Thanksgiving, Alphabetically.

This post was obviously meant to be for Thanksgiving, but some things came up and, as it turns out, I suck at planning blog posts. New Year's Resolution! The great part about this post, though, is that I am thankful for these things all the time, not just on Thanksgiving.

A: Aspen, Colorado. It's on my 2016 Bucket List (or to-do list, really). I spent so much time there growing up, and it's where I rode my first horse and went to my first ranch. My "aunt" lives there, I haven't seen her in way too long, and Wacey needs to see him some real mountains. It's the most magical place, Aspen, even though they have one of the most expensive Starbucks in the country, literally.

B: Bert. This is our sixth holiday season together, and they just keep getting better! This guy is an all-around great person. I like him.

C: Canines. Our dogs are the best! We miss our Jay buddy on a daily basis, and the other dogs are still adjusting to his absence, but we're getting there. So, Gaucho, Duckie, and Punch, I love you guys.

D: Daddy. I love my dad a lot. He's my Personality Twin (much to the occasional chagrin of my mom), and I love getting him goofy things for Christmas. This year's goofy gift has been ready to go since September.

E: Equines. I give thanks constantly that Bert has good horses to ride. He's had several very close calls that could have turned into major horse wrecks but didn't, thanks to our wonderful horses who kept their heads and allowed him to get them all safely out of the situation. It's one of the hazards of being horseback constantly, and one of the hazards of marrying someone who is horseback constantly.
F: Faith. I lean on it more and more as I grow up, and especially since becoming a mom. Faith makes me a better, more intentional, more thankful person, which in turn makes me a better wife and mother. It's like going home, you know?
G: Grammy! I cherish my grandmother. We talk often, she has the best stories, and literally knows a song or saying for any life situation.

H: Home. I love our house, and it's the first house we've lived in that really feels like home. We're so lucky that we have such a gorgeous house to live in!
I: In-laws. I have a stellar set of in-laws, and whenever I read a Dear Prudence about terrifyingly nutso in-laws, my love for them is renewed.
J: My Jeep. Again, weird. I know. But Hans (yes that is his name) and I have been together for almost eight years now, and we are best friends. He has survived being hit by bulls and antelope, a run-in with an ancient Volkswagon and a runaway four-wheeler, and has been on every ranch that I have. We've bounced through hayfields and awful county roads, been through Yellowstone twice and up I-70 to Winter Park and Breckenridge too many times. And, (knock on wood), he has never once been stuck.
K: Kin. I love my family, I'm so happy that they exist. It's especially great now that we've added Wacey into the mix--there's so many people to love him an it's great.
L: Library. We live near an AWESOME library and it's my favorite. I check out books by the pile (see "T" for proof), and devour them. I have a Kindle, too, that I love, but you can't beat the smell of books or wandering through a library to find them. This is also a major luxury for me; we've never lived close enough to a library to make it work, and I got my library card within one week of being here. I cannot wait to take Wacey!

M: Momma, of course! What would I do without that lady? Seriously. She's the best. She's harder to shop for than my dad for Christmas, though.
N: Netflix. Unlimited documentaries. No commercials. Longmire. The simple things. When we got new phone service, we got new internet, and being able to watch Netflix again makes us feel pretty hip.

O: Octobers. You know the quote from Anne of Green Gables about being glad about living in a world where there are Octobers? I'm all about that jazz. I mean, November is also great. But considerably more dead-looking.
P: Perspective. One of my very favorite parts about becoming a "grown-up" is the ability to put things in perspective, and know that everything has a season, and some seasons are easier than others, but they're all worthwhile and they're all valuable.

Q: My sister Quinn. She's weird, and now much taller and better-looking than I am, but I don't hold that against her. She buys Wacey the cutest clothes, so it evens out. She also posts Swedish Chef videos to my Facebook page and makes my life.

R: the Ranch. We love the ranch where we live and work, and I am thankful every minute of every day that we were given the opportunity to come here. The people we work for are the absolute best, and it makes life so much more enjoyable when you work for and with good people, especially on a ranch.

