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The names have been changed but the following story is true.
Meet Lynn and Dave Gefford. They have two children ages 3 and 7. Dave works as a short order cook at a local restaurant. Lynn is a part-time waitress. They have a household income of approximately $26,000.
Lynn and Dave live in East Biloxi. Their lives changed on August 28, 2005 when Katrina stopped by.
East Biloxi is not a wealthy part of town, but even here, for a family of four to live on $26000 you have to be creative and the Geffords were definitely that. They had purchased a house that had was condemned due to fire damage and fixed it up themselves. They were not flashy but the type of solid hardworking people that make the world work.
After work on Saturday August 27th, the Geffords went to some friends’ house for a party. They stayed out quite late and went home and went to bet blissfully unaware that Hurricane Katrina had now mushroomed into a Category 5 storm.
The phone started ringing early on Sunday morning. “Are you evacuating?”
“Yes, but there is no rush.”
“Yes there is!--Haven't you heard? Katrina is now a category 5 storm and you and everyone else has to get out. The roads will be packed. You better hurry!”
Turning TV on to see for themselves, the Geffords were startled to see that sure enough the storm had grown significantly in intensity since when they last watched the news. And the callers were also right, everyone, or nearly everyone was leaving. One of those “nearlys” was Ashley Tanner. Ashley was a neighborhood friend. “Why aren’t you leaving? Lynn asked. “I can’t afford to.” Lynn ended the discussion “you can’t afford not to.” Ashley joined the convoy out of harm’s way.
The next four months are at once a never ending nightmare and a fast forward blur. The days flew by, the days dragged by. They felt lucky to be alive, but life was awful. Their house flooded, their yard had downed trees and the neighbor’s shed everywherre, and their neighborhood a hollow shell, but they were alive. The Geffords and 6 others lived first in Mobile, Alabama and then in Mrs. Gefford’s parents’ home just north of Biloxi. Paperwork, which always included standing in line and hours of frustration, was filed with the insurance companies, with FEMA, and whith most ogther orgamizations that were handing out aid. Contractors estimated the cost pf repair and insurance adjusters told the family how much, or more appropriately how little, insurance money will be paid for the damages.
Which brings us to January 3, 2006. A group of HandsonUSA volunteers are gutting the Geffords house as Mr. and Mrs. Gefford are out back helping to clean the yard. After a while curiousity gets the better of Lynn as she enters the house and is almost immediately in tears: “what are you doing to my wood?, my walls? Can’t you leave them up?” I stop swinging my crow bar and attempt to explain the unexplainable. Unsuccessful and speechless, I get Mark who is our crew leader. In the time away, Mr. Gefford has entered the room and has convinced his wife of the necessity of the walls' destruction for the soon-to-come mold abatement process.
We start back up on the walls, but the momentum had been lost. My heart was no longer really into it. It is the last full day of the trip, the house is crowded, and awkwardly simultaneously loud and quiet with no music and little talking, almost most no joking, yet loud with the clanging of hammers, crowbars, and the grunts of gutters. Additionally, because I am foolishly wearing tinted safety glasses, everything appears very dark.
We remove nails and wall paper, and drywall (doubled layered in many places in part due to the fire), and grooved wall boards. It was just not fun. They were the type of walls no gutter enjoys and that is on a good day. By now they were drudgery.
After some progress on the bathroom walls, I stop to take pictures and Mark asks me the time. It is 3:56. He hollers “let’s clean up and call it a day.” We do, gladly.
In the front room Lynn Gefford begins to tell us her story. We pose for pictures together and then the group begins the process of “packing up”. I am torn. I want to go, but I know this will be it for a while. I have to go home.
Mark sends me pna "tool sweep" and I meet Lynn standing alone in front of her house.
It is here that my conversation begins. Maybe it had been floating around in my mind before, but here is where it really took shape. As the rest of the volunteers wait patiently taking pictures and pacing, I listen as both Geffords, Dave has now joined his wife, recount their lives since the storm. After a few minites, I say “Good Bye” to the couple and wish them well on their endeavors. Afterall, I am now holding up the crew from returning to base.
Still anxious to talk, Lynn doesn't stop, but tells me of how the neighborhood was changed by the storm, how the paperwork for assistance is difficult and time consuming, and what has become of each neighbor. Her neighbors, she assures me, all have it worse then her family.
