surviving the storm and black out the old fashioned way

I got to put a new camera lens to work yesterday--I knew when I got off from work that bad weather was headed our way so I hurried home and got online to try and check my husband's pay. He needs to know as soon as possible what it shows so that he can call work and let them know about anything incorrect or missing. Internet was on and off as the storm intensified but I managed to get just what my husband needed before it gave up.  By then the rain was coming down so hard you could not see through it. I was so glad to be home and that my son, James was home.
 As the rain pounded down I went out onto the front porch to watch it fall and to keep an eye on the drain to make sure that nothing blocked it preventing the water from flowing freely. I went out, picked up the shovel and pushed a few sticks out of the way.  Nano-seconds later James called out to me that the power had gone out. There was however a slight bit of sunshine in this.  James purchased an inverter probably a little over a year ago and he had already brought the battery inside so he calmly hooked everything up and he had tv to watch. I sat out on the porch and watched it rain. When it finally quit I grabbed the camera and headed up the dirt road. I met my sister-in-law coming in who was telling me that a tree was down at the top of the dirt road and that there was a tree down with power lines over an suv down the road. I walked on up the Dirt  Road and took a few shots of the tree that had been shredded and then headed back toward the house. I met a neighbor who I had grown up with, who was coming up the road to see what she could find out. We talked for a few moments and then I watched as James pulled my suv around and down across the yard. Confused as to what he was doing I said my good-byes and headed for the house. Turns out that my suv had become his back up power. I reminded him that there was only so much gas in that thing so be careful.
  After my conversation with my neighbor  I was curious to the amount of damage done down the dirt road. I picked up my cameras and headed on down the drive. I found there were some branches down but nothing major. I got to where the big power lines cross the dirt road and I could see blue lights up on the main road. Yeah, you guessed it- boredom, no power, new lens and over powering curiosity got me. I took a few photos from the dirt road and then began walking. I ended up walking the just over half mile through near waist high--and very wet- weeds to the main road, stopping ever so often to snap off a shot. I finally ended up on the main road that was barricaded by patrol cars and spoke with the county police. Nice people.. I asked about walking past where the clean up was going on but was told that there was a live power line down across the road. You could see where the tree had taken the lines down. Someone at some point-- I missed this--had thought they could drive their suv across and over the downed tree. They not only got stuck they became trapped in their vehicle when the power line ended up draped across their vehicle. I made a Duke's of Hazard reference which the young officer either didn't get or didn't hear, either way he didn't comment of give me that confused expression that the young often give their elders when they don't catch something. I ended up walking back the way I had came, back through the high weeds and swampy areas. This time was easier as I knew pretty much where I could walk.  I was however very thoroughly soaked. When I made it back to the dirt road I stopped and told several people that we would be in the dark for a while if not all night. I walked up the dirt road but took a left to go back up to the main road to hike down from the other direction and see what I could see. I met some people that I knew and then made some new friends as well. I ended up walking with a Relay for Life friend down to a safe distance from the downed lines and watching for a few moments as they worked. I also spoke with her dad, there was a big tree that had partially fallen, that if it goes the rest of the way down he is not getting out of his driveway. As we started back we saw a truck that had passed us stop and speak with the county officer that was keeping vehicles from driving around the barricades. when we reached the officer he told us that the power guy had told him that it would be at least two and a half hours as the tree clearing people had just arrived. Pam offered to bring him something to eat but he said that the nearby town's city police were supposed to be bringing them out something.
 I went home soaked through, somewhat tired from all that hiking and frustrated that I couldn't upload my photos to see what I got.. I'll see soon though. (photos actually posted now)
 Our power came back on some time around midnight. Don't try to set your clock when you're awakened in the middle of the night after a power outage.. I set it wrong..thankfully I have a battery back up as well that was right ;) Of course our pup Bella is also a very good alarm clock as she starts wanting out right at four in the morning every morning. At work everyone had storm stories. Some people had power and then  some didn't. A few were getting messages that it may be as long as two days before their power is back on.

I know, that when you look at storms and tornadoes that others have gone through, ours was not much. While we have trees down and power out yet in places, it was nothing compared to OK or the mid west regions. While the winds and rain was terrible, none of my trees fell, so I thank you Lord for that. Tornadoes wiped out entire cities. Our storms inconvenienced us. But we got out, we visited, we met old friends and made new. More importantly- we survived, and we were once again reminded that we are strong and can still survive the old fashioned way.

