Haunted Lemons

Well nothing TOO exciting to report the last few days.  Frankly,  Amber’s been recovering from her surgery,  and I’ve been trying (with the help of some friends and my son) to keep up with the chores,  and giving the horses their attention!

But we did have one fun thing this week.  We thought you all may get a kick out of it.

A couple things to set the mood.  One of Amber’s traits,  is she will hoard a “fast food” drink forever. Literally.  She’s like a survivor of the great depression.  If there’s ONE sip in it,  the cup stays in the fridge.  I’m the exact opposite.  Maybe because I like fresh soda.  If it’s an old warm drink,  out it goes.  Even a couple hours old.   Another thing.  I HATE signing up on manufacturer websites.  With the exception of entering Coke points,  I’m not big on giving away all my personal info to any company.  It’s a sure recipe for your inbox getting nuked with spam.

Well,  it’s late in the evening.  I’m about to log off.  Amber strolls up and gives me a week old Subway cup.  It’s the usual.  Enter a code on their website.  Give them all your personal info.  Then you MAY have a chance at winning.

Frankly,  I was rather irritable.  But I figured, phooey.  She’s sick,  I’ll be a good sport.  But I wasn’t really.  I mumbled to myself the whole time I entered the info.  Then we waited on my blazing high speed (sarcasm) internet for the flash page to load.  5 minutes later,  we were ready to play a game.   Odds of winning?  Nationwide – 75 winners for lifetime subs.  10 winners for a family dinner.  200 meal winners.  2000 “Eat Fresh” tshirts.  You get the idea.

So we start playing a version of plinko.  You drop the coin,  it bounces around,  lands in a cup below.  ALL of our trys bouncing into the “try again” cup.  I’m laughing,  shaking my head.  Told ya so!   Yeah.  Until the last coin.

BOOM.  Free Subs for a year!  Unreal.  Essentially this translates to $260.00 on a Subway gift card.  SO yes,  Amber was right,  I was wrong.  We’re gonna be eating fresh for awhile.

So our good luck at winning stuff continues.  Last year it was Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream for a year… this year it’s Subway!

We heard about this on the news and thought we’d take the trip to “town” to check it out.  Especially as we had to go in anyway and take Chris to his pre-boot camp training at the recruiters.

A warning in advance for those sensitive to such things as gore, murder, mayhem and the like.  Some of these images and or topic can be disturbing and graphic, so wade in carefully and at your own risk!

LAPD Homicide Exhibit at the Palms Casino

As you can see from the sign…  this was the largest exhibit yet of homicide evidence displayed publicly from LA(s) history.

Charles Manson's Ford

While there were a lot of exhibits to view,  the Manson family attracted the most onlookers.  It was especially poignant to us as we’d visited Manson’s Barker ranch before.  Check it out HERE if you’d like to see that trip as well!  Pictured above was Manson’s Ford Fairlane that he loaned to Tex Watson to drive the night of the Tate murders.  It’s rather eerie just being that close to something that “real” if you take my meaning.

Marilyn Monroe's deathbed

Other evidence collected at the museum display was from cases including Marilyn Monroe,  the Black Dahlia murder,  OJ Simpson, Robert Kennedy, and more…

Gloves from the OJ Simpson trial

I have read that the display has been controversial with some of the victims families.  That is a valid point to consider.  Robert Kennedy’s son actually had his father’s suit removed from the display.  He had stated that he didn’t feel it proper to have “gamblers & tourists” gawking at it.  One can see that point.

Fork used in the Manson Family murder of the Labianca's

However,  while it is hard to describe the “mood” of anything,  the overall attitude of these “tourists” were not at all disrespectful when we went.  Despite the raucous atmosphere of the Palms,  (and I can say that because I worked there 3 years),  inside the venue was a quiet and thoughtful polite group of people.  Almost like attending a wake.  I found almost everyone to be overly polite and even for myself,  the “realism” does in fact shock you.

The rope used in the murder of Sharon Tate by the Manson family...

So to our opinion,  while it could seem to some that crime & murder is being “glamorized”  Los Angeles  police chiefs and district attorneys said it best.  The display seeks to depict the horror of homicide in an effort to deter violence.  Homicide is by nature horrific,  but the entertainment community portrays it as benign and sterile.  When people see the reality of murder, it becomes an unthinkable act.

