Everything seems to be coming at us at once but I guess it has to; the clock is ticking and time (as well as good weather) is likely to run out all too soon. The frantic pace is taking it's toll on all of us. Even with help there is so much to do and I know that the folks who have been helping us so far have to return to their lives. We are hoping that we can find new sources of help from our community so we started passing out fliers asking folks if they wanted to participate in a modern day "barn raising". I am crossing fingers and toes in the hopes that we will get some responses soon. I am already so bone-tired (my autoimmune disease makes this so much harder, I miss the strength and stamina I had in younger years before CFS raised it's ugly head!). My husband has been the juggernaut of the project and although he seems tireless and unstoppable right now, I worry about him over the long haul of this adventure.
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| Chris helps a neighbor change a tire. |
Our next door neighbors (on 58th Street) continue to show a spirit of community by inviting Jax over to play and feeding him lunch (that he actually ate!). My husband was able to return the favor by using his considerable cycling skills to replace a tire tube for them during one of his breaks. (The neighbor only has real use of one of his hands and it takes two strong hands to change the tire out.) I helped watch a neighbor's daughter so she could run errands while I ran the yard sale. It was nice to have a chance to give back and we welcome folks to feel like they can ask us for help too!
WHAT'S NEXT
Yard saling is finished and we have started shifting items to a storage facility for my parents. The living level is emptied but the basement is still full of stuff. We will finish emptying the property and hope to begin taking out kitchen cabinets and other demolition duties. The carpets have already been removed and we are chipping away at the linoleum tiles that have bonded to the wood floors after 27 or so years. It is slow, tough going and we are wondering if we should get a heat gun to try and make it easier? Buying a tool is a big deal to us so we debate everything we have to do hoping that in our ignorance we don't end up spending and wasting our preciously sparse funds.
EXPANDED GALLERY
I have expanded our picture gallery this morning and will now be tracking progress in photos week by week as well as on this blog. I found a couple of boxes of old photographs. The water damage has glued most of them together into thick blobs of useless pictures but I have been uncovering a few that I hope to scan and add to our gallery archive area. If you have pictures of the 'hood and would like to share them (as well as any of your stories) please contact us through our website!
WEEK THREE HEROES
Justin gave us an amazing deal and came out right away to appraise the property for us (one of the needed steps towards us somehow buying the property from my parents). I just got the 25 PAGE appraisal pdf last night and I was amazed at how much work Justin put into how fast he got it to us (he came out Friday morning and had the pdf to us Monday night. I did not expect to get great service along with such a great deal, thank you Justin!
Sabra and Darrell of Waste Removal & Recycling
Sabra did everything she could to give us a great deal and made sure that we could have the container as long as we needed it. (With only being able to work weekends when my husband is off of work we knew we couldn't get everything stripped out in a 7 day time frame). Darrell I am amazed at your driving and placement skills. We gave you a very tough and narrow place to put the container and you fit it in PERFECTLY. Thank you! This is another local company that came through for us and way beat the price and service of the big guys.
Folks who signed our volunteer sheet. As soon as I can find it in all the chaos I will be trying to contact you folks!
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| Jax gets a hot and nutritious lunch from a neighbor. |
Donny and Flo. For throwing your strength and courage into the project on Sunday and your continued moral support.When I have crisis of faith it is you two that help buoy our spirits and give us hope.
Flying Eagle and Patrick. For doing all the nasty work with my husband because my health challenges keep me from being in there with him. You two have truly been a blessing.
My Husband, Chris. Always my hero but I have found a whole new level of respect for you. From 4 am in the morning until 10 pm at night (and even after when Jax wakes up in the middle of the night and I am too exhausted to get him) you have put even the Energizer Bunny to shame. Week after week you are working hard with little to no rest, doing all the thankless, dirty, smelly, strength-sapping tasks. Yet another facet of you has been revealed to me and I am in awe.
My parents. For taking a chance on us after being burned by others in the past. For giving us help when you are already in need of it yourselves. We love you and hope that we will make you proud.
LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING AND SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE PROJECT AT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.GROVETRIBE.COM
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