Things Giving Me Joy and a Garage Door Malfunction

Had a lovely update from my sister Starlet in Pine Ridge, South Dakota this morning. Her laptop had been broken, but is repaired once again and she sent a quick update on the family and what's been going on back on the Reservation. It really made my morning hearing from her again, and I sent her an immediate reply, catching her up on what's been going on here in the Cities. Hopefully we can get a bit better at staying in touch. Having her with a laptop helps a lot, since her phone is ancient and doesn't text well. 

I always love watching this video of Beethoven's "Ode 
to Joy" from his Ninth Symphony. It's such fun, and 
always leaves me moved because it's one of my absolute 
favorite pieces of music. I've put the link below in 
the paragraph in case you'd also like some Joy in 
your life today. 

An online friend sent me a link to a flash-mob performance of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" just to spread some happiness. (Want to see it too? Here's the YouTube URL https://youtu.be/kbJcQYVtZMo ) I've seen it before, of course. Many times. But I always watch it completely through because I absolutely love it, and the music always makes me weep tears of happiness. There's nothing like Beethoven to make me transcend the small worries and embrace the greater view. I was addicted to Beethoven in my youth (and still am, to be honest), especially the 9th Symphony. I still count him among my top 10 at all times. 

Dusty Hill (on the left) was the bass player in 
the long-time Texas trio "ZZ Top". Best known 
for "Legs" and "Sharp-Dressed Man", they 
were a force in music for decades. 

Yesterday I heard that the bass player from ZZ Top died earlier this week, age 72. That's not too many years from where I am now. I have every intention of living until age 85 or longer, but it's still a bit scary when the ages of people passing get closer and closer to your own age. I loved ZZ Top - their music always made me smile. I'll play "Sharp-Dressed Man" today in his honor. 

I probably have at least one set of all of the above 
earphone/earbud styles. I really want a set of 
wireless earbuds that will settle down into my 
ears well and stay through activity. It may be an 
impossible dream, but I'll dream it anyway. I added 
a set of bone conduction transmitters for swimming 
coming in my latest Amazon order. I listen to audio 
books while in the water, and it's annoying when I 
can't hear well. I also like tunes every now and then. 

Apparently today is a day for music. I guess I'll fire up Spotify and listen when I can. I have a new set of earbuds coming, but the several sets I already have will work for the time being. I have weird ear canals, it's really difficult for earphones to fit properly, and it just doesn't make any sense to wear wireless ones when one or the other is always falling out. I have too many sets of earplugs I had high hopes for sitting in their boxes below my computer desk. It's not that they don't work, it's that they don't work for my anatomy. *sigh* But I live in hope, and I hope the new sets I've got coming will work better. 

This is NOT my garage door, but it's one that has a 
similar problem to mine. Our door is very old and 
very heavy. Mark (my garage door guy) has warned 
us that we'll have to replace it at some point, but 
we're trying to push that off as long as possible. 

On the home front, one of two cables that help raise and lower our garage door broke last night as I was closing the door after I got home. I immediately called Mark at our garage door repair company and he'll be here at 8:00 am (or slightly before) to get things fixed. I might have to go into work for a short time until DH and Mark are finished with the repair, but we'll at least need to get the door opened long enough for one (or both) of the vehicles to get out of there. Just one more thing! 

I'm out of here. Have an excellent day, enjoy yourself and spread some happiness if you possibly can. I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Day For Maps - Minnesota, South Dakota and a Bit of Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado

Today is going to be a VERY busy day, but at least we're not dealing with horrid weather to add to the burden. It's cold - dress in three layers plus a hat cold - but there's no snow and the roads are fine. Given that I have to drive to one of the far suburbs today for an eye doctor appointment, I'm very grateful for dry, safe roadways. 

I'll be heading from Roseville (on the upper left) to 
Woodbury (lower right) for my eye doctor appointment 
today. On dry roads, it's 20-25 minutes. I'm very 
grateful I don't have to deal with snow, ice or 
storms. That would make the trip NOT so fun. 

Unfortunately, my afternoon eye doctor appointment means I'll have to miss my weekly phone chat with Aearwen. That's disappointing, but we knew it would be a problem and discussed it last week. It's not the first time we've had to miss a week, and it probably won't be the last, but it always seems as if something important is missing from my life when I don't have a chance to sit down, relax for an hour, and chat about anything under the sun with a good friend. 

