want the property to look nice for Don’s homecoming. But it really tired me out.
Last night, I found myself thinking that Don had a 7:00 curtain, before I remembered the show had closed. I suspect it was strange for him as well.
Today: recycling and getting things together here in the house for Don’s re-entry. Tomorrow, I head off to NYC, driving the old CR-V (wish me luck) into Manhattan.
Note the bee on the left.
I finished another book; John Connolly’s latest, The Woman in the Woods. As always with Connolly’s books, it was excellent. I’m officially reading again and that makes me so happy. Staying away from 24 hour news, taking a few minutes to catch up on the headlines, and reading fiction = my recipe for a modicum of peace of mind. I’m aware. I know what’s going on. I’m making phone calls, signing petitions, and am ready to march if needed. But the rest of the time, I need to chill.
Happy Friday.
Our garden too is clogged with weeds because it’s just too darned hot out there. Plus we’ve had an abnormal amount of deer and I’m kind of frightened of what might be lurking. Wisconsin is considered “hot spot” for Lyme Disease and that means it has to get a lot cooler before I don long sleeves to pull weeds. Thank you for the Meadowsweet info. This little white things began appearing last year and we were wondering what that pretty little flower was. Safe travels to you.
We are also a hot spot for Lyme. Almost everyone here has had it at least once.
I love the meadowsweet and I hope you’re enjoying it, too.
I have a cousin in Michigan who I’ve only recently ‘met’ thru phone/mail who contracted Lyme disease hiking in upstate NY in her 20s and that was 25 years ago. She had to halt her career and is apparently just continually ill ever since. I’m so confused as to how it leaves some people somewhat unscathed and then others so sick. Is it because some people’s immune systems or basic health just fight it differently? I really need to read up on it. I don’t understand the disease; I’m out West and I’ve never known or heard of anybody out here ever getting it.
The heat has been terrible. I’m hoping for a break this weekend. Bittersweet to have Don coming home. Thinking of you both.
Thank you, Linda.
i share your concerns about climate change (among other things) and don’t understand how some people deny it. my boss, for example, has several special reasons to think about the future of our world (her two children and three grandchildren) yet won’t recycle … even though it’s less than 20 steps from where we eat to get to the bin. ugh!
glad you are taking time to rest, cool off and do things you enjoy … so important!
i don’t have cable tv so my opportunities for watching the news are limited and i am fine with that. while there’s a couple shows i’d like to see and cable would improve my tv reception (i live at the base of a hill with lots of trees and wires around so even the local channels don’t always come in very good). i know in times like these it would be far too easy for me to stay glued to the tv. silver lining to the cost of cable around here. :)
best wishes on the move-out … cooler weather, safety on the stairs and driving, good parking and knowing more good things are ahead for you and don (because they are)!
kathy in iowa
It will be cooler when we move Don out, but it will also be tough – emotionally and physically.
Good Morning. I just wanted to say, I think both of you are doing so well getting through the closure of the show. Such a difficult time but you have kept on your feet and doing the work you want to get done for when Don gets home. I can imagine the look on his face when you two pull into the driveway and the yard looks so beautiful. And the house so clean. And how good you will feel when you hear music being played in the living room. And you both just spend your time moving around each other and chatting. And trying to find some pleasant weather so you can run outside and do some work, but don’t forget bells on your shoes and sing the entire time to scare off the bear. I saw Don on the Capital 4th. All of the cast did so well and Don looked so great. I would have never known how all their hearts are breaking if I hadn’t read your blog. Talk about “the show must of on.” You and they are all in my prayers.
It’s been so tough on the cast and they really did have to say a final goodbye to each other (as castmates) after A Capital Fourth. Very emotional.
The temp this morning when we awoke, was 59. Needless to say….the windows are wide open. I know it won’t last…but for a few precious hours…it’s positively heavenly. I’m thinking this is going your way….hoping it’s going your way. Sadly, we didn’t get any rain….it was all hit or miss…and we missed.
Weeds….ah weeds. We did finish the big round of weeding before the 4th. That was our goal. Now, it’s just maintenance. I’m hoping to be able to stay on top of it this time.
