The Dean also had given us a new research project that was delivered from Los Alamos. Yes! It’s back to doing research.

As Dr. Joe and I started reading the technical information for the new research project and looking into the technical information on the five integrated circuits that Los Alamos had sent, I found out that one of the integrated circuits was somewhat secretive. I had to call the manufacture and jump through a couple of hoops to have them send us the technical information on it.

Then Amy and I had some great news, Kelly and Larry, two of our best friends from Ohio, had their baby. A baby boy by the name of, Lawrence Randall Thomas.

After dinner on Friday night with Dr. Joe and Mary at Nunzio's, Amy and I meditated, and when we finished, Amy told me that she felt everything would be great on Saturday.

Saturday morning Ajie and I were walking across campus and towards where she was presenting her part of the conference. And, I’ll call her Ajie today. Why? Because she looked like my Ajie. She was wearing a long velvet shirt, a fancy blouse, and wrap moccasins. This look called for a Concho belt, so she wore one of those. She only necklace that she wore was the meteorite necklace. But, she wore two bracelets and five rings. I had braided her hair in a single braid and added a braid holder to the top. She didn’t wear a headband, but the butterfly barrette that I’d given her a while back, and that she wore above her left ear. She looked sharp.

I was also wearing a long skirt, a fancy blouse, wrap moccasins, and a Concho belt. I wore the choker that my two grandfathers had made, but I only wore one bracelet and three rings. I braided my hair into two braids, and put fancy ends on them. And, I used one of the fancy beaded headbands.

We both applied makeup, but it was very light.

For earrings, we chose the matching silver feather ones.

As I looked at Ajie and said, “Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.” (It is good, and all is harmony around us.)

Ajie smiled and said, “You think so.”

“No.”, I said. “I know so.”

When we walked into the building where Ajie was giving her seminar, we saw some people milling around. All the men were in suits and the women in dresses or suits. And, everyone was wearing a name tag. As we walked up to a registration table, one of the women looked up at us and said, “Can I help you, girls?”

“Yes.”, Ajie said. “I’m Amy Young, and I’m putting on one of the seminars.”

“Oh, yes, Miss Young. We have your things right here.” She went to a box, took out a folder, and handed it to Ajie. With the folder was a name tag.

Then the woman looked at me and said, “How can I help you, Miss?”

“She’s with me.”, Ajie said. “She won’t be on your registration list, but I’d like her in the room with me.”

“Let me see what I can do.”

The woman looked at a couple of papers. Then she said, “The room for your seminar is almost full, but there are three or four seats left. So, she can have a seat. Let me make her a name tag. What’s your name, honey?”

“Kai Nez.”, I said. “K, a, i, capitol N, e, z.”

The woman wrote my name on an adhesive backed name tag, peeled the backing off, and handed it to me. I took the name tag and stuck it on my blouse. Then Ajie and I walked to the classroom where she was presenting her seminar and walked in the door. We looked around, and there were already some people in the room. Most were standing around talking, some were sitting. I looked at Ajie, and whispered, “You okay babe?”

“With you here.”, Ajie whispered back. “Everything is fine. I feel good, and I’m at ease with the whole thing.”

We looked around some more, then I spotted him. Naainish. And, I pointed him out to Ajie. Then she said, “Isn’t that Quah Ah with him?”

Quah Ah is the Taos Pueblo medicine woman.

I looked closer, and said, “Yes it is. But, who are the others?”

“I don’t know.”

We had time before the session started, so we walked over to where Naainish and Quah Ah were. As we walked up, I said, “Yá'át'ééh t'áá ájíltso. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí. - (Hello everyone. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)”

Everyone looked at us, and Naainish said, “Yá’át’ééh, Ajie dóó Kai.”

Quah Ah greeted us with hugs.

Then Naainish introduced us to the others standing there. They were all Navajo medicine men from other parts of the Nation. And, I’m not going to try and remember everyone’s names. Ajie probably will remember them, but not me.

Then I asked, “What are you doing here?”

One of the other medicine men said, “We had heard of this presentation, and we were curious as to what was going to be said. So, some of us came here today to hear the speaker.”

I saw Naainish smile, as he said, “Everyone, Ajie Nez is the speaker today. She is a nurse here at the university’s hospital, and also a member of the Azee'tsoh dine'é dóone’é. – (The Big Medicine People clan.)

