The Ruby Report: A Day at the Groomers

 

I was nervous when I went for a car ride, worried my parents would return me to the airport, and worse than that, fly me economy. River had appeared in my dreams and told me I was going to the best groomer in the world, Groomingdales, the only thing worth seeing in the town of Lakeville, which, honestly, is more lake than ville. One of the groomers, Jen, has been making my pack beautiful for 26 years, and the other, Beth, is why River and I ended up with my family. For a time, River lived with her and got impregnated by her boy Griffon. River didn't take to being a mom. She wouldn't stop smoking during her pregnancy. When Foley passed, Beth told Mommy about River; when River passed, my new parents had a direct line to my own.

River promised I would get a relaxing bath, a good brushing, and a butt squeeze to unpack the unwanted junk in her trunk.

When I entered, Beth and Jen acted like the queen had come in for a clip and curl. Of course, they loved me instantly. River had warned me that there would be other dogs, and I couldn't act as I do at home and bark at any dog or horse who appears on TV. I was timid when I saw the dogs because they were in three dimensions and smelled, which the TV dogs don't. I also got to meet my double, another smooth-coated Griffon. I barked at my parents to take a picture, but they didn't. What good is carrying around one of those things if they don't use it?

I shook a little when my parents left, but they assured me they would return. First, I got a lovely bath, then brushed, and finally a good butt squeeze that would make DeShaun Watson envious. The best part of my experience was that it didn't last long; I was only there for an hour and a half, which was good because I wanted to get home.

I was delighted when my parents returned and snuggled up with mom on the trip home. I missed doing that. When I got home and fell asleep, River asked her if I liked it, and I said I did and would like to return tomorrow. River told her it would be at least a month. I hope my butt can hang on that long.

The dog and groomer bond is special, and I am glad to be in such good hands.

Nature Friday

 

 Hosted by The LLB Gang

 

For years we had a beautiful Forsythia shrub in our backyard. Then one fall morning, my parents woke up, and the bush was gone, cut down to the trunk.

We live in a 55-and-older facility, where we own the house but rent the land. The owners have the right to step in if a yard is not kept correctly, but if you have been a long-time reader, you know our parents take meticulous care of our yard.

My dad marched to the office to confront the inept property manager Penelope Fudgebottom. When he arrived, he saw the bush tied to the back of a truck. He entered the office where Penelope was having a conversation with the handyman Yosemite Ignatio  Daddy demanded to know why the bush was cut down. Penelope immediately began hemming and hawking like Ralph Kramden.

"It's more better for your," Yosemite Ignatio.

"It's not more better," Daddy snapped back. He demanded Penelope's explanation of why it was cut down, and she answered that she wanted everything flat, whatever that meant. When he pressed her, she threw Yosemite Ignatio under the shrub dragging truck by saying it was an accident.

"You never make a mistake?" Yosemite Ignatio asked Daddy, who had to fight the urge to punch him in the face.

Penelope Fugebottom said she would buy a new shrub, but Daddy told her not to, having seen the cheap vegetation she had planted elsewhere.

Daddy called the management office in Virginia and asked to talk to the General Manager I.C. Nothing or his assistant I No Nothing. The secretary Due Nothing would not connect the call, or give out the Nothing's email, so Daddy wrote a letter, but true to form, he heard Nothing.

When spring came, the unsightly stump stuck out like a sore thumb. Daddy contacted stump removal companies, but they were not cost-effective. That is when Daddy found a solution. A hefty $40.00 plastic rock from Amazon.

Daddy bought the rock, put it over the stump, staked it in., and planted Hosta around it.

This was the result.

 

So, take my advice; get a big fake rock when all else fails.

Thursday Poetry Time

 

 This is the photo that Sammy and Teddy posted for us to inspire a poem.

 

 The wife said she heard a knocking from the bathroom

But I knew I should not assume

I climbed the stairs and turned on the lights

But there was nothing wrong in sight

I turned to go back down the stairs

When a loud knocking caught me unaware

I thought it came from the downed toilet seat

But what could be making that slow study beat?