Yes…it was good to hear of Pruitt ‘s leaving…but it does nothing to change all the harm he has done. His replacement isn’t any better. And, I get worried too….about the continued heat waves. It is so hard not only on us..but the wildlife, too. And, there seems to be no relief in sight for most. I consider this morning, a gift!
You will probably need a good long rest after moving Don back home…those stairs! I wish you a safe journey…and lots of energy….I think you’re going to need it! ;)
Still humid here, and raining off and on. Tomorrow will be better. Not looking forward to moving Don out of his building, but we’ll survive.
I know you’re not looking forward to moving Don out..but, I know you’ll do it with grace! ;)
I’ll try. Sigh. xo
Claudia, I do believe in global warming, very much. We humans have taken too much from this earth. Glad you got some chores done…but oh my gosh this heat is an energy drainer. I do wish you and Don great luck. Also to moving trip. I just had to put $650. in my jeep on the brake system. Bummer. Blessings to you , stay cool, xoxo, Susie
p.s. I keep thinking about that bear you saw. :(
Thank you, Susie!
what a little Trumpian twerp was Scott Pruitt. and since he’s from my state which is all about ‘big oil’ and forget about the planet OR anything but the $$$ I doubt we will see the last of his horrible devastation of sound and helpful policies. just as you say. they’ll simply find someone to replace him… and possibly for the worst. will this nightmare ever end?
will be thinking of you and Don this weekend. XOXO
Thank you, Tammy.
Hello Claudia
You and Don have been much in my thoughts as you described so well the reality of the unwelcome and premature ending of ETM
I have not commented earlier as I have had my own profoundly distressing ending this week- my darling ginger cat- full name John Smith the Lady cat ( named after the best Labour leader whose premature death meant he did not become Prime Minister)- became very ill last Thursday and died in my arms today. I hope you don’t mind me intruding with my own grief, but wanted somehow to “share “ her with the commmity you sustain on your blog
Our pain will pass- but we will remember
Siobhan xx
Oh, Siobhan, I am so sorry to hear of your sweet cat’s passing. It’s the most painful thing, to lose a beloved pet. I’ve been there too many times and the heartbreak is huge and overwhelming. The comfort – if there is any – is that your darling was in your arms and knew she was loved. I’m sending my love across the sea.
I’m glad you shared it here. It helps to share it, to reach out and express your grief. We are here for you. xoxo
Oh, Siobhan, my comment is below yours and I am bemoaning the fact that we lost a dear old elm tree today. It is NOTHING compared to the loss of a furry member of the family. I am so sorry for you. Allow yourself time and grace as you mourn your loss. ♡
Thank you Chris
Thank you Claudia for your kind words ( you always have kind words ) and for allowing me to share John with you.
She was awesome. I will miss her forever x
I know. xo
Siobhan, deepest sympathies for the loss of your beloved kitty; it’s awful to lose them. My thoughts are with you and your family. My experience with ginger cats, who seem to be largely males, is that they are such big ‘orange’ loves and often ‘talkers’ (vocal!). Mom adopted a ginger when he was like age 11 or so after his elderly owner had passed. It was so hard to coax him out of the house where he’d always been, but we eventually got him to make the transition successfully and he was good company for my mother. I, too, adopted a ginger when, get this, he was age 15 after his owner died and the spouse just LEFT him, moved, saying the cat was mostly feral which just wasn’t true; he came into my rear yard, that spot of gingery-orange in the green plants, and just stared me down til I figured out what was happening. So, was able to get him to the vet, cleaned up, immunized and he actually lived another couple of years. Didn’t warm up to me for a long, long time, yet would come when I called him. He had a companion cat, same age, littermates and she was blind; little thing, was the runt. I took her in, too. She counted on her big orange brother to lead her around. They were precious to watch; how he helped her. I love to remember it now, and I hope that, in time, your memories, too, can help comfort you although, of course, right now, you’d rather have your cat than memories. Heartfelt, healing wishes to you.