1997 North Hollywood shootout

Of course it was educational as well.  How?  Well Chris and I learned how to push Amber’s wheelchair in the thickest of Las Vegas foot traffic without barking anyones shins,  that’s how!

Weapons collected from the N. Hollywood shootout

Well yes,  that,  but also the N. Hollywood shootout.  Amber remembers this (as do I) vividly.  Though it happened in 1997,  Amber was more involved than I as she was residing in LA when it occurred.  We both remember watching it on the television and being shocked by these guys holding off the police in a public shootout for 45 minutes!   But our son had never heard of it!  Amazing until you consider that at 18 years old,  he was only 5 when it happened.

Revolver and hat belonging to the killer of Bill Cosby's son

Whatever your thoughts may be on the subject,  we all have our own opinions I guess.  As a history nut,  it’s fascinating to me.  My own father refused to spend the $5 necessary to visit Jesse James home in Missouri saying it’s better to not glamorize villains.  Regardless,  those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

Photos from the Black Dahlia murder

We have tried to leave out any truly offensive or disturbing photos for those who are not interested in this type of thing.  Completely understandable!

For those with a further interest,  we have compiled the full collection of photos we took (72 in all)  and put them on Photobucket.  So head on over and check it out.  Again, please be advised these are not for the sensitive natured soul!    HOMICIDE EXHIBIT PHOTOS HERE

The farrier came by yesterday to work on our herd.  The first horse to be worked on was Sullivan and he played with Bill and the farrier.  He wouldn’t hold still until he realized that we were taking off his shoes, then his whole attitude changed.  He sighed and held all of his other hooves politely.

Sully says: "Ahhhhh, no shoes feels so good!"

Next came GumbyBear [also known as Disco Gumby].  He’s got a club foot and so he gave the farrier and Bill a bit of trouble when they tried to trim that hoof.  Gumby was also having a tough time with Sundance trying to lean over the rail and bite him in the bum.  I went into Sundance’s stall to move her off the rail, and she wouldn’t move so I gave her a swat in the rump.  She flattened her ears and lifted a back hoof like she was going to strike me with it, but then she dropped the hoof and moved over when I growled at her.  She came over to apologize for forgetting her manners, and I let her grovel for a minute or two before I forgave her.

Gumby was a little worried about having his hooves trimmed

Next came Smokem; who I’ve been calling Mochie lately.  As the farrier pulled each of her shoes off, she would set her hooves down very tenderly.   The farrier exited the stall, and Bill took off her halter then turned to leave when Mochie started cavorting, hopping, spinning and leaping all over the stall.  The farrier thought Mochie was trying to kick Bill since Sundance thought about kicking me, but Bill and I agreed that it was just her showing how nice it is to be barefoot!  Mochie spent serious cuddle time with me while they moved on to Traveller’s stall.

Traveller got himself in position and then fell asleep.  The only problem they had was when Trav’s head dropped too far down and he startled himself a bit.  Once he realized Bill was standing there, Trav tucked his head in Bill’s arm and went back to sleep.  Yeah, he’s the farrier’s favorite.

Joon posing for her close up

The farrier brought an assistant [his daughter] with him to help hold the horses, but she was so excited about the goats that she forgot about helping after Sullivan.  I can’t blame her, they are fun to hang out with.

Benny & Joon begging to be let out ... I couldn't resist those faces

The farrier will come back in three weeks to do the other horses.  I’m pretty impressed with three out of the four horses he worked on.  I see I have a bit of work to do with Gumby … I just assumed that since he was already barefoot and 7 years old that he’d had enough trims in his lifetime that he’d handle this with no issues.  I can handle lifting a few hooves every other day and spending time my four legged buddies!

I woke up on Tuesday with the urge to ride … and not just the 10 minute around the property type riding I’ve been doing the last month or so.  I wanted a big-girl ride where we ventured off into new areas and I could have enough time to really enjoy my horse.  Bill called Wade and asked him if he’d like to join us [Wade is our riding buddy that we go on the trail rides with because his horses are rock solid trail riders with no confidence issues], and Wade popped his horse into the trailer and was at our house before I even finished brushing my teeth!

