We get a visitor!

Today, we had a special visitor:  President Memory of the Mission Presidency flew his plane from Montgomery to Starkville to see us this morning.  We had a delightful meeting with him, and he treated us to breakfast.  We had the opportunity to review our service, and the work in this area.

After out breakfast meeting, we dropped President Memory off at the Starkville Elder's apartment.  He then took all 4 of them to breakfast.  President Holzapfel and his counselors, Presidents Memory and Porter provide outstanding and unselfish service to the misisonaries here, as well as the members and the communities.

Our Missionary District

Here's our Missionary District last Friday.  Front row:  Elders Campbell, Urry, Hatch.  Back Row:  Elders Gervais, Munns, Hidenshield, Savoie, and Jones.

It's a pleasure to serve with, and assist these fine young Elders.

We just got word that Elders Hidenshield and Savoie are being transferred from West Point.  They will be great missionaries in their new areas.

Friends, Friends, Friends

Here's Sister Johnson in one of her favorite stores in West Point:  Bits n Pieces Antiques.  With her are the proprietors:  Bill and Mary.  They have become our good friends through the West Point Food Pantry, which they started about 11 years ago, and have just resigned from continued service.  They are wonderful people, and have provided many blessings to the community.  Sister Johnson always finds "treasures" when we visit their store, and I do too, occasionally. 

Here's Sister Johnson and Sister Guest, the matriarch of several families in the Columbus area.  We got to see her for a few minutes before she drove one of her friends to the airport. 

Sister Johnson and her friend Glenna preparing the accompaniments to a delicious T-bone steak dinner prepared by Glenna's husband Joel.  I must say here that we've had some good Southern Barbeque since we've been here, but never traditional grilled steaks until today.  They were some of the best we've ever had.  Joel is a master in preparation and grilling.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with them and the Columbus elders.

Count the friends in this picture:  Gabriella, Lorena, a dog, and 2 angora rabbits.  The white rabbit Sister Johnson's holding went postal a few seconds later, and scratched her hand in several places.  Fur was flying.  Had it gotten any worse, there would have been rabbit stew forthcoming.

The Bounty of the South

Mmmmmmm!  Look at these tomatoes, fresh from Papa Joe's garden.  The small ones got eaten quickly, the big ones get turned into Fried Green Tomatoes - another taste delight of the South.  Sister Johnson is bringing back the recipe to introduce this to us Westerners.

Look at these!  Papa Joe has several varieties growing, so they're canning, eating, and sharing some ripe ones now, with these coming on in a few weeks.

Here's Elder Johnson with TWO master gardeners.  You can see only a fraction of his garden from here.  One of his fig trees is directly in front of the truck, and he's promised to send us some figs when they ripen.

Senior Missionaries at Mission Home

Here's a photo of (nearly) all the Senior Missionaries in the Alabama Birmingham Mission on 15 June 2012.  From left:  Sister May (Elder May not in photo) Sister Dunbar, Elder and Sister Beckstead, President and Sister Holzapfel, Elder and Sister Callister, Halley, Blau, Caudle, Smith, Curtis, Johnson, Winsor, Greenland, Elder and Sister Porter.  This will be the last photo we'll have our our fellow Senior Missionaries.  They are all wonderful, and we love them.

Senior missionaries get Boiled!!

Friday, June 15th, was our last senior missionary get-together before we leave (sad face here).  To give the seniors a little something to remember us by, we provided the main course for the luncheon - my World Famous Cajun Boil. 

This is not the traditional Boil (pronounced ba-wol) of the South:  that's corn on the cob, shrimp, and crawfish all boiled together with spices, then poured out on newspapers on the table, and you go to eatin' it from there.  My version contains many more ingredients (unfortunately no crawfish), and is all edible, 'ceptin the lemon quarters that give it a little zing.  I will have to say there were doubters among the Southerners - who didn't think a Yankee boy could make a proper Boil - but there were many converts to this new style after it was over.  And there were some very generous and appreciated comments made. 

Here's how the process went:

Here's the setup on the back patio of the Mission  Home.  The pot is full of delicious goodies, all boiling away.  Here's the recipe:

This is Pat’s World Famous recipe for Cajun Boil.  This recipe feeds 30 hungry men, with leftovers.

