I’ll start out talkin’ bout my Number #1 Man this past week – Mr. Virginia (as the FTC ladies called him), or Leo, as his mother named him. As the National Chaplain of the Korean War Vets Association, a Volunteers of America member, Leo was full of passion for the project – and for an 80 year old, full of spunk. Leo could be caught all week either painting, taping around windows, washing tools…. Or eating ice cream. The twirp ‘had to go to the bathroom’ only for me to find that he drove to Wendy’s for a mid-day Frosty… haha! He treated me to ice cream twice during the week, so I figure…I’d let it slide.
Leo was the only person who was with me all 5 days.
Leo, left, buys ice cream for the girls - Cheryl, Lynn & Jackie
Monday was a quiet day in comparison to last week, with the whole day comprising of just Leo, me, and a past volunteer, Kay. It was a great way to spend more time connecting with Leo and Kay, and working closer together to get specific tasks accomplished. The three of us enjoyed lunch at Camp Hope for the weekly kick off of October’s Women’s Build month.
Juvil, Hao, Me, and Leo!
Tuesday we had 3 more volunteers added to the Leo-Kay-Leisl mix. Anne is from the Finger Lakes of NY, but has a place she is fixing-up in the NO area, and spends part of her time working on her own house, and the other part with SBP when she visits. Juvile & Hao were 2 girls down from Philadelphia to live-it-up in New Orleans, but wanted to spend a day of their time volunteering too. We got a lot done that day, though we had to push through some tougher times being that one of my volunteers discovered she was severely allergic to fire-ant bites ☹ Leo drove her to the health clinic, and she ended up leaving with an epi-pen, steroid shot, and prescriptions… she’s a trooper, but I certainly hope that that never happens to anyone again. Leo went out and bought some ant spray immediately…thanks Leo!
Wednesday the NFT ladies joined Leo and me. ‘Goodbye’ to the quiet, calm, chill work week… Hellllooooo Queens, New York! There was no mistaking that these Christians from the A.M.E. were from the Big City. An influx of spice, flare, attitude, and intensity permeated Miss Mary’s house. Jackie, Joyce, Lynn, Debbi, Cheryl, Lydia- and they met Helen at Subway & invited her to join us! They arrived at our site around lunchtime, to which I asked “You want to take a lunch break soon, or get straight to work?” … “Oh no, baby, we’re gettin’ to WORK! We’re here to WORK!” …
Cheryl & Lydia chop sawin' it up
Throughout the day I heard things amongst them like:
“Hey – we ain’t here to take pictures. We’re here to work! What’re you doin??”
“No, we’re not stopping. They (other half of group at another site) can wait. We’re finishing this! I’m not leavin’ til this is finished.”
“Hi, I’m Helen. I met the girls at Subway for lunch & they invited me – no, I haven’t volunteered with SBP, but I’m here to work!” (yay Helen! Followed by 2 days of volunteering!)
Helen just jumps on board within an hour of learning we were volunteering in her neighborhood
I felt pulled all over the place, but only because the ladies were interested in doing their very best – and they were fast at it – so I had a hard time keeping up!
Leo and the ladies worked W-F and finished installing all the doors (except the bathroom & closets) and all the baseboards. They were a powerhouse of a team, and I was really proud of them & how far we came in just 2 ½ days.
I was a little worried about my energy for Saturday. A cold really wiped me out all week, and I was looking forward to Saturday at 4:00, simply for rest. My roommate, Marissa, had gone home for the weekend, but her sister church, Grace Lutheran, was to be volunteering with SBP – luck of the draw placed their group of 6 in my care on Saturday. I had attended their church on my 2nd day in New Orleans, so it was really wonderful to reconnect with them. We finished up a lot of odd jobs for the day so that Monday we’ll be ready to place in the flooring! Benny (a feisty 84-yr-old and handy-man by trade), Ken, Beth, Charlotte, Brian, and Pastor Leon were great conversationalists, and hardworkers – no hour-long lunch break for these guys! A fantastic day had by all, and the day flew by without need for energy drinks or Leisl Injections. ;)
As for me, I’m so happy with my life right now. I don’t think I’ve ever been so anxious to wake up in the morning. Now that I’m over 2 weeks into leading groups at Mary’s house, I find myself dreaming about working on the house. On several nights, I’ve woken myself up over all the things I hope to get done the next day. It kinda ticks me off, but I can’t really think of anything that I’ve cared so much about to be thinking about it 24/7. And I imagine that many of our waitlist homeowners lose a lot of sleep over the state of their houses too…so I’m taking this lack of sleep as a lesson.
It’s such a cool feeling to see what needs to be done, get it done, and move on…and know that someone is waiting for you. Today though, I’ve decided I really need to pace myself… I’ve been fighting a very nasty cold for about 9 days now, to no avail. Waking up in the middle of the night thinking about work is probably not the best thing for my health– especially since I still have a full 8 months of intense site supervising left.
In any case, I couldn’t be happier ☺ Mary’s house looks great, I’ve had awesome volunteers, and tonight, I finished the week with ‘Beer & Dog’ staff party. YeehaW!
Mary's Bedroom
Hallway
Utility Room!
Front spare bedroom
The ever-lagging, but still progressing, bathroom!
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