S: Safeway Starbucks. Yes, I just went there. We've never lived so close to a Starbucks (aka within 15 miles), and I relish the days that the Office Lady (me) gets sent to town for supplies or to pick something up from the farm & ranch store because it means I get to stop in and grab me a coffee. Aka coffee frappucino, but still. Sometimes, on Sunday mornings, I even get to run to town to the grocery store alone and get a coffee while running errands. The simple things, I tell you. I think it stems from living in Starbucks when I was in college. I'd get there early early on Saturday mornings, claim my table, and study well into the afternoon. It was one of my happy places! I have dreams of being able to work in Starbucks occasionally. Or any coffee shop, really, but coffee shops in rural towns aren't always common, so Safeway Starbucks is sometimes the only option.

T: Telephone. This might sound superficial, but it isn't entirely. We got new phones this month, and new phone service. Have you ever had a time when you didn't realize you were subconsciously worrying about something until the problem was solved? It turns out that I was worried about what we would do in case of an emergency since it was so hard to get a cell signal on our old provider. Now we can make a call anywhere in the house and all the way down to the barn and I'm thankful for that added level of reassurance that I won't have to frantically search for signal should I need to make an emergency call. Bert also gets signal in a lot of the pastures now, so that also makes me feel better.
U: Uggs. Again, totally superficial. But I love them. They make me happy, and cozy, and for that I am thankful. U is hard, okay?
V: Our village. It truly does take a village, and I'm so happy we have one! This year, in particular, has been so much better because of our people, new and old, who have supported us through all the changes that come with having a baby. Thank you, village people!

W: Wacey, naturally. He's the best baby. Happy, silly, chunky, and a darn good sleeper. He surprises us every day with something new he's learned (today he showed me that it's time to lower his mattress in his pack n' play at the office because he can reach up and pull things off of my desk), and his silly little personality. He's also adorable, no doubt about it. We love him.
X: X-mas. Okay, I know this is sort of a cheat, but X is hard! Christmas is in full swing at our house--tree is up, garland is hung, lights are aglow, and Wacey is trying to unplug everything. It's magical, truly!
Y: Yankee Candles. On cue, every fall, I start my Home Sweet Home and other fall- and cinnamon-inspired scents. In December I move to Balsam Fir. They remind me of home, and make the house smell like the holidays.
Z: Z is hard, y'all. Zippers! Particularly the two-way ones.

Happy belated Thanksgiving, and happy almost-December!

Sunday Night Highlights 11.22.15

Weekend Adventures:

• Yesterday was my birthday, and I was spoiled by my sainted husband and family and got to take a shopping day sans bebe and it was wonderful. I got my birthday Starbucks and snowman cookie fix, and came home with some really wonderful stuff. 
• Today, we've done nothing but sit around, eat leftover pizza, play with Wacey, and watch documentaries on Netflix, and it's great. The calm before the holiday storm!
• Last night, in honor of my birthday, we got Pizza Hut (a major luxury in the middle of nowhere) and watched Jurassic World and it was appropriately cheesy and the ideal birthday night. 

Agriculture: 

• Did you know that there are only eight GMO crops? They are corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, alfalfa, papaya, squash, sugarbeets, and cotton. So when your organic quinoa says it's GMO-free, of course it is. Because there's no such thing as GMO quinoa (and being organic automatically guarantees it's GMO-free anyways). For the record, I have a bag of organic quinoa in my pantry that's labeled as GMO-free so I know this is a thing. 
•  If you've seen anything about the toy "slaughter trucks" aka cattle pots, then you know about the hype around them this year. These trucks are not always used to truck animals to slaughter; they are also used to truck animals to new homes or range that's too far away to move them afoot. For instance, in the spring and the fall, you'll see lots running up and down the highways of the mountain states as cattle are trucked to and from their summer range in the mountains.
  
  
  
  
  
• Farmers and ranchers only receive 16 cents on the dollar spent on the food they grow. The rest goes to things like production costs, transportation and marketing. In 1980, it was 31 cents.
• Farm and ranch families make up just two percent of the population. 

On the Ranch:

• The cows had to be fed this week because of the snow, but it looks like we're going to be able to go back to just caking since a lot of the snow has melted. The shallower ponds have iced over, though! Remind me to tell you the story about the time that Duckie fell through the ice and we got to jump in after her. 