I had wanted to ride Sullivan because I figured he’d be the most laid back horse of the group, but Bill assured me that Sully wasn’t as mellow as he pretends to be.  So I looked down the row and thought about taking out Smokem.  The thought of her under saddle made me tired though … she requires an active rider and I really wanted a “push-button” type ride.  So I ended up in Gumby’s stall.

He actually seemed excited, but not in a bad way.  This was our first adventure together off the property and in the bitless bridle.  He stood still for saddling and mounting and greeted Wade’s horse April in an appropriate manner, so I felt good about riding him.  Bill saddled up big Sullivan and off we went!

Gumby tucked in right behind April and gave me the most pleasurable ride I’ve had to date.  He tripped over his front hooves once and planted his muzzle in the sand, but he recovered smoothly and neither one of us were injured.  There was a point on the ride where Sully pushed Gumby into some thigh-high pricker bushes, and Gumby stood stock still so I could pull the prickers out of his side, rump and tail.  Such a nice boy!  He climbed sand dunes, stared down horse eating tires and discarded mattresses, faced feral dogs, went through some confining passes, and handled the windy day like an absolute champ.  I was about in tears during the ride because I was so grateful to this little guy for taking such good care of me.

Gumby and Amber posing for pictures

After 45 minutes I felt wilted.  I was having a great time, but this was the most I’d been out in three months and I was tiring quickly.  I dropped Gumby’s reins, placed my hands on either side of his neck and closed my eyes.  He  stayed between Sullivan and April and took me home without picking up his pace at all.  I slid out of the saddle and my legs went jello-like.  Man, how quickly my body forgets what riding is like!  I untacked Gumby in the front yard while he stood at liberty, then walked him to his stall.  He nuzzled me on the shoulder and put himself away.  He’s such a good horse.

I went in the house and got Gumby, April and Sullivan some baby carrots as a thank you for the ride.  Gumby doesn’t look like he’s ever had a carrot before, so it was interesting to watch his reaction.  Sullivan decided to skip the carrot and eat my peanut butter granola bar instead.  I tried to explain that the granola bar was for me, but he didn’t care … he told me to eat his carrot stick and we’d be even.  *grins*

Got any more granola bars?

I went over to Smokem’s stall to say hello, and she rubbed her cheek alongside my face.  I forget she’s such a sensitive horse, and that taking Gumby out would make her worry.  She checked me over to make sure I was ok, then nuzzled me some more like I was a filly that had gotten out of mom’s sight.  I feel truly blessed to have these horses in my life and am glad they take such good care of me!

So I had surgery yesterday and am hanging out in the hospital today.  Since I’m confined to bed rest, they’ve got me in these plastic boots that fill up with air and then release the pressure once a minute on each leg.  It’s to prevent blood clots, but I think they’re kind of funky looking.

So you combine these boots with the morphine I get to take for pain, and you get some rather odd dreams.  First the boots started out as my special Olympic ice skating shoes … I didn’t win the gold [heck, I don't think I even finished, it was all about finding an outfit to match those white boots with their bright orange trim].  Then they were space boots and I was bouncing around on the moon where I had a picnic with Wallace and Gromit.

Wallace & Gromit on the moon ... for our picnic! Glad I had the proper footware

Then they turned into bubble blowing boots and I was leaving a trail of bubbles behind me every time I took a step.  That was kind of fun!  In my last dream I was the big ghost from GhostBusters … you know, the rather “fluffy” one …

Hey! He's wearing my boots!

It was fun to smoosh cars … especially the ice cream trucks [they make a great popping sound and wrappers fly out the windows].

Needless to say I stopped taking the morphine … I needed the sleep more than the odd dreams. *grins*

I stumbled upon a blog called “Color Me Katie”on Monday, and I haven’t been able to stop smiling since I read it!  I want to be near her just to have some of her effervescence and whimsy rub off on me! 

Bill and I do “odd” things like blowing grape-scented bubbles on the front porch, drawing with sidewalk chalk, and having random punch-ball fights, but Katie and Matty take this kind of silliness and dial up the fun meter like 10 times!

They are part of Improv Everywhere and they perform random acts of happiness in New York.  The stunt I want to share with you is called “Grocery Store Musical” which Bill and I found incredibly amusing because Bill doesn’t believe that life is like a musical and people will break out in random songs.    Here’s her post [which proves that I'm right Bill]:

For our latest Improv Everywhere mission, we had six actors break out into a spontaneous musical at a grocery store!