1.           You need a large pot and burner – as from a turkey fryer

2.           Put 3 gallons of water in the pot – it should not come up more than halfway.  If your pot is smaller, fill only to halfway, then cut down the following ingredients proportionately.  Make sure you have a deep ladle that will reach to the bottom of a full pot.

3.           Bring water to a hard rolling boil.  Add 1 6oz can of Old Bay seasoning.

4.           Add 1 – 2oz of Green Tabasco.  See #16.

5.           Add 6 – 8 lemons, cut into quarters (the only nonedible ingredient).

6.           Note the following countdown to serving time.

7.           45 min.  Add 4 lbs of baby carrots, cut into bite-size pieces (½” x ½”).

8.           40 Min.  Add 5 lbs of small potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces.

9.           35 Min.  Add 2 lbs of celery and 2 lbs of green beans, cut into bite-size pieces.

10.        30 Min.  Add 2 lbs of diced onions.  (8 medium-sized).

11.        25 Min.  Add 6 cans of baby corn, drained, cut into bite-size pieces.  All added ingredients from this point are precooked, so you can turn off the heat. 

12.        20 Min.  Add 4 lbs of cooked sausage (like Kielbasa), cut into bite-size pieces.  If the sausage is not “spicy”, you may want to add more Tabasco.  See #16.

13.        15 Min.  Add 4 – 6 cans of black beans (drained, rinsed).  If anyone is allergic to shellfish, ladle out their servings now.

14.        10 Min.  Add 5 lbs cooked, shelled, and deveined shrimp, cut into bite-size pieces.

15.        Let it brew (unheated) for the remaining time until serving.  Stir occasionally.  Addition of the precooked ingredients brings the temp down, so it should be just right to eat and enjoy!!

16.        Before serving, check out the “heat”, and flavor.  It’s best to leave it a little on the mild side, and let the guests add spices and salt to their taste.  Remove and discard the lemon quarters as they come up in the ladle.  Check the serving temp, warm up if needed.

17.        Breadsticks, cornbread, coleslaw, and salad make a complete meal.  Have containers available for your guests to take leftover boil home (unless you want to keep it for yourself.)

18.        From this basic recipe, you can “personalize” it with your own favorite ingredients.  Remember that everything in the pot should be bite-sized.

19.      Additional ingredients you can add for flavor:  a 24-oz (or larger) bottle of Ketchup.  4 cans of diced tomatoes - or whatever else strikes your fancy as unique and tasty.

        Here's the result, just before serving.  The legend is that if the ladle brings up a lemon quarter into your bowl, that you'll have good luck all day.  Actually, I just made that up, but that's how legends start.

        Here we are just before the festivities began.  By the apron, you'll know who did all the work.  Actually, Sister Johnson did the preparation and portioning the night before, and we brought all the ingredients in gallon baggies, excepting the potatoes and shrimp, which we diced in the Mission Home kitchen.

          President and Sister Holzapfel always make us feel welcome at the Mission Home

        Here's the Callister's and Sister Johnson enjoying the meal.  Some (myself included) put a big spoonful of cooked rice into the bowl before adding the Boil.  Cornbread, salad, lemonade, and of course some desserts all provided by the seniors made it very tasty and enjoyable.  Not to mention the good company we enjoy at these events.



When you've seen an orange house . . . .

 .  .  . then you've seen everything.  This house is bright orange, the picture really doesn't convey the vivid color.  Hurts my eyes just to look at it.  This home in Macon, MS is just across the street from .  .  .

.  .  .  a classic Southern Plantation home.  The zoning laws - or lack thereof - are a little perplexing to us Westerners.  And just down the street is .  .  .

 .  .  .  Sister Johnson and Elders Hatch and Urry going to visit a member who lives in Macon.  Their elegant 2-story home was built in the '20's, and is very well preserved - and on a 1 acre lot.

Here's Casey and Sister Johnson.  Casey's having a baby, her first, a girl in about 6 weeks.  Sister Johnson has a "girl" nursery blanket just about finished, and now she has someone to give it to, lucky baby.