• In the office, I'm working on looking at our cows' production so I can submit a list to the boss of cattle that may need to be considered for culling, based purely on their numbers. What I mean by that is I will look at her calving and weaning history and see if she's been a productive animal on the ranch. Does she have a calf every year? Does she wean a calf every year? How big are her calves relative to her size? Do her calves get sick a lot? We'll also cull cows based on behavior, what shape they're in, how their milk bag looks, conformation, etc. 

On the Home Front:

• It's Thanksgiving week! We'll celebrate with my family on Thursday and then with Bert's family on Friday. While Thanksgiving isn't my Most Favorite Holiday, it's a good one, and it's been awhile since everyone's been together, so I'm looking forward to it. Also, since the snow prevented us in getting to the bull sale, I'm excited to meet my new niece.  
• I’m totally decorating the house for Christmas this week, no and ifs or buts. A homemade garland is likely. Lights will abound. Christmas candles will be burned. The caroling and Christmas movie marathons are already in full swing! 
• I'm DONE Christmas shopping for my boys, and I have a pretty good handle on what I'm going to get my momma and daddy. Now on to the nieces and nephews! 

Friday Favorites: November 20th

Happy Friday! Welcome to the "My Wishlist" edition of Friday Favorites, in honor of the impending holiday season, aaaaand my birthday tomorrow! This is a list of the "oooooh pretty" and mostly unattainable, expensive things that make up my Pinterest dreams--because if you can't indulge in daydreams on your birthday, when can you, eh?

So. Apparently it seems that my (frivolous) dreams are made of leather goods, Pendleton wool, plaid-esque textiles, and shiny things. Ah, well.

Favorite Dreamy Dream Place: Aspens in the fall. One of the only things I miss about living in North Park was the fall. The Aspens would turn gold and red and it was the most gorgeous thing ever. Bert and I would ride through groves of Aspens while gathering cows off the mountain and I would always stop for a minute to just be and soak in all that golden light. If I were to ever build my own house, it would be in an aspen grove at the bottom of a mountain. With a barn and a good set of pens.

Favorite Place to Dream: Pottery Barn Coleman Bed. I know, I know, all I've been able to talk about is wood bed frames, and now this. But I was looking around our room the other day, and we have a light wood dresser and two whitewashed dressers (code for old house=tiiiiny closets), and I don't know if I'm decoratively handy enough to incorporate a third wood. So, I think I metal bed like this would be a great option! Here's to hoping I can find one online or at an antique store for (a lot) cheaper.

Favorite Lotion Scent EVER: Whish Blueberry Body Butter. I got this in my Birchbox, and I'm obsessed with it. I can't say it smells like blueberry--like banana Laffy Taffy tastes nothing like banana--but it's still the most delicious smell ever, and smooth like buttah. Perfect for dry winter crackly hands.

Favorite Pretty Thing to Keep Me Organized in 2016: Gold Planner. This is gorgeous. I love when people make ordinary things pretty, just to add a little pep to day-to-day things. My planning skills of late leave something to be desired. I attribute this to a tiny human. This would help, I am certain of it. I may Christmas gift it to myself. Because, really, mom being organized with a pretty pink and gold binder planner is just better for everyone, right?

Favorite Droooooool: Elizabeth Baby Bag by Lily Jade. I found Lily Jade on Instagram a couple months ago, and oh. my. gosh. I didn't know baby bags this beautiful existed. Granted, it's pricey, and I'll have to save up until the birth of my next (as yet unconceived) child to afford one, but still. I love love love my baby bag now, but this is a wishlist, remember? What's a wishlist without a superfluous bag? Is something this functional and beautiful really every superfluous, though? 

Favorite Brightly-Colored Drooooool: Pendleton Weekender. With all the weekend traveling we do for rodeos in the summer, having a big-enough-but-not-duffel-sized bag that's as gorgeous as this would be oh so nice. I swear by my Vera stuff, but I don't have a true weekender bag--I have a one-nighter, and a three-plus nighter. Can you tell I'm trying to justify the heck outta this?

Favorite On-The-Ranch leather good: Bogs Pearl Boot. These are leather. These are waterproof. These are Bogs, which are my favorite muck boot. These are camel. I love camel. These are another example of someone making  completely mundane thing pretty, and I would love to call a pair mine. I live in boots in the winter, and these would seriously up my stylish-yet-functional mom game.

