It's Summer!

Wow, what have I been doing that I haven't posted in nearly two weeks?

I can hardly remember.  A little of this, a little of that...gotta love summertime!

I've met friends for lunch and breakfast.  We've had visits from family, and from friends passing through Kenosha.  The little kids (B6 and Chicklet8) had sports camp two weeks ago, and then VBS last week; this week Bantam12 is at soccer camp, and B16 just left for a month at Honey Rock.  The little kids and I have had two Joseph rehearsals so far, and we've hit numerous yard sales together. They are living on bikes, rollerblades and scooters, and B6 loves shooting basketballs at the neighbor's regulation hoop.  (In fact, at sports camp he received Most Outstanding Player for his age group, and Chicklet received Best Defensive Player  for soccer.  Last year she was Best Offensive Player, so I guess she's a flexible girl!)

Blondechick and I have looked at five possible wedding reception venues and she's had an audition for a music scholarship at Trinity--which she received!  But she's having a tough time making decisions about next year and knowing what she really wants.  She is off her crutches but still going in for physical therapy for her soccer knee injury. B20 is helping around the house, teaching himself Photoshop, reading, playing video games, biking and walking daily, and hoping that a job materializes soon.  I probably better get that plate spinning again....

But there was one big project that stopped me blogging, I guess.  A painter friend had an opening in his busy schedule, and his wife asked if I'd like him to come paint our master bedroom.  I've been talking about it since we moved in, since I hated the "builder white" in our bedroom. It just didn't go with the rest of the rooms on the main level of our house, which are warm shades of olive green, carmel, celery and creamy carmel.  It seemed like the perfect time to act.

But I still had to settle on a color!  When we moved, I gave away our 80's mauve comforter and ordered a comforter and pillow set online that appeared to be the subtle sage green that I wanted. But when it arrived, it was really more gold than green, and the leaves were more brown than sage, with olive accents.  We liked it enough to keep.  But it was tough to choose a green that would coordinate with it.

I ended up buying four sample cans of color to try on the walls, and I tried each color on all four walls because the light was different on each one.  The first was too bright and pea-soupy.  The second was too dark, the third too light, and the fourth didn't even look green, although the sales clerk and I both thought the chips for #2, #3 and #4 all seemed nearly identical.

So I gave up on the paint chips, and mixed my own shade, combining #2 and #3 with a dash of #1, and when it looked the way I wanted, I made my own chip on a paper plate and had the paint store do a color match from it.  The result was not what I expected, once again!  But thank God, it looked good and we liked it.

See?  It's kind of a creamy pale olive.  It's perhaps a shade lighter than I imagined.

We also turned the bed.  We used to have the headboard on the right hand wall.  I had to give up the cedar chest that I've always kept at the foot of our bed, because it stuck out too far into the center of the room, but this way makes the room look bigger, plus it shows off the headboard, which is a family heirloom.  That's a writing desk on the left wall, with the ottoman from the wicker set as a chair.  Maybe this week I'll decide which pictures to hang where!

Now, you can just imagine the cleaning that had to take place before this room could be painted.  I had stuff stashed under the bed, behind the wicker chair and the loveseat, behind the bedroom door...all "to deal with later."  And Later arrived!  I'm still sorting it all out.

I also sold our 4-year-old extra-firm mattress that no longer felt good to Papa Rooster's back.  We bought a Sensor-Pedic mattress that we placed on top of the old one, making our bed extra-tall, but the bedspread didn't quite cover both mattresses and a box spring.  I was pleased to get $150 for it, 48 hours after I posted it on Craigslist. I felt so successful that I listed Chicklet's loft bed, which simply takes up too much room--and a buyer is picking it up tomorrow night.

It's so great to have time and energy to get to stuff like this.  Let the summer continue!

You Crown the Year with Your Goodness

Humor me today with a little poetry exposition, okay?