“And, Ajie, there are other native people here from the Pueblos and the Mescalero Apache.”

“I’m glad to see that.”, Ajie said.

Then another one of the medicine men said, “We’d also heard that the person who is putting this on is a relative of Kai Nez, and we hoped that we might meet her too. And, we have.”

I looked at him and smiled.

Just then we heard an announcement over the building’s public address system that told everyone that the next session would start in five minutes. People started coming in and taking seats. I gave Ajie a big hug. Then I went with Naainish, Quah Ah, and the others and we sat together. Ajie walked up onto the stage and placed her papers on the desk. This room is big, so someone came up and placed a microphone around her neck.

Then Ajie was joined on the stage by Vickie Etsitty. And I saw them smile at each other. Once everyone was seated, Vickie and Amy walked to the front of the stage, Vickie picked a hand microphone up off of the desk, and said, “Hello everyone. My name is Dr. Vickie Etsitty, and I’m the assistant dean of the University of New Mexico’s School of Nursing.

“This young lady standing next to me is Amy Young. She is your speaker today. And, I was lucky enough to steal her away from the Ohio State University a year ago.

“When I first met this lady a few years ago, I was impressed by her, she was a college sophomore at that time and was already a member of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. This usually doesn’t happen until a nursing student is at least a junior. If at all.”

“After she graduated from Ohio State as a Summa Cum Laude with a bachelors degree in nursing, I was even more impressed with her. And, so was everyone out here when they met her, especially the staff of our hospital’s Emergency Room. She had ideas that have helped make our ER more efficient.

“She is an ideal person to teach this seminar. Her cousin, who she grew up with in Ohio, is a member of the Navajo Nation. And, she talked Amy into coming out here with her. The Navajo people took to Amy like everyone that meets her does, and she has also taken to them, and she was made a member of The Big Medicine People clan.

“After she talked with one of our orthopedic doctors about working with the native people, it was suggested that she put on a seminar about how to better work with the native patients. She’s done this informally in the emergency room, not only was it well received. But, it also helped the relationship between the staff and native people.

“Now, I’ll stop talking and turn you over to the person that you’ve come to hear, Miss Amy Young.”

There was a nice round of applause, as Amy said, “Thank you, Dr. Etsitty.”

Dr. Etsitty walked off the stage. And, as Amy turned towards the audience, she said, “Yá’át’ééh abiní.

“Yá’át’ééh abiní is a Navajo greeting, and it means, good morning. I’m pleased to see so many people here. And to also see some members of the local native tribes here.

“This morning I’m going to try to help you to understand your patients who are from the many native American tribes in the area. Not to understand their medical problems, you already know how to do that. But, to understand some of their beliefs and how that relates to their healing.

“I know that many of you may be interested in why this session is being offered and why they feel that I’m the right one to do this.

“As Dr. Etsitty said, I came out here with my cousin, Kai Nez, right after graduation from Ohio State, and started working on my graduate degree. And, along with being a graduate assistant to the assistant dean of the Nursing school, and teaching classes, I work in the university’s hospital’s emergency room. Which allows me to see many of the native people that come in there. And, because of my cousin and her relatives I’ve been accepted by the Navajo people and other native tribes.

“Yes, I’m young. But, I spent most of my clinical time at Ohio State in their hospital’s emergency room. And, since coming to New Mexico, I’ve been working in the university’s emergency room here. I’m also teaching at the college of nursing.

“I’ve seen many native people while I’ve been here. At first, I saw that they weren’t understood, not a language barrier, but their beliefs weren’t understood.

“I started working with the staff of our ER and watched as the native patients became more comfortable in coming here. Once the idea of this seminar came up, I was encouraged by the doctors and nurse in the emergency room to put it on.

“I’m going to talk for a while, and if you have questions while I am talking, please ask. Once I’m finished with my talk, we’ll have time for questions and answers, and I hope that that will turn into a discussion.”

We sat there and listened to Amy. She did an excellent job, in my opinion, in presenting the information. There we a few questions and those were good. Then there was a good question and answer period that did turn into a good discussion. And, Amy was very good at moderating the discussion.

When the session ended, and it had run over a little, Amy thanked everyone for coming. And there was a really nice round of applause.