She tells that while many former neighbors have moved elsewhere, other non physical problems facing are still facing those still in the area. She tells, and her husband agrees, that there are of two mindsets on what to do: wait and hope that a casino buys you out, or fix up your property and hope that your neighbors do too so that you are not left in oasis within a desert of destruction. They tell of how this dichotomy of thought has led to many problems and disagreements between former friends.
And then with tears again in her eyes she tells me how they had just found out that repairing their house will cost over $50,000 (and that does not count appliances etc). Oh, and one other thing, they found out last month that their insurance will pay $20,000.
It’s hard enough to get by on $26,000 a year, let alone having to somehow come up with nearly another $30,000 to repair your house.
With still more tears in her eyes, they tell me that all they can do is to try. Try to make things better. Try to make the house a home again. “Sure it is going to be hard, but what choice do we have. We can’t just sit and wait for a casino to buy us out. They probably never will. So we are going to try again. I don’t know how. I just don’t know how.”
Pretty much at that moment I knew I had to call Northwest Air. If Ok with my family, I was staying an extra day. I could at least play a small role in the gutting work on their home. This was another step for them. It has to be done. If they want it that bad, if they are in such dire straits, then me staying an extra day is the least I could do.
$116 dollars later (including an extra day for the rental car), I announced at the after-dinner meeting, I would be here another day. It may be some of the best dollars I have ever spent.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Miscellany
January 3, 2005
I will post the small tid-bits first today since it is less important and it will not be the top of the blog for long.
* We had a great crew today at the Humane Society. Got everyone walked and cared for by 11:00 which then allowed for the whole team to do another project. Most of us were at the gutting site which will be described in a few seconds. This in spite of a dog getting away from a volunteer and running about a mile down the road, with the volunteer chasing after it and cars slowed to a crawl. They did get the dog back :). (Oh and George probably would want me to not mention his name.)
* Sign of the times: Got Mold?
* Dinner tonight was Turkey, pasta, and vegetables. It was good, but uh, not done by a vegetarian. ;) And I was out of OJ.
* I have been getting text message updates on the big PSU win! :)
* I have had several people email me about how they can help. I will write a blog entry as soon as I can—in all honesty, probably on the plane on Thrusday.
* I have decided to stay an extra day. A special thanks to my mom, my dad, Jen, and Bonnie for making the extra day possible. Also Northwest Air’s customer service people were amazingly nice! THANK YOU!
* Travis from NC State (who was here in October and worked on the “Apartment”) is back. We talked some today about what a pain the “Apartment” had been.
* Tomorrow is going to be a repeat work-wise for me. Clean up around base, then Humane Society, and then Interiors.
* The nightly meetings are always emotional. Yes they may be long sometimes, but they should not be shortened.
* Ran alone this AM and with Bill this evening. We went over a lift bridge that lifted as we approached. So we got to backtrack for a while waiting for it to go back down.
* Have I mentioned the people here are great? They sure are!
I will post the small tid-bits first today since it is less important and it will not be the top of the blog for long.
* We had a great crew today at the Humane Society. Got everyone walked and cared for by 11:00 which then allowed for the whole team to do another project. Most of us were at the gutting site which will be described in a few seconds. This in spite of a dog getting away from a volunteer and running about a mile down the road, with the volunteer chasing after it and cars slowed to a crawl. They did get the dog back :). (Oh and George probably would want me to not mention his name.)
* Sign of the times: Got Mold?
* Dinner tonight was Turkey, pasta, and vegetables. It was good, but uh, not done by a vegetarian. ;) And I was out of OJ.
* I have been getting text message updates on the big PSU win! :)
* I have had several people email me about how they can help. I will write a blog entry as soon as I can—in all honesty, probably on the plane on Thrusday.
* I have decided to stay an extra day. A special thanks to my mom, my dad, Jen, and Bonnie for making the extra day possible. Also Northwest Air’s customer service people were amazingly nice! THANK YOU!
* Travis from NC State (who was here in October and worked on the “Apartment”) is back. We talked some today about what a pain the “Apartment” had been.
* Tomorrow is going to be a repeat work-wise for me. Clean up around base, then Humane Society, and then Interiors.
* The nightly meetings are always emotional. Yes they may be long sometimes, but they should not be shortened.
* Ran alone this AM and with Bill this evening. We went over a lift bridge that lifted as we approached. So we got to backtrack for a while waiting for it to go back down.
* Have I mentioned the people here are great? They sure are!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Miscellany January 2, 2006
Short Bits:
* It was about 80 degrees this afternoon. The fog has lifted.