Pine Ridge Reservation takes up a good amount of land 
in the south-central part of South Dakota. The brown at 
the bottom is Nebraska, Interstate 90 from Minneapolis 
through to Rapid City, South Dakota is at the top. The 
beige on the far right is the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, 
and Pine Ridge is the orange and also parts of the 
white square at the bottom. It's beautiful, haunting in 
some places, and sparsely populated. The poverty 
level is appalling. Pine Ridge town is on the left side, 
just above White Clay, Nebraska. 

Apparently my "sister" in Pine Ridge had COVID in September. It has been running rampant through the various Indian Reservations around the nation because of hygiene problems centering around the lack of water, and the cultural common activities that bring people together into larger groups. They actually flew her to a hospital in Cheyenne, Wyoming to get better care than possible at the Indian Health Board hospital on the Reservation. She's fine now, but it was a bit of a scare, and of course, her brother Peter had to self-quarantine from work for two weeks also. 

Driving from Pine Ridge, South Dakota to Cheyenne, Wyoming 
is 3-1/2 hours. I'm quite sure the flight was much faster than that. 
Cheyenne is the capital city of Wyoming. You can see 
the lettering for Fort Collins, Colorado just below the 
Cheyenne lettering. That's the town where I went to school 
for my B.A., and my cousin lives a half-hour south of there. 

They still share the house that Grandma lived in. Apparently three of the younger nieces and nephews took it upon themselves to repaint the living room, hallway and kitchen. I suspect the last time that happened was when I did it more than two decades ago. It probably needed it badly, and was a very nice thing for them to do for their elders. They also just installed new stainless steel siding onto the house. I forget what color she said it was painted, but it's a huge improvement over the old half-cut logs that had become housing for the woodpeckers and generations of mice. 

On that note, I'm going to dive head-first into this very busy day. I hope all of you have a wonderful Wednesday. Be kind, stay safe and please wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. ALSO ... happy 250th birthday to Ludwig van Beethoven ... the BEST!!! 

Memories of Unci and Le Tour Hits the Alps

I seem to be fighting my way to "competence" with my new blog software/format fairly well. It's still a bit stumbling on my part, but it does seem to be cross-posting correctly. Sometimes old dogs like me really don't like new tricks. I have to think too much in the early morning with the new format - it's not in my blood yet, so I'm expected to think before 5:00 am. There are sometimes when that just doesn't happen - LOL. 

In this photo, Grandma (Unci Zona) is on the right, and 
her sister, Sadie is on the left. There was a third sister, 
Nancy, who I met once. In this photo the two are all 
dressed up to attend my nephew's high school 
graduation. 

Today came up in my calendar as the date when my Unci Zona died out in Pine Ridge. I'll have to try to text my sister today and let her know I'm thinking about her and the family on this memorial date. Unci (Grandmother) was a force - very respected and beloved in the community, loving, welcoming, and the matriarch of the family with a well developed ability to make you think twice about doing something she disapproved of. She didn't yell, she was quite soft spoken, but she was strong. Despite her lack of a sharp tongue, you wanted to do what she asked, to please her and get that wonderful smile of hers in return. 

In this photo, Grandma and Auntie Sadie 
are again right and left. This photo was 
taken in front of Grandma's house. 

Grandma Zona was the reason my brother moved back to Pine Ridge after many years in the Twin Cities area. He had a house that he actually owned, a family he was raising, friends and comrades throughout the area, and he was well known as a spiritual leader of the Lakota Oyate. But, after many years, Unci decided it was long enough and asked him to return to the Reservation. That was all it took. He uprooted his family, put up a double-wide mobile home on his land near her home, and moved back to South Dakota. He was often in the Cities afterward - visiting for this or that or holding a ceremony for someone. We were still in touch, but it was different than just dropping by the house and visiting with him and the kids. Now there was 13 hours of driving between us. 

Here, Grandma is with my niece Rachel, dressed in her 
cap and gown for her High School graduation. I was 
able to see Rachel for a short time when I was back 
last year for my brother's funeral (her father). She's 
grown into a beautiful and talented woman. 