I looked at Naainish, Quah Ah, and the other medicine men, and asked, “Well, how did she do?”

One of the medicine men said, “If the doctors listen to half of what she said, I see our people being more comfortable coming to see a doctor or even to a hospital.”

Quah Ah said, “Ajie hit on a lot of good points. She did a good job of presenting the medical system from the native people’s point of view. And, she just didn't limit it to the Navajo people.”

I looked around for Ajie, and she was talking with some people. There were other seminars, plus lunch was available. People slowly left the room, and Ajie was finally able to walk over to where our little group was, and Vickie came with her.

Ajie introduced Vickie to everyone, and leave it to Ajie, she even remembered the names of the medicine men that we’d just met. Only Ajie.

We chatted for a few minutes then we were invited to have lunch with them. Ajie and I had planned on going right back to the apartment after this, but Ajie and I finally agreed to eat with them. Vickie was going to leave us, but Ajie insisted that she join us.

We went to the room where they were serving lunch, and it was a catered buffet. After we picked up our food and drinks, we found a table for the nine of us. And as we ate, we talked and got better acquainted with the medicine men who were here.

Then Vickie said to Ajie, “Amy, remember what I said about your doctoral thesis. I knew that your presentation would be good, but it came across better than I thought it would. All you need to do is expand on it and use it for your thesis.”

“I’ll think about it, Vickie.”, Ajie replied. “But, I’m just not sure.”

One of the visiting medicine men said, “Miss Young, I agree. I have my PhD. in psychology, and this subject would be an excellent subject for your thesis.”

I thought, ‘A medicine man with a PhD. in psychology. Interesting.’

“Hashkeh, you really think so?”, Ajie asked.

“Yes, Miss Young, I do.”

“Please, Hashkeh, we’re friends here. So, it’s Ajie.”

“Ajie, you know the subject very well. And, you presented it a way that it covered the people no matter what tribe they’re from. I can see you really building on what you presented to us and putting together an outstanding thesis.”

“Thank you. I’ll think about it some more, and you’ve all given me more food for thought.”

We continued to eat, then Vickie excused herself as there was another seminar that she wanted to attend. And as the rest of us finished, Naainish said, “We're going to have to leave soon too.”

“Where are you off to?”, I asked.

“The remote hogan at the thermal springs.”

“All of you?”

“Yes. We have a ceremony to perform.”

“Won’t it be a little crowded in the hogan.”

“No, there is plenty of room, we won’t be in the hogan.”

“It sounds like it’ll be cold.”, I said.

“We’ll have a fire.”, Naainish said.

“What ceremony is it?”

“I can’t say.”

“Why?”

“It is a special ceremony, and, unfortunately, Ajie and Quah Ah aren’t Navajo.”

“That’s okay.”, Ajie said. “I completely understand.”

“Kai, would you like to come?”

“Maybe.”

“I think that you would find it interesting, Kai.”

“I just might.”, I replied. “But, not without Ajie.”

“Kai, it’s alright.”, Ajie said. “I might be able to stay with Aunt Ruth and Uncle Paul.”

I looked at Ajie, thought for a minute, then asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, you’ve never been to a ceremony like this before. It would be good for you. It’ll be a learning experience.”

I looked at Naainish for guidance, he smiled, and said, “Yes, Kai. It would be good for you to attend. Bring a blanket, as it will be cold. And, we’ll be there all night.”

“All night!?”

“Yes, the ceremony is from sunset to sunrise.”

“Okay. If Ajie can stay with my aunt and uncle, then I’ll be there. And I assume that Quah Ah won’t be there?”

“No, I won’t.”, Quah Ah said. “I’m heading back to the Pueblo when I leave here.

“But, first, Ajie, I just have to tell you that your presentation was exceptional. You kept everyone’s attention and interest. And, I could tell that you opened everyone’s eyes as to who the native people are.”

“Thank you, Quah Ah.”, Ajie said. “Having you tell that means the world to me.”

“I’m just being honest, Ajie.”

“I know.”

One of the other medicine men said, “Ajie Nez, Quah Ah spoke from the heart for all of us. And, yes, we feel that the people who were here learned who we are.”

“I want to thank you all for coming. Seeing all of you, and the others from the various tribes, made me feel good.”