Thank you Vicki..,miss her so much
Dear Siobhan,
Condolences for this sudden heartbreak and passing of your dear furry friend,John,
May you be held gently and feel loved and supported in your grieving. And yes, you will
forever know her in your heart.
So sorry and much love
Thank you
She is missed
to siobhan …
i am sorry for the sadness and losses you feel now with the passing of your sweet john smith the lady cat. when that very bittersweet time had to come, you two were together and i am glad for that for you both as she knows you love her and you could provide some comfort. may you be comforted now by all the happy memories you’ve shared.
kathy in iowa
ps: claudia does have a wonderful group of people here, doesn’t she? (thanks, claudia, for being you and for all you share!)
pss: i’ve always greatly liked the name “siobhan” and am now adding “john smith the lady cat” to that list. :)
She was an amazing cat who deserved an amazing name- she was so loved
I am so sorry to hear about your sweet ginger kitty…I too have been through the loss of kitties and I know that it does get better but they will always be alive in your head and your heart….Sometimes I take a bit of time to visit them there and remember all of the wonderful things about them…Take care Siobhan…
She gave so much joy
Along with this very tough summer, we had an incredibly long winter. People who deny climate change must live in a (nut) shell. Did you happen to see that bizzaro letter Pruitt penned? They are all nuts. And I can’t even think about the people who happily attend those “rallies” where he stands up there and spits venom. The one last night was enough to make me get sick to my stomach. I turned off the TV this AM after about 48 seconds of the crap he spews.
I have been crying all morning as the village has taken down a huge elm tree at the end of our driveway. It was one of the last ones remaining in town. A huge split developed in the trunk over the last couple of weeks, and there was no choice. I think of the nests in that tree and the birds and squirrels who have lived there. Not to mention the shade it has afforded our family for over 66 years. I can’t even go out there to look. We have cooler temps today, so all of the windows are open and I can hear those horrid chain saws. sigh.
I will be thinking about you both this weekend. Seriously, nothing is easy any longer, is it?
Oh, I feel for you. When we had to have our weeping willow taken down, I had to leave the house for the day. I was so bereft. Trees are living beings, with energy and, I do believe, emotions/feelings. I felt like I was betraying our willow, but it had roots in our septic system, so it had to come down. I’m still not over it.
It’s a big loss, my friend. I’m so sorry.
And Claudia, i feel for you. You are sensitive and attuned to our beautiful natural world and that allows you to feel the losses deeply. And those special bonds stay alive in our hearts opening the way for the bittersweet emotions and thankfully love.
You and Don are facing another big transition and i pray it may go over as well as possible.
Remember to pace yourselves! All the best and much Love
We will. It will be a little cooler, which will help. Thank you, Grace.
Dear Chris, This is so difficult and your grief on the loss of your dear elm reflects your connection to this magnificent being. Please feel held and supported in your mourning.
much Love
no judgment here, either (loss is loss; sadness is sadness) … just a virtual hug if you want one and a hope that you give yourself some of that kindness you give to others.
kathy in iowa
Thanks so much, Kathy. Since we are in the house my husband’s parents built 80 years ago, and that tree was nearly 70 years old, it really does feel like part of our home and family is missing right now. I will take the hug.
Thank you, Grace. I just can’t stop crying. I think it is an accumulation of many things in the world going on, but having that tree taken down has taken me to my limit. I feel empty. Several people have stopped by, and remarkably, everyone has said “we are so sorry”. That gives me some hope.
Chris, I am SO sorry you’ve lost your elm. I am A Tree Person! When I was growing up in the neighborhood I’m currently in, every house in the subdivision got a elm tree planted in the front yard. And over the years, people took them down due to roots and plumbing issues, caterpillar invasion and other disease which I think hit many elms across America. We had only ONE elm remaining out of 50 homes. The house which had it needed a lot of work; had been a foreclosure in The Recession. A realtor finally came in and rehabbed the house very thoughtfully; worked hard to save more than one tree on the property and the elm was one of them. It was doing so well, green and beautiful again. From my childhood in the 1950s! Always had the best shade to play under on a hot summer day. And the people who lived so long in the house were a wonderful family; I was pals with the daughter and my brother was pals with the son; awesome mother and father. A nice young couple moved in after this house was so beautifully remodeled (this was about two years ago), and the first thing they did, in the first week they were there, was cut down the tree. My husband asked why and they said it was blocking the street light and they didn’t feel safe in ‘the dark’. But her dad is an insurance agent and I think he told her they wouldn’t want the liability of tree roots intruding into the city pipes. I have mourned the loss of that tree ever since. I feel it was completely unnecessary and very wrong to cut down that tree. Had it been a sycamore or oak, they wouldn’t have been allowed to cut it down as we have a city ordinance here that protects those two species.