The Midday Psalm (Psalm 65:6–14)

You make fast the mountains by your power;* they are girded about with might.  Wow, what an image.  It is God's power that roots and supports the mountains! You still the roaring seas,* the roaring of their waves, and the clamor of their peoples.  "Be still and know that I am God." Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs;*  This makes me think of tsunamis and earthquakes and the Northern Lights. you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy. This reminds me of the characters in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader who are really stars who sing at dawn and at dusk. I bet C.S. Lewis had this verse (among others) in mind. You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous;*  We've had so much rain here in Wisconsin this spring that it's good to reminded that it is a sign of fruitfulness and blessing. the river of God is full of water.  What an image of abundance!  We often use the expression "dry" to refer to our spiritual lives when we have failed to replenish ourselves regularly from the Source of all we need, and this image of a river, FULL of water, reminds me that God is never lacking. You prepare the grain,* for so you provide for the earth.  This reminds me of Isaiah 55:  "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth.  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Rain and grain are achieve God's purposes just as His word does! You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges;* with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.  I grew up on a farm, and I have seen cracks in the ground when a field is very dry.  I have seen the softening effect of rain as it smooths out ridges and as it pools in the furrows.  When I am feeling "dry," I imagine God's love raining down on my cracked and barren heart and softening it in a similar way. You crown the year with your goodness,*  This struck me.  He doesn't crown nature or creation, but "the year."  What does that mean?  The seasons? The life-cyle?  Harvest time?  It is clear that his goodness to us or to the earth is a great honor and blessing. and your paths overflow with plenty.  Even when God's paths take us through places of trial or suffering, He is more than we need. May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing,*  The "wilderness" image in the Psalms usually implies a place of danger or trial, so this statement seems to remind us that even in the difficult places, God's provision and abundance are to be found. and the hills be clothed with joy. May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain;* let them shout for joy and sing. I love these images of nature putting on garments of praise and abundance!  I find it whimsical to imagine a cloak made of grain, or a covering made of sheep or cattle. Also, this whole section seems to keep pointing to God's provision of food for the earth as something we should praise and worship him for--and yet we so often take our daily bread for granted. Yet it is God who sustains everything and everyone, whether they worship Him or not.  What a love He has for us all....

Drivin' Forward in Faith

Now that the school year has ended, I have the time to put in on a couple of big projects--helping Blondechick plan her wedding, and helping B20 find a job.  There's not much to tell yet on Job A, except we're going to look at wedding and reception venues this week!

On Job B....  We attended the mandatory informational meeting at the Kenosha DVR (Department of Vocational Rehabilitation), and it sounds like the whole process is going to be slow, and we ought to do our best to find him employment without their help.  He's filled out applications at several places, and then I thought to take him to Manpower, the temporary agency.

That visit was most encouraging. A woman there spent a lot of time with us, and it sounds likely that he'll be a good fit for a client that will have openings in just another week or so.  It would begin as a temporary position, but should lead to employment if he does a good job.  So we are praying that this will all come about!

In the meantime, I was looking at bus routes to get him to work, and not finding anything promising.  But the car route wasn't too bad of a drive, I noticed.  I talked with Papa Rooster about it, and we each had the same sudden inner conviction.  Though he makes us nervous, B20 would be just fine driving himself to and from work.

He passed his driver's test, after all--a year ago.  In fact, almost exactly a year ago, I began to realize, fighting back panic as I looked through a file drawer for his road test results.  As they continued to elude me, I thought, "What if I find them and they just expired yesterday?"  My next thought was, "Well, Lord, if that's the case, then we'll know it's because he shouldn't be driving.  It's in your hands, Lord."

This was last Friday afternoon.  The DMV would be closed on the weekend, probably.

And the test results were dated--June 14!  The following Tuesday--today, in fact.

So yesterday, we "cashed in" his road test results for a Wisconsin driver's license.  He didn't want to drive home. It's been a year since he's driven, and we had the 15-passenger van because we were dropping off a bike at the bike repair place afterwards.

But once he has a job and we figure out a vehicle for him, we'll get him up to speed again. When he had his learner's permit, we had him driving everywhere, but he'll be a lot more comfortable driving the same roads every day.

It's funny how sometimes God nudges you along.  That very night, after Papa R and I had decided he ought to get his license, I was meeting with some women from our church, and they ended up sharing stories of elderly relatives or clients who were driving long past the time that someone should have taken away their car keys. So I told them that we were thinking of letting B20 get his license, and they agreed that he'd probably be just fine.  (His vision, hearing and reflexes are fine, after all!) Then one friend commented that being a good driver has a lot to do with noticing things that are unusual or out of the ordinary, and that is one facet of B20's autism--he's very observant about things that are out of place.  Her comment seemed like a confirmation from the Lord that if the route is familiar, he'll do fine.