* Jen went back today.
* Also went to Ocean Springs today. What a cool town. Wish I had seen it under better conditions. The downtown reminds me of a warm Ellicotville.
* Handson got a huge infusion of new volunteers. CSFB and a groupd from Tennessee.
* Dinner was spaghetti cooked by Alfred State.
* Alfred State deserves a special mention. The job they did today was amazing. Not only did they help with the Humane Society, they cooked, cleaned-up, oh and donated $8,600 to Handson! This is their THIRD trip. WAY TO GO!!!!!
* tomorrow is Humane Society in the AM and then readying a home on Nixon Street for gutting. I really had hoped to do mold abatement or at lest gutting this trip, but alas, it does not appear likely.
* The people here continue to overwhelm me on all levels. Most are nice, friendly, hard working, great conversationalists, and just all around nice people.
* I wish I could stay longer. I am already dreading leaving.
* It was about 80 degrees this afternoon. The fog has lifted.
* Jen went back today.
* Also went to Ocean Springs today. What a cool town. Wish I had seen it under better conditions. The downtown reminds me of a warm Ellicotville.
* Handson got a huge infusion of new volunteers. CSFB and a groupd from Tennessee.
* Dinner was spaghetti cooked by Alfred State.
* Alfred State deserves a special mention. The job they did today was amazing. Not only did they help with the Humane Society, they cooked, cleaned-up, oh and donated $8,600 to Handson! This is their THIRD trip. WAY TO GO!!!!!
* tomorrow is Humane Society in the AM and then readying a home on Nixon Street for gutting. I really had hoped to do mold abatement or at lest gutting this trip, but alas, it does not appear likely.
* The people here continue to overwhelm me on all levels. Most are nice, friendly, hard working, great conversationalists, and just all around nice people.
* I wish I could stay longer. I am already dreading leaving.
Tell them it is warm here
I went for a drive today. It was really the first time I have taken any time off on either Mississippi trip during the work day. There is too much that needs to be done. As a short-timer, I feel guilty if I am not maximizing every second of my time here. Indeed, I feel guilty even taking lunch, so lunch is usually water.
But today I was sort of forced to take the afternoon off. As much as I wanted to work, my main job on this trip is to make sure the spring trip works: that we have work and places for everyone to stay.
Therefore, after spending the morning at the Humane Society, we went for a drive. We started out with the hope of making it to Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Long Beach, Pass Christian, and then Ocean Springs. It was a tad too ambitious. But it does not matter.
I’d seen enough. No, I had seen too much. The destruction for miles is simply beyond comprehension. In most areas the first few blocks in from the coast have vanished. There is almost nothing at all that can be salvaged. Nothing.
There are cars in swimming pools next to nothing but a slab of concrete. No house. No garage, nothing.
I could go on for pages trying to describe the destruction. I had planned on writing about how further inland there are blocks and blocks of damaged homes and buildings. How these areas look like Biloxi did in early October. How there are too few hands and too many problems. But I can’t come close to describing the scene, so why bother. I’ll put up some of the pictures I took, but they are almost as incapable of communicating the enormity of the devastation as are my words.
Instead I will relate a quick story that speaks volumes.
In Long Beach we stopped at a Distribution Center. We were met by a kind elderly woman who is from the Long Beach area but stressed that she was fine, but that others lost everything and that the Distribution Center’s volunteers were overworked. I gave her my now well-practiced pitch that we plan on bringing down a large contingent of volunteers from St. Bonaventure over spring break and was wondering if the Distribution Center could use any of our help for that week. The lady listened intently and then said simply “Tell them it is warm down here.”
What did she mean by that? “Excuse me?” I questioned.
And then with a quiet seriousness that signaled the region’s desperate straits, the grandmotherly immigrant explained “Your school is from near Buffalo. It’s cold there. If you tell your students it is warm here, then more people will come to help. And we need all the help we can get.”
But today I was sort of forced to take the afternoon off. As much as I wanted to work, my main job on this trip is to make sure the spring trip works: that we have work and places for everyone to stay.
Therefore, after spending the morning at the Humane Society, we went for a drive. We started out with the hope of making it to Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Long Beach, Pass Christian, and then Ocean Springs. It was a tad too ambitious. But it does not matter.
I’d seen enough. No, I had seen too much. The destruction for miles is simply beyond comprehension. In most areas the first few blocks in from the coast have vanished. There is almost nothing at all that can be salvaged. Nothing.