Bella's Day Outside

                                                  Bella playing in the Dandelions the other day

Today Bella spent a large part of her day outside. I'm glad that I didn't know about it in advance as I'd have worried all day. As it was, when I got home from work, she met me at the gate happy as could be. I'm sure being outside was a lot more fun than being cooped up in the house. I'm sure the cats liked it better as well.

 Our front yard is fenced, so there was no fear of her running off. Thankfully now she has grown too big to fit through that small gap in the gate. The yard is still beg enough and she is still small enough that there is plenty to investigate without needing to seek bigger, better or more on the outside. The yard is also plenty of shade trees as well as the front porch with its cool cement floor to rest on and stay somewhat cool in this summer heat. Sad thing is she did kill a flower. I'm not upset with her....as long as she stays away from my tomato plants. There is a large bucket of fresh water near Buddy's dog house (in the shade) and a couple of other containers of water that are left for them.

I kept peeking out the door through-out the afternoon, just to be sure. She was fine out there, her and Buddy. She alternated between playing either by herself or with him, or stretched out under the chair on the porch. At the rate she's growing she won't be able to do that for long.

I went out late in the afternoon to try out a new camera lens and of course that led to my being totally attacked. She has this thing about feet, ankles and blue jeans. So far she's put holes in two pair of my jeans, but I guess that just puts me more in style. I'm trying to break her from that because even as I know its just puppy stuff, I don't want that particular habit to carry over. I did get a few photos taken in spite of Bella.

I didn't go into the garden as I know she would have managed to follow me and she is a destructive creature. I know it isn't malicious, but its still deadly to plants and I don't want my garden harvested and ripped before it has a chance to produce.

Bella will be coming in soon. Her room (the bathroom) will be ready for her. I know that she will be good and tired and ready for a good night's sleep. So that at 4 in the morning she can start once again demanding to be let out, whether I'm up yet or not.

I love this pup- life with her is one grand adventure after another.

The Adventure of Training Bella: Sit and other random commands

  

 There are two things that Bella is going to have to learn if she is going hiking with me. That is 'sit' and 'stay'. Teaching her these would be a lot easier if I wasn't the proud pet parent of an Attention Deficit dog.  Of course she is still a puppy, one must make allowances for that and I do, usually.

  I mentioned earlier that I had purchased those dog training treats, and she does love those things so that helps. Thanks to her short attention span our training sessions are short, but usually successful. Getting her to 'sit' didn't take long at all. Though my memory may be faulty, she seemed to pick up on it quicker than any dog we have had before her. I've seen other people train their dogs to sit by giving the command as they push down on the dog's hind quarters. All I had to do with Bella was give the command, over......and over......and over....mainly because I didn't have her attention to start with. Once she realized I was holding a treat, she became very focused on what was going on.

I concentrated on the one command for several days. I wanted her to understand 'sit' before we added anything to her training. Well, other than adjusting to that leash that she appears to literally despise with a passion. I've never been deep sea fishing where I actually fished, but I've seen it on television and walking her on a leash here in the beginning looks like they do when they have caught one of those really big marlins..but she'll adjust, I have all faith in her.

Our first attempt at 'shake' was humorous as she kept falling over. She would try, she really would, only her balance was not there yet and every time she ended up on her side. She wasn't hurt, I'd imagine she might have suffered a mild case of doggy embarrassment, but it wasn't bad enough to stop her from trying.

Once I knew that she had the command to 'sit' understood and would sit (for a treat) on command I decided it was finally time to step it up a notch and add the command to 'stay'. Which of course to begin with was a complete failure. I jumped the gun a bit by thinking she would stay when I backed away. No, if I backed up she took that as a signal to move forward. This game had her so excited that the session ended prematurely because her paying attention at this point was not going to happen. Tomorrow was another day.

When I began our session the next day we began with the usual, 'sit' and 'shake' which she is actually getting better at. Then I went to the next which was 'sit' and 'stay'. But, instead of moving back, I stayed where I was and kept softly repeating the word 'stay' while I held my empty hand in front of her. I kept it short though and it worked. The next time I held my hand there for a bit longer. Increasing the time every time. I didn't do it for long though, I know her by now and no matter how much she likes those treats, even that can only keep her focused for so long. That puppy energy has to come out eventually.

