Down in the Dirt

Since everyone at our usual Habitat site is working so hard and gettin the job done, today we experienced the joys of landscaping at an alternative site. We were greeted with a dismal sight: snarled roots, logs, debris, mud, sludge, and slop. Five minutes into our task to "clean up" the area three people had already misstepped and sunk into the quagmire, which required assistance from others to pull their leg out of the grips of the bayou. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to mention the smell. We were working around a drainage pipe and the smell was part sulfur, part flatulence, part damp standing water, and all foul. Needless to say it wasn't the best greeting at 8:00 in the morning! But soon enough the smell no longer was a bother and the area was cleared and ready for clean soil and leveling. I have to mention that the soil we were working with was so cool! It was the mythical "red-dirt" that I had previously only heard about in country songs. You could break up the lumps of soil to reveal elaborate layers of colors and textures. For me it was like finding or breaking open an agate on the north shore up in MN. Work was slower today, so we got to socialize with all the other groups that are also volunteering their time. It is awesome to share experiences with students from around the country, actually getting to know them a little better too. Working side-by-side someone for 8-hours a day definitely allows time to get into some interesting discussions. At the end of the day we were scrambling to finish some work under the house so that it would be completed on schedule and the possibility of funding being effected would be put to rest. We worked to the last minute in the trenches and got the project to the point it needed to be. Another successful day in Mobile.

Peace,

Joey B.