There are cars in swimming pools next to nothing but a slab of concrete. No house. No garage, nothing.
I could go on for pages trying to describe the destruction. I had planned on writing about how further inland there are blocks and blocks of damaged homes and buildings. How these areas look like Biloxi did in early October. How there are too few hands and too many problems. But I can’t come close to describing the scene, so why bother. I’ll put up some of the pictures I took, but they are almost as incapable of communicating the enormity of the devastation as are my words.
Instead I will relate a quick story that speaks volumes.
In Long Beach we stopped at a Distribution Center. We were met by a kind elderly woman who is from the Long Beach area but stressed that she was fine, but that others lost everything and that the Distribution Center’s volunteers were overworked. I gave her my now well-practiced pitch that we plan on bringing down a large contingent of volunteers from St. Bonaventure over spring break and was wondering if the Distribution Center could use any of our help for that week. The lady listened intently and then said simply “Tell them it is warm down here.”
What did she mean by that? “Excuse me?” I questioned.
And then with a quiet seriousness that signaled the region’s desperate straits, the grandmotherly immigrant explained “Your school is from near Buffalo. It’s cold there. If you tell your students it is warm here, then more people will come to help. And we need all the help we can get.”
The morning at the Humane Society
Tonight’s entry is going to have to be a two parter: the morning and the afternoon were so different that to mix them would do them both a disservice. So there will be two different entries.
The morning started as all have on this trip: a run, a quick shower and breakfast, and then off to the Humane Society. This time however we had a much larger crew than normal and an extra job. We had decided to clean up the path and some of the debris on the golf course and path where the dogs are walked each day.
Why? Yes, in part because it would make the area look a bit better, which as discussed yesterday may have an amazing ripple effect in and of itself. However, this clean-up had another less philosophical purpose: the dogs walked over the land and, while unlikely, they could get injured on the debris, so a quick clean-up. And so, in spite of poor inept leadership (yes boys and girls, I was the group leader today), the dozen or so person work crew had the area not, great, but at least safe for our canine friends in about a little less than an hour. GREAT JOB EVERYONE!
It was then time to actually care for the animals. With such a large crew this was a treat. I love walking dogs, but walking dogs for four straight hours proves that you can have too much of a good thing. So today, was perfect. We walked dogs for about 45 minutes and then bathed some as well.
Today I only walked dogs that were either “special needs” dogs or in sick-bay. But that is ok since some of these dogs have become my favorites. There is the puppy who was found with a chain imbedded in his neck. No one knows for certain how long the pup had been loose (he broke the chain), but unless it was for weeks and weeks (it does not look like it), the former owners should be investigated for cruelty. But this black haired puppy with high white boots is just as playful as can be, prances on his walks, and absolutely loves any and all attention.
There is a Chihuahua that loves to walk and talk to every dog (big or small) he sees. Before meeting him, I never liked Chihuahuas (probably because of the Taco Bell ads and that they are associated with many “stars”) but he has changed that. Of course all of our cats are bigger than he is, but hey, he is still a nice dog.
And then there is the brown lab puppy that has the kind of dandruff that would make Head and Shoulders the hottest name in the industry. But who also has eyes that could melt the Gringe’s heart. He is on everyone’s top ten list.
After walking four of us stayed behind to give baths to four of the dogs. Unbeknownst to us bathers (or at least to this bather) while we were washing dogs, two others of our group were adopting dogs to take home.
All in all an amazingly productive morning.
The morning started as all have on this trip: a run, a quick shower and breakfast, and then off to the Humane Society. This time however we had a much larger crew than normal and an extra job. We had decided to clean up the path and some of the debris on the golf course and path where the dogs are walked each day.
Why? Yes, in part because it would make the area look a bit better, which as discussed yesterday may have an amazing ripple effect in and of itself. However, this clean-up had another less philosophical purpose: the dogs walked over the land and, while unlikely, they could get injured on the debris, so a quick clean-up. And so, in spite of poor inept leadership (yes boys and girls, I was the group leader today), the dozen or so person work crew had the area not, great, but at least safe for our canine friends in about a little less than an hour. GREAT JOB EVERYONE!
It was then time to actually care for the animals. With such a large crew this was a treat. I love walking dogs, but walking dogs for four straight hours proves that you can have too much of a good thing. So today, was perfect. We walked dogs for about 45 minutes and then bathed some as well.