I carefully lifted the top and  saw to my surprise

Our neighbors' boy Timmy pop up with no cries

Head first into the toilet he had fallen

Which in this vicinity was uncommon

He had no way to go in reverse

And found himself in a situation most adverse

So forward into the pipe he did go

Squeezing through the plumbing was slow

Until he saw a light coming from our hall

And he began to crawl

Like Shawshank's Andy he moved through filth

Around our bowl the water spilth

He got his foot caught in our small drain

But still able to think with his brain

He knocked on the seat and hoped for the best

And you already know the rest

I brought him across the hall to his dad

Explaining the situation so he wouldn't be mad

The dad was not angry, he seemed quite meek

As he explained his son traveled through the pipes earlier in the week

Wouldn't you know the little boy who used our pipes as a funnel

Would go on to build the Chunnell. 

 

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

 

What the hell? My password has always been meow

The Ruby Rose Report

 

 

I have heard many stories about new dogs being taught how to act by their parents' latest angel. Well. I have three advising me, who all believe they are the best dog, and I should emulate them. Since I don't want to favor one of them, I took a bit from each.

From Foley Monster, I got my playfulness and mannerisms. She taught me how, when I am excited, to spin around in circles. Also, I learned how to entertain myself with toys, something my other two sisters couldn't do.

She also taught me to respect the bed, which has been difficult since my puppy energy kicks in around bedtime. Foley told me it was acceptable to play in bed as long as the lights were on, but when they go off, it is time to snuggle down and be still. I am seven years old in human years, so turning off the energy switch is hard, but when I do, I am closer to Mama than the blankets that cover her.

From Pocket, I have learned tenderness: How to take a treat gently or how to lick softly. Also, she taught me how to look in my human eyes with all the love heaven will allow. She wants me to learn from my mistakes, so I always try to pee in the middle of the pads. Peeing on edge leads to floor seepage and unhappy parents.


River Song first recruited me and has had the most significant impact on how to behave; she has taught me to be a Velcro dog, always by my parents' side and mostly with Mommy. She showed me how to give Daddy a face bath with my tongue. It's good exercise for my tongue, and the sweaty man tastes good.  

I must recognize my parent's first dog as a couple: Blake, who had no angel teachers to show her the way but still blazed a trail that all her successors followed. The only advice she gave me was to love them; the rest would be easy.

An intelligent dog like me also learns from my predecessors' mistakes. I avoid continually barking for table scraps like Foley, not to be as sound sensitive as Pocket, and not the succumb to separation anxiety like River. I am darn near perfect, but you want to leave something for your successor to approve of, which is why I bark like a mad dog when horses and dogs are on television, even though it is justified because the animals could smash through that thin glass and charge into the front room.

It takes a village of angels to raise a dog, and I hope I make them proud.

Love Ruby  

River Song Has a Close Encounter of the Angel Kind with Kitty Isabella

 

 

I have never been welcoming to other dogs. My mom was mine, and I didn’t want to share her with another animal, so I made myself look angrier than my resting face projected and kept them at bay.

I did get to meet dogs during my mortal life. The most significant number of them I met simultaneously was at Laura’s house. I have been lucky to meet them there, including Wishbone, Pokey, Toby, and Bentley the Westie. When we got an invitation to go to his house, which he shared with his brother Winston, I was very excited to see him again.

When we got to his lovely lake house I began barking aggressively because there was a cat in the front yard. I was getting ready to chase it when Foley stopped me and said that the cat’s name was Isabelle, and after 20 years of devoted service to Bentley’s mom, she recently arrived at the Bridge and moved into the house with her brothers. 

This was a problem. While I could begrudgingly get along with dogs I drew the line at cats. I had been tormented by Ugly Joan, the cat who lived under our steps, for years. I thought, when I passed, that I would no longer have to tolerate the kitties. I had not imagined they would be living in my town. 

Pocket told me when she first crossed the Bridge that she didn’t trust cats either, but now some were her best friends. Foley followed up by stating she has learned to tolerate cats and has been to many of their welcoming parties. The whole system was breaking down. But, I said I would be nice to Isabella for the sake of our hosts.

Bently and Winston welcomed us into their home. It was lovely, and we soon fell into an easy conversation. Isabella came in and jumped on the couch,  it startled me, and I barked, and my sisters gestured for me to be quiet.

I tried to ignore it, but wouldn’t you know, because we were both Bridge rookies, Isabelle and I sat together at the end of the table. I was very uncomfortable and kept my head down, even when Isabella asked me to pass the fish.