As we all got up to leave, we received hugs from Quah Ah, and I said to all the others, “Hágoónee' t'áá ájíltso.” - (See you later all people [everyone].)

And, from everyone Ajie and I received, “Hágoónee', Kai dóó Ajie.” - (See you later, Kai and Ajie.)

Ajie and I walked back to the apartment, and as we walked, I asked, “Ajie, are you sure it’s okay for me to go to the ceremony?”

“Of course. I’ll just go soak in one of the pools and then maybe get a massage.”, Ajie replied.

“Oh. You’d do that without me. Wouldn’t you?”

With a sly smile, Ajie said, “Well I guess. I won’t be getting a foot massage tonight from you. Will I?”

“If I don’t go to the ceremony, you would.”

“Yeah. But you’d miss out on something special.”

“You’re special enough for me.”

“Kai, just go.”

“If you insist.”

“I do.”

“Oh, all right, I’ll go.”

“Good. I know that you want to.”

“I do, but I’d rather be with you.”

A short while later, we were headed north to the resort with Charlie and Jackie. We’d run into them on the way to the apartment, and we’d talked them into going along to keep Ajie company. When we’d called my aunt and uncle, they were happy to have the four of us come up.

Two hours later, we were walking into my aunt and uncle’s house. And, yes I was carrying the camera case. We found my aunt in the kitchen working on super, and she said, “Hi, you four. It’s really good to see you.”

We all greeted her with hugs. Then, she asked, “Ajie, how was your seminar?”

“It went really well, Aunt Ruth. I couldn’t believe how many people showed up. They upgraded the room twice.”

“That’s wonderful honey. You can tell us all about it at dinner. And we’re eating early.”

“Why early dinner, Aunt Ruth?”, I asked.

“Naainish stopped by, and told me with the ceremony starting at Sundown, that if you were going to attend, you needed to be at the remote hogan by five-thirty.”

“Oh. I guess we eat early.”

And, four o’clock was early, but the southwestern taco salad was excellent. Right after I’d finished, I ran back to our room to get ready. I was already in a long skirt and fancy blouse, but I wanted to keep my feet warm, so I took off my wrap moccasins, added socks, and put my moccasins back on. I took off the headband that I’d been wearing. Then I picked up my Eagle feather headdress and my embroidered shawl, and walked back to the kitchen, Ajie, Jackie, and my aunt had just finished with the dishes, and I said, “Sorry that I abandoned you three.”

“That’s okay, honey.”, my aunt said. “There wasn’t that much.”

“I’m going to go.”

“See you tomorrow, Kai.”, Jackie said.

“Yeah.”, Charlie said, “See you in the morning.”

My aunt picked up a wool blanket, handed it to me, and said, “This will keep you warm.”

As I took it from her, I said, “Thanks, Aunt Ruth.”

Ajie then said, “I’ll walk to the car with you.”

Ajie and I walked out to the car together, when we were there, she turned to me, and wrapped her arms around my neck. Then looking into my eyes with those magic blue eyes of hers, she said, “You know that I’m going to miss you?

I said, “And, I’m going … ” I wasn’t able to finish my statement, her lips met mine, and we shared a deep kiss. When we finally broke the kiss, I finished my statement, by saying, “I’m not going.”

“No, you are going. It’ll be a learning experience for you.”

“After that kiss, I don’t care.”

“Kai. Love. You go. Please.”

“Oh. Okay.”

I kissed her again, set the blanket, my shawl, and my Eagle feather headdress on the back seat, Then I got into the car, and said, “I’m really going to miss you.”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m going to miss you too. Behave.”

“With those old guys, what would I do?”

With her cute smile, Ajie said, “You never know.”

I shook my head, started the car, blew Ajie a kiss, and drove off towards the remote hogan. As I pull up to the bridge, it was still broken, and there was still a barricade across it. I parked the car next to three pickup trucks. I retrieved my Eagle feather headdress out of the backseat and put it on. Then I placed the shawl around my shoulders and picked up the blanket. I then carefully walked across the bridge.

As I got closer to the hogan, I noticed something, there was a tipi set up next to the hogan. I thought, ‘Now, this is different.’”

As I walked up to the hogan, it was dark inside, but I could tell that there was a fire burning in the tipi as there was smoke coming out the top. I walked over to the tipi’s door, and it was closed. It was also quiet inside. But, it wasn’t long until I heard Naainish say, “Kai Nez, come and join us.

