'That's it, baby!'

And with those words, Mr. B fitted in the top piece of the wall over the front door.

Arnold had wondered how we were going to get that high, but a scaffold here and a 20-foot ladder there did the trick.

All the way up, Arnold would chop the side angles (54 degrees) to the needed length -- and the piece would snap in with a few taps of the mallet.

It was getting Brantley giddy after a while. Pop, went a board, and he'd shake his head and smile, or laugh, and give me a big sideways look.

"He's just showing off," I told Mr. B. And we all thought of Ref.

- ■ -

Late bulletin: Shawn called Thursday night to say reinforcements were on the way. Kurt -- who was here earlier with the Macon crew -- and Frank are coming down to help make sure the ceilings are done before Thanksgiving.

That's the best news we've had in months.