It's Magic!
So, this is Julie again -- it turns out I am very enamored of writing on this blog, and Cindy A. has been nice enough to keep on letting me! She says I have to say it's me writing, though -- I guess juuuuuuust in case! One never knows what I might say!
So, as I am writing this, we have finished up dinner, and the team leaders for each work site/project have just finished meeting. The dish doing crew has also finished its work for the night...complete with a magic trick performed, inadvertently, by Gabe and me. We made a large tray disappear when it went through the dishwasher -- I put it in, we let it run, and when Gabe opened the door -- it was gone! Doris-Ann, Pam, Adam, Nancy, Jeff, Gabe and I were delighted with this unexpected magical moment -- and with the reappearance of the tray, after I shook the dishwasher's handle up and down a lot of times.
You have to take magic where you can find it!
We're actually working some other magic, all together, at our various work sites. Great progress has been made at "Kitten House." The windows have had trim built around them, and repairs to the decks at the house are underway. At "the Trailer" things continue to roll along apace, as well. Both the front and rear decks are well on their way to completion -- both have frames up and floor boards have begun to be placed and screwed in securely. Frames have also been built around half of the trailer's perimeter to which the skirt can be attached, and two panels of skirting are up (including a corner piece, which requires more finesse!). The new site, a house in set in the hills that was built as part of making quick housing available for coal miners working in the nearby coal mine (which has since closed), is also well-underway. Cindy S., Liz, Gloria, Lynette, and Bryan headed over there today and began painting the exterior the color chosen by the homeowner. Word has it that the she is delighted with the color thus far!
TODAY WAS SO SO SO SO SO INCREDIBLY HOT AND HUMID! Justin, who is one of our liaisons from the Methodist Volunteers in Mission (VIM) program, came by our site and told us that "today is going to be a scorcher." We asked what a scorcher down here means, and he told us 95 with high humidity. Given the summer we're having at home, that felt familiar -- BUT working in that weather all afternoon added a new touch of challenge to our day. Needless to say, everyone returned home hot, sweaty, and ready for some well-deserved showers.
Peg and Jed continue to keep us all well fed, with great assistance in the kitchen from Bettie and Jean. It's SO nice to come back for lunch or back from the whole day of work and find such wonderful food waiting for us!
As I am writing this, there are sounds of happy chatter behind me, the sounds of basketballs bouncing as youth and adults play knock-out and other games in the other half of this room (which happens to be a gym), people are reading, resting, and just generally in very good spirits.
Thank you all for your comments, your thoughts, and your prayers...we love hearing from all of you, and we're thinking of you and missing you all. We are especially missing Alyssa, Zach, Kim, and Nicki who all couldn't be with us due to last minute injuries...we wish you could be here!
Bye for now!
Toodles!
Love and hugs and stuff,
Julie
So, as I am writing this, we have finished up dinner, and the team leaders for each work site/project have just finished meeting. The dish doing crew has also finished its work for the night...complete with a magic trick performed, inadvertently, by Gabe and me. We made a large tray disappear when it went through the dishwasher -- I put it in, we let it run, and when Gabe opened the door -- it was gone! Doris-Ann, Pam, Adam, Nancy, Jeff, Gabe and I were delighted with this unexpected magical moment -- and with the reappearance of the tray, after I shook the dishwasher's handle up and down a lot of times.
You have to take magic where you can find it!
We're actually working some other magic, all together, at our various work sites. Great progress has been made at "Kitten House." The windows have had trim built around them, and repairs to the decks at the house are underway. At "the Trailer" things continue to roll along apace, as well. Both the front and rear decks are well on their way to completion -- both have frames up and floor boards have begun to be placed and screwed in securely. Frames have also been built around half of the trailer's perimeter to which the skirt can be attached, and two panels of skirting are up (including a corner piece, which requires more finesse!). The new site, a house in set in the hills that was built as part of making quick housing available for coal miners working in the nearby coal mine (which has since closed), is also well-underway. Cindy S., Liz, Gloria, Lynette, and Bryan headed over there today and began painting the exterior the color chosen by the homeowner. Word has it that the she is delighted with the color thus far!
TODAY WAS SO SO SO SO SO INCREDIBLY HOT AND HUMID! Justin, who is one of our liaisons from the Methodist Volunteers in Mission (VIM) program, came by our site and told us that "today is going to be a scorcher." We asked what a scorcher down here means, and he told us 95 with high humidity. Given the summer we're having at home, that felt familiar -- BUT working in that weather all afternoon added a new touch of challenge to our day. Needless to say, everyone returned home hot, sweaty, and ready for some well-deserved showers.
Peg and Jed continue to keep us all well fed, with great assistance in the kitchen from Bettie and Jean. It's SO nice to come back for lunch or back from the whole day of work and find such wonderful food waiting for us!
As I am writing this, there are sounds of happy chatter behind me, the sounds of basketballs bouncing as youth and adults play knock-out and other games in the other half of this room (which happens to be a gym), people are reading, resting, and just generally in very good spirits.
Thank you all for your comments, your thoughts, and your prayers...we love hearing from all of you, and we're thinking of you and missing you all. We are especially missing Alyssa, Zach, Kim, and Nicki who all couldn't be with us due to last minute injuries...we wish you could be here!
Bye for now!
Toodles!
Love and hugs and stuff,
Julie
posted by Cindy @ 5:05 PM
5 Comments:
At 6:00 PM,
Karen Popadic said…
I am enjoying your blog very much! Keep it up! One thing stands out - the food sounds outstanding, like REALLY, REALLY good. I admire each of you-it is not easy to work in that heat. Thank you for all you are doing to help folks and represent our church so well. Having had some direct experience with chiggers as a kid (just typing the word makes me itch at the waistband) I hope none of you get one. My grandfather always said they were partial to the yarrow flower.
At 6:52 PM,
elly flowers said…
I am enjoying your blog as well as the comments from others.
I especially appreciate the chigger comments, having heard many details about chiggers in the past from my daughters. I also love the magic tray story--of course, HA!
I am very impressed with the hard work and great skills you all are sharing. It is hot here too--humid. I am at the Cape now and it is very windy--which is often the case when it is hot and humid elsewhere.
For baseball fans: Mike Lowell is playing first base for Kevin Youkalis tonight. (Youkalis os on the DL!) Got a standing O when he came to the plate the first time and got a two run home run on the first pitch he saw.
Later in the game, after Beckett, (who had a great game) had hit two batters, The Indians pitcher hit two in retaliation and a BIG scuffle broke out. Lewis, the Indians pitcher, and Beckett were thrown out. Even the coaches and managers were involved. So the game just ended and the Red Sox won, 3 to 1.
Note to Julie: George is back in the cone. He just couldn't lay off. But he is fine.
Take care and keep cool, ya'll,
Elly
At 5:49 AM,
Unknown said…
At first it was sounding like you were enjoying too nice of a time, with the showers and gym, for God to give you any credit towards heaven for your work there. Lucky for you, with the HOT and HUMID weather, God can now give each of you a few attaboy points. Now if a few of you were to have chigger bites along with the heat and humidy think of all the points you could get!
At 5:55 AM,
Cindy said…
Thanks, all, for your comments. The Red Soc updates are especially appreciated by many here!
At 5:45 PM,
Unknown said…
Just remembered to look on the blog! Thanks for all the info! I think I would be so miserable in that heat. Do you have any shade? Have you been meeting the locals? Is anyone taking any pictures of the people?
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