The actors learned the song on Thursday,

practiced their moves on Friday,

and performed on Saturday!

The grocery gave us permission to set up hidden cameras in their store,

and Matty gave us permission to set up hidden cameras all over his body!

In the back of the grocery we had a little room where we can control the cameras and capture fun reactions.

 

 

This woman was so excited she called her friend to hear it!

 

If you’re in the mood to smile so big that your face hurts, then you must watch this video. The shopper’s reactions are hilarious!”

Bill had wanted to give grumpy-butt-Traveller a bath on Saturday, but we ran out of time and energy so he got to be a pretend “paint” horse for one more day.  Sunday morning we headed out the front door armed with sponges, shampoo, bucket, and squeegee.

Trav's all wet...

I got the dubious honor of holding Traveller while Bill squirted, soaped, and rinsed him.  Trav spent most of his time trying to use his mammoth head to knock me around.  He uses Bill’s tummy as a scratching post and Bill enjoys it, but Trav’s head weighs as much as I do so it usually causes me to stumble around.  There was much giggling and water squirting going on, and Trav sure didn’t mind being in the middle of all that giddiness.

Chris getting to know Sullivan

I told Bill my favorite memory of grumplicious was when we were boarding him at Shiloh right after they had the two-day Parelli course and some of the boarders decided to make a Parelli playground for the horses.  Bill jumped right in and helped build all sorts of fun “obstacles.”  One of the boarders was a very serious Parelli student and introduced his horse to the new playground with moderate success.  Kessie and I did two of the six obstacles, but then she’d had enough.  Big butt Traveller and Bill sauntered [in every sense of the word] right through all six stations with absolutely no effort or hesitation.  Mind you, those two had only been together 9 weeks at that point, and Bill had never owned a horse before in his life.

Sullivan relaxing before the ride...

I’ve never seen such an immediate bond between horse and owner before those two.  The moment I put a halter on his mulish head, a little voice in my heart said “This is Bill’s horse” and the two of them haven’t been apart since.  To be honest, I’m a little jealous.  I haven’t had that “this is the one!” spark yet … but I have enjoyed all the horses that have come into our lives.  And, despite what I say out loud or in print, I actually do like that big grey beastie.  He’s taught us both so many valuable lessons.  There really is something to be said for the older “been there, done that, bought the tee-shirt” kind of horses.  They forgive us for our silly mistakes, are non-judgemental, and don’t mind if all you want to do is groom them in the sunshine.

Amber & Chris on Gumby & Sully

Trav did give us a little bit of action after his bath.  Bill needed a halter and lead, so I tossed him the one off Trav.  After all, Trav was just standing hoof deep in hay eating so we didn’t think he’d go anywhere.  Yeah, right.  He waited until Bill was in Sundance’s stall and then started trotting *gasps with shock* around the back of the stalls.  Mind you, there’s still no fence right there, so he could easily head out into open desert.  Bill blocked off the exit to the street, while Christopher and I tried to block the tempting open desert area.  Trav managed to wedge himself between the round ring and Sundance’s stall and stood there calmly.  As soon as we started to approach, Sundance snapped at Trav and he backed out of there as quick as those pancake-sized hooves would move.  Then it was like playing pickle because he’d dart towards Bill, spin and run at me, whirl and dash at Bill, and on and on.  Bill tossed the lead rope over his neck and told him to knock it off.  I think Trav giggled … or that might have been his tummy rumbling.  Crisis averted.

Bill and grouchy Sundance

Later Bill saddled up Sundance and Sullivan, while I tacked up Gumby.  Christopher rode Sullivan, and we were quite impressed by his growing horsemanship skills.  Sullivan is the very definition of lazy, and Christopher managed to make him move, in the appropriate direction, and at the correct speed more times than not.  Gumby literally quakes with fear if he isn’t within three feet of Sullivan, so we only did two laps around the yard [with Gumby's nose practically up Sundance's rump, and Sullivan plodding along behind].

Amber & little Gumby

A neighbor came over as I was putting Gumby away.  She offered to exercise my horses during my recovery.  I knew she’d been dieing to try out Sullivan, though he isn’t my horse [per se].  Christopher graciously hopped out of the saddle and let her ride him.  She loves Bill’s aussie saddle and was delighted with the big guy.  We noticed his back shoe was loose, so he was dragging his foot.  We’ll have the farrier come in next Saturday and yoink every one’s shoes off.