I feel for you; I really do. We NEED trees for a hundred reasons. Sigh. Chris, you’ve made me spring tears; seriously, I am crying. I see it all over my town; people are constantly cutting down trees (why? WHY???), yet we’ve already lost so many, especially the oak trees and eucalyptus here in SoCalif, since we’ve gotten in such bad drought over the past years, not to mention the wildfire in December. I take the loss of a tree to heart; any tree. Take care; I’m thinking of you…
I can’t fathom a reason to cut a tree down in an already built neighborhood, with the exception of root problems with plumbing (my daughter had a willow like Claudia did that had to come down for the same reason), when there is such damage that it is a threat to safety, and for dead and diseased trees. Sadly, that was the reason today. And it happened so quickly from the day we noticed the split about 9 days ago to the tree seriously in distress the past couple of days. The village guys went up in the “contraption” and looked through the branches very carefully. They assured my husband, because I surely wasn’t watching this process, that they saw no nests with frightened young ones. They always replant when they have to take one down, so they said they will call me in Sept to tell me the choices I have for a new tree. On the other side of our house the street is a “canopy” street with large very old trees that meet in the middle and form a beautiful canopy down the length of the street. None are elms. If and when they start having to come down, it will be a bit of a tragedy to lose any of them.
Well at least you live in a ‘civilized’ place where they replant; that’s wonderful. Here, the trees go down and nobody seems to ever replant. I’ve been holding my breath that a neighbor doesn’t take to cutting down or trimming back a tree that has a blue jay nest (he’s been saying he would, to put a shed there instead). Fortunately, they’re so busy with family/kids’ summer activities, church/holiday-vacation, etc. that they haven’t been paying much attention to their yard. I, too, always think about the lost habitat. So, I’m glad their ‘shed’ has been on hold…
We had a street in my town with an oak canopy as you discuss; was used in many a TV commercial, TV show and film (we have proximity to L.A./Hollywood/Burbank so we’re a convenient small-town-look location for this sort of thing). The oaks lined the city portion of the street on the other side of the sidewalk. The city couldn’t water because of water restriction in the last couple of years (severe drought). The hand wasn’t talking to the foot, I guess. Because homeowners were restricted but not forbidden to use water and in fact the city encouraged us to water/deep soak twice a week during certain hours, the homeowners could have come to the rescue of these trees when the city couldn’t due to the State’s orders for local govts to conserve. For whatever reason, the homeowners on this street didn’t help out and several of the oak trees died even after there’d been an article in the newspaper which cited professional gardeners’/landscaping companies’ pleas to residents to not forget about our trees. So, we no longer have our famous canopy. Which had been lucrative not only for these homeowners but also for our city, with film company fees (they pay big to shoot scenes here). The old Craftsman-style houses on that street needed the softening of those trees; they don’t nearly appear as nice now, those houses or that street. It would have been so simple to just throw the garden hose over a couple of feet to water a tree which had been there since about 1888-1910 era. Instead, the poor things just couldn’t survive. I realize these homeowners had probably never had occasion to even think about ever having to water those trees, but do they have a brain? Could they read a newspaper? What about common sense?
Let us know what tree you pick come September. I want to hear how things turn out.
There is a glimmer of hope here in my red red state (Texas) . Beto O’Rourke is running against Ted Cruz, and what is hopeful, he has a chance. I’m going to put all my energy toward that…for now. I encourage everyone to make sure that this year they are registered to vote…check with your county Clerk’s office…they aren’t so busy this time of year. Don’t wait until the November election, or show up expecting to vote only to find you are not registered. Better yet….vote early. Phone in or attend town halls, just as the gun lobbyists do and ask the hard questions….about climate change, a woman’s right to choose, equal pay, immigration rights, and more. Don’t be afraid, there are, I think, more us than we think. I hope so.