While the others regaled with tall tales of their mortal life, I heard Isabellasigh. I turned and saw there was a tear in her eye. I wanted to ignore it, but I was raised properly and asked what was wrong.

She told me she missed her mom, and I discovered we had something important in common. We soon fell into an easy conversation about our combined sorrow over being new angels, and before I knew it, we had talked for two hours, and it was time to go home.  

Isabella said I could come by and talk to her about our transitioning to be angels any time, and I told her I would like it. On the walk home, my sister kidded me about being a cat lover,  I insisted I was not, and Isabelle was an exception to my rule about not liking cats.

But, I was getting there, and I could envision the day I overcame my prejudices and accepted cats like my sisters.

As long as they don’t sleep under my porch.

 

Nature Friday

 Hosted by the LLB blog

 

We have a lot of gardens on out little spit of land. After Foley passed a garden was named after her. Now that we have three angels they each have their own garden.

 

The River Song Garden

 

The Pocket Garden
 

The Foley Garden

I asked Mommy when I could get a garden and she said not for a long time.

What did she mean by that?
 

Poetry Thursday

 

This is the photo that Angel Sammy and Teddy gave us for inspiration

 

 

John’s friend the photographer asked him to strike a pose

John decided to try it and see how it goes

When they arrived at the spot John’s friend said to stand in the tunnel

But John refused and said  it could be trouble

The photographer insisted the photo would be meaningful

A man finding light at the end of the tunnel is cheerful

The photographer said no train would come for hours

And there was no reason for John to cower

So against his better judgment, he entered the tunnel and walked into the sun

And the photographer was right there was no reason to run

John heard the click of the camera as he walked into the light

Then saw a train hit the photographer, who wasn’t too bright

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

 

The Bay of Corgis Invasion Was Doomed to Fail

Monday Question.

 

How many pets, including dogs, cats, small animals, reptiles, and birds have your parents had?

 

 

 

Ruby's Answer: I think between two sets of parents that the number is 20 pets in all.  I am the heir to all of them.

Signing Up for the World's Worst Misery

  

 

From the desk of River Song.

Imagine being in the worst possible pain. Not the physical kind, which is debilitating, but the emotional pain you can never escape. That is what losing a dog is like, and only the loss of a child is worse.

Imagine placing your hand on a hot burner and leaving it there until the skin peels from your hand. Now imagine sticking your charred flesh in a bucket of salt. That is the pain of losing a dog. For the rest of your days, you avoid the stove, so the pain never occurs again.

But, pet parents continue to put their hands on the stove. Granted, we dogs are more rewarding than a stovetop, even if it is used to heat fantastic soup. But from the day a new dog walks into your home, the clock begins to check on one of the most incredible displays humans suffer. The only way to avoid it is by being the one who goes first but abandoning a dog to go to the immoral side makes for troubled angels when there should only be peaceful ones.

Foley told me if you love dogs, you should, even if you are not ready after a devastating passing, bring a new dog into your home because there are a lot of bad pet owners. You are saving a pup from a negative experience and giving them a forever home.

Not that humans are entirely altruistic. At most, having a dog is a break-even proposition. We give more love than we take, and what we do take is readily given. Human hearts need to give love as much as they need to take it. If a human has an unbalanced heart, it causes grief to move into your house. Like a freeloading relative or an elusive cockroach, it is challenging to get it to go once it has established residence.

Nothing cures an unbalanced heart like a pet. There is a seldom understood connection between man and animals. Even if a human does not own a pet, seeing one eases their pain. Pity the dark heart who does not like pets. They do not let love into their hearts, even when it is unconditional from pets, and they remain forever unbalanced.  

When a new pet comes into the house, a person signs up for unbearable pain when they leave. But, everything ends so something new can begin. You’ve got to concentrate on the middle chapters, and that’s where the good stuff happens.

Nature Friday

 

 

 

 For my first Nature Friday post I stole my parents I phone and uploaded pictures from their trip to Lake Winnipesaukee

 

This is Meredith Harbor. This picture was taken from a little diner where my parents had lunch on their last day.

 

This is a view of houses on Rattlesnake Island. There are no bridges to it, and no roads on it, so it doesn't have any cars, or electricity. Still there are more than two dozen vacation homes on it.