Still, for many more years, I went out to the Reservation at least once a year, often more, to see Unci and visit my brother, to participate in various ceremonies, and to help out. One of the last times I was out there, my sister Maja and I tore Unci's kitchen apart and put in a new floor, then painted the kitchen, living room and hallway of her little BLM log house. It was a week of hard work, but I noticed things were still looking pretty good when I was back there last year for my brother's funeral. 

All COVID tests came back negative, so we're on for 
the final week of Le Tour de France. Today we're 
into the big mountains - the Alps - and here's where 
teams will be crushed and dreams will be left 
behind. We have serious mountains until the 
individual time trial on Saturday and the ride into 
Paris on Sunday. It's been a great race so far with 
lots of surprises, so I'm anxious to see what will 
happen in these storied peaks. 

So, on this day of remembrance for me, I ask all of you to remember those people who have been important in your life. Cherish them if they are still alive, and recall interactions with them if they are no longer walking among us. Remember how your life was enriched by your interactions with them and consider yourself fortunate to have those memories. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow, and please - be safe, stay well and wear your mask. 

The Final Good-bye - One of Two

Continuing from yesterday's post, Maja, Solo and I had moved from the bleachers to a row of chairs on the gymnasium main floor. The "schedule", as printed in the memorial handouts available for anyone to take, said the Funeral Service was scheduled for 10:00 am on Saturday, then gave a list of people who would be involved (a very LONG list of Pallbearers and Honorary Pallbearers). It ended with the notice that the Burial Service would be at the White Cow Killer Family Cemetery on Red Cloud land. 

Barry actually got things going relatively on time, with honoring songs and various sacred songs being played by the drum, interspersed with talks, prayers, and the actual visitation. The pallbearers were all gathered in a far corner to receive pins which were placed on the upper left arms of their jackets. They also got their final instructions about how to line up and who would be responsible for what. 

Friday night had featured a roll call of Veterans, honoring the veterans who were at the memorial, as well as my brother's service in the late 1950's, early 1960's. Today, instead of Veterans, there was a call-out of American Indian Movement members to honor their service to the people as well as my brother's long-time work for the cause. Solo was a bit miffed that he hadn't gotten his name down on the Veterans list, but he was proud to be called to join the line of AIM warriors, both male and female. 

Scotty Brown Eyes and a spiritual leader whose name I don't know entered the tipi to say final prayers over my brother. They painted his face in his chosen design featuring stripes down the left side of his face, dots down the right side. Eagle feather fans wafted sage and prayers over his body. Things were rearranged in the tipi for the final viewing.  

The pallbearers were requested to come to the front, where they stood as an honor guard while the final visitation was announced and a long line formed which snaked around the gymnasium. It was time for each of us to say our final goodbyes. After exiting the tipi from my own personal short good-bye, I moved down the row of Veterans, shaking the hand of each warrior, then continued on to the entire front row - the family members. Each hand was shaken, many hugs were given and many tears were shed. 

Throughout the several hours that the final visits and preparations took, the Pallbearers stood at the front, one warrior dancing without stopping. The audience also stood, dancing if possible. Maja and I stayed together and danced for the entire three hours or so it took for everyone to have their final viewing and we weren't the only ones who danced for the full time. 

The drum group never stopped singing their songs, one song melding into the next, and the sound of the drum echoed throughout the gymnasium. It reminded me how much I really enjoy the Lakota songs I had heard for so many years. I might have to try to make a Spotify playlist of pow wow songs. The drum worked so hard, I'd be surprised if they had any voice at all on Sunday as they returned to their homes. 

Finally, the family members were called up in small groups to say their final goodbyes. After everyone had their final visit, select people re-entered the tipi and began preparing the body. All regalia and sacred items used by my brother and on display in the tipi were removed and packed into several small suitcases, or wrapped carefully. The body was then wrapped in a black quilt and covered with an Oglala Nation flag. It was moved from the platform in the tipi to a gurney, in preparation for the final walk from the tipi to the waiting hearse. This was different than Grandmother's funeral had been. She had been laid in a casket with a rosary in her hands. My brother walked a traditional road - no casket. In the old days he would have been placed on a scaffold to become one with the world once again. No scaffolds allowed these days, though. 