Today I only walked dogs that were either “special needs” dogs or in sick-bay. But that is ok since some of these dogs have become my favorites. There is the puppy who was found with a chain imbedded in his neck. No one knows for certain how long the pup had been loose (he broke the chain), but unless it was for weeks and weeks (it does not look like it), the former owners should be investigated for cruelty. But this black haired puppy with high white boots is just as playful as can be, prances on his walks, and absolutely loves any and all attention.
There is a Chihuahua that loves to walk and talk to every dog (big or small) he sees. Before meeting him, I never liked Chihuahuas (probably because of the Taco Bell ads and that they are associated with many “stars”) but he has changed that. Of course all of our cats are bigger than he is, but hey, he is still a nice dog.
And then there is the brown lab puppy that has the kind of dandruff that would make Head and Shoulders the hottest name in the industry. But who also has eyes that could melt the Gringe’s heart. He is on everyone’s top ten list.
After walking four of us stayed behind to give baths to four of the dogs. Unbeknownst to us bathers (or at least to this bather) while we were washing dogs, two others of our group were adopting dogs to take home.
All in all an amazingly productive morning.
Monday, January 02, 2006
As WW II Veterans "watched from above," we cleaned a cemetery
I never knew Daniel McCray, never heard of D.A. Bradford, have no clue who John Henry Bradley was, and have zero idea at all about Deacon Joe Battiest, except to know that they were some of the millions of nameless, largely forgotten people who people who helped the Allies win WW II.
Similarly, you probably never heard of Eliza Kennedy, Robert Titzler, Carrie James, Maryanne Kiley, Samuel Lawrence, Sean Ruane, Miquel Boland, or the thousands of other nameless present day volunteers. They are some of the largely unknown individuals who are helping the Gulf coast region win its battle against Katrina.
Today the two groups met. No not in person. The former group has all passed from this world. You see, I learned their names while helping to clean the the Biloxi National Cemetery. But, if there is a heaven the McCray, Bradford, and Bradley crew looked down on their final resting place in and were really proud of what was going on.
On what was originally going to be an easy recovery day, the Handson crew raked, hauled, piled, kicked, pushed, and shoveled untold tons of branches, leaves, and dirt and turned the cemetery that had taken much of the brunt of Katrina back into a neat, peaceful place where friends and family can reflect back on the wonderful lives that the deceased had lived.
It is hard to know what the impact of anyone’s actions is. For all I know, the late Mr. Bradford or Mr. Bradley may have saved thousands of lives by preventing two transport ships from sinking, or single-handedly defeated a company of Axis troops. Oh sure I could google their names, but even Google does not know what they really did. Why? Because often what comes from what we do, is unknown to all. Or put another way, even the doer of an action often does not know what the outcome is of the action.
This has been described much more gracefully than I could ever attempt. For instance, my favorite version of this idea is, ironically enough given why we are all here in Mississippi, the idea of that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings somewhere plains of Africa could, by disturbing atmospheric conditions just enough, cause a hurricane to hit the shores of North America. Small things mean things. And what the end result of a seemingly small action is, we may never know.
I tell you this because of a phone call back at Handson’s HQ. I called a friend to wish her Happy New Year and to brag about how much good was accomplished. She was unimpressed. Oh, she tried to be polite, but you could tell. Her tone of voice gave it away. While her words said “oh that’s nice,” her tone was saying “gee, how minor is that? You cleaned a cemetery. Big deal. Is anyone out of a FEMA trailer because of that? Is anyone breathing better air as a result of that? No, you just cleaned a cemetery, oh sure it may have been a lot of work, but it was a cemetery. Nothing more.”
I was polite and did not say anything nasty in reply. Indeed, I politely turned the other cheek and invited her to join us on our March trip. Thinking that then might she come to understand what it means to clean a cemetery, a park, a street, or a neighborhood. To know what it means to give a blanket to a cold survivor living in tent, to talk to a woman living in a FEMA trailer but who is afraid that she may have to give up her trailer because she has three dogs in the trailer, or to say hello to a family living on their front porch.
I can tell you that cleaning the cemetery made a physical difference. I can tell you that it made the cemetery look much better. I can tell you that it is again the peaceful refuge for both the living and the dead that it was intended to be.
But what I do not know, what none of us will ever know, are the long-run consequences of cleaning the cemetery. Did seeing a group of people from all over America clean the cemetery convince a depressed survivor to give it life another chance? Maybe.
Did the life of a widow get just enough better that she decided to not give up and move away? A move which had it occurred would have forced the store down the block to go out of business, which in turn would have led to higher unemployment, despair, and turmoil? Maybe.