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The myth surrounding Rattlesnake Island is that it was, at one time, filled with rattlesnakes. The truth is the two humps make it look like a snake. 

My parents, went on this big boat, the Mount Washington, that travels around the lake. They sat back, felt the breeze on their faces, looked at the sights, and tried to forget their troubles. This is a picture of the boat at Weir's Beach

This was taken in Wolfeboro Bay. I don't know the name of the inn to the to the right, the Windrifter Yacht Club is to the left.

 They came home on Thursday to bring their new life as parents to me: Ruby Rose 

Nature Friday is brought to you by: In Our Back Yard

Poetry Thursday

  

 

 Angel Sammy and Teddys Pawetaton have picked out this picture for poetry Thrusday. 

He is my, Ruby Rose's first attempt 

 

 

 

A long and thin home was not for me

The bathroom was at one end and it was a long walk to pee

But the realtor pointed to ceiling

To show something quite appealing

When you wished to travel from one end of the house to the other

Unless you were a pregnant mother

You climbed a ladder along to wall

Being careful not to fall

Then load yourself into the round top

And punch in where you want to stop

Well, I felt like quite the dude

When I realized the ceiling was a Pneumatic tube

And traveled at great speed

To the bathroom that I did need

Only to find out in my pants I had already peed

The Arrival

 

I don't know how many of you have been on a plane, but I suggest you avoid it. It is loud, crowded, and if I am not mistaken, for at least part of the journey, you are flying above the birds, which should make one feel free, but was quite confining and unusually loud.

I was glad when we were on the ground in Philadelphia. My limo driving companion Peg said we had to hurry to make our connecting flight. Another one? What is it with these people and flying?

We ran through the terminal (well, she ran, I stayed in my little carrier and was jostled more than on the plane.) We arrived just in time to see our plane leave without us. "Oh well," I thought. "We gave it our best shot; we should go home." But, Peg wouldn't be paid unless I was delivered, so she reserved a seat on the next flight in three hours, which is a day and a half in dog time.

Peg took me out, gave me some water, a rubbing, and told me I was a good girl. I wish I could have reciprocated the sentiment, but I was too busy looking around, catching all the sights and smells.

I remembered what my dad, the Maestro, told me. When all is dark, you're scared, and you wish you were somewhere else, sleep, and when you wake up, things will be better.

In three hours we boarded another plane. Thankfully this wasn't for as long a time as the previous one, and Peg told me that the next stop was my forever home. I hadn't realized I was living in a temporary home, but given how life works, every home is temporary on the mortal side.

The sound of the plane put me to sleep, and River visited me. She showed me my anxious soon-to-be parents, who were worried about meeting me. They were seated next to a guy violating a restraining order, who planned to pick up his kids when they arrived and was placed under arrest next to Mommy. What kind of crazy place was I going to?  

My parents had left their home five hours earlier, thinking I would make the connection, and had been waiting ever since. I was moved by their devotion and worried I could be snatched by one of the kidnappers the airport was lousy with.

The plane landed, and the butterflies started in my tummy. I was brought out of the carrier and held as we walked through the terminal. Then I went down an escalator like Donald Trump and saw my parents stand, and then smile, like the weight of the world had been lifted from them, and I knew I had found the people I had been meant to be with since I was born.

I snuggled into my mom's arms and felt more love than I had ever experienced. I said goodbye to Peg and thanked her for bringing me to my forever home.

Then we got in the car and headed towards my new life.

I was anxious to see what was in store for me.

Ruby Rose's Trip to Her Forever Home Part 2

 

The idea of being transported via airplane, like a shipment of illicit drugs, bothered me, and, if anyone tried to hide me in their anus, I was putting my paw down.

My dear Papa, Maestro, the grand champion, told me never to sign an agreement until I have peed on the fine print. I ignored that advice, and now I knew what he meant. There were a lot of hidden details that River did not tell me before I agreed to leave my lovely Florida home for the vast wasteland known as Massachusetts.

First, she told me I would be brought outside on a leash to pee. How uncouth; I was used to peeing when I wanted, not on command. Plus, I have a shy bladder and don’t like people watching me as I go. The good news is there were pee pads, which I preferred, as long as no one was watching.