And here I go - running over once again. I guess I'll actually end up finishing this recitation tomorrow. Oh well. It's just a lot to discuss, and I want to get my impressions and feelings down because I feel it's important, and it's my personal memorial to my brother. It's respectful to my brother, and healing for me. I'll be back tomorrow with, what will probably be the final installment in my recitation of my return to Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Have a great Thursday. 

Saturday - All My Relations Gathering

As Saturday dawned, I grabbed a quick, hearty breakfast at the cafe next door to my hotel, and hit the road. I wanted to be at the gymnasium as soon as possible in the morning to allow myself some quiet time before the rituals resumed. 

For memorial services of this magnitude, the gym is open 24-7 for the entire three days. There is always at least one family member in the front row of chairs, to allow people to express their condolences and pass along a gift of a Pendleton blanket, star quilt or just some cash in a card to help the family offset their expenses. All gifts, no matter how large or small, are appreciated. Blankets and quilts were already hanging from ropes strung on both sides of the tipi up to the basketball hoops at the sides of the gym. It was colorful and beautiful. They would all be given away by the family before the end of the day.  

I drove in to the Reservation around 8:00 am, and my car decided it should go to the right at the fork in the road, instead of the left. That brought me back to familiar grounds - family land and my Grandmother's old house, still looking pretty decent. A ramp had been added to the eastern side, heading back to the kitchen door, but the front looked the same as the last time I saw it in 2001. Parking after pushing through the usual rutted mud puddle of the previous night's rain, I walked up the ramp and knocked on the door. It was answered by a woman I didn't know, but when I asked for Starlet, she ushered me in and called out for my sister. 

The Wind River Reservation is home to the Northern Arapaho and
the Eastern Shoshone tribes, in the Central Western part of Wyoming,
west of Casper. Just to the Northwest of the reservation is the Eastern
border of Yellowstone National Park. 

As Starlet got up from her bed in the back bedroom, a chair was cleared for me and I had a chance to meet new relatives - Auntie Diane and her daughter and grandchildren who had come over from Wyoming - Wind River Arapaho. I remembered Grandma mentioning them a long time ago, but had never had the chance to meet them before. As I introduced myself, Starlet came down the short hallway and I had to jump up and give her a big hug (and get one in return, because she gives the BEST hugs). 

I didn't stay long, 15-20 minutes or so. I knew I would see them again at the memorial, but I had wanted to see my sister Starlet. I hadn't seen her since I sat next to her in the family row at Grandmother's memorial, although we always exchange holiday cards. She had retired from her job almost a year ago and told me she was enjoying retirement. She and I talked to Auntie Diane about when I would come up from the Cities and I would sit with Grandma Zona and Cousin Ben and we would all bead together. We looked at family photos on the wall and shared memories - good ones. After getting another hug, I shook hands with everyone and left for the gymnasium. 

Tipis are a traditional Sioux home - very portable, easy to
set up, warm in the winter, but cool in the summer. My brother's
tipi was painted with the handprints of many people all
around up as far as I could reach. All of the people who he
had helped over the years at Ceremony or in life. 

It was still early when I parked at the school. There were only 20-30 people scattered in the gym, and Lisa had been given the overnight family member duty. I had lots of time to look over the photos and storyboards of my brother, as well as enter the tipi to view his body and talk to him for a bit. It hurt, seeing him there, dressed in his ceremonial buckskins on a bed of buffalo hides with his dance regalia on tipi stands behind him. We had a difficult relationship, but I loved him and he loved me. That I never doubted, despite the problems over the years. I had learned a tremendous amount from him over the years and my life would have been radically different if I had never met my brother. 

I exited the tipi, finished looking at the photographs and memories, shook Lisa's hand and gave her a hug. We shared the experience of being the overnight person, since I had done that for Grandma Zona while Starlet and Pete returned home to get some some sleep. It's a hard thing to do - that overnight family vigil. After a short chat, I went in back for a cup of coffee and seated myself on the bleachers once again, this time on the opposite side of the gym. A man sat down on my right - the same person who had been at me left the night before - David Snowball. We started talking about Floyd and about where he was living, in southern Wisconsin. It was really lovely to talk with him a bit, get a bit of his life story. 