Edited to add: YOU. GUYS. As I was looking for a link to link this to, I realized that this tan color is now discontinued so they're getting rid of them online. Sad, right? NOT IF YOU WANT TO SCORE THESE BAD BOYS ON MAJOR SALE! As in, I just bought a pair for $51 on Amazon. Not kidding. At all. My gift from Bert for my birthday is to go shopping, and I may have just spent half my budget but I got these beauts for 70% off and that's a victory in and of itself, and makes these so much sweeter. Finally, having big ole feet has paid off, because the bigger sizes are cheapest. CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT. 

Favorite Actually-Not-Expensive Thing That I Will Probably Budget For in 2016 Because My Current Curling Iron is (literally) Fifteen Years Old: Hot Tools 1.5" Curling Iron. My curling iron is literally 15 years old, as in I used it to curl my hair when I was in the Nutcracker in middle school. My hair dryer isn't much better. I know I usually air-dry my hair, but that does not contribute to my stylish mom dreams. Nor does this situation. Yikes, Cass.

Favorite Sparkly Drooooool: Stacked Wedding Bands. My dream is to have one unique band for each kid. These are nice to look at to get some ideas. 

See how offhand I was about that? Nonchalant, you know? Like "just to get some ideas for how to spend this extra $2,000 I have laying around.

Favorite Plaid: Pendleton Shirt Jac. Ohhhh Pendleton. You have my heart. You know my soul. You don't know my budget though. Le sigh.

Favorite Unnecessary Pretty: Pretty Nikes. Since I don't wear leggings during the week, I pretty much live in workout wear on the weekends for the comfort and get-off-thy-rear motivating factor of being in Spandex all day, and some pretty floral Nikes would sure make it extra fun.

Favorite Completely Unnecessary But Amazing Gingham Situation: Gingham Pajamas. I love pajama sets. I love gingham. What else is there to say? Follow the yellow brick road!

I love a good daydream. Thanks for being part of mine.

Well, my sort of daydream. Because when a piece of your daydream becomes reality (I'm looking at you, pretty pretty boots!), you're like "Wait, is this Harry Potter?!?" and then you're immediately disappointed because no, it isn't, but hey, you still got some pretty neat boots. 

Wacey's First Christmas Gifts

I love shopping for Christmas gifts. I love surprising people, and I love wrapping them up in paper and making pretty tags. I tend to go overboard, though (imagine), and so Bert and I are sticking with the "something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read," because although presents are fun, Christmas isn't about the presents and we don't want to make it that way. But, this year we're sort of bending the rules a little and going a little toy-heavy because, well, Baby's First Christmas. 

Not too overboard, though. He won't get an actual live pony until he's at least three :)

Wacey, being our first baby and being spoiled all around, has everything he needs and more. I (and the grandmothers and aunts and great-aunts) buy him clothes as he needs them, and he got so many books from my baby showers that we're set for quite awhile. It's getting to the point where he increasingly enjoys sitting and playing by himself for ten to fifteen minutes at a time, trying to figure something out, so we need some more big kid toys up in here! I'm investing in some along the way that we'll be able to use for other children, too. 

Plus, he doesn't really have any idea about Christmas and will just end up playing with the tissue paper anyways.

one/two/three/four/five/six/seven

I love Melissa & Doug toys because they're simple, they're affordable, and I know they'll stand the test of time. Plus Wace can slobber all over everything and it isn't a big deal.

The Schleich animals are just necessary for any ranch kid. Wacey saw some at a saddle shop over the summer, but they're pretty dense little (not too little, don't worry!) toys, and he couldn't pick them up because they were too heavy! One of the other little boys on the ranch brought his to a ranch dinner, though, and Wacey decided he liked the taste of them, and I guess he's been working out or something because they're not too heavy anymore! We're starting his herd off with an Angus cow, a red baldy Simmental and a black bull. 

The Rody bouncy horse is also a ranch kid staple, it seems, every little boy we know has one (I'm sure you've seen the bucking chute video), and they have great reviews on Amazon, so this guy is on his way to our house as we speak. This is the priciest item on Wacey's list, but they last a long time, and when he's done with him we'll deflate and store for the next kiddo. Plus, sometimes it's fun to get him something just because it's cool, you know?

I had never heard of Red Ranger Came Calling until I asked Bert if he could think of any books he wanted to get Wace for Christmas, and he immediately said this one! Apparently it's hilarious, so I can't wait for it to arrive.