Being instructed by the elders

Every week, we meet in District Meeting to give accountability and receive instruction from the District Leader and the elders.  We look forward to this time, to be with "our" elders, and for the learning experience.  Part of the meeting is accountability, where each pair of missionaries reports on the progress in their area for the preceeding week.  Here's Elders Campbell and Jones giving their accountability.  We discuss how we can help and assist, and set objectives for the coming week.  Sister Johnson and I also get to distribute treats to the elders at the end of the meeting, when they're walking out the door to go back to their areas.

You can ignore the colorful clay dishes on the table - these are in-process Father's Day gifts from the West Point Relief society to the Dads of the Branch.

Split open and old oak, and what do you find?

Our wood-cutting projects for members seem to never end.  It's a big job to cut down, cut up, and split these old majestic oaks - all for firewood.  Some of the rounds are so big that we have to split the heavier rounds into halves or quarters, just so we can manhandle them to the hydraulic splitter.  Br. Shields is the 1st counselor in the Branch Presidency.  In spite of the demands of his job (MD-OB/GYN), family, and leadership responsibilities, he takes the initiative in leading in these projects.  By my count, he's put in about 11 of his Saturdays since we've been here - on two wood projects.  And we're still not done.

Here's Larry (resting in the shade after helping me nonstop on the splitter for about 2 hours), Jacob (splitting open the round), and Br. Shields.  What do we find when it's split open?

TERMITES!

These nasty little critters are in the larvae stage, and this is when they do the damage.  You can see what they've done to the inside of this oak.  Termite and pest control here in the South is a big business, and everyone has to be sure their home is protected against termites and other vermin.  I've seen some houses partially collapsed when termites have eaten away the piers that support the structure.



Sister Johnson and the West Point Branch Primary

Here's Sister Johnson and the ENTIRE West Point Branch Primary.  Yes, sisters Angelica and Jesi are the only primary age kids in the Branch.  No matter, they love singing time with Sister Johnson.  Here they are getting ready for a song for their Dad and the rest of the Dads on Father's day.  These girls can really sing.

Sister Johnson and MORE friends

Will it never end?  Sister Johnson makes new friends wherever she goes.  Here she is with Nikiyah, Haniyah, India, and Jordan.

Elder Hidenshield's birthday

Yesterday June 10 was Elder Hidenshield's (right) birthday.  We took him and his companion Elder Savoie to lunch today.  Of all the places in West Point, Elder H chose No Way Jose's, so we had a delicious Mexican lunch in the deep South.

Sister Johnson and more of her friends

Here's Sister Johnson and her friend JJ again.  He just got up from a nap, and wanted a brownie and slice of the watermelon we brought, so even though he likes to cuddle, he's a little impatient here, and we couldn't get a smile out of him.

Here's Sister Johnson and her friend Gizzard.  Unfortunately, he's not getting enough to eat, so she shared some of her take-home chicken with him. 

Armadillo no. 43

Today, June 11, we saw our 43rd armadillo splatted on the road.  I stopped to take a picture of it, but it is too  .  .  . explicit to post, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  I'll show it to you when we get home though.

We're starting to notice the effects of temperature and humidity (took its toll on the critter above too - phewwwww) as the weather continues to warm.  A phenomena I've noticed in the last week is that the outside weather, as hot and humid as it is (and we haven't seen the worst of hot weather yet), is actually bearable while you're out in it, as long as you're not doing anything more strenuous than walking.  As soon as you carry groceries up the stairs, ride a bike, run, or do anything that elevates your body temp and circulation at all - the heat and resulting sweat become noticeable almost instantly.

When chainsawing or woodsplitting, I'm soaked completely above the waist in just a few minutes, and the sweat continues to pour out.  In a 3-hour woodsplitting session last Thursday, I downed two 32-oz Gatorades, and three 20-oz waters.  Didn't have to pee at all, so you know where it went.

I bike in the mornings, very early while it's still relatively cool, and that makes it bearable.  Even in our air conditioned gym, 20 minutes on the stationary bike or elliptical will leave me very  .  .  . moist.

Sister Johnson checks out the eggplants

Most everyone here in the South has a garden.  So wherever we go, Sister Johnson always checks out what's growing.  This always gives her something to talk about with whomever we're visiting.  This is a raised garden bed at the home of some members in Columbus, MS.