Were the hours of back breaking work that were needed to clean the cemetery worth “maybes”? Absolutely. And I am sure the heros from past generations would agree. Today they were smiling.
Short Bits
* I had two really fun runs today. The AM run was an uneventful run through a fog, while the PM run was through some rain with Miguel, John, David, Bill, Chuck, and Beth. It was fun.
* Many of the dogs at the Humane Society were shipped out to an animal shelter in Maine. There was a new puppy however. VERY sad. A dog had apparently gotten away with his chain and collar still attached. The collar had to be surgically removed. It was not a pretty sight, but the long term prognosis is excellent and he will make someone a very good dog!
* The turnover is obviously very high here. Today we are losing a group from Davidson, but gained a group from Alfred State.
*Jen also leaves tomorrow, but before she does, I plan on introducing her to interior work as we will help gut a house.
* Prior to house gutting, I will be taking “a crew” out to the Humane Society where before it opens we will be cleaning up the walking area (there is some glass and aluminum on the walk way which I always hate have the dogs walk on.
* last night we left boots under my car. Oops! The fog was so dense that this AM I had to pour the water from the boots! And they were UNDER the car!
* Dinner was a BBQ. There was chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs. The vegetarians had tofu ka-bobs. They were really good!
Similarly, you probably never heard of Eliza Kennedy, Robert Titzler, Carrie James, Maryanne Kiley, Samuel Lawrence, Sean Ruane, Miquel Boland, or the thousands of other nameless present day volunteers. They are some of the largely unknown individuals who are helping the Gulf coast region win its battle against Katrina.
Today the two groups met. No not in person. The former group has all passed from this world. You see, I learned their names while helping to clean the the Biloxi National Cemetery. But, if there is a heaven the McCray, Bradford, and Bradley crew looked down on their final resting place in and were really proud of what was going on.
On what was originally going to be an easy recovery day, the Handson crew raked, hauled, piled, kicked, pushed, and shoveled untold tons of branches, leaves, and dirt and turned the cemetery that had taken much of the brunt of Katrina back into a neat, peaceful place where friends and family can reflect back on the wonderful lives that the deceased had lived.
It is hard to know what the impact of anyone’s actions is. For all I know, the late Mr. Bradford or Mr. Bradley may have saved thousands of lives by preventing two transport ships from sinking, or single-handedly defeated a company of Axis troops. Oh sure I could google their names, but even Google does not know what they really did. Why? Because often what comes from what we do, is unknown to all. Or put another way, even the doer of an action often does not know what the outcome is of the action.
This has been described much more gracefully than I could ever attempt. For instance, my favorite version of this idea is, ironically enough given why we are all here in Mississippi, the idea of that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings somewhere plains of Africa could, by disturbing atmospheric conditions just enough, cause a hurricane to hit the shores of North America. Small things mean things. And what the end result of a seemingly small action is, we may never know.
I tell you this because of a phone call back at Handson’s HQ. I called a friend to wish her Happy New Year and to brag about how much good was accomplished. She was unimpressed. Oh, she tried to be polite, but you could tell. Her tone of voice gave it away. While her words said “oh that’s nice,” her tone was saying “gee, how minor is that? You cleaned a cemetery. Big deal. Is anyone out of a FEMA trailer because of that? Is anyone breathing better air as a result of that? No, you just cleaned a cemetery, oh sure it may have been a lot of work, but it was a cemetery. Nothing more.”
I was polite and did not say anything nasty in reply. Indeed, I politely turned the other cheek and invited her to join us on our March trip. Thinking that then might she come to understand what it means to clean a cemetery, a park, a street, or a neighborhood. To know what it means to give a blanket to a cold survivor living in tent, to talk to a woman living in a FEMA trailer but who is afraid that she may have to give up her trailer because she has three dogs in the trailer, or to say hello to a family living on their front porch.
I can tell you that cleaning the cemetery made a physical difference. I can tell you that it made the cemetery look much better. I can tell you that it is again the peaceful refuge for both the living and the dead that it was intended to be.
But what I do not know, what none of us will ever know, are the long-run consequences of cleaning the cemetery. Did seeing a group of people from all over America clean the cemetery convince a depressed survivor to give it life another chance? Maybe.
Did the life of a widow get just enough better that she decided to not give up and move away? A move which had it occurred would have forced the store down the block to go out of business, which in turn would have led to higher unemployment, despair, and turmoil? Maybe.