After my sister Maja and her companion Solo arrived a while later, I moved over to a folding chair on the main floor. It was almost time to get things going once more and we knew we wanted a bit of room to move. 

Well, it looks like this will be a four-day recitation after all. It's OK. I'm getting a chance to put things down in writing to share with all of you, and I'm also getting the opportunity to shed a few more tears which is not a bad thing either. Tomorrow's post should bring me through the ceremonies and the actual burial, at least that's the goal. Have a great Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Floyd's Memorial - Friday Night

After checking in to my hotel room and pulling on a long skirt, I jumped back into my personal buffalo and headed to Pine Ridge, South Dakota. I didn't have a plan, just thought I'd meet up with Maja and Solo if they were still there. Where is there? There, in this case, was the Middle School Gymnasium. It was a bit smaller than the High School Gymnasium, where Grandma had her memorial service in 2001, but it was in the same educational complex. Despite not having been in the Rez since Grandma Zona passed, I still remembered the roads to take and drove up without problems, parking and entering the building. 

Inside, my Lekshi, Scotty Brown Eyes, was at the microphone. Tradition dictates a series of invited speakers, and then an open mike all night so that whoever wants to share a memory or anecdote can get up and share with the Oyate (the People). During busier times of the day, there is usually a loose agenda. Scotty was acting as ringleader this time, introducing David Snowball from Southern Wisconsin, to speak and share his memories of my brother, Floyd. 

Late in his talk I noticed a tall, lanky Lakota man come in, a bundle cradled in his arm. He walked to the front row, taking a corner seat and shaking a few hands as he entered. He was Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Lakota People and caretaker of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf bundle. After David was finished, Scotty introduced Arvol who shook out his double-layered eagle feather headdress, and after casually putting it on, walked to the front and began speaking. 

Chief Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Lakota People and
caretaker of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf bundle came and spoke
at Floyd's memorial on Friday night. Arvol and I have crossed paths
many times over the past thirty+ years I've been involved with the
Lakota people. It's always an honor to meet him again. 

Arvol spoke for more than a half-hour in a combination of Lakota and English. He spoke about many things, but primarily about Floyd's work with the Treaty Council. The Sioux have been fighting to get their treaty rights for more than a century now. The people have never cashed in the money "paid" to them for the Black Hills because they never accepted that this foreign government had rights to "purchase" the land. According to the Treaty, large portions of North and South Dakota as well as some parts of Nebraska and Wyoming were Indian Land forever. Of course, that was before gold was found in the Black Hills, after which time the treaty became another piece of toilet paper - worthless. 

Chief Arvol Looking Horse wore his headdress when he addressed
the people at Floyd's memorial. It was to honor Floyd as a leader
of the people and one who dedicated his life to them. 

Arvol spoke about Floyd's work with the Treaty Council, as well as his work with the people as a spiritual leader and guide for the people. He spoke about the long history he shared with Floyd and the people of Pine Ridge, and led the people in a prayer at the end. After I resumed my seat on the lowest rise of the Western bleacher, near David Snowball, Arvol removed and rewrapped his headdress and walked down our side, shaking hands with the drummers and then with several men and, finally, with me, before leaving the gymnasium. It was an honor to see him again and to shake his hand. 

Shortly afterward I decided it would be wise to return to Chadron and get some sleep. My brother would be buried the next day and I knew it would be a hard and long day. I left, reversing my drive from earlier in the day. Almost as soon as I had passed the Reservation border, it started to rain. The rain turned heavier as I continued my one-hour drive, but it was the lightning that was so amazing. It was constant, and it lit up the skies all around me. Great forks of lightning, and light behind cloudbanks brightening whole sections of the sky. I knew my brother was dancing, celebrating being joined once more with his friends and relations. He was dancing his last dance in the sky and it was remarkable to see. The storm accompanied me almost all the way to the hotel, passing to my rear as I drove the final twenty miles or so. It was magic. 

The entire sky was as bright as day, on and off as I drove home. It was
like a cloud press conference with flash bulbs constantly going off.
It was amazing, and I just knew that Floyd was dancing with his
relations in the skies above me. It must have been a good drum, because
he was dancing hard in his yellow and black Champion Dancer outfit,
celebrating his life. 