Which means the cats are her usual target. She isn't being mean, (though the cats may beg to differ) she wants to play. The cats however are all adults and long past the kitten- playing stage. The thing is, no matter how often they hiss, or slap at her, even at times slapping her, she doesn't back down or back away. Stubborn little girl. I know one of our next lessons.

 I've taken her on a couple hikes through the woods. Each one has been different. The first time she listened very well. If I stopped, she stopped. When I began walking again, she did. The second walk, she wasn't as nervous and therefore did not listen as well. If I stopped, she wanted to keep going. When we walked around the pond, she wanted in the pond. She also wants to pull on that leash. I have to break her from that now when she's a puppy so that I don't end up with a full grown eighty-something pound baby dragging me down the dirt road. The last hike we went on she did well. She stopped better, but she really does enjoy playing in the high grass that we pass through. That and every, single smell along the way has her stopping to investigate. Once we get past those she stays fairly close by my side, right up until she realizes that we are on the way back home. That is when the worst of the pulling begins. I know it sounds as if I'm choking her, but she's the one pulling the leash tight, the only way to prevent that would be to run, and I'm not running. Instead I'm trying to teach her to listen to the word 'stop'. But being on the way home, that never enters her head. We'll work on that.

She's going to adjust to spending more time outside. While I do plan on her being an inside outside dog, outside is better during the day. There is always plenty going on to keep her entertained, what with the squirrel and birds playing about, not to mention the neighbors. Our front yard is fenced, there are plenty of shade trees and we keep a big bucket of fresh water in the shade. She would be able to get on the front porch should it begin to rain. There is also Buddy, who is our outside dog. He's not real sure what's up at the moment and is not the friendliest I've ever seen him, but I know that he will adjust to her and accept her presence. All of this beats being confined inside all day alone.

The one thing that I will be very glad of, is when she stops all that puppy biting due to teething. I've given her all manner of puppy toys to chew on, but her favorite chew toys so far seems to be me and my son James. One thing about it, all of my jeans are going to end up looking very fashionably ripped thanks to those sharp daggers called puppy teeth.

Raising a puppy, always an adventure.

The Adventure of Training Bella

  

 The ongoing training of Bella is making for a grand adventure. Especially as I have called her my Attention Deficit pup.

  I have noticed in the past how people use treats as rewards to train their four-legged friends. Fearing treats from the wrong places I carefully checked the packages to see where they came from. I didn't want anything too big or anything that was not suitable for a puppy. While the pet treat aisle was long and loaded it was easy to reject the wrong products. Then, there it was. An orange and yellow bag with a window showing small treats. A bag with the words "Training Treats" emblazoned across the package. Better yet- they were made in the good ole USA. I purchased a bag and best yet- Bella loves them.

One of the first things that Bella had to learn was how to accept and walk on a leash. There is a leash law and I plan on being a strict follower of that law. Its safer for Bella.

 I didn't want to purchase a leash since I had a really good one already, it is just too heavy for Bella right now. So instead I found a tightly woven strip of fabric and rigged up a leash with that and a clasp hook. Bella did not like this and was not about to take being controlled lightly. Walking with her on a leash was like fighting with a Marlon. She slid, she bit the leash, she flipped and flopped and just in general was not co-operative. I would stop and let her fight and when she slowed down I would start walking again. When she started fighting it, I stopped and waited her out. Not too different than watching a toddler throw a tantrum. Finally it seemed to sink in that no matter what she tried, the leash was staying. Before long she was walking around and around the yard, not meekly, but obediently. Those walks also wore her down to a less frantic level where she would come in and stretch out on the floor and not try to chew up everything in the house and my feet and fingers.

When we walk she wants to pull me, I'm trying to break her from this now not later. She gets excited, especially on the way back home and wants to pull. She is still a puppy so she hasn't pulled me off my feet yet, but if I don't break her and get her to walk close by my side now I'm in for a problem when she gets bigger and German shepherd that she is- she will be big. As it is, when she starts pulling now I tug back on the leash with a sharp "no". It takes repeating over and over but she eventually gets it and walks beside me, at least until she forgets and starts pulling again. That means we start the process all over again. Of course there are those times when having her pull- like trying to go uphill- might not be such a bad thing.