I think we could live down here, if:

1.  All the grandkids were close
2.  We could have 20 acres and a nice home in the country with:
     a.  a cow pasture
     b.  a pecan orchard
     c.  a catfish pond
     d.  a riding lawnmower
     e.  a chicken coop
     f.  a deer, hog, and turkey blind
3.  It didn't get any hotter or more humid than we've seen so far.  Only a couple days
     that it's been oppressive, but I understand that July and August are the months that
     it gets nearly unbearable.

So for the time being, we're content just to visit here.

One month left

Hard to believe that 5 months has gone by.  One month from tomorrow we'll be on our way home. 

This has been one of the great experiences of our lives, and we're so appreciative that we had the opportunity to do it at this time.  The people we've met here will always be our friends, and we've extended both blanket and specific invitations for them to visit us in Utah, so hopefully our friends and family at home will get to meet some of them.  We've become friends with some of the other Senior couples, even though we don't get to see them very often - we're the only Senior couple in Mississippi.

This has been the ultimate experience in "togetherness", we're hardly out of sight of each other.  It has been a privilege to be united in this service, and we have grown in many ways - except one:  We have been able to keep our weight in check, though it's been hard being surrounded with all the great food here.

We'll be working extra hard this last month, to try and finish some of the goals and objectives we've started.  We won't get all of them done, but we consider it a privilege to be here and help.

Ducks on the lawn

A family of ducks lives in the ponds surrounding the golf course.  Occasionally they pay us a visit.  Lots of birds here:  Geese, herons, buzzards, crows and lots of songbirds.

Farmers Market in Starkville

Spring and summer in the South are certainly different that we are used to!

The summer produce that we usually have to wait until July or August for is on now.  The spring is so warm that produce gets a very early start, and comes on quickly.  Right now we have local tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, cabbage, squash, beans, corn, and blackberries.  Peaches are coming in from Alabama.  This Farmers Market is held weekly in Starkville, but there are also roadside stands all over selling their delicious produce.

We'll be in fresh produce Hog Heaven until we leave, then guess what??  - we'll be arriving home just in time for our local crops to be ripe.  This year we'll get 2 seasons of delicious fruits and vegetables!

  The members are very generous to us with the fruits and veggies from their gardens.  Right now we've got blackberries, squash, peppers, potatoes, pecans, and eggs that these wonderful people have shared with us.

Sister Johnson and the Columbus elders

One of our important duties as Senior missionaries, is to make sure the elders don't go hungry.  Elders Hatch and Urry serve in Columbus, MS.  Elder Hatch is the new district leader, responsible for 3 other sets of missionaries in our area.

We go to Columbus about once a week, usually Wednesday.  The elders plan the day and make the appointments.  They usually have about a 1-hour gap in their schedule between 12 and 1.  Isn't that curious?  They always want to have dessert too.

Sister Johnson teaching Temple preparation

For the past 6 weeks, we have been teaching a weekly Temple preparation class to Sister Patricia Vernon of the Starkville branch.  She is so sweet, and is eagerly anticipating this great experience.  Unfortunately (for us), her 1-year anniversary of baptism, when members are able to go to the Temple, will be in August, after we leave.  We would so much have liked to attend with her.  Her husband has been a member for several years, and is a great support to her.

Note the high-tech Sister Johnson using the iPad for part of the lesson. 

Here we are:  Elder Johnson, Sister Johnson, along with Sister Vernon, Brother Vernon, and Sister Saunders of the Starkville branch, who graciously opened her home to us to teach this class, so we didn't have to make the 30 mile drive to the chapel in West Point.

Armadillos and Fireflies

It's hard to see, but the little critter scampering off to the left is a LIVE armadillo.  He's a juvenile, the adults are about 3X his size.  This is the first live one we've seen, after 42 dead ones smashed on the roads. 

We were driving out in the country and saw the cutest church, so we stopped to take some pictures, and as we were walking around, we spotted this little guy.  He decided to get outta there, so we didn't get many pictures, and no real good ones, but I do have some video of him, with Sister Johnson chasing.  We were hoping he would curl up in a ball in defense mode, but he was for skedaddling.  They are surprisingly fast.

One more thing checked off Sister Johnson's bucket list - only 2 more to go.

