Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Humdingers, Birthday Wishes & Soda Fountains

Yesterday was Carol's birthday and she only let us know at 9pm last night. But according to her entry in our group journal she had an awesome birthday. Some of the unexpected presents she received throughout the day were - a backrub from David, a beautiful sunrise, a hot shower (her first one was freezing cold), and an energetic game of cranium. Our game of cranium last night was quite the experience. Let's just say that it involved Bill attempting to be a hamster on a wheel, Dana had to sculpt an umbilical cord out of clay, and Carol had to humm numerous songs as we all just stared at her, unable to even make any guesses. Prior to the game of cranium, we had put together our group covenant which focused on challenging ourselves and getting out of our comfort zone. I believe that cranium is proof that God has a sense of humor. We got so far out of our comfort zones by singing, sculpting, and spelling words backwards that we were afraid that we might not be able to get back into them!

As for work, we finished caulking and painting the house today. We also built a small backporch and a set of steps for the porch. Now the home has two safe exits. Tomorrow we will put a railing for the steps and put a roof over it. We will also build a roof for the front porch. Over the past two days, we have had a chance to get to know, Tim Smith, the owner of the home. He has been so gracious in offering his home to warm up in and his bathrooms for our use. He had four kids and they range from 15 years old to mid-twenties. Two of the kids live at home and the other two are working in the area.

Some random things you have asked about and you might be curious about...

Last night's dinner - pork with a cherry and cranberry sauce with cous-cous and broccoli on the side...absolutely delicious! This morning Lisle made ham and swiss omelets for everyone as they woke up and for lunch we've had turkey sandwiches everyday.

Nancy Schlecht had planned to join us on our trip but was not able to go. She wrote us a note and sent along a poem for our group. Here is a quote from the poem by Marge Piercy...
"The work of the world is as common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident."
Thank you Nancy for your thoughtfulness! We miss you and everyone that wanted to go but couldn't go on our trip.

Yesterday, after blogging, our group went to an old fashioned soda fountain down the road from the library in Hinton. Five of us (David and his harem of women) ordered sundaes and sodas for the grand total of $11. A small soda was $.40! Needless to say, that is the next stop after this entry is done.

This morning, David and Andy fixed the furnace in our lodge at the Folklife Center. Shelly was reluctant to call the repair man because of how expensive it is to get fixed. So we've been keeping warm by the fire and oven. David and Andy bravely went into the basement and were able to work their magic and they fixed the furnance. Shelly is happy to have saved some money for the center and we are happy to be warm again!

Tonight, a bluegrass band is coming to eat dinner and perform for us. We will probably be flat-foot dancing all night long.

The last story is that yesterday we recieved a huge bundle of wood at the Folklife Center. It was brought by a woman who had met us at church on Sunday and was worried that we would freeze with the low temperatures at night. She wouldn't accept any money for the bundles of wood but we've invited her and her husband for dinner tonight and to watch the bluegrass band with us.

We hope everyone is well back in Lexington and leave us some comments on the blog!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm glad that Carol 'fessed up to her birthday - she swore us to secrecy before she left.

I'm disappointed I haven't heard any stories of destruction with those two sawsalls that you took down there. Every job gets easier once you admit that you have to pull out the sawsall.

It was great to hear that someone left the wood with you to keep you warm. Knowing that you are with such caring people is truly wonderful.

Take care - you are all in our hearts.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the daily update. I heard of the local scarcity of internet so suspect it is a challenge to keep the blog going. You are doing a great job of letting us peak at your community.

So I am curious about how this center operates. How do projects get identified? How long might a family like the Smiths be on a to-do list before their need gets addressed? Do you know? If you finish with their home before week's end do you move onto another small project?

Sign me curious in Lex.

Anonymous said...

Amy alerted me to your blog which I am enjoying. She sugggested I comment to show you how far geographically it is going. Lisle can attest to how much I would have loved being involved in a venture like yours. Best wishes to all of you but especially to Lisle, of course, and a "Hello" to my mother's and my nephew's namesakes!
Betty-Lisle
Bloomfield, CT

Anonymous said...

Sounds awesome! Don't have too much fun! Makes me look forward to Kentucky next year even more!

Who won cranium?

Can't wait 'til everyone's home!

Anonymous said...

Dana and her desserts!!!! How wonderful!

I hope the work is going well and everybody enjoys the bluegrass band tonight.

The food sounds much better than what I am scraping together. Bagel Bites and Crystal Light, yummers!