Melissa
I love Beto O’Rourke. I would love nothing more than to see him beat Cruz.
We keep fighting.
I understand why you ladies are upset about losing trees….Trees are beautiful living things that are so important to life on Earth….I remember one specific neighborhood tree from my childhood…all of the kids would climb up in it and play in and around it…It is no longer there and I wonder how many of the other kids still remember the fun we had with that tree…Claudia…I know that you are getting ready to do something that you dread doing and that is always so hard but you and Don will face it and get through it together…because that is the kind of people you are and that is the kind of love that you share…Hugs to you both….you will be in my thoughts and my heart ❤….
I’ve not called Don during the day today because I know he is probably trying to drink in the city while he’s still living there. The very thought of it breaks my heart. Thanks, Nancy.
I’ve been trying to cool down for an hour since having to be out in our SoCalif heat til 11am; I had appointments and errands I couldn’t change today although I tried to move things around to better times (morning) but, bottom line, I shouldn’t have been out in it because I feel lousy at the moment. It’s 109 as I write this and the Nat’l Weather Service has AGAIN upped our max temp today to 115 degrees (F) and I’m actually astounded because it has NEVER been this hot, ever, in my town.
Breaking my heart, I saw a homeless guy on the boulevard trying to get to a fast-food restaurant because I think he and his dog were about to collapse. The dog wasn’t leashed and was making a beeline for the roof overhang/shade of the building…and I watched as the homeless guy went into the restaurant and came out with water for the dog and himself but, you know, I do know of this guy and he’s ‘mental’ and I don’t think he has the capability of understanding that the pavement/asphalt is too hot for the pads of the dog’s feet. We don’t have any water in our river or creek so the homeless people are clearly suffering; we have no cooling shelter in our town.
Curiously, we’re hovering at 40 percent humidity and we were supposed to be much lower – – the hope is it will get down to more like 10 percent by mid-afternoon – – so that’s making everything worse but I know you have it as bad/worse, Claudia (and all of the other readers, mostly, because ‘they’ say we have this giant plume of heat bearing down on the whole U.S.). Maybe it was the same article you read. If not climate change, then what the heck is it, I ask. Red-hot planet burning up; and I’m where we never got out of the drought, praying, praying we don’t have another wildfire like we did in December. My best friend in Ventura of California just sold her cleared lot, isn’t rebuilding, still trying to find somewhere to live/buy although she’s in a rental; life topsy-turvy, really hard when you’re pushing age 70 and you’ve got your 95-yr-old mother living with you, too. That wildfire ruined a lot of people’s lives and last time I went to Ventura to survey any of the burned areas, which is emotionally very hard to do and my husband refuses to go, I thought there was very little progress and not a lot of rebuilding; yet. Everything takes so much time and of course try to find a licensed contractor when hundreds and hundreds of people lost their homes and are all needing the same kinds of workers.
I do wish you a speedy pack-up/move-out in Manhattan and that you & Don can get out of there, home, to rest and recover and readjust without any big drama/hitches in the going and coming to/from The City. Smooth sailing, my prayer for you! Still will be hot and it’s a lot of carrying up and down stairs; you two will be SO tired when you finally get back to the cottage; really will have to take it easy. If you did nothing else between now and then, Claudia, you’ve done wonders with your yard and Don will need that peaceful surrounding; beautiful environment.
I’m with you; I’m worried about the climate/weather and I have been for awhile now. I can’t depend on anything I ever knew about it, in where I live; only to anticipate that, from now on, we get hotter & hotter and for more & more months of the year. Yuck! We keep saying to each other, husband and I now, that we’re staying, will age in place (has been a HUGE decision for us), but the heat/drought in SoCalif is still a scary proposition. I watched one of those HGTV shows – – neverending shows about people looking for houses to buy to where I get so bored with it other than to see the locales of where they’re doing it – – and it was a small family looking to relocate to Washington state near the Canadian border, on the ocean and a view of the San Juan Islands; seemed gray and overcast. Was very appealing! I like to be cool. Sigh.