And I am feeling dizzy with relief at no longer being The One Driving Him Back and Forth to Work Every Day.  I woke up one morning a couple weeks ago filled with anxiety about that role. I didn't even think, then, of him getting his license after all, but God heard my prayers and I believe this is truly His answer, not mine.

The less-exciting news is that now we have to start paying for auto insurance for him. (At least he turns 21 in 6 months!) But if gets a job, he's happy to pay his own insurance, and pay us back for a car too.

So we're drivin' forward in faith...that he'll get the job...that we'll find cheap wheels for him when the time comes...that he'll be safe...and so will those around him!

Summer Theater and Me

I am trying to remember what first planted the idea into my head.

A couple months ago, we were back in our old stomping grounds at a musical production of Alice in Wonderland.  An old friend, a dad, whose wife died of cancer a little over three years ago, told me that he was doing well, considering, and he had recently been in a musical himself.  He and his son had tried out together and his son was cut, but he decided to do it anyway.  He thought it might be good to have some fun, he said, after three years of the single dad/grieving widower thing.  And he'd had a blast.

I know that the thought had already crossed my mind before this conversation.  But it kind of teased a thought out into the open:  Why don't I audition for a summer production?

I love having my kids involved in theater.  I loved my last session of teaching Drama 1.  I have very little to look forward to this summer.  Why not step outside my comfort zone, do something new and different, and gain a little personal experience?

I've been in two other musicals.  One was in 1983, my senior year of high school, when we did The Wiz.  That's the Diana Ross version of The Wizard of Oz, and it was probably really hilarious to see us very white hayseed small-town teens trying to groove our way down the Yellow Brick Road.  I was in the chorus and had a lot of trouble learning the dances, I think.  I have the impression that the choreographer gave up on me.

My second time was four years ago, when our whole family was in a community theater production of Narnia, the Musical.  I was Mrs. Macready, the no-nonsense housekeeper.  She's in the first and last scenes only, which was fine with me.  And she don't dance.

Our wonderful director of Robin Hood is directing a community theater production of Bye Bye Birdie this summer, so I initially thought of auditioning for it. I would have loved to have her for a director!  It was a long commute to rehearsals though; they were twice a week, and there were two weekends of performances.  It seemed like a lot of time, especially if no one else in my family was doing it with me.  My younger three would all have been interested, but only age 14 and up could audition.

I was praying about it and leaning toward doing it if Papa Rooster would give his blessing, when I heard about another production, closer to home, of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  It would be less than half the commute, half the gas expense, half the rehearsal time and half the number of performances--and Chicklet8 and B6 could audition too.  That clinched it, PR agreed.

Auditions were just three days later, so I had to quickly memorize 32 bars of a song and put a little movement and expression into it while singing--quite a nerve-wracking task!  It was hard to think about note placement and foot placement at the same time, without forgetting about facial expression, proper breathing and singing the right verse of my song ("I Get A Kick Out of You" from Anything Goes).

Meanwhile, Chicklet8 pulled out her last audition ("Do-Re-Mi"), blew off the dust and was ready to go. Unbelievable.

B6 had never auditioned for a show before, but he knew a verse and a chorus of the Oompa Loompa song and we figured that would work.  It wasn't like there was a role he was going for; we knew he and Chicklet would be in the Kids' Chorus, if it appeared they both could sing.  For me, I couldn't imagine what else I would be besides one of Joseph's brothers' wives?  Or would there be another small chorus part?  The Narrator has to be a great vocalist, and no, surely they would not see me as Mrs. Potiphar.  What if not enough men/boys tried out and they needed some women to be Brothers? I thought that might be fun, but it would be tough to sing that low for a whole show....

Both the kids did well, and my one minute on stage passed quickly.  To my surprise, I was told I was called back.  I had not thought about this or known when callbacks were, and I would have to rearrange Sunday afternoon plans to make it.  I was also told that at call backs, I would take part in a dance audition.

