Saturday, September 24, 2016

United Way 'day of service' volunteer...

... would be me, who went Thursday morning to donate my time to the women's shelter just across the river/state line in Phenix City. Our group/team, consisting of fellow employees who were willing to provide manpower for several hours of work on the outside of the shelter.  There were amongst the volunteers, three store managers, one of whom had a camera, taking lots of photos, to make the managers look really hardworking, diligent, devoted to doing good.

Ironically, I had deliberately chosen the shelter over what I knew would be yard work at the Easter Seals program. Expecting that the labor needed at the crisis center would be inside in the nice cool chilled air. Well... that did not happen. The job was out in the sad, sorry, weedy, hot, bug-infested yard.  Clever me: I had a little coiled plastic bracelet in my car, tucked away in a tiny zipper bag that was designed to keep bugs at bay. I put it on my ankle and am pleased to report: not the first nibble.

We were instructed to: sand and paint a picnic table and a big square 2 x 6 wooden box that will be a sand box. And to paint in bright primary colors a half a dozen used rubber car tires. Yes. Tires. With interior house paint. Whatever. We did it. Pointless as the effort will prove to be, it was accomplished.

I did a little painting, but mostly picked up broken glass in the area that will be a playground, and pulled up weeds around the building's AC condensers. And found a long, translucent shed snake skin while I was poking around up close to the building: let that serve as good a warning as a black flag with skull and crossbones! The person from the shelter who was supervising the project said to save the long crisp skin to show the kids when they return from a day at school. I am thinking: run it up the flag pole to give notice of what is 'lurking' nearby!

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