Wittenberg Volunteers Spring Break - Serving Others
At www.habitat.org, the challenge is presented thusly: "A Collegiate Challenge trip may be the best school break trip you will ever have. Not only do you help people in need—it’s also fun! You’ll have the chance to improve your carpentry skills, connect with new people in a new place and put your faith into action by making a real difference in Habitat for Humanity’s work of eliminating substandard housing." Last week, five young women and five young men did just that. They chose to spend their Spring Break in service to others. This year’s Collegiate Challenge group came to Pontotoc from Wittenberg University, near Springfield, Indiana. Habitat for Humanity builds houses with largely volunteer labor. Since labor costs can make up as much as fifty-percent of the cost of constructing a new home, this means a Habitat homeowner’s mortgage may be only half that of a conventionally constructed house. At the beginning of the week, the house they came to help build, was hardly "out of the ground." Only the foundation had been completed. This particular house is the seventh one to be located in the Circle of Hope Subdivision in Pontotoc. Due to the hilly landscape and the desire of the local affiliate to preserve as much of the natural beauty of the terrain, the seven houses have conventional foundations rather than a concrete slab. With mostly unskilled workers, I would not have thought it possible that in four days the flooring would be in place, the walls raised, a roof above, and all of it completely "blacked in." However, there were three local building specialists on hand to direct the work, and the weather cooperated nicely. From what I’ve observed, the young people enjoyed being in Pontotoc. Like most volunteers who are first time visitors to the South, they quickly developed a taste for sweet tea and banana pudding. How quickly they adapted to the work schedule at the building site is not so apparent, but most of them learned they could drive a nail, even if they’d never done so before. The students from Wittenberg University were housed in the Family Life Center of By Faith Baptist Church, Pontotoc. One civic organization and several churches provided the evening meals for the volunteers. As usual, I had the privilege of joining them on most evenings and can attest to the enjoyable meals. A couple of other aspects of this group’s visit that are common to all volunteer groups are a time of orientation on their first evening and a time of reflection at the end of the week. Barbara, Ryan Fuoss, volunteer coordinator, and Bro. Joe Steen, construction supervisor, work hard during orientation to make each group feel appreciated for their volunteerism and provide an overview of the work that needs to be done with an emphasis on safety. On the final evening of each group’s stay, Barbara, Ryan, and Bro. Joe conduct a closing ceremony, sort of a "what did you learn, what did you like about your stay, what can we do to improve" session. Of the orientations, in which I’ve participated, each member of the group is challenged to learn all they can about Habitat for Humanity during the week, as there is typically a test of some sort at the end of the week. Bro. Joe always stresses safety and typically uses humor to make a point. For example, he shares that unlike the cartoon character who steps off the edge of a cliff and there is a period of hesitation before the fall, that doesn’t happen in the real world, and he has personally witnessed someone fall from a roof by stepping off the edge accidentally. During a typical closing ceremony, it’s not uncommon for more than one volunteer to share a measure of personal satisfaction in learning a new task, express pride in helping someone else acquire an affordable new home, or thank construction supervisors for directing their volunteer efforts. The volunteers from Wittenberg University were complimentary of our Southern hospitality and thankful for the opportunity to be of service. When asked what could have made their stay even better, one of them commented that bunk beds would be nice. Ryan administered a true-false test with questions pertaining to Habitat for Humanity. No one made a hundred on the ten question test, but everyone received a passing grade. Some of this group of volunteers may come back to Pontotoc again, but if not, we’re confident the memories made here will last a lifetime.
Gutter Minded In The Dead Of Winter Before I get too old for climbing ladders, I hope to install gutter guards around my house and guesthouse. If I don’t, then one of these days I’ll be paying someone to clean the debris out of the rain gutters on a yearly basis. I suppose, I could remove all the trees on my property, but that would not entirely eliminate the need for gutter guards, because plenty of leaves from my neighbors trees would still find their way into my gutters and cause problems. In a normal year, my wintertime gutter-cleaning project involves removing all the leaves that accumulated following the previous autumn. If I’m particularly industrious, I sometimes grab the water hose to wash out the gutters and drains. Apparently, I’ve not been industrious for the past few years, as the gutters were in need of a good hosing. But, before hosing, a good scraping was needed. It’s a fairly daunting chore just to remove all the leaves, as tossing them onto the ground below is not a good choice. Instead, I stuff the refuse in plastic grocery sacks as I work the length of the gutter. Of course, this requires several trips up and down the ladder and moving the ladder several times in order to clean a given section. On a windy day, not all of the leaves removed from the gutters make it into the sacks. Some take flight, once more, usually alighting on the shingles just out of reach. But, it’s the shingle-grit that’s especially worrisome to clean out of the gutter. Well, yeah, if I had a pressure washer it wouldn’t be so bad to blast the grit along a run of guttering and send it down a drain, but it only takes a few extra hours of effort to scrape it into piles with a putty knife and toss it into a not-too-full leaf bag. A younger man could probably get my gutter cleaning chore done in a day, possibly less. However, as I recall, it took me parts of two consecutive Saturdays to finish the job. I’d rather have sore leg muscles on two Sunday mornings than try to do too much on Saturday and not be able to get out of bed the next morning. My wife tells me our financial condition will look much better in October. With that in mind, maybe I can remember to ask for an allocation for gutter guards and get them installed before all of the leaves of fall have fallen.
