I woke up after a rough night feeling a little groggy, and I stumbled out of my top bunk bed, out the door, and into the dining area. My heart rose as I sensed that heavenly smell of bacon. Five packages of it, too. She also made a baked egg and cheese casserole. We knew three guys would be joining, but learned they would be arriving later Monday afternoon. After breakfast, we did our first devotion in Philippians 1 and headed south on 421 into Clay County, to the home of Glen and Tammy.
Their situation is not pretty. They live in a double wide trailer that has literally been collapsing around them. Glenn has had to quit his job to take care of Tammy, who has MS and is recovering from a substantial back injury from a four wheeler accident. Our CAP job captain, Donnie, has been working at their home for about ten days, and has been able to shore up the foundation and repair the floors. The previous group that worked there got the siding up on the left side of the house and a little bit of insulation on the back.
Well, we covered the entire back of the house with insulation and new vinyl siding in just one day, and Glenn was very happy with the progress we had made. He commented that the six of us had accomplished more on one day than the last group had in three days. That stunned most of us, but we felt really good. My main job was to cut the siding so it would fit around doors, windows, and vents. And it's not too easy, especially through that double layer right at the top. I have the scars to prove it. Glenn also worked alongside us all day, and ate lunch with us as well. Unlike previous trips, we are all working together in one location, so it was a great team effort.
They also have a ton of animals; dogs, cats, and ducks. I'm not making the last one up. The ducks are kept in a decent sized cage in the backyard.
Also, since we had a ton of orange tools, we adopted it as our team color. And since I like Syracuse, it made more sense. I don't know if we had any Illinois alumni though.
We got back around 4:30 and we met Joe, Jimmy, and Jim, whom I later dubbed the J-Crew. Imagine my surprise when I found out they are respectively from Howard Beach, LI; Queens; and Poughkeepsie, NY! Joe and Jimmy are plumbers who have known each other for decades and Jim is a state trooper who came down for the trip. But Joe is the real spokesman of the group. He reminds me so much of my late grandfather with his pronunciations, facial expressions, and all of that. And the first time he said "Fuggedaboutit," the whole room totally broke up. I didn't know that when I came down to Kentucky for a week that our big phrase would be Fuggedaboutit.
Anyway, he talked about making garlic and macaroni. All well and good, though in all my years, I had never heard of it. But I grabbed a very refreshing shower before settling in to eat a casserole made with creamy chicken breasts, stuffing, and cheese. Jane also prepared baked potatoes, bread, and corn. Oh, and there was a stellar deep-dish apple pie for dessert. Just an amazing meal.
Then came the issue of watching the Jets-Vikings game. Since I love the Jets and Mike the Packers fan hates the Vikings, we made watching the game a priority. Now we thought we might have to drive 40 minutes back to Berea to find a place with a TV. But Jane told us we could drive 20 minutes north and watch it at the Jackson volunteer house, where she lived.
So after dinner, the two of us along with Barry drove north on 421 for about 20 minutes. Being the music buff that Mike is, he had a line of New York songs lined up for me. "New York, New York", "Englishman in NY", and on and on.
As we pulled into the lot secluded high in the hills of McKee, the first two cars I saw had license plates of Minnesota and Massachusetts. Not a great sign. But we walked to the porch and I heard banjo music playing. Imagine my surprise when I found out a girl from Long Island was the one strumming away. Her name is Bridget and she's one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. She works a lot with seniors in Owsley County and her desire to volunteer and serve really struck me. Also, she had just got a dulcimer in the mail and she even let me play a few bars, even though I had never played the instrument in my life.
Basically, at this house, the volunteers, who serve anywhere from nine months to maybe 18 or so live together and they then drive to wherever they are working. The nearest major grocery store is 45 minutes away and the movie theater is maybe 35 away. So they log up a ton of miles. It sounded so crazy to me, but they still make it work.
The football game wound up getting delayed by an hour by lightning so we had a chance to hang with the rest of the house. Annie is one, she has only lived there a month, and is from Westchester, NY. Her spunk and energy really lights rooms up. We worked at our site with Trevor for three days; he's from Boston and is looking forward to the Notre Dame group arriving next week, since that's where he went to college. We also met Chris (tall and a bit goofy), Ben (definite life of the party type of guy, but a good worker), Seth (I feel sorry for his voice, it really does sound kinda gay), Tamara (quiet, kinda cute), Maureen (a little older, I would work with her on Thursday), and Crystal (from Naperville, who missed devotion earlier this week to go out on a date). Jane lives there as well.
What struck me was the deep level of community these 11 people share and how generous they are. Mike and Barry headed back to Gray Hawk at halftime, but I decided on a whim to stay overnight for the end of the game. So I had no extra clothes, bathroom supplies, etc. When the residents found out I was staying, they not only asked me what I needed in my bedroom (toothbrush, alarm clock, etc), but Bridget took the time to make up my bed for me. And I stayed up talking with her, Annie, Seth, and Ben about everything from our growing up, to volunteering, to money issues, etc. I enjoyed a great night of sleep that included silence and a window! The next morning, Bridget drove me back to the CAP house and even joined our team for devotions.
Mike, Barry, and I really felt welcomed by the Jackson volunteer house and I think it's great how their mutual interest in service allows them to develop community, both with each other and the people of Kentucky.
Oh and the Jets won!
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