The neighbor will come over on Saturday and Sunday and ride Smoke and Kessie for me.  It will be nice to have someone else help build Smoke’s confidence and muscle tone.

It was another great horse day filled with people and horses I really enjoy.  I ached badly that evening because of the short horse ride, but I wouldn’t trade a moment of the day for anything in the world.

Oh yeah, happy after Valentine’s day!  Bill and I celebrate un-valentines day by giving each other something black and useful sometime in February.  Sullivan wants in on this un-holiday … he’s asked for a draft sized headstall in black.  We’ll see if Dipuc [yeah, that's Cupid backwards] will grant his request.

It finally stopped raining and we saw sunshine on Saturday, so we decided to hang out with the herd.  Bill wanted to go riding with some friends, so we got up early and tried to load Sundance into the trailer.  She was not having any of our nonsense.  We worked on it for 40 minutes, trying various methods, but the most we got was her front legs touching the trailer.  She wouldn’t even try to step in.  *sigh*  On the last attempt, she was standing next to the trailer accepting praise for sticking her head in while I was holding the lead rope.  With no warning, she pulled back so hard that she literally sat down.  Unfortunately she caught 3 of my fingers between the rope and the trailer.  I dropped the rope, but my nails immediately started changing colors so I know they’ll turn black and fall off.  Sexy.  On a good note, we didn’t get frustrated with her or press the issue, nor did we let her get away with too much baloney.  We’ll continue to work on trailer loading with Sundance … a little bit each day will make it easier for us all.

Kessie's bathtime...

We decided that since the trailer was hooked up to the truck, we’d see who would load and who would need work.  Smoke hesitated a little bit, but hopped in with minimal encouragement.  Gumby bounced right in like he was ready for an adventure.  Kessie stalled out at the trailer doors, but she climbed in behind Bill.  She immediately picked her head up and bonked it on the roof, but she didn’t panic … she just looked at Bill like “why would you do that to me?”

Since we had Kessie out, we took a good hard look at her.  She was caked in mud.  It looked like she’d rolled in the mud, it dried, and then she rolled two more times just to completely cover herself in mud.  We explained that it wasn’t a good look for her, so she submitted to a “spa” day.  She’s the most forgiving and tolerant horse we have.  She didn’t like the hose, but she stood stoically and allowed Bill to scrub her from ear to hoof.  I walked her around the property for about an hour to dry her off and then put her back in her stall – where she did NOT roll! *beams proudly*

3 layers of mud removed!

I was exhausted by then, so I went in the house for a nap.  Bill took Smoke out for some exercise.  He knew I wouldn’t be able to ride for a few weeks and didn’t want her to have to suffer because of it.  He said she’s a lot of work to ride and she seems scared of her own shadow – literally.  I give her allowances since she’s been used as a barrel racer and brood mare before I got her.  She did very minimal trail riding, and does not like to be without another horse for comfort.  He worked with her for nearly an hour, and came in looking as tired as I felt.

Bathtime reward.. all you can eat haycart!

Both of us said it was a great horse day.  You know that kind of day … where you’re glad you got to spend time outdoors soaking up sunshine, warmth, and the smell of horses.  I took lots of goofy pictures but I won’t bore you with shots of their eyes and nostrils … though nothing makes me laugh more than flared horse nostrils. *grins*

We’ve been dealing with stuff … life, horses, finances, health, weather - you know, stuff.  Haven’t really been up to posting lately.

Quick run down …

Gumby and Pokey mourn their creator's passing

Bill’s been calling the new sorrel “Gumby Bear” and the name has stuck.  We found out that the creator and animator of Gumby and Pokey passed away on the same day I took the little guy out for a test ride.  Yes, the little sorrel looks like Pokey, but he acts like Gumby.  I think he’s going to be really fun once he learns he can truly trust me.  I need to spend more hanging out with him, but he already follows me around when I’m in the round ring and is the first one to call out a greeting in the morning [followed closely by Smoke].

The goats are being weaned and are VERY vocal about it.  Joon will stand on top of the large dog house and bellow out her disapproval about this weaning process.  Yes, they have fresh hay and water, but they want the bottles – and they want them now.  We’re cutting down to one bottle in the morning and one in the evening starting today.  Pray for our ear drums – or send us ear muffs.

