I'm Back

I never knew demolishing a house could be such hard work! Last week's trip to the Gulf Coast found me bashing drywall, scooping fiberglass insulation (with a mask and gloves, thank you), disposing of rancid food, lifting pews, and scraping tile. My arms got quite a workout toting wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of debris to the curb.

It was not the same feeling as building something, but in a way, it was even more satisfying--at the end, anyway. While I was doing it, it was a nightmare. I cried the first two days and didn't think I could lift another thing or smell another foul odor. The scope of the damage was overwhelming. I can only imagine what the residents must feel like, facing that situation day after day, not knowing what the future holds for them, struggling financially and physically.

Unfortunately, the old digital camera I took did not do well with my pictures. They're quite blurry, but I'm posting one here anyway. It's me on the Mississippi coast, where a house once stood.

I went on the trip with three older men whom I had never met til they picked me up for the ride down there. Our churches cooperated on the mission. They accepted me completely, though, and I think I gained their respect. In fact, they said they didn't know many women who could've done the work I did down there. For my part, I learned a lot from watching them. They were all quite skilled carpenters, though none of them does that for a trade. One who lives nearby even showed me his elaborate workshop when we got back and offered the use of his power tools whenever I needed them. It made my mouth water just to walk in the workshop and smell the wood. He had more clamps than I'd ever seen in Home Depot, not to mention all kinds of hand and power tools, wood samples, and even a potbellied stove to warm the room on cold days.

I'd love to have such a workshop and the time to learn and build things there. My sister talks of simplicity a lot. That would be the simple life that's attractive to me--living in the country in a solar house, working in the shop, maybe even having a few chickens!