Oh dear.

I texted Blondechick:  I got a callback!  She texted back:  It is so weird, ME hearing that from YOU.  Go Mama!

At callbacks, I was delighted to recognize many faces I knew--mostly teens from two chapters of our Christian youth theater group, who were surprised to see me, instead of my kids, at the audition.  There were two women my age, both friends of mine, with kids also trying out; I knew about one, and the other was a pleasant surprise.  Her husband was there too, and one other dad.  It looked like there were nearly enough tallish males to be Joseph's 11 brothers.

We women had to learn a page from one of the Narrator's songs, and then each one of us had to sing it--expressively--alone, in front of the group.  Then we had to go learn about 16 bars of a dance, and sit and wait while the men sang.  I went over and over the dance steps in my mind while the men sang "Close Every Door"--step, turn, turn, drop, knee, snap, snap, snap, pivot turn, kick, step--and when it was my group's turn to run through it again once more, and then do it for real...I did okay.  I have no idea how it looked, but I wasn't lost.  And my singing/acting attempt was not bad, it seemed.  So I was pleased!

Then we drove home to wait for the cast list. I am usually as anxious and impatient as my kids are, when they have auditioned--and it may actually have been a tad easier to wait on my own fate than it usually is to wait on theirs.  We only had to wait hours, though, compared to their usual 24 or so, so it wasn't quite the same.

...And there is my name!  I'm a Wife!  One of my friends is also a Wife, but she's Jacob's wife, it says--ah, her husband is Jacob.  All the other wives are under 20, I note.  I must be Reuben's wife, I'll bet--he's the oldest Brother--and ah, Reuben will be played by one of the dads--oh, Mrs. Potiphar's dad, I see--and the only Brother out of his teens.  My other friend is the Baker, and her daughter is the Narrator--whoopee!--and one of my other young friends is Joseph!  Oh, oh, and both Chicklet and B6 are listed there in the Kids' Chorus!  B6 made it!

And that's the end of my tale, for now.  Rehearsals don't start for two weeks, and I am impatient to start learning songs and coaching B6 and Chicklet.  I'm even eager to begin learning dance steps!  Now I'm a little sorry that there is only one rehearsal a week.  I'm nervous...and excited....  Mostly excited!

Lessons Behind Us

Though the private Christian school that B16 and BC18 attended has been out for two weeks, B12, Chicklet8 and I have been pushing hard to complete their end-of-year projects and assignments for the virtual schools they attended this year...and we are DONE!

Ahhhh, it feels so good.

Overall, I really liked the virtual charter school option that we have here in Wisconsin.  It's been great for B12, especially, to report to someone else besides Mom and receive "for real" grades.  With Mom, it's an A every time because she works with you until you understand the concept (not a bad thing, but the burden is on Mom).  With a teacher, if you miss a lot of problems, you get a bad grade or even fail...then it's up to you to get the help you need, or fall further behind--a needed "reality motivator" for B12.  He did a great job of tackling the assignments on his own and completing his work with hardly any help--I was so proud of him!  He often needed help with time management, since his deadlines were rarely hard and fast, but it was a great opportunity for him to begin to develop those skills that many of us adults struggle with.  (Like what happens when you procrastinate, and how it's better to tackle the unknown assignment early in the week.)

For Chicklet8, I appreciated the accountability more for myself than for her.  I just don't enjoy teaching these early skills, like math facts and handwriting and sounding out words.  When I feel stretched thin by time pressures, as I have these last couple years, it's just so hard for me to find the patience for these kinds of lessons!  So it was good for us both to be pushed along by the school's assignments, and she ended up learning so much this year.  I was very pleased.

For inquiring minds, B12 was enrolled in iQ Academy, through the Waukesha public school district, and I really recommend this program.  In addition to interactive material to absorb, he had a wide variety of assignments that require higher-level thinking than just memorizing for the test, and his teachers were accessible and accommodating.  Chicklet was using the Little Lincoln Interactive curriculum through Wisconsin Virtual Learning, a charter school of the Northern Ozaukee School District.  (I think Little Lincoln is available to anyone, though--maybe not for free, as it was to us.)  Every day there were online lessons in entertaining video form from Mrs. Walden, the writing teacher, Mr. Reed Moore, the reading teacher, Ms. Triggle, the math teacher, and Chicklet's favorite, Dr. Algae, the science teacher. There were also optional games online, at the end of each five-minute video lesson, and workbook pages, as well as art and science activities. You didn't have to turn in everything, just certain assignments, so often we didn't complete every single activity, but I thought that overall, it was a fantastic program.