I slowly moved the flap away from the opening and looked inside. And, I saw the six medicine men sitting around a fire, and I said, “Yá'át'ééh t'áá ájíltso. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.” - (Hello everyone. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)

And, I received a “Yá'át'ééh, Kai Nez. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.” from all six of them.

This was the first time that I’d ever been in a tipi, let alone seen one in person. I looked around, and you could see there was a sleeping area set up. There also appeared to be some food.

Then I heard Naainish say, “Kai Nez, come and sit.”

I found a spot next to Naainish and sat. Once the Sun had set, the ceremony began. I can tell you a little about the ceremony, but not much. The ceremony started with chanting while two of the medicine men made a sand painting on the ground that had been cleared for it. And, the ceremony ended when the Sun came up, and the sand painting was destroyed. I told you that I couldn’t tell you much. It’s not allowed.

Sunday morning, as we walked out of the tipi, I asked, “Where did the tipi come from?”

“Yeitso brought it with him.”, Naainish said. “And, we set it up on Friday and slept in it.”

“I found seeing and being in a tipi interesting. I also found the ceremony interesting.”

“Not many people outside of the medicine men have witnessed this ceremony.”, one of the other medicine men said. “But, Kai Nez, you are a special person to our people, so we felt that we would invite you to the ceremony. You have the power of the wolf. And, the Eagle is a special friend.

“As you’ve been told, ‘The child that you were, the elder that you will become, and the spirit that you will finally be will lead you.’ But, you also have the Eagle and wolf to guide you. You are special.”

“Thank you. Being here has been special to me. I will always remember this night and those of you that were here. It meant a lot to me to be invited.”

Then Yeitso said, “Kai Nez, many Moons ago I heard a prayer to the wolf and seeing you reminded me of it. The prayer goes like this:

Spirit of the wolf,
You who wanders in wildlands,
You who stalks in silent shadows,
You who runs and leaps
between the moss covered trees,
Lend me your primal strength
and the wisdom of your glowing eyes,
Teach me to relentlessly track my desire
and to stand in defense of those I love,
Show me the hidden paths and the moonlit fields,
Fierce spirit,
Walk with me in my joy,
Guard me as I move through this world.”

That almost brought me to tears. I looked at Naainish, and he said, “Kai Nez, listen to the words of that prayer. They are you.”

I then looked at Yeitso, and said, “Yeitso, that was so wonderful. It made me think. The wolf is my female spirit. That prayer is me.”

“Yes.”, Yeitso said. “The wolf is your female spirit.”

Still trying to fight back the tears, I asked, “Is there anything that I can do to help you in any way taking the tipi down?”

“No, we are sleeping here again tonight.”, Naainish said.

“You like sleeping out here. Don’t you?”

“Yes, I like communing with the spirits of the night, and I feel closer to Mother Earth when I sleep under the stars.”

“I sensed that about you.”

“Like I sense things about you.”

“That may be true. If I can’t be of help, I’ll head back to my aunt and uncle’s house. And, I said, “Hágoónee' t'áá ájíltso.” - (See you later all people [everyone].)

I heard “Hágoónee', Kai Nez.” from everyone.

I walked away from the tipi, crossed the bridge, and walked up to the car. I put the blanket, and my shawl on the back seat. Then I removed my Eagle feather headdress and placed it on the shawl, and drove to my aunt and uncle’s house.

It was early when I made it back at the house, I figured that everyone would still be sleeping, and I was right. No one was up. I walked into the house and to the kitchen, sat, and thought about last night. It had been a long time since I’d pulled an all-nighter and last night was completely different than the one or two that I’d pulled in college.

I wasn’t alone for long, Aunt Ruth walked into the kitchen, and said, “Good morning, Kai. When did you get home?”

“Just a little while ago.”

“How was it?”

“Interesting to say the least.”

“I know that you can’t tell us about it. So, I won’t ask.”

“I know. But, I’ll tell you this, being in a tipi was different.”

“Oh. They had a tipi set up?”

“Yes, the whole ceremony was held in the tipi.”

“Kai, did I hear you say tipi.”, Ajie said as she walked into the kitchen.

I turned and looked at Ajie, and said, “Good morning, love. Yes, you heard me say tipi.”