Were the hours of back breaking work that were needed to clean the cemetery worth “maybes”? Absolutely. And I am sure the heros from past generations would agree. Today they were smiling.
Short Bits
* I had two really fun runs today. The AM run was an uneventful run through a fog, while the PM run was through some rain with Miguel, John, David, Bill, Chuck, and Beth. It was fun.
* Many of the dogs at the Humane Society were shipped out to an animal shelter in Maine. There was a new puppy however. VERY sad. A dog had apparently gotten away with his chain and collar still attached. The collar had to be surgically removed. It was not a pretty sight, but the long term prognosis is excellent and he will make someone a very good dog!
* The turnover is obviously very high here. Today we are losing a group from Davidson, but gained a group from Alfred State.
*Jen also leaves tomorrow, but before she does, I plan on introducing her to interior work as we will help gut a house.
* Prior to house gutting, I will be taking “a crew” out to the Humane Society where before it opens we will be cleaning up the walking area (there is some glass and aluminum on the walk way which I always hate have the dogs walk on.
* last night we left boots under my car. Oops! The fog was so dense that this AM I had to pour the water from the boots! And they were UNDER the car!
* Dinner was a BBQ. There was chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs. The vegetarians had tofu ka-bobs. They were really good!
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Walking dogs and cleaning cemeteries
New Year’s Eve in Biloxi
This will be a shorter update as the computer connection is literally at a standstill…I am beginning to think it is my computer setup, but one way or the other this is SLOW.
As promised, this morning a group of us went and worked with the Humane Society. The Humane Society is located out by the airport next to a golf course that was largely destroyed by Katrina. While this is awful for golfers, it gives the Humane Society a nice place to walk dogs. And wow did we walk dogs.
I bet I personally walked 20-25 dogs today. Some puppies, some really big dogs, and some really small dogs. It was fun (mostly). The dogs were great. I felt so sorry for them. Of course this is the person who can not stand to see Bonnie locked in her room, so seeing them in any caged area is troubling. But it was clean and the animals were all well cared for. I hope they all get adopted (more on this later).
We also cleaned some of their “runs” or cages and fed the dogs. Others in our groups fed and played with the cats. While it took longer then we had hoped--it seemed like they just kept finding more and more dogs—the dogs loved, coveted, adored, lusted after, liked, and really enjoyed the attention. Their moods all picked up once they were out on the fairways or playing out in front. All in all it was good and something I definitely should do at home too. Will I? Maybe. I thought about it quite a bit coming down the old 14th, but there is just never seems to be enough time when home.
A large group of the dogs have been adopted (or at least being shipped for adoption) to Maine. That said, it was also amazing how many people did come in to adopt animals--it seemed most wanted small dogs—indeed two asked for dogs small enough for a FEMA trailer.
I was asked whether the dogs were hurricane dogs (dogs separated from their families by Katrina). I do not know. In some sense more were than would appear at first glance. Why? Because it is likely that many people chose to give up their dogs after they lost the house and had less room to care for the dog. However, I really do not know but will ask. By the way, the Humane Society of Southern Mississippi’s website is definitely worth a look!
After the Humane Society we headed over to the very large clean-up in progress at the public cemetery near Rt. 90 and the Air Force Base. The majority of Hansdon was at this site today. We missed most of the work but did get to work for a couple hours on the north side of the tracks.
The city had three employees working on the cemetery. Even optimistically, it would take the three of them, no matter how good they are at what they do, months to accomplish what will take the volunteers about 2 days. There were MANY people on the job and it looks MUCH better . I hope there are some before and after pictures floating around. I will look for them. (I have another blog idea on this project so stay tuned!)
My sister once told me the only thing---“the only thing?” “Yes the only thing”---that I am even a little good at is raking. I got to rake to my heart’s content in the cemetery. So
I liked working in the cemetery. In fact I am looking forward to more of it tomorrow!
Well that is about it. Sorry today’s entry was so boring. I’ll try to do better next year (note the time and date I wrote this ;) ) (11:31 CST on 12/31/2005)
Short bits
* Tonight we are had/are having a bonfire, but most people went to various parties and/or New Orleans for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
* Dinner was grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It was cooked by some volunteers from the US Air Force.
* There was a yoga workout this AM at Handson. I missed it as I had no idea and showered after my run. They seemed to be about done by the time I done and came for breakfast. Oh well, maybe tomorrow?