B6 was my one purely homeschooled student, in kindergarten, and he was done about 3 months ago, I hate to say.  We're still doing a lesson here and a lesson there in Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, but that's been about it for formal education lately. Lots of unschooling going on for him, though, as he spent hours drawing, then began writing strings of letters and numbers, and eventually began phonetically spelling out words and teaching himself simple math facts.  Not every day, mind you, but I was thrilled to see him being his own teacher!

As I've been thinking and praying about next year, I feel great peace about the decision at which we've arrived.  We are going to put B6 and Chicklet8 in public school for a year or so--we'll see how it goes.  I'm calling it a sabbatical, after 14 straight years of homeschooling!  Chicklet went there for half a year last year, you may recall, and we both really liked it.  It was just a long day for a sweet little girl who missed her family, and I didn't make her go back after Christmas break.  But she's so excited about going back as a third grader, and B6 will hopefully get the same Christian teacher that Chicklet had for first grade.  He's ready for more structure and mental challenge, and I think he'll get it better there than from me.  As I said, I just don't enjoy these early lessons, creating motivational challenges for me.

I also long to give Chicklet the lessons she is begging for--cooking, sewing, and art.  I hope if someone else is in charge of the essentials, I'll have more energy for the extras!  But I am realistic.  They will be gone from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with an earlier bedtime than we are used to, plus they will have homework and piano practice, and AWANA and theater will start back up again...and I'm afraid I won't get much time in the evenings with my little ones, unless I am creative and intentional, which is something I can't wait to think more about.  I just know that the rest of my family needs me too, Mom has been stretched too thin these last couple years, and the younger ones' education is something I can delegate next year, at least.  This plan just feels right, and I feel peace from the Lord about it.

Only B12 will be at home, and he'll do iQ Academy again, since he's able to work so independently and it was such a good experience.  We don't feel that the public middle school would be a good option for him, and the Christian school is a big expense.  So it'll be just him and me next year, unless B16 decides to do iQ Academy instead of the Christian high school--unlikely, but a possibility he's praying about.  It would give him more time to focus on guitar, voice, song-writing, and brushing off his piano knowledge--all things he's really desiring to do--but he wouldn't be able to play sports or see his friends as often, so it's his call.  He's got the summer to decide.

Blondechick will be at Trinity International University, we are nearly certain.  Still financial details to work out, and in two weeks she has an audition to see if they will give her a music scholarship for voice.  We've been told that there is still money there, if they need her in one of their vocal groups, and she doesn't have to major in music, so she might as well see what happens, eh?

B20, Lord willing, will be working.  The job search has been progressing at a snail's pace so far.  Prayers appreciated!

For now, it's just great to have the school year behind us and the summer looming.  Ahhhhhh.....   Bring it on!

Heigh Ho, Robin Hood! (Part Two)

So in my last post, I said that it's swordfighting and adventure that make Robin Hood different from other shows.

Robin Hood always gets his man...and so does B12!  

But Robin Hood also has singing...

Dancing...

B12 in front row

Boasting...

(Little John is cheating.)

And pathos.  One of the sub-plots involved this old widow and her three grandchildren, taxed to the last farthing by the Sheriff of Nottingham, who enter Sherwood Forest seeking assistance from Robin Hood.  This is their reaction as scary-looking Little John approaches.  That's Chicklet8 on the right, who has the next line:  "I'm afraid, Grandmother."

Here she explains, "The Sheriff took ALL our money!"

To the tall stranger (really King Richard) she denounces "the horrible old Sheriff!"

She had a lot of fun in the crowd scenes too.

That's one of B16's friends on stilts right behind her!

Little John reminisces about the first time he met Robin Hood.  You know the story...