WAIT!!  Since she just caught a live firefly, now there's only 1 more item (a real tornado, and I'm hoping we don't see one of those).  Unfortunately, fireflies are only seen at night, and they light for only about a second.  She and one of her friends caught about 4 in a jar, but they wouldn't cooperate for pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it.  I did get a little bit of their flash on video.  For those who haven't seen a firefly, they give off a surprising amount of light, about like a bright spark lofting upwards from a fire, but they only burn for about a second.  They have little wings and a big butt to carry their lighted rear end around, so they can't fly very fast, and if you can get near one, they are not hard to catch.  I'll try for some more pictures before we leave.

Ties for elders

The next round of transfers is upcoming on June 6th.  Our district is likely to be reshuffled with several new elders sent in to replace elders who have been in their areas for more than 4 - 6 months.  The elders leaving will be sent to other areas in the mission, for approximately the same amount of time. 

To help the elders remember us, and to supplement their utilitarian wardrobes, we held a "tie lottery" at the last district meeting.  Each of the elders (based on seniority in the district) got to pick one (or more) ties from my personal inventory.  Each of the elders is shown with the tie of their choice.  From left, Elders: Gervais, Jones, Johnson, Savoie, Hidenshield, Hatch, and Urry.

I should mention that the ties available for selection were pre-screened by Sister Johnson, and were ones that she didn't care that I bring home, though I thought they were all quite nice and fashionable.  I think she has plans to replenish my tie inventory with new ones, selected personally by her. 

Bounty and goodness

We got a real treat tonight!  Jack and Carolyn Reed from the Starkville branch brought over some tomatoes and potatoes direct from their garden, and fresh tomato soup made from the same.  These are some of the delightful and faithful members in Starkville.  They have children and grandchildren in Utah, so we hope to be able to see them when they come to visit.

the trees and woodcutting never stop!

One of the trees that I felled was so tall that part of it fell into an adjoining pond.  Here's Sister Johnson in the Jeep pulling a small log out of the pond.  There's about 20ft of it still in the water at this time.  Our little diesel Liberty has been the ideal mission vehicle for us, as it gets used for this type of work frequently.  If it got as good fuel economy as my diesel Jetta, that would be the best of all, but sometimes we have to sacrifice economy for function.  BTW:  We'll be pulling a bigger U-Haul trailer home that we came out, with, thanks to the "treasures" that Sister Johnson has found since we got here.

The famous 27 ton wood splitter in action.  Gotta get me one of these!!  This takes a lot of work out of the firewood-making process.  I cut the felled trees up in "rounds" that are about 18" long.  We then manhandle them up to the splitter and flop them down on the foot (underneath the wood).  Then the splitter drives a wedge down and splits the rounds in two, then we keep splitting them to make firewood-sized pieces from there.  A really big round (36 - 40" diameter) is so heavy that we can barely rassle (that is a Southern word, spelled correctly) it in place.  The splitter has the power to crack open that tough wood, excepting the really cross-grained crotch pieces - those go into the burn pile.  It will take up to 20 minutes to work a big round down into small firewood-size pieces, but that's so much easier and quicker than trying to do it by hand with a maul or wedges.  Br. Jack Redwine is sitting down behind me with his hand on the control valve.  Note my cushy garden pad that I'm kneeling on to take some of the hurt out of these old knees.

Sister Johnson is everywhere!  He she is unloading cut firewood from a trailer onto the stack in the background.  Brs Jack Redwine, left, and Larry Foster, center are two of the fine branch members who are helping cut and move this wood for a single sister who lives in Houston, MS, about 45 miles NW of Starkville.

Here's our woodcutting crew at work, or taking a little break.  From left is Sister Brenda Pounders, whose place we're at in Houston.  She set up her shade canopy to give us a little respite from the direct summer sun.  Behind her is Sister Johnson, next is Sis. Pounder's sister who lives next door.  Br. Larry Foster is going for some water and snacks.  The West Point Branch President Robert Honsinger is on his little tractor with the blade - this is a lifesaver, as he is able to push all the cut rounds up very close to the splitter, and saves us much heavy labor.  Br. Redwine is obscured by Br. Cary Wilson at the right.  Br. Wilson had heart surgery/valve replacement and a pacemaker installed about 3 months ago, but he got a clean bill of health just a week ago, and here he is helping out.  We made sure he didn't overdo himself.  Usually we have Br John Shields and his son Lewie with us on these projects, but they were away celebrating Lewie's graduation from West Point High School.

