Hard Work makes for Hearty Appetites

Service to others is the reason for our work here. While our group has been working at four different homes Jim and I have been at only two. On Monday Annette went to Ms Candice's home while Jim returned to Mr. Frank's house to work at cutting the remaining baseboards for the rooms that require carpet installation. These were marked and set aside so the carpet layers could do their job. The weather cooled down considerably which made it difficult for floor tiles to stick, so Carol used a heat gun to improve on that. Another item for Jim was to move a wall mounted light fixture from behind the door to a more central spot to illuminate the room better.

Ms Candice's home had been flooded and four feet of wall cut out by another group. Her walls were wood boards and that is hard to replace. Our group put in drywall, as well as new plywood and floor tile and a moulding to tie the boards and drywall together. For Annette the work this week has been everything from sanding drywall, painting walls, staining and varnishing trim boards and a variety of miscellaneous jobs.
Jim installed the tub surround and some door trim and baseboard in this home.

After a cool morning we enjoyed the sunshine while having our break.

Bert and Harold putting up the crown molding to create that finished look.

Jim installed the medicine cabinet which Annette refurbished with a new coat of spray paint.

Ms Candice with the guys who were working there on Thursday.

This week was our turn to treat our fellow MDSers with a stir fry cooked in our large wok. The stir fry was complimented by the others bringing salads and desserts. Thanks to Ken for the use of his propane heater. The meal was enjoyed by all.

Friday breakfast at a restaurant is a tradition with most MDS groups and it seems like we try out as many local restaurants as possible! This time we went to "Another Broken Egg", a southern version of our Canadian "Cora's" chain.
Annette had the Cinnamon Roll French Toast - a great choice while Jim had Sweet Potato Pancakes.

Friday after breakfast Jim and I went to Foley AL to an Outlet Mall to do some shopping. We found some bargains to make the trip worthwhile. On our way there we spotted a place selling pecans so we stopped at this family run pecan farm which was in the midst of harvesting their new crop and running them through their cracker. We had a choice of three varieties all of which tasted great. We chose a 10 lb. bag of the Mooreland variety which should easily last till spring. As time allows we will crack some and roast them to bring out their tasty flavors. Looking forward to some tasty Pecan Pie. Sorry no picture here.

In our volunteering we often cross paths with other church related recovery teams. It is said that the Methodists and the Mennonites stay the long term, after other groups have pulled out. The Methodists and the Mennonites are referred to the M&M's by others.