It’s been so rainy lately that we just dash out the door, feed everyone, and run back in.  I’m amazed at how dirty my car is considering the amount of rain.  Shouldn’t it at least wash off the first layer of dirt? 

I get to drive through this on my way to work.

Since it’s been so cold, we’ve had white rain [some of you call it "snow" but that's one of those 4-letter words I don't say] and ice covers everything.  Bill’s tried everything to keep their stalls turned over and dry, but I think he finally gave in yesterday and decided to wait until Mother Nature is finished with the water works display before he attempts to work on their stalls.  Cross your fingers this weekend is nice.

I’m going in for surgery soon so I’ll be out of commission for about 8 weeks.  This could be good for blogging since I’ll be sitting on my duff recuperating.  Sadly my topics will be limited to my thoughts [usually zombies] and the animals I will be able to hang out with in the living room [tortoises, 2 cats, 2 dogs, and three fish].  These could be some really scary posts since my brain is so convoluted.

Meet big Sully

Friday afternoon one huge spotted butt blue roan appy was delivered to our home.  Bill said that despite the obvious changes in his surroundings, the big guy was mellow.  The ranch we got him from also delivered us the short, sorrel quarter horse too!  Apparently I was the only person who even looked at the little gelding, so they decided to give him to us for free.

New arrival

On Saturday we decided to readjust the stall arrangements and give the round pen to the new guys.   I wanted to start the great stall juggling with Oolong since I figured she’d take the longest, but she surprised me.  She came right up to me and dropped her nose into the halter, then pushed at my pocket for her treat.  I secured the halter and then gave her a click/praise/treat.  She followed me over to the other stall with no issues.

We juggled the rest of the horses putting the sorrel quarter horses next to the round ring.  Sundance promptly went over to the new horses and laid her ears back letting them know she’s in charge.  The appy could have cared less, and didn’t budge an inch, but the little sorrel certainly moved off the rail in a hurry.  Then, surprisingly, Smoke charged the connecting rails while grinding her teeth.  The appy calmly turned his body to face her and ground his teeth right back.  Smoke spun around and fired off a few kicks in his direction, but the appy didn’t move.  She tried a few more times and finally he swung his spotted butt around and fired a half-hearted kick into the rails.  The two of them spent the next hour grinding their teeth at each other [whatever that means] before settling down.

The rest of the day was spent grooming all the horses and hanging out with the herd.  We saddled up the new guys and rode them in the round ring for a few minutes to acclimate them to the bitless bridles and our individual riding styles.

Sully checking out his new surroundings..

The appy’s registered name is Sullivans Luck, and they’d been calling him Sully.  He’s rather sullen, so the name seems to fit.

I'd look better in black!

The little sorrel however, needs a name.  He came in with the name Sport, but I can’t have one more animal name that starts with “S.”  As it is, I get all their names mixed up … there’s Sundance, ShortFuse, Starfish, Smoke, Sully, and Sirius.  [I told Bill to change Sundance's name to "Bandit" so we could ride Smokey & the Bandit, but he rolled his eyes at me].

So, here’s a list of what we’ve come up with so far:

• Toxic Zombie Kiwi [kiwi for short] – no there’s no rhyme or reason, I just thought it was a funny name
• Disco Lemonade – it’s just random enough to be funny
• Silly Putty – because when he arrived there was something stuck to his hind hoof that looked like silly putty and he’s kind of goofy [Bill's favorite so far]
• Gargoyle – his confirmation is not what you’d call great and he looks like someone mashed together parts of other horses to create him.  I thought about calling him Frankenstein, but I’d end up just saying Frank which is way too boring.
• Robin – because when he’s next to that huge appy they look like Batman and Robin.

We’re open to suggestions … I’m pretty mellow about naming this one.  It did cross my mind to name him Rooiboos after the tea so he and Oolong could have matching names, but Bill scrunched his nose up at that, so I guess not.

Pssst, Bill, add pics!

I did in fact put up pics for you..  I kind of like Smoky and the Bandit idea..  I also liked Batman and Robin for the new ones…  that said,  I’m rooting for silly putty..

He’s dinky small,  swayback,  funky club foot,  but a good Gumby personality..