Project 365- First Time Participant

I finished reading Breakfast at Sally’s a few weeks ago. Richard LeMieux began plunking out his autobiography on an old manual typewriter, while sitting at a picnic table in a city park. I have sometimes made the mistake of generalizing that if a person living on the streets really wanted to, he could certainly find a job and improve his quality of life- there are plenty of agencies available to help with this process, right? But this book reminded me that the answer to homelessness is more complicated than simply finding a homeless person a job. Often that person has a deeper need and may not even be able to handle a job. A pastor from a United Methodist Church knew this. He simply let Richard and his companion, a fluffy, white dog, sleep on a couch in the hallway outside the youth room in the basement of his church and eat finger sandwiches, leftover from funeral dinners, out of the kitchen fridge when they got hungry. There’s not much glamour in life on the streets, but there sure is abundant opportunity there for those, who live in secure houses with plenty to eat, to share a listening ear, a cup of coffee or a warm blanket. The book has inspired me to get involved with ministry to the homeless in our city.

Now I’m absorbed in John Elder Robison’s autobiography, as he describes growing up with Asperger’s- before anyone had a name for it. I guess this is the summer of autobiographies for me. I love reading true stories straight from the horse's mouth- especially the ones that help me to appreciate social and economic circumstances that are different from my own.

While many bloggers share beautiful pictures of the home projects they are working on, such as painting their walls tango mango or harvesting delicious fruits of their gardening labor, I regret that I have, so far, only been able to offer you the picto-story about I.T. and I roto-rooting and now this:

Re-surfacing the driveway.

I help by taking off the lid and stirring the goo.

I.T. pours on the latex.

He spreads it evenly over every square inch of the existing driveway from the garage to the street. I didn't actually
take a picture of the finished work, because it was after midnight when he began erecting a yellow caution tape border around the perimeter, so nobody would inadvertently drive in and park
on it before it was fully dry.

For three days our driveway looked like a crime scene- the neighbor kids asked, "what happened in your driveway?!" I tried to ease the tension by suggesting we all grab our fattest pieces of bright colored sidewalk chalk and go draw all over it. After all, it is now the perfect canvas for that sort of project. Those pictures and story will be forthcoming.




Here is a signature I.T. project. We had a leak in a water hose under the concrete edging of our pool. We had to cut a hole in the concrete to get to the hose to fix the leak. But how to patch the hole? That was the puzzler. It was going to cost mucho goosto moolah to fill the hole and match the concrete with what already existed, because that existing concrete has a special surface over all of it that makes it more slip proof. So, I.T. bought this garden stone, filled the hole with regular concrete powder he mixed with water in a wheelbarrow and fitted the stone just right so it lays flush with the rest of the edging. The neighbor kids who swim here have never asked, "hey, what happened to your concrete decking?" So, I guess we're good.

You may be saying to yourself, "Hmm, we sure are up on I.T.'s projects, now where are Heidi's projects?" This is a good question. I'm going to leave you now with a beautiful flower picture. Check out the back legs on this bug!