Work Camp I and Work Camp II

So after a couple of years of indecision and analyzing the pros and cons, Joe and Judy have embarked on the great adventure known as remodeling.  Judy has wanted an updated kitchen for several years now and finally the actual work has begun.  The white cabinets have been ordered and the granite has been selected; however, like most home projects one thing leads to another.  By the time they’re finished they will have new cabinets, new appliances, new lighting, new doors, new walls and new flooring throughout the house.  Whew!! That tired me out just writing that!

When we got back from our trip to Atlanta in September we offered to help.  We loaded the camper with everything for a week’s stay except food.  (That would be like taking coals to Newcastle.)  We parked the trailer in their yard and promptly named our location the W_____ Work and Camp.

Site #1 at the Work and Camp

Step one of this project involved taking up some of their garage space and building a huge pantry with a door to enter at the end of where the new cabinets will be and at the edge of their current dining room.  The pantry will be approximately 14 feet square and will have cabinets and will also house two refrigerators and a freezer.  Joe and his friend, Jerry had already begun work when we arrived, but soon after we headed to Dothan to pick up supplies, look at flooring and eat supper.  We stayed in Lowe’s so long that at one point, I thought it was almost closing time.  (I was wrong, it just seemed that long.)  After shopping we ate barbecue at Full Moon in Dothan and headed back to Opp.  Needless to say this half of the family was ready for bed.

After that followed tearing down, rebuilding, installing sheet rock, wiring etc.  I helped Judy with wallpaper removal on the inside living/dining area. 

Joe and Bubba are looking for the perfect boards.

Where is Joe?  Bubba was left to push alone.

Brothers at work!

While there I received a call on my cell phone from an old/young friend from my days working at the prison. He is an assistant warden now but was a sergeant when I first knew him. He was always special to me and when we were in the mountains in August I learned that his father had died.  I bought a sympathy card and began googling his name to find an address to send him a sympathy card.  I found a YouTube video with his name and found him teaching a class at his church.  In it he confessed publicly his womanizing and his regrets for the people he hurt and his gratitude for the patience of God with him.  I was so moved by his message that I decided to call him.  My call to the prison where he works was forwarded to his cell phone.  I had to leave a message.  When he didn’t call right back, I put his card in the mail knowing that many people never check their messages.  He called me after about a month and had just checked his messages.  I got to tell him how moved I was by the video and how proud I was of the man he had become.  The next day I got the sweetest text from him saying how much talking to me had meant to him.   It meant a lot to me as well.

We arrived on Tuesday and went home the following Wednesday.  We attended church with Joe and Judy on Sunday and got home in time on Wednesday to cook something for our church’s Wednesday night supper.

Apparently being exposed to Joe and Judy’s boundless energy was contagious because Bubba trimmed the hedge, cut the grass and painted the eaves of the house.  I did a big shopping trip for groceries, visited my neighbor in the nursing home, washed a week’s worth of laundry, put up fall decorations and did a decent job of cleaning house. We attended Sunday School and church on Sunday and headed back for another stay at the W___ Work and Camp.

This second trip included a celebration of Judy’s birthday.  We went back to Dothan for more things needed from Lowes and I bought the cutest shoes I’ve ever owned.  Then we met their friends and our new friends Jerry and Theresa for a celebration meal at Texas Roadhouse Steak House. And a good time was had by all.

My cute shoes!

Pecans have started falling and we picked up a bucket full while there.  I was walking between the house and the trailer one afternoon and I spied a pecan laying on the pavement.   I leaned over to pick it up and just toppled right over.  I think if my head had been tucked just right it would have been a perfect somersault.  I scrapped my hands and arms and just sat there helpless unwilling to call for help because… how embarrassing that would have been.  Then Joe’s labradoodle, Aubie, walked over to  me and gave me a sympathetic look then he gave me the little bit of support I needed to get up.  I’ve been feeding him goodies ever since.  His new name is Aubie the Rescue Dog.

Aubie wants a bite of ham and he deserves it!

Making friends with our neighbor

While there I got a text from Amy saying that Amelia wanted to know when Nana and Paw-Paw were coming in October.  We hadn’t actually planned to go in October but we surely want to take advantage of her wanting us to come as long as it lasts.  We’re realistic enough to know that as she grows older she won’t have much time for Nana and Paw-Paw.  So… we got home on Saturday (camper too this time), attended church and two nights of a community wide revival and left for Atlanta on Thursday for our “October Visit”.