I'll continue tomorrow, and the Saturday may end up taking two days of posts. Hard to say for sure. I'll put in what photos I can, but I didn't take photos of this trip - it would have been disrespectful, and I've been taught better than that. So, I'll put in what I can, but I will have to hope that my words will be enough picture for you, my readers. Have a wonderful Tuesday and be good to each other. I'll be back tomorrow. 

My Trip - Arriving in South Dakota

I'm back home, and I'm glad I went, even though I'll be paying off the bills for months and I missed my speech at the UMBS 20th Anniversary Luncheon. It's OK. It was worth it. 

On the way from Rapid City to Chadron, I passed Buffalo Gap
National Grasslands. Much of this area of South Dakota is
grasslands, but Buffalo Gap is one of two places I could have
turned east and passed through to get to Pine Ridge. I continued
on my highway, though. I was heading to Chadron, NE first. 

I had forgotten how beautiful South Dakota was in the late summer/early fall. It helped that we had wonderful weather, as you'll see while reading the rest of my trip over the next day or two. 

I was WAY early for my plane out because I had DH drop me off before work, but I was happy I wasn't in a rush. The TSA lines for security were long and even though they moved along at a good clip, it was still an hour in line to get cleared. Ick, but job well done. The agents were efficient and polite, but firm. MSP is an International Airport, so lots of people pass through it every day. It's not a sleepy regional airport like Rapid City's. The way back home yesterday was quite different - two people ahead of me in line and an easy and quick pass through security. 

My gate for my puddle-hopper was WAAAAY at the far end of the terminal, so I used the moving walkways to their full benefit. Later I discovered there was a tram available to take for free, but by then I was committed to the walk. I knew I had a long drive ahead when I arrived in South Dakota, so figured some exercise wouldn't be a bad thing. My sister Maja joined me at the airline gate after a couple of hours and we had a chance to catch up a bit - something sorely lacking since she moved out to Washington state. 

We weren't seated together for the flight, but that was OK. I read and looked out the window at the scenery. I enjoy flying, just am not fond of being stuck inside a tin can with a bunch of strangers. Still, as puddle-hopper planes go, it was OK. Various maintenance and need/necessity, had delayed our flight by almost two hours, so it was great to get into the air. 

As you can tell, this is not a "compact" car. This is a 2019 Toyota
Sienna, and it's what I drove on this trip. Since they charged me
what a compact would have cost, I was OK with it. That higher
ground clearance actually turned into a good thing. 

After renting our respective cars, we went out to the parking lot to discover that our two requested "compact" cars had morphed into large caravans. I had a 2019 Toyota Sienna, and I'm not sure exactly what Maja had, but they were both large beasts. The rental company was charging us the compact rate, so we shrugged our shoulders and headed out in large vans. It actually turned into a good thing on Saturday when I was driving out to the family cemetery and a bit earlier that day when I was driving to visit Starlet at her house. Roads in the Rez haven't improved, but I wasn't expecting that they would. 

Chadron NE is just south of that pink corner of Pine Ridge Reservation
in the lower left. To get to Pine Ridge, I drive east from Chadron,
then turn north, and pass through WhiteClay, Nebraska, passing
into Pine Ridge. WhiteClay used to be a town of four residents and
twelve liquor stores. The stores/bars are all all closed now - a victory
for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. 

Maja went straight to Pine Ridge to meet up with her companion, Solo, and get a hotel key from him. I decided to drive to Chadron, Nebraska first, check in, and then head over to Pine Ridge Village - an hour drive farther east and a bit north. Hotels for the Rez aren't close - Chadron or Rapid City are the choices, and either one is one hour or more away from Pine Ridge. But I loved the drive over - as I said in Paragraph One, I had forgotten how beautiful it is out there. I saw eagles - so many eagles, and buffalo, and pronghorn antelope. I also saw lots of cows - cows are a major cash crop out on the range. 

Out in the Great Plains, we have Golden Eagles. I saw
several floating nearby, as well as hawks playing in the
winds. The light was perfect late afternoon gold, and
the plains were fantastically open and beautiful. 

So ... so much to tell and I'm only on the road to check in to my hotel. I'll continue this tomorrow and bid all of you farewell for the day. I have to get back into my schedule and it's going to be a bit of a re-learning curve. Have a great Monday - I'll continue my saga tomorrow.