The day started for us at 6AM and by 7:30 the 10 of us at our house were dressed for work, had eaten breakfast and had made our lunches. We then waited for our leader (in Vanna White) to show up. Turns out they had a really good excuse for being late--they were pulled over by not one but 2 police cars--one blocking them from the front and the other in back! Evidently there was a BOLO out for a white van...... We climbed into our white van--Van Halen, and followed them over to Ben's house where Sue's group of 7 merged with ours and we got our instructions for the day.
Bill exercised his electical skills in a variety of places and worked briefly with Douglas who was in charge of a crew that was installing (and cutting--33.9 degree angles?) crown molding. There were some tales from Doug's group about the use of the stud finder....
I ended up in a group at Miss Anna's house which is the oldest house in Pearlington. Records only date back to 1835 due to a courthouse fire and the house was in existence then. It also was the first school house. It is a beautiful 2 story house on a wonderful piece of property. Miss Anna needed us to put the prime coat on the garage and eventually the house---and maybe actually get them painted. She was very concerned that it was going to rain and that it would ruin the paint so we gathered in a circle and prayed that the rain would hold off for a day. It did! An hour later the sun was out. Sandy, Debbie, and I were the "oldtimers" on the crew and we were joined by 3 college students--Sammie, Melanie, and Elizabeth. We sorted ourselves into those that could go high on ladders, those that could work close to the ground and then me ---I handled the middle :) Throughout the day Miss Anna told us stories and brought us drinks. Now in her 70's she has lived in the house for more than 30 years. Katrina brought in 9 feet of water taking out one of the kitchen walls and strewing her belongings all over the neighborhood. In the photo at the left she is sharing the story of the bottle collection that she and her children had that survived intact except for one bottle, they were found buried in mud in the bathtub. She showed us other wonderful family heirlooms and keepsakes such as baby cups and spoons that she miraculously found in and around her home--which was filled with 1 1/2 feet of mud after the water receded.
In the middle of the afternoon Miss Anna made Debbie and I her special Mexican coffee (no not that type Randi!)--she used cinnamon sticks and Kona coffee and it was great.
When we were cleaning up, a huge owl settled in the tree across the street and was calling to his mate. Miss Anna wanted to cook for us tomorrow but we gently refused. We totally finished the blue primer along with the pink trim primer on the garage and actually started on the wall that was replaced on the house. The final colors will be dark blue and burgundy. We took a picture with her--at the right---and hugged her goodbye promising to return on the next sunny day (it's due to rain tomorrow.)
We went back to our house, showered, and met at the other house for dinner followed by our meeting/ sharing/singing time and talking about the schedule for tomorrow. Vanna White then headed out on the daily evening expedition to Walmart.
I end the day feeling overwhelmed---frustrated at all the work that there is still to be done and all that these people have been through, and amazed---at how seamlessly our team functioned and at the wonderful spirit of Miss Anna and how thankful she was for even the smallest thibgs we were able to do. Once again I am humbled to be reminded that we receive so much more from the people in Pearlington than we are able to give to them.
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