* This evening I ran with Miguel (from Orlando). I guess we went for about 4 miles. It was good, but so foggy that Sherlock Holmes would have been right at home. That said, the weather was quite warm (about 70). The fog rolled in (literally you could see it coming in waves!) at about 2 PM. Really unlike WNY weather!
* Tomorrow I plan on repeating today but in fast forward speed. We are going to the Humane Society (until 10) and then over to the Cemetery. The afternoon is a scheduled easy day here. Depending on what time the Cemetery is completed, Jen and I might head over to Ocean Springs and/or Bay St. Louis to meet some other groups to see how they can accommodate us for the spring.
* A BBQ and volley-ball tournament are planned out back tomorow afternoon
* HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
This will be a shorter update as the computer connection is literally at a standstill…I am beginning to think it is my computer setup, but one way or the other this is SLOW.
As promised, this morning a group of us went and worked with the Humane Society. The Humane Society is located out by the airport next to a golf course that was largely destroyed by Katrina. While this is awful for golfers, it gives the Humane Society a nice place to walk dogs. And wow did we walk dogs.
I bet I personally walked 20-25 dogs today. Some puppies, some really big dogs, and some really small dogs. It was fun (mostly). The dogs were great. I felt so sorry for them. Of course this is the person who can not stand to see Bonnie locked in her room, so seeing them in any caged area is troubling. But it was clean and the animals were all well cared for. I hope they all get adopted (more on this later).
We also cleaned some of their “runs” or cages and fed the dogs. Others in our groups fed and played with the cats. While it took longer then we had hoped--it seemed like they just kept finding more and more dogs—the dogs loved, coveted, adored, lusted after, liked, and really enjoyed the attention. Their moods all picked up once they were out on the fairways or playing out in front. All in all it was good and something I definitely should do at home too. Will I? Maybe. I thought about it quite a bit coming down the old 14th, but there is just never seems to be enough time when home.
A large group of the dogs have been adopted (or at least being shipped for adoption) to Maine. That said, it was also amazing how many people did come in to adopt animals--it seemed most wanted small dogs—indeed two asked for dogs small enough for a FEMA trailer.
I was asked whether the dogs were hurricane dogs (dogs separated from their families by Katrina). I do not know. In some sense more were than would appear at first glance. Why? Because it is likely that many people chose to give up their dogs after they lost the house and had less room to care for the dog. However, I really do not know but will ask. By the way, the Humane Society of Southern Mississippi’s website is definitely worth a look!
After the Humane Society we headed over to the very large clean-up in progress at the public cemetery near Rt. 90 and the Air Force Base. The majority of Hansdon was at this site today. We missed most of the work but did get to work for a couple hours on the north side of the tracks.
The city had three employees working on the cemetery. Even optimistically, it would take the three of them, no matter how good they are at what they do, months to accomplish what will take the volunteers about 2 days. There were MANY people on the job and it looks MUCH better . I hope there are some before and after pictures floating around. I will look for them. (I have another blog idea on this project so stay tuned!)
My sister once told me the only thing---“the only thing?” “Yes the only thing”---that I am even a little good at is raking. I got to rake to my heart’s content in the cemetery. So
I liked working in the cemetery. In fact I am looking forward to more of it tomorrow!
Well that is about it. Sorry today’s entry was so boring. I’ll try to do better next year (note the time and date I wrote this ;) ) (11:31 CST on 12/31/2005)
Short bits
* Tonight we are had/are having a bonfire, but most people went to various parties and/or New Orleans for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
* Dinner was grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It was cooked by some volunteers from the US Air Force.
* There was a yoga workout this AM at Handson. I missed it as I had no idea and showered after my run. They seemed to be about done by the time I done and came for breakfast. Oh well, maybe tomorrow?
* This evening I ran with Miguel (from Orlando). I guess we went for about 4 miles. It was good, but so foggy that Sherlock Holmes would have been right at home. That said, the weather was quite warm (about 70). The fog rolled in (literally you could see it coming in waves!) at about 2 PM. Really unlike WNY weather!
* Tomorrow I plan on repeating today but in fast forward speed. We are going to the Humane Society (until 10) and then over to the Cemetery. The afternoon is a scheduled easy day here. Depending on what time the Cemetery is completed, Jen and I might head over to Ocean Springs and/or Bay St. Louis to meet some other groups to see how they can accommodate us for the spring.
* A BBQ and volley-ball tournament are planned out back tomorow afternoon
* HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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