How they both wanted to cross a bridge and decided their staffs would have to settle the impasse, the fight ending with Robin Hood in the water...pulling Little John in, when he offers his hand to help Robin out.

Will Scarlet also shares the story of his first meeting with Robin Hood, not recognizing him, sword fighting with him, then discovering that his dueling partner is his cousin, Robin Hood!

Then B12 steps up.  "I remember the first time I met Robin.  He was walking in the forest and I was walking in the forest.  And I stepped on a stick.  And he turned around and looked at me.  And I kinda...waved at him."

This little story is followed by silence and the sound effect of crickets chirping.  "Good story!" Will Scarlet finally exclaims, clapping B12 on the shoulder.  B12 enjoyed his part and got a laugh every show.

Look closely at Maid Marian's dress, as she suffers the unwanted attentions of Prince John.

Blondechick wore this same dress, six years ago, when she was a Maiden in Robin Hood!  The gold band has been added to the bottom, and the cape at the shoulders, but the rest of the dress and the headpiece are the same. (Hmm, I wonder if we could find a picture of her in it?)

Oh, so many reasons why this was one of my favorite shows EV-ER.  So thankful...

To God!

Heigh Ho, Robin Hood!

What fun we had doing this musical!

To start with, I love the story.  When I was in elementary school, I read Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures in Robin Hood and fantasized about speaking the King's English and being a castaway with the Merry Band!  Will Scarlet, Little John and Allan-a-Dale were like big brothers, in my imagination.

When we first started in theater, Robin Hood was our first show, so the musical version has always held a special place in my heart.  Blondechick was just 12 years old, and she was a Maiden.  B16 was then B9, and I couldn't talk him into auditioning.  But he ushered and watched all 6 shows, and by the end of the run, he was ready to try out for the next one.

So I was thrilled when I heard that our new theater group in Kenosha was going to do Robin Hood!  To my delight, even B16 decided to audition.  Turns out he always thought Little John looked like a fun role, and he had the height and the voice for it, so he worked hard to convince the directors that he could do the part.  And he certainly pulled it off, winning a Screwball Award for his comedic performance...that kept getting funnier every show!

It's sword-fighting and adventure that makes Robin Hood so different from other shows.

The Sheriff's soldiers surround Robin, Little John, Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck.

While Robin Hood battles the Sheriff of Nottingham...

Little John takes on Kaspar, the Sheriff's henchman (who did not have a green t-shirt showing during actual performances!).  Their battle ends with them holding each other at swordpoint, and each show, they became more menacing and mocking of each other after they had dropped their swords.  Finally, one night Little John ended it by turning away, brushing his hair off his forehead as he did so, to the delighted amusement of the crowd...so naturally the "hair flip" stayed for the last two performances.

See Bantam12 in the middle there? (Wearing socks, because his boot laces were being fixed during this dress rehearsal.)   He got compliments on his great facial expressions, like the one above (click to enlarge)--during this slow-motion epic action scene.  So other boys began to work on their facial expressions, including his brother, who decided that Little John concentrates on his fighting the way Michael Jordan does on making a basket--with his tongue pushing out of his mouth!  Audience members loved it, so every show the tongue went further and further out of the mouth--and from side-to-side too--in slow-motion.

One other funny moment happened during the slow-motion scene, when Little John and Kaspar swing their swords toward each other and hit at the top of their arc...but in one performance they missed! In slow motion!  "It was an epic FAIL," they joked afterwards.

But the best scene was when Robin Hood and Little John dress up like gypsy women to distract Prince John while the Merry Band robs him blind.

B16 had to speak up high, sing in his head voice and dance in a dress.  He did it all with lots of high-pitched laughter and without a trace of self-consciousness.  We were so proud of him!

"Listen, listen to the gypsy dance...it will put you in a gypsy trance...."

The scene ended with the gypsy dancers stripping the entranced and dancing Prince John of his royal robes.  Here's when he "comes to."

"Guards!  Bring me a royal covering!"

Lots more to come--B12 and Chicklet8 got to do lots of fun stuff in this show too!  But I was especially proud of B16 for the way he embraced his role like he's never done before.  He says he's not interested in any of the shows they are doing next year and it would take a special show for him to invest that kind of time again. I hope it's not his last one, but it may have been.