I am currently trying to teach her to stop and sit when I stop. I want her to walk with me when I go for hikes, especially those hikes away from the Dirt Road. Here I'm not too terribly worried as its private property and there isn't supposed to be anyone out there. I am not so naive to think that people won't trespass just because its private property so I listen closely to the sounds of the woods around me. It gets so quiet out there I can hear a beetle walking among the leaves so hopefully I will hear anyone else wandering around out there..Bella is my insurance. Especially out in other areas that I really want desperately to hike and photograph. Currently when I take Bella with me its an interesting time. She starts out fine, even minding better than usual as we start down the path and into the woods. Once we reach the pond however is a different story. It seems that the minute she sees the water she loses all restraint. Supposedly she has Lab in her ancestry. I can only suppose that the water brings that out and she wants if not in, at least close to the water. I will allow her to go tot he edge, but not in it, not yet she's still too young. There are wildflowers and wildlife that I want to photograph so I'll stop. Bella might stop, but usually she's pulling on the leash trying to get to the water, under a shrub or in the high grass. The commands of stop and sit do not register in this pup's hearing as she investigates her surroundings. Tightening and or shortening the leash helps,but she seemingly has this inability to sit and be still. So while my photographs on these sessions will not be prize winning quality Bella is learning and I along with Bella am getting outside, some exercise and lessons in patience. One thing's for sure, after those walks, Bella is one tired puppy, but you can tell she's also happy.

Training Bella is not the easiest thing I've ever attempted to do, but it is satisfying and fun. Bella is a very intelligent pup and learns fairly quickly. We just have to get past that attention problem. Until then, let the adventures continue.

Bella: Let the Training Begin

This is Bella. She is our newest family member, a 12 week old German Shepherd mix. She joined our family after we lost a big baby of a Border Collie mix by the name of Rambo. My husband asked if I wanted a big or small dog. I chose big for a couple of reasons. One I prefer big dogs and two I wanted a dog that I could take on my hikes and not worry about being bothered by anyone. I found Bella online and had her home within a couple of hours. Then it was.. let the training begin.


The first, most important lesson was housebreaking.

Only a portion of my house is carpeted, but that wasn't the important thing. Preventing odor was a major and its simply better for all involved if she knows that the great outdoors is her potty.

Since she is still too young to be spending great amounts of time outdoors alone- and she will not be put on a chain if I have any say and I do-she has to be confined when no one is home. So the bathroom, is her room. There is a soft light, a radio playing, her bed, food and water and toys. It isn't the same as having family around and being allowed to run the house, but it keeps her safe and the cats free of puppy harassment. I purchased some of those puppy training pads and she actually uses them. That is a plus right there.

She isn't really fond of the room confinement, but she has adjusted and accepts that is how it works for now. Come night time she goes into the room, climbs into her bed and curls up for sleep. When I can trust her not to have an accident and not to bother the cats I'll let her sleep at the foot of my bed. Until then, its the bathroom.

We've been working over time the last few weeks so I have to get up at 4 in the morning. She has gotten accustomed to this and moments before my alarm clock goes off my puppy alarm starts. I get up, pull on a house coat and release her from the bathroom and get her straight to the door. I step out onto the porch and watch as she goes out into the yard. Oh yes, my front yard is completely fenced in so she's relatively safe. After a short time we both go back into the house, me to prepare for work, her to find and chase the cats.

Before I leave for work I will take her out one more time. Our outside dog has finally adjusted to her presence and will actually play with her instead of snapping. That helps in getting her more used to being outside and not terrified of every little sound. As she has grown though those puppy fears have dissipated and she is showing signs of being fairly fearless. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing. We'll see I guess.

As she grows she is getting better about waiting until she can get outside. She's not there yet..but she understands what I want from her and she's trying. And that is all I ask for.

We are going a couple times a week for long walks. Getting her to walk on a leash.. not that is another ongoing adventure..one I'll save for the next blog.