I thought I would leave my first family on a Saturday, but the limo driver arrived a day early and said we were going to hit the road at 4:00 AM. What a rough time to be awake. I had to say goodbye to my students quickly and family, then I was placed in the “limo.” which was a Honda Civic, with no champagne or caviar. This trip was getting off to a promising start.  

My driver and owner of Lucky’s Pet Limo Services LLC, Peg, took excellent care of me. She was kinder than I was because the day’s anxiety and worry about much future overcame me, making me grumpy, and Peg had a dog who I did not cotton to. I like them in my family, but I draw the line at strangers. I have been known to bark at dogs on TV, and on my first night in my forever home, I was very vocal about my displeasure when I saw the Foley statue.

When I got up, and on the road, it was still dark out, and I curled up and went to sleep in my carrier. When we suddenly slowed, I looked to see a bad accident before us, but Peg smartly navigated her way around the wreck. Unfortunately, the flight attendants didn’t. I sat in the airport for an hour, then in the plane, on the ground, for another. Peg was worried we wouldn’t make out connecting flight, and I was more worried about the flight crew that couldn’t avoid an accident.

But soon, we were going down the runway and in the air, and it was bye-bye Flordia; I was airborne.

To be continued 

Ruby Comes to Her Forever Home

 

 

I was content at my former home where I lived with a dozen other dogs. Because many of them were puppies, I became their mentor.  

I was surprised when the great River Song visited me in my dreams and said I would be the perfect dog for her parents. I wasn't sure. I had a good thing going, and I didn't need to mess up my life, especially getting involved with two needy neurotic parents.

While River admitted her parents could be extra, she said I would thrive with personal attention, something I didn't get in a big pack, and that all dogs need to leave the nest and spread their wings.

My initial thought was 'spread this,' but after I slept on it, I decided to turn my world upside down and become the only dog of broken parents. I wanted to go immediately but was told by River my soon-to-be mom and dad needed some time together to find out what life was like without a dog, do all the things they couldn't with a dog at home, including travel overnight. I told her I had the answer, life without a dog sucks, and you can't run away because Suck is a vacuum.

I felt like a first-round draft pick who is told they wouldn't be starting that year. If I didn't play immediately, I might as well stay at the University of Griffon. River told me to be patient. Sure, because that's what Griffs are known for patience.

The next night, in my dreams, which were infrequent because the drama about moving kept me up,  River introduced me to the two other members of the Big Little Angels Three:  Foley and Pocket.

Foley sniffed me all over, then stared at me for 10 minutes before announcing ‘she'll do.’   I was slightly offended. Of course, I would do that. Doing is what I do do.

Then Pocket said I had the smallest head she had ever seen in a dog. How rude, especially coming from a bag of bones like Angel Pocket.

River told me not to be offended. They were just nervous about their parents' next dog, who they wanted to be perfect and apparently, big-headed. I'm glad their mom didn't have to give birth to it.

By the end of my dreams, I had come to love and respect both Yorkies even though they were not the greatest dog friend a man has had, namely the Griffon.

I had time to teach my young chargers at my home all they needed to know before I departed,

Two nights before I left the only home I had ever known, River appeared and added to my anxiety. She told me I would be living in Massachusetts, but I was a conservative Florida dog and was now moving to Snowflake central, and I would probably be living next door to the God Damn Dukakis.

River told me dogs don't become involved in politics which curbed my worries, but I was sure Massachusetts was near the edge of the world, and I didn't want to fall off.

"Then she said I had a lot to learn:  How foolish was that? I am a Floridian, and I was born knowing everything. I was worried living in Massachusetts would lead to me forgetting what I already knew. The cold and snow will do that to a dog.

"Then she told me I would be accompanied by the owner of the Lucky Dog Limo service. A limo? I pictured sitting in the back seat eating steak and drinking champagne, but that image was shot down when River told me I would be riding inside a metal bird, probably filled with snakes.

At least that is what I had seen on TV.

I began to think I needed to think it all out again.

To be continued

 

The 14 Hour Pee Break

 

 

Howdy mobsters! I planned to hit all the blogs tonight, but I decided to have fun instead and gave my parents a proper scare. What did I do? Nothing, honest. It is what I didn’t do: Pee. I went from 8:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night without a drop coming out, and for some reason, it freaked my parents out. 