I've had my eye on this shirt jacket forever, after seeing it on another little boy. It's enough to keep Wace warm between the car and the house, but not so bulky that it's unsafe under a carseat. I buy a lot of his clothes consignment (seriously the best way to go when your kid grows like a chubby little weed), but sometimes you just have to spring for something new (with a 20% off coupon, of course).

Wacey discovered bead mazes at the doctor's office this year, and was entranced even though he was feeling poorly, so I think we need to add this to our collection. I like toys that can can play with while I'm working that help him learn. 

I love Jan Brett books (the Mitten, anyone?) and anything involving armadillos and rodeos has to be a winner, right? 

Drifted In

Y'all. The weather sucks.

They predicted that we'd get snow, but last year the predictions were pretty hit-or miss--the weatherman would say that we're in for a doozy, and we'd get, like, an inch. Or, they'd say "nothing to worry about, just a light dusting!" and eight inches later, we decided to take the weather forecasts with a grain of salt.

Yesterday, it looked like it may not be so bad. I started taking pictures around 3:00.

And then, this morning:

I mean, we have our own personal snowdrift. I recognize this isn't the biggest snowdrift to ever grace the internets, or this driveway, probably, but still. Personal watermelons are a thing, but I wish personal snowdrifts weren't. I don't even know how much snow we've gotten because it's so windy! My guess is about a foot.

So, what to do on a day when you don't dare to leave the house? In a past life, I would have put on my coveralls with Bert this morning, and went out with him to feed the cows. However, babies+blizzards aren't the best combination, so we're stuck inside today. I can't say I hate being warm, but I do miss being able to feed cows because I like it! But, today was a two-man-feeding-crew kind of day, and ain't me and Wacey plus two cowboys gonna fit in the cab of a tractor. I promise I'll get some pictures when it's a pretty, Christmas card-type snow where it isn't blowing hard enough to suck Wacey out of my Ergo carrier.

Or something. I don't think that's actually happened, but I'm trying to convey the magnitude that is the wind today.

Instead, I worked on organizing yet more DNA cards (I'm almost finished, I can't wait to show the final project! I also can't wait to quit organizing DNA cards!) with Christmas movies in the background, obviously, because it's snowing. Snow before New Year's=Christmas. Duh.

Then, I went on a walk to get the mail to a) get out of the house b) look for the snow shovel (where did I put it???) and c) get my steps and active minutes in because I'm obsessed with my fitbit.

oh and 4: to listen to Christmas music while wading through knee+ high snow drifts. 

This is what I discovered:

If you want to get gas at our gas tanks, you're SOL.

 Four-wheel drive is a must.

And there's no way our mail was delivered today, because this is the county road, ha. It's drifted in to about waist height for about half a mile, apparently.

On that note....it's beginning to look a lot like Christmaaaaaaaaaasssss!

Sunday Night Highlights 11.15.15

Weekend Adventures:

• Yesterday, we took some heifers out to the pasture. I just opened up the trailer and pop! Out they went. They didn't even say goodbye!

• On our weekendly (weekly, but only on a weekend) long walk, my neighbor and I saw our resident buck and his lady friends. He’s keeping it smart since rifle deer opened and staying close to the barn where hunting is prohibited.
  
  
  

• Since neither Bert nor I have ever seen all of them, we’re watching the Star Wars movies in Machete Order, and saw the Attack of the Clones last night. I have to say that I prefer the older movies—the new ones are trying a little too hard with the special effects.

Agriculture: 

• Did you know that the vast majority of farms and ranches are family-owned and operated? As in 97%! And of that, over 80% of farms are small family farms. I hear a lot about “Big Ag,” but the reality is that at the farm and ranch level, there’s nothing big about it.
•  Big ranches, like the ones we’ve worked on, are actually less common than you think. According to the USDA, 79% of beef cattle operations have less than fifty head of cattle.
• The average age of the American farmer is 57.

On the Ranch:

• We’re in our slowest time of the year right now (thank goodness!). The calves are weaned and the cows are pregged, and it’s nice to not be rushing around.
• That being said, most of what’s going on is doctoring and moving cattle around. Pretty soon, the guys will sort off the culls and opens and move the cows around for calving.