Relay for Life- the annoying, frustrating productive day/ evening part 2

 Here it is Tuesday the 14th of May and I am still fighting to recuperate from Relay. Even though I did nap for a short time there around 2am or so, most of the time I was awake and enjoying the event. People I know are still asking me how it went. I give them my best, "you should have been there " smile and then proceed to give them the highlights.
 Did I mention that I took a test drive during the Ford Test drive event? I was very happy to help out in raising money for Relay, but I made a poor choice in what to ride in. Having driven an SUV for years now, I should have chosen an SUV because the car that I rode in was cramped and crowded. It was a nice vehicle don't get me wrong, it just had no room. But I got a free shirt out of the deal so it wasn't all bad.
 Have I mentioned how walking that survivor walk makes me feel? Okay yeah, it is odd walking past people who are clapping....but then, I and everyone walking deserve that applause, we beat cancer. We are walking, talking, dancing, prancing, singing, shouting, proof that it can be done. We all started out under somewhat similar circumstances in that we were diagnosed with cancer. Then our battles become personal as we fought in our own way. Some kept it quiet, preferring that as few people as possible knew. Some shouted it to the world- fight with me- help me beat this. Some struggled as others grew stronger. In the end we found ourselves wearing purple survivor shirts, walking around a track lined by people all applauding us.
  The one thing that I was grateful for was the help of family, friends and teammates during the night. My niece needed volunteer hours for school so I happily agreed to help her out there. She took care of the site a couple of times during the night. Her mother watched it a couple of times so I could walk a lap or two. One team mate and fellow survivor who was there was not able to spend too much time with me as she has a site of her own....right beside her race car. Yeah Brenda..still working on putting the person I work with in a car that does so much over 100 mph. It was cool however getting to walk over and check out the car and learn a little about it.
  I started to walk one time only to get stopped part of the way around. I stood and chatted for a few minutes only to notice that they were lighting the Lumanaria bags. I said my good byes and hurried back to the camp site to find my lighters. Once again I was searching for something that I knew I had..just had no clue as to where I had it. Which was one of the most frustrating things of the entire event- the amount of time I spent searching for stuff that I had but had no idea where. When I finally located them I handed one to my niece and one to her boyfriend and asked them to go and help light the candles.
 Walking that Lumanaria Lap is humbling, heartbreaking, and inspirational all at the same time. To see the names of those that we've lost beside the names of those who have won brings a chill and a tear.
 At one point, late in the evening, another team mate who was also helping out with the banking duty sent her son over to see if I wanted to stroll around for a while. I gladly accepted the offer. As I made my way around the track, listening to the music and wondering what the neighbors were thinking I was struck once again by all of the emotions of the event and the reasons for it. This event had drawn a large gathering of people. All brought together by various reasons for one cause. To fund an end for cancer. By the time I got around to where my site was I found it over run by teenage young men. I didn't mind, they were all just sitting around chatting calmly. When they appeared in no hurry to go anywhere I kept walking. It was the most walking I was able to do and I loved every minute of it.
 When the guys finally had been still as long as they could they began to wander off a couple at a time. I was glad that I was close when they did but as late as it was there wasn't much worry of anything getting gone as the crowds had thinned. Now it was the die hards and committed that were there. I knew that I would be there until the sun come up, I just wished that the others were as committed, even as I understood that sometimes you just can't stay.
  I helped when I saw that they were gathering the Lumanaria bags. It was right about the time of my short nap, I'm guessing that someone made a noise as they went by blowing out the candles that woke me. When I saw what was going on I unwrapped myself from the blanket and stood. Walking over I helped dump the candles from the bags and trash the bags. When we had gotten the rest of the way around the track they decided to take a break before gathering up the wooden blocks that held the candles. Since I was rested I went ahead and began to gather the blocks and pile them up for easier gathering and boxing.
  By the time I had made my way half way or better around the track you could see the sky beginning to lighten. Our co-chair called us together for a final recognition and prayer. Following that was the last lap of the event. It was sad in a way. It was over. All the work all of those months culminated in this..and now it was all over but the taking down and cleaning up.
 The final wrap up event is coming up. We'll turn in any money that we have made and hear how everyone did in their fundraising. We'll laugh, we'll applaud and we'll plan for next season. Because until cancer is defeated- we aren't going away.