 First, I like going outside. The sun is warm, the grass tickles my feet, and there are some great smells. But, I have no idea what I am doing out there. I am told, “Go Tee pee,” but I can’t build one of those, and “go Potty,” which I thought meant potty mouth, so I swore at them, but apparently, they wanted me to pee. My old house had a doggy door and a little area to pee. I have never peed on a leash before.

  I have been going on the pads, but I go when I feel like it, and apparently, 14 hours was too much for my parents to bear, and they kept taking me out or putting me on the pad and begged me to pee. After I had broken them, I peed on the pad. They could see my former mom, and she said it was normal for dogs in new homes to take a long time before they usually pee. Truthfully, I am just asserting my role as the baby boss!

Introducing Ruby Rose

 

 

 

Please allow me to introduce myself, mobsters. My name Ruby Rose, and I were selected, after a long interview process by Foley, Pocket and River, the Big Little Angels 3, I was selected to become the  next member of the Small Tails Group by River Song. I came from the same puppy home that she did, and at the same age. I have been tasked with fixing their shattered psyches, which I thought would take time, but just by walking in the door, I put them 50 percent back together.

I have hit the jackpot with these people. All I have to do is look at them and they smile. I will be back tomorrow, with the story of my arrival. I am looking forward to reading your blogs and commenting on them

I hope I prove to be a worthy successor and to uphold the Small Tales name

Watch This Space

 

     

Our parents are going on vacation for the first time in 12 years. and will be off line until Friday or Saturday.

 

And on Saturday, if the creek don't rise, the Good Lord's willing, there are no plane delays, and there ain't no insurrection, we will be introducing Small Tale's latest member. 

 

Mommy and Daddy are sexcited, which means sad and excited, but according to Google means something else I can't say, and they hope they soon have a little doggy to spoil rotten and love so much the dog will need a restraining order

 

Thank you for sticking with us.

 

A new chapter is beginning soon. 

River Song's Last Will and Testament

 

I River Song, of sound mind and body, do declare my last will:

 

I leave all my toys, my bed, my spot in the big bed, my food, and most importantly, my beloved parents to whatever dog is lucky enough to take my place in my family. I also leave them instructions on how to repair my parents' broken hearts. I did it after they lost Foley, which was a monumental task, and it will be even harder now.

 

To my dear sweet Mommy, I leave the memories, the ecstasy you felt the day I walked into your life, the promises of fidelity and love we made then, which was unspoken, and fully understood. Our moment was not long, but the candle lit in that instance will burn for a lifetime and beyond. We were lucky; some dogs and parents didn't have what we did. I'll miss your laughter when you looked at me, and I wasn't trying to be funny. I wish I could still be by your side, but the fates thought differently. I will always be with you; when you hear a bark in the distance or feel an unexplained warmth at your side, I am there, as I am when you see a butterfly flitter around your head or a bird who winks at you. A breeze on your cheek will be my breath; the sun on your skin will be my warmth; rain on your shoulder my tears; the thunder and lightning in the sky me pawing your hand to get attention; and the morning dew me signing my love on the grass.

 

To my online Facebook, Blogger, and Tanner Brigade friends, I thank you for your beloved company. I shall miss the conversation we shared, and when I have a story to tell, I will imagine what you would say and smile.

 

I left behind my harnesses, leash, and blanket; all I needed was the fur I was born with. When all of you see the morning light sneaking through the blinds, that is me watching over you, and when you see a rainbow, it is me sending the total amount of my love to you.

 

As I say goodbye, there will be another dog in this space, and I swear to God, by Christmas time, your hearts will be filled with love. 

 

I vow never to break your hearts again.

 

Now, I'm leaving my family, my friends, my ashes are at home, and my soul in the wind, the clouds are where I lie, as I write sonnets of love in the sky, and light the moon, full and high. I am standing on the mast; after being called to the sea, I say I love you all as I am sailing away.

Nature Friday

 

 

 Finally I am able to do a Nature Friday post. I am happy Nature showed up in our uards

This is from our front garden, which is soon the be River's garden

These are the Clematis growing around our lamp post. This seem to want to grow sideways more than up despite much encouragement. 

This flowering shrub in River's garden has been there so long I don't remember what it's called.

 

The orange lilies

 in the side garden are coming in strong 

And so are the lilies on the side garden.

We will have more flowers as they season progresses.