Lady Bird: farmer's tans and power tools

Life has been so busy lately! Between morning PTs, long (but fun) days of physical labor, extra volunteering, cooking dinner for 10, keeping the house clean, attending team events, or simply just hanging out with my teammates, there is so little time for myself. Even when I start to read or do yoga upstairs, fits of laughter grab my attention and I have to go investigate.

So let me tell you a little bit about this spike round so far. If you have been following you’ll know that Moose 4 is currently working with Habitat for Humanity in Newburgh, NY. We have been here for just about a month. Newburgh is a historical town located right on the Hudson River overlooking beautiful “mountains” (as they call them here) …..but pick a street, any street, and take a walk down the block. You will inevitably wander past multiple rows of vacant decrepit buildings, a cracked-out individual aimlessly walking around, or people shouting about this or that.

Newburgh was rated the 12^th worst city in the U.S. and, at one point, was home to the most teenage pregnancies in America. Our third night, our van windows were smashed in and items stolen out of Tubby (the 15 passenger van). And I’ve woken up to gunshots down the street.

Talk about culture shock for this white suburban girl.

Looking in from the outside, we are in the “hood,” the ghetto, that bad part of town. But living here for a month now, I’m starting to see this place in a totally different light. It may sounds crazy, but I’m falling in love with this worn-down town. The sense of community around these parts is so strong; most of the locals have embraced us with open arms. We have befriended quite a number of characters including Rodni and Chris, two old hippies who hang out by our favorite bar. Juanita, who is a beaming light of joy and love; they call her the unofficial mayor of Newburgh. Cerrone, who wakes up early to help facilitate some of our morning PTs. And the list goes on.

As for our daily work with Habitat, I feel like a certified handy-man! I’m learning the process of how to build a home from the ground up. I’ve learned how to insulate the foundation of a house, install hardwood flooring, build a fence, “correctly” paint, apply sheathing, use big scary power tools, and my favorite…master the art of the bobcat. The days fly by when you are zooming about the construction site in your air-conditioned bobcat.

A week from Monday we are starting the “Blitz Build.” This is the reason our team is here and what we have been working so hard to prepare for. Talk about chaos, but we are building two houses in five days! The foundation of the home is done and the porch will be going on this week, but besides that every other aspect of these two houses will be completed from June 4^th through June 9^th. There are about 200 other volunteers and a handful of contractors to help us that week. I’m so excited for this week. I will make sure to take lots of pictures for you guys to see! Here are a few shots from Newburgh thus far.

Happy Memorial Day! A special thanks and extra love to my Bumpa this weekend :)