Ajie smiled, and said, “Good morning. Where was this, tipi?”

“The medicine men set it up by the hogan, and that’s where the ceremony was.”

“How was the ceremony?”

“It was also interesting.”

“And, I’m not even going to ask.”

I just smiled at her.

Shortly we were joined by Uncle Paul, Charlie, and Jackie. And, Uncle Paul said, “Who wants to go to breakfast at the restaurant? I hear that they’re having a southwestern breakfast casserole with cornbread, and southwestern breakfast burritos. And, it’s on me.”

“You got me with the breakfast casserole and cornbread, Uncle Paul.”, I said.

“Yeah.”, Charlie said. “Me too.”

“I smell like a campfire, do I have time to take a shower.”, I asked.

“If you make it quick.”, Uncle Paul said.

“Time me.”

A little later, I was smelling better, and we were sitting in the restaurant enjoying an excellent southwestern breakfast.

As we ate, I kept getting questioned about the ceremony. But, of course, I wouldn’t tell. But, I did tell them about the tipi. And, Ajie, Charlie, and Jackie wanted to go see it.

Aunt Ruth said, “They probably wouldn’t mind if you go over, just don’t go inside unless you’re invited.”

“Okay.”, I said. “I’d like to get a better look at it in the light.

We talked a little more. And, I happened to mention the prayer to the wolf that Yeitso had told me. Ajie asked me if I remembered it.

“I’ll never forget it.”, I said. “And, you’ll see why when you hear it.”

“So, tell us.”, Ajie said.

So, I repeated the prayer:

Spirit of the wolf,
You who wanders in wildlands,
You who stalks in silent shadows,
You who runs and leaps
between the moss covered trees,
Lend me your primal strength
and the wisdom of your glowing eyes,
Teach me to relentlessly track my desire
and to stand in defense of those I love,
Show me the hidden paths and the moonlit fields,
Fierce spirit,
Walk with me in my joy,
Guard me as I move through this world.”

It was quiet for a minute, then Ajie said, “Kai, that is you.”

“I know.”, I said. “That’s what I said when I heard it.”

“Honey.”, my Aunt Ruth said. “Would you write it down for me before you leave?”

“Of course, Aunt Ruth.”

“What’s it called?”

“It’s simply called, ‘Wolf Prayer.’”

We finished breakfast, Uncle Paul paid, and then we walked back to the house.

Ajie, Charlie, Jackie, and I decided to drive to the bridge, and walk to the hogan from there. When we reached the bridge, the pickup trucks were gone. I guess the medicine men were making house calls.

As we went to walk across the bridge, Charlie asked, “What happened to the bridge?”

“I guess there was a flash flood that washed part of it away.”, I replied. “Uncle Paul said that he was going to repair it.”

“When?”

“That’s what I want to know.”

“Is it safe?”, Jackie asked.

“Yes, if you stay to the good side.”

We walked to where the remote hogan is, and they saw the tipi. Charlie said, “That is so cool. I’ve only seen them in the movies.”

“Me too.”, I said. “Until last night.”

“I notice that both the door of the hogan and the tipi are facing east. Is that traditional?”

“Yes. It’s so the first thing you see in the morning is the Sun rising in the east. Plus the prevailing winds are out of the west, so the smoke flaps of the tipi also face east.”

“Kai, how many poles are there?”, Jackie asked.

“I don’t know.”, I replied.

“I counted fifteen.”, Ajie said. “Plus two for the flaps.”

We spent another few minutes looking at the tipi, then we headed back to the house. I wanted to soak, so we grabbed our swimsuits and robes, and headed for the bathhouse.

After a good soak, we headed back to the house. We chased Aunt Ruth out of the kitchen and made lunch for everyone. Then before we headed south to Albuquerque, I wrote down the “Wolf Prayer” for Aunt Ruth.

Then I said, “Uncle Paul, when are you getting that bridge repaired?”

“They’re supposed to be here this week.”, Uncle Paul replied.

“And, what are they doing?”

“They’re going to remove all the old poles and decking, and then set both ends of the new poles in concrete. Then they’ll redo the decking with new boards.”

“Good. Almost putting it back the way it was.”

“After all the flack that I’ve gotten from certain people I figured that I’d better. Or, I’d never hear the end of it.”

“Flack. Not from me.”, I said.