You would think that blowing up the air mattress that was supposed to have provided me a little comfort in bed prior to calling it a night would have been a priority … but I was too tired to do it (and actually I never will get around to it this whole week). The good news is that I was so tired, I don’t think I even rolled over in the night so it probably wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.
Paula and I made breakfast for our 45 bunkmates today (Paula confessed that she volunteered for this shift in order to guarantee that she’d have her morning coffee fix) ...
… but we didn't eat there because we were invited to have breakfast with the other volunteer group that we met yesterday. They have several different groups under one roof and everyone shares whatever they have. Their spirit is amazing and it is easy to be impressed but they don't see why anyone would be. It's hard to describe - it's not being humble, it's just that no one here felt they had a choice. They *had* to be here. I can relate a little bit – I *had* to be on the organizing committee and I *had* to sign up … but I’m not exactly putting my life on hold like these folks are.
I may be sore - ok, no wait, that’s not accurate. I am sore and tired and dirty (did I mention the 4 minute shower rule?), and it may take my 38-year old body awhile to recover from trying to keep up with a bunch of 19-year olds ... but I cannot wait for the next team to come with me to see what needs to be done and to meet these people, both the residents and the volunteers.
To do this work you don’t have to be skilled (‘tho there is a HIGH need for skilled, experienced tapers, construction workers, plumbers, electricians, etc.), you don’t have to know what you’re doing – you just have to promise you’ll try to do your best. There are no tests on this stuff – the job is done when you’re satisfied with your work. We are our toughest critics.
The little red door that you use to get into “Volunteer Village” is VERY deceptive. It hardly does the energy inside justice … but there’s TWO items above it that keep these folks focused – one is the high water mark for downtown East Biloxi, which is about a mile inland from the water. Unlike what happened in New Orleans, the water wasn’t here for days and days – in fact, it came in and out in “just” 18 hours. However, (and this is a BIG however) it was a 30-foot WALL of water – with no end in sight (there are photos inside the building and you can’t look at them and wonder “who took this photograph? Did they make it out safely?”).
Throughout the town, we see “High Water Line” signs and I can’t touch any of the lines, even at a full stretch. It wasn’t until I developed my photos that I noticed the other item … the thermometer. I recall this was taken just before lunch and that this was in the shade. In October. For a native Californian, well gang – let’s just call it “hot”, alright?
Today Kerry Ann and Eva worked on foundations with crowbars, sledge hammers, and a LOT of muscle. It was hard, hot work (again, refer to the thermometer above and add about 40% humidity and very few breezes to cool things off) but they both sign up for dinner clean-up tonight - they just don't stop.
Paula and I head over to a new project – we’re being asked to empty out Miss Iona’s tool and garden sheds. Below, Paula shows us the high water mark on this building, which is about 8 blocks from “Volunteer Village”.
We spend the rest of our morning clearing out these small garden rooms for Miss Iona, who Paula says could have been a stand-in for Jessica Tandy. She's lived in this home since the day she was born ("in the kitchen!", she exclaims) and no hurricane is gonna make her move.
We are in and out of the “tool” side of the shed all morning long, finding all sorts of rakes, rolls of wire, mowers, weed removers and the like. We’re having a good time of it, actually – and since the shed is pretty much in the shade, the only bothersome things are the “no-see-ums” that continue to fly about our faces and our face masks, which only insulate even more and boost the perceived temperature about 20 degrees. We go through a LOT of bug repellent which, ironically, all the bugs seem to kind of enjoy. About an hour before lunch break, we are nearing the end of half of our task (the garden-side will be next) … and then things come to a screeching … make that “screaming” halt. One of our teammates moves an old suitcase … and comes eye to eye with a fairly large opossum.
We don’t want to give up now – we’re sooooo close to being done … but none of us are really skilled at opossum removal … so Emily calls Jim. There’s lots of entertaining conversation from our end … “Yep – that’s what I said. No seriously. Well, yeah, I mean - he’s big enough!”
While we’re waiting for Jim to arrive (to do what, we don’t know … but we all agree that we’ll just feel better if Jim’s here), the opossum does his best to climb up and out of the shed via another route but he’s too heavy for the shelving and too tired (and probably pretty freaked out by the “opossum paparazzi” of our cameras). Finally we get an assist on helping our sleepy new buddy move along from folks who were walking by (and probably heard the screaming and nervous laughter) and we take a well-earned lunch break.
We enjoy telling the rest of the extended team about our “find” … but it’s a valuable reminder that we were FAR too casual about this task. There are too many spiders (they jump, which is just so charming), cockroaches (which come in only one size – LARGE) and snakes (which we haven’t seen yet – but we will) all of whom are very comfortable in their new habitats. After 13 months, they’ve already had their “rebuild” and with all these noisy, inexperienced humans all over the place, they’re probably not too happy about all the changes happening. I take a mental note to be more aware of my surroundings and behave more like the guest that I am.
Paula and I spend the afternoon back at Miss Dickson's home, installing insulation. Emily gives us a tip – if you cover yourself in baby powder before handling the pink sheets of insulation, you won’t get as many fibers imbedded in your skin. CLEARLY this was the voice of prior experience talking so we all “take a powder” and get to work (where I repeat over and over “measure twice, cut once”).
"I'm just so happy to see you again", Miss Dickson says as a greeting when I walk by her on the way to get more waters from our van. “Aw – you won’t be able to keep us away”, I respond. The team we meet up with there has been doing this work all day, just Tom S. - who proudly announces that his 70th birthday will be next week - and his wife, Janice.
They tell us that Miss Dickson brought them freshly made ice cold lemonade in the morning. "I got those lemons from the tree in my yard. I just wish I could do more", she tells me. Though we're covered in bug spray and a days worth of dirt and grime, she gives us each a bear hug as we leave, which was exactly what we needed.
Meeting the people whose homes we're working on is an incredible honor. Knowing they're rooting for us as much as we are for them makes all the difference.
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