And a Good-Exhausting-Frustrating-Productive Time Was Had by All- (part 1)

 The morning started out early. Not as early as my alarm clock wanted it to, but that was just too bad for the clock. The alarm went off at 5am, I finally quit hitting the snooze and got up just before 6. I got dressed, took the puppy outside for business and then I began to prepare. Collecting up all of the items that I really should have collected the night before but didn't. As soon as the clock hit a decent hour I called down to my brother's place to see if he was going to still allow me to use his large canopy. He should have said no, but instead he told me to come after it. On the way down I passed my mother walking her dog. She had forgotten I had taken the day off and wondered what was going on if I were sick. Once she was reminded of the day she was fine. I was going to ask to borrow my dad's truck but before I could I found out that my brother already had. Time to ask favor number two of my brother.
 When I went to collect the canopy I asked if he would have time before he went to work to use dad's truck to haul the tables I had already asked Dad about borrowing and been given permission.  When he asked who was going to load them I told him that I would go and shanghai my son and we'd do it right quick. James was not really happy but he did it. Once the tables were loaded I took the truck key back to my brother and the building keys back to my mother. My brother told me that he would bring his canopy in the truck along with the tables.
 I returned to the house to continue getting ready when my brother arrived. We rode up to the site and with a little help got the canopy set up and staked down. We set the tables out where they would be needed, then returned home. We barely made it before the road work that had been going on began for the day.
 Once I was back home I began to load my SUV-its amazing how much those things can haul. Large plastic storage boxes, plastic chairs, my smaller canopy, cardboard boxes, blankets, food, water, coolers..and the list goes on. I'm glad that passenger vehicles aren't subject to weigh stations or I may have been overloaded. I took it all to the site and began to set everything out. I didn't set it up yet as I had to run an errand. This meant calling on my usual rescuers, mom and dad. They came up to site sit as I quickly left. Unfortunately I chose the route that took me right to the road work. That was a delay I didn't really want but luckily I wasn't delayed too terribly long. I made my trip and back to find that mom had left because the wind had picked up...a lot. Dad had seen me pull in so he had called mom and she was already on her way back. He walked up to meet her as I began to attempt to set up my site fighting the wind as I went. I had hoped for a slight breeze to make the items I had brought to hand from the canopy swing and sway, slightly. This wind was causing the decorative hearts to spin and swing crazily testing my reflexes past the limits of my patience.
 As I was attempting to hang the decorations I had my back to the much larger canopy behind me. I had hung tarps from the frame and the wind had them flapping crazily getting seriously on my nerves. Suddenly a different type noise had me turning to see the wind lifting and twisting the canopy behind me. Reaching for it quickly I kept if from flying away but watched as a section of it collapsed in my hands. One of the cross supports had snapped. My heart sank...I was in so much trouble. I borrowed a relatively new canopy only to see it trashed. I was now looking at a 12 x 12 scrap piece. My own canopy swayed and jerked crazily as the wind sought to destroy it as well. Someone passing told me that one other tent had to be rescued from the woods. It didn't help.
 I finally managed to get everything in place then I went to make a poster of the items and their cost. The wind had stolen one of my poster boards..it was returned a few moments later by someone a couple of sites away. I made the list but the wind would not allow me to fasten it to the front of the table, so I taped it down to a section of the table surface.
 While I had been in the process of setting up one of the committee members had passed by telling me that the Ford Test Drive program was ready. (A local Ford dealership brought 6 cars for test drives. For everyone who took a drive Ford donated $20 to Relay) I had to wait for someone to man the fort. My  niece who had asked about getting some volunteer hours in showed up not long after I finished setting up. I showed her everything, showed her the cost list and then me and her mom left to go test drive cars. Well, I didn't drive I rode- the car I was in was nice, but I didn't like the limited room. Guess that SUV has spoiled me. Once Donna got back from her drive we went in to the Survivor Dinner. The food prepared by the Methodist men was delicious, the company was great and the program entertaining. Then it was time.. it was time to head back to the track and get ready for the survivor lap.
  I checked on my niece, Angel was doing fine. I made my way over to where the other survivors waited in time to fall into the group already headed around the track. Led by a drum core from East Gaston High School. Listening to applause as you walk past has always been an odd feeling..but I understand it better now. We've fought- some more than once- and won. We've fought- and been forever changed. We're stronger and yes- so much more appreciative of even the small things.
 The Cub Scouts carrying a large banner led the lap for the caregivers. They were incredible in how well they did. Once the Caregiver's lap was finished the 5K run commenced. I watched as the runners passed the track and then following the edge of the woods hit the trails that was their route.
 The East Gaston Belmont Relay was really under way. We had fought long and hard to get here- and now- let the fun begin.