Charcoal Starters Fluids Rods & Chimneys I have been bar-b-cueing and grilling with charcoal for more than forty years. The first grill I purchased was an open-top model that had an adjustable, revolving rack, whose height could be manipulated via a lever. It functioned okay for a year or so, but since I didn’t have a place to store it, it soon succumbed to the elements and rusted out. My early grilling efforts were generally trial and error in that the more I tried the more errors I made. However, as the years went by, I was able to buy a charcoal grill with a lid. Because the lid could be used during the cooking process I was suddenly able to control the temperature using air vents, and the foods I grilled were more recognizable than ever before. Before the advent of "match-light" charcoal briquettes, it took more than a match to light a mound of charcoal. Like most other outdoor chefs, and I use the term loosely, I bought lighter fluid and sprinkled it liberally on the charcoal before setting it ablaze with a match. Such was the method of starting a fire that I used for most of my years before the grill. While lighter fluid was the principal agent I employed to ignite charcoal, I have occasionally used an electric starter, a contraption with a plastic handle and an exposed resistance rod that got red hot when the electric cord was plugged into a source of electricity. The downside of using the electric rod for outside cooking was in finding a place to plug it in and where to lay it down once the charcoal was burning. The upside was it was a clean, fumes-free way to ignite charcoal. I don’t remember the year I was introduced to the "charcoal chimney," but I remember the first one that I saw and who was using it. I was attending a church function of some sort and a group of men were readying their grills outside the church in preparation to grill hamburgers and hotdogs, while mostly women-folk were patting out ground beef patties inside the kitchen. Clem Henry had a charcoal chimney. "Have you seen one of these?" Clem asked, holding something resembling a section of stove pipe with an offset handle. "It’s pretty neat; no lighter fluid required. All you need is a couple of sheets of newspaper to start the charcoal burning." Intrigued, I watched Clem crumple two pieces of newspaper and place them in the bottom of the chimney where holes were cut for air to enter. The lower portion of the chimney was separated from the upper part by a section of metal, also with holes, but the holes were not large enough to let the charcoal briquettes fall through. He then added charcoal to the top part of the chimney and lit the crumpled newspaper beneath. "Now," he exclaimed, "wait about ten minutes and the charcoal will be ready to dump onto the grill."
At some point within the last ten years, I bought a chimney similar to the one Clem had. I’ve not found one exactly like his, which had a mechanism that when triggered would release the burning charcoal from the bottom of the chimney. I have to turn my chimney upside down to empty it. Assuming my chimney is eight years old, it’s served me well, at least until recently when the handle took to falling apart every time I upended the chimney to dump the charcoal. That, and a rivet holding a seam popping out, had me looking for a new chimney. Both my wife and my son told me I was going to hurt myself if I kept using the old one. It had become dangerous to use, but I have enough genes from my granddad, Hayden Carter, to keep using something as long as I can fix it, until it wears out completely. "I can fix this," I reasoned. "I’ll put a pop rivet near the top of this seam." Now, there’s something you don’t find in every man’s tool box, a pop riveter. I suppose I bought it to use in modifying some ductwork when we lived on 8th Street. Yet, like my granddad, I’ve kept it, thinking it would be needed someday. Barbara and Jason looked disdainfully at me trying to repair the old chimney, but their glares did little to deter my efforts. Anyway, Granddad would have been proud of me. As I was riveting the upper section, I noticed the handle bracket had a brad that needed replacing. I had no brads, but I do have plenty of assorted nuts and bolts. The bolt I used was a little too long, but it worked. Apart from its rusty appearance my old chimney was then as good as new. The next week, Barbara and I were in Wal-Mart. They had one charcoal chimney on the shelf; I bought it. I believe my old chimney has another year or two left in it, but now I’ve got a spare when I need it, and I will need it.
Bodock Beau Southern Women There’s something about women of the South that’s distinctive. See if you don’t agree with the submission by Vickey Murphree: SOUTHERN WOMEN Southern women appreciate their natural assets: Clean skin. A winning smile.That unforgettable Southern drawl. Southern women know their manners: Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir. Why, no, Billy! Southern women have a distinct way with fond expressions: Y'all come back! Well, bless your heart. Drop by when you can. How's your Momma? Southern women know their summer weather report: Humidity, Humidity, Humidity Southern women know their vacation spots: The beach, The rivuh, The crick Southern women know the joys of June, July, and August: Colorful hi-heel sandals, Strapless sun dresses, Iced sweet tea with mint. Southern women know everybody's first name: Honey, Darlin', Shugah Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts: Fried Green Tomatoes, Driving Miss Daisy, Steel Magnolias, Gone With The Wind. Southern women know their religions: Baptist, Methodist, Football . Southern women know their country breakfasts: Red-eye gravy, Grits, Eggs, Country ham, Mouth-watering homemade biscuits with momma's homemade jelly. Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm: Chawl'stn, S'vanah, Foat Wuth, N'awlins, Addlanna. Southern women know their elegant gentlemen: Men in uniform. Men in tuxedos. Rhett Butler. Southern girls know their prime real estate: The Mall, The Country Club, The Beauty Salon. Southern girls know the 3 deadly sins:Having bad hair and nails; Having bad manners; Cooking bad food. Daffynitions
Golf foursome—Tee party A Lesson in Arithmetic
He’s teaching her arithmetic
Source- Laugh Letter Newsletter, Feb. 2007 Copyright © 2000 - 2007 RRN Online.
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Collegiate Challenge is
a program administered by Habitat for Humanity International. The purpose
of the program is to challenge youth, who might otherwise devote their entire
Spring Break to selfish indulgence, to seek a meaningful alternative as a
volunteer for an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.
Just as Clem stated, the
chimney did its work, and ten minutes later the charcoal was transferred
to the grill. Clem probably told me where I could buy one, but I’m sure
I didn’t have the six or seven dollars to spend on something I
wouldn’t use but a few times each year. Still, I remember thinking that
someday I would buy one.