We have a dear friend who lives in Ventura. He and his wife just moved there a year or so ago. They love it there. But the fire came very close to their home. It’s terribly frightening and unnerving.
Something that made me feel just sick was when my friend’s realtor put her lot up for sale and, online, in all the real estate company listings like Zillow, Redfin, etc., there were multiple (like 20) photos of the property along with some incredible aerials which must be from a drone. I could then see lot after lot cleared and get a whole diff sense of how different the landscape looks but also just how many houses, in her neighborhood alone, were lost. It looked like a patchwork quilt, with every other ‘square’ being a vacant one; again, made me sick to my stomach; the loss is tremendous. Each of those ‘squares’ had a house on it, and I knew those houses; I knew them well. The people who live next door to my friend, whose house survived, had houses on either side of them burn down as well as the one across the street; from above, their house looks like an island and, of course, they lost ALL their landscaping and the house did have some damage. Any surviving house has had to be professionally ‘cleaned’ from top to bottom, with insulation ripped out, etc. The smell is just too intense. I love Ventura; I would love to live in Ventura (I can’t afford it now; selling prices of homes/condos are thru the roof); and I actually HAVE lived in Ventura three different times in my life. It’s a lovely family beachside community and they have been SO wounded.
It’s getting pretty weedy here too Claudia….just too dang hot! I’m greatly limiting the news also. It helps to have our 3 granddaughters with us weekdays during the summer. They are 13, 9, and 6. So the news stays off and we stay busy. The plus to this hot summer here in W. Michigan is that it has been really great beach weather. Lake Michigan has been almost 80 degrees which is about as warm as it gets. And I’ve found my reading mojo again too…just in time for beach reading.
I will be thinking of you and Don as you pack up and move on with life after ETM. Safe travels Claudia.
I’ve been thinking about water; lakes, the ocean – all day today. I miss the lakes of my childhood in Michigan (my dad’s family had a cottage on a lake) and I lived in San Diego for 8 years. I’m really missing it. And I thought a lot about Michigan – Lake Michigan, northern Lake Erie, where my parents lived for several years. I’m feeling restless and I need to be near the water. And a river doesn’t count. Thanks, Marilyn.
maybe there’s one silver lining about “etm” – if you and don can soon take a trip to a lake or ocean and enjoy the water, being together, just being …
sending hopes for that and many other good things to come your way …
kathy in iowa
Well, I have friends who made a big life decision to move to Traverse City and they’ve never regretted it but they started out as Midwesterner kids who definitely knew what a rough, snowy winter is like – – although I haven’t been there myself, I see the photos and her paintings, and the dunes with that vast lake make it SEEM like the ocean they left here in SoCalif. And they apparently, as a town, celebrate the arts and there’s also the big agricultural presence, too, with vineyards and orchards…and of course the cherries they’re known for…
It’s lovely there. But it’s very, very cold and wintry come winter time. I was born and raised in Michigan and I’ve spent time – sometimes long periods – in most of its various climates. That wind off the lake is also tough. My parents lived at the tip of the lower peninsula for 18 years. I did not like visiting in the winter.
The news has been so awful that I’ve decided to really start reading again too.
Just finished And Then We Danced by Henry Alford. What a fun book about his taking Zumba classes at age 50 and continuing on with all kinds of dance classes. Tap, ballet, jazz…contact improv. That’s a new one to me. But it was fun to read about his taking classes at Luigi’s Jazz Centre in the city because I went there as a teenager. Brought back lots of memories! If I could only move like that again.
Welcome home Don. Phins up! Hope to see you both around the “hood”.
Glad plant mystery is solved!
I just read an amazing book- The Overstory by Richard Powers. It’s about the relationship with have with trees and each other. Fiction with facts. Very powerful.
I’m so sorry about the show being cancelled but glad he will be home to enjoy our porch and gardens for part of the summer.
Thank you, Betsy.