On the Home Front:

• We’re hoping to make it to my brother- and sister-in-law’s bull sale this week. Weather permitting, we’ll drive up and see them and my new baby niece! Alas, someone has to feed our cows if it snows, so we’re waiting to see what the weather is going to do before we head on out.
• Our downstairs carpet got cleaned a couple days ago, and I am SO excited to make the downstairs a baby-proofed, Wacey-friendly area (complete with built-in cubbies/window seats that someone so thoughtfully installed at some point). Oh, and to be able to move his toys downstairs so we stop almost breaking our necks on his toys J
• I’m resisting every urge I have to start decking the halls, but we aren’t hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year, so I maaaaay put up a few things a little early. Like a Christmas tree. And lights. 
• Also, we totally went all lumberjack and lopped down several bushes in front of our house. Neither one of us know anything about pruning or bush maintenance, and apparently the people who lived here before us didn't, either, because those poor bushes had dead chunks, barely grew leaves and were generally an eyesore. So, they're gone! It already looks so much better. 

The First Post

As I get older, and my friends/college acquaintances/social media people and I are growing (or, in some cases, pretty much grown) up, Facebook is making me increasingly unhappy. Not actual, visceral unhappiness. Maybe disconcerted is more the word. Not because I feel like my life is less than perfect and comparing it to others’ lives it upsetting, or because I’m jealous of all of my single friends who are traveling the world, no strings attached, free as a bird.

Although Australia, France and Greece are all totally on our bucket list. Throw in New Zealand, too, please. And maybe Switzerland? Thanks.

No, I am startled by how much these people who I call my friends, some who I really call my people are posting absolute junk and ignorance about their food. One of my very best college friends posted a video the other day about how bad livestock is for the planet. I don’t have anything against those sorts of videos, per se, but the grand majority are so biased and selective about the information they share that it makes me want to pull my hair out. While he claims that he posted it because it was interesting, not because he believes it, just the fact that the video is getting posts and shares and likes and positive comments breaks my heart. Inevitably, if one of my Facebook friends posts something like that and if I comment on it, the response is “Oh, I’m not talking about you. You would never treat animals this way, and I know you try to do the best you can by the environment.” 

But, you guys? Those videos that you see, especially about the mistreatment of animals and the flagrant disregard for the environment, are the exceptions, not the rules. Truly.

You know exactly the kind of video I’m taking about. Either it’s “Cows use more resources than any other meat and they’re wrecking our planet,” (I wrote an article for a blog about that, actually) or “People who raise animals abuse them and don’t care about their welfare,” or “Meat is the root of all of our health/environment problems.” In each of those videos/articles/etc., there are grains of truth, definitely. Not all the truth is pretty, and we, like every other conscientious industry in the world, are working on improving our efficiency and animal husbandry, and decreasing our environmental impact. But those videos and articles omit SO MUCH to make you believe what they’re saying. They are trying to make you buy what they’re selling, and they’re awfully good at making a case. So, it’s time for us, the livestock producers—beef producers, in the case of this blog—to tell you the real story of where your food comes from. 

Because your food is raised and grown by families. Real people, with real lives, real children, and a real desire to do right by the animals they raise and/or the land they use. Remember that bad news sells, and people doing bad things are always more popular in the news than people doing good things. Remember that often "People fear what they don't understand, and hate what they can't conquer."

Please, if you are a proponent of the anti-livestock mindset, or if you believe everything those videos tell you, read this blog. Ask me questions! If I can’t answer them, I know someone who can. I am inviting you into our lives necessarily not in the hope that I can change your mind, but in the hope that that this blog can help you understand, see, and learn.

If you are not a proponent of that mindset, I invite you into our lives to see what we do every day, too! I hope that you will help me answer questions, and maybe invite people into your lives as well to add your perspective.

It’s a scary thing, this internet world. I have wrestled with how much to let people in, what to say, what to leave out, how to show things. The internet can be a very hateful place, especially when people are passionate about something. I am so, so happy that this passion is often about the food we eat, because that’s the way it should be. What we use to fuel our bodies and how we impact our planet is very important. I am unhappy, though, with some of the things that are said. So, I am throwing caution to the wind, and inviting you in. Please be kind, respectful, and, as my third-grade teacher Mrs. Ertman would say “Put on your thinking caps!” Smart lady, that one.