These faithful brethren make up the majority of the active priesthood and leadership in the West Point branch.  Their faithfulness and dedication is very gratifying, and they do a lot to keep the branch going and to support the needs of the members here.

More Friends!

Sister Johnson makes new friends everywhere!  This is her with Sister Cheryl Wilson (counselor in West Point Branch Relief Sociery).  They have a lovely home that's about 8 miles directly north of where we live.  They have several acres, fruit and nut trees, chickens, a swimming pool, pool house, shop - what a great place.  Br. Cary Wilson is the 2nd counselor in the WP branch presidency.  The Wilson's have invited us out several times, including last Friday.  This time, their blueberries were ripening, and we picked several small tubs, as you can see.  They are delicious, but a little tart.  Today, I made a small barch of quick jam from a few that I was able to poach from Sr. Johnson's stash of fresh berries.

The Wilsons have a very nice and sizeable garden, and Sis. Cheryl is very adept at using and preserving the bounty that they raise.  Note the white tube enclosure in the background - this is actually a mobile chicken pen.  They put a few chickens in it, then move it strategically around their grass for the chickens to eat fresh greens, and of course deposit their fertilizer - very clever.

The Wilson's are special people, but so typical of the Church members we have here - dedicated, loving, and very willing to serve and help.  They have made us feel very welcome.

This is Sister Johnson, and another of her friends, Br. Jack Redwine.  He's the "patriarch" of the West Point branch.  He and his wife joined the LDS church about 38 years ago.  His dear wife Betty Jo passed away about a year and a half ago.  Br. Jack is now in his 80's, but still quite active, and raises a big garden.  Note the supersize tomato cages Sister Johnson has her hand on.  He makes these from concrete reinforcing mesh, and they are much larger and sturdier than the typical store-bought tomato cages.  He groups and stacks them for cucumbers, very clever.

Br. Jack is still quite lively, and is a great support to us as the Branch Mission Leader.  He's been a Bishop in years past, has served on the Stake High Council some time ago, and has given much dedication and service to the Church ever since he became a member. 

He also owns a very fantastic hydraulic wood splitter!!  This wonderful machine is a lifesaver in our woodcutting projects.  It's got 27 tons of power, and sometimes it takes all of that to split some of the stubborn oak we've cut down.

Memorial Day in Columbus, MS

We made a drive to Columbus, MS (30 mi east of Starkville) on Memorial Day to see the cemetery.  We'd been there once before, but it was at night for "Tales of the Crypt", a high school event (see prior post).  Memorial Day actually started in Columbus in 1866, when some of the local women wanted to honor the Civil War dead, including Union soldiers.  That idea was not well received at first, but it eventually became widespread in scope, and evolved into the holiday we now have.

As close as we can count, there are about 2,000 Civil War dead in the Columbus cemetery.  About 500 of them are "unknown".  These graves are all together in the older section of the cemetery, and I took this picture of an oak and vines growing up over the grave of one soldier. 

Columbus was founded in 1821, and the cemetery dates to the 1820's.  Since this was the site of the beginning of Memorial Day, I thought there would be a lot more decoration, flowers, and upkeep, but many of the older sites are not maintained all that well.  There is moss an stuff growing on a lot of the older gravestones, and you can tell that there are no surviving family around to maintain them, beyone what is done to mow the grass and weeds.

The family plots are marked by a raised concrete border, as shown here, and in some instances, there are family members from several generations planted together.

more Southern taste delights!

Thought I'd seen most everything here, and along comes Fried Corn.  Frozen in a chub, shaped like an ear of corn no less, with cream and sugar (of course).

Despite our regular exercise, we are likely to come short of our weight loss goals, but at least we will not have added any extra pounds.

On the plus side:  The local/regional produce is now coming on - we've got fresh corn, cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatoes, blueberries, squash, and peaches so far, and it's only the first week of June.  Except for the local corn, most of the other items come from Alabama, which is not very far away.  So delicious.  We'll get a double-season of fresh produce this year, as these items will be available until we leave, and when we get home, our own produce will just be coming on.  Lucky us.

I saw combines in the fields cutting fall wheat on May 20th.  All the fall-planted wheat and barley around here is now cut.  Field corn has tassled.  Soybeans, peanuts, and sweet potatoes are growing, and will be mature in 2 months or less.