Saturday, October 24, 2006 - Flood Relief work

On Saturday, August 15, eleven of us drove to Cedar Rapids for Flood Relief work. Nine of us spent the entire day painting, while two others were assigned finish-carpentry work in a nearby house. We painters finished the ceilings and walls of the entire downstairs, including the breezeway and garage-turned-family room! The photo (above) is of the home we painted.

On (this past) Saturday, October 24, a group of six of us return to Cedar Rapids. Four of us had painted on the house described above.

There is now a "Block by Block" initiative sponsored in part and managed by our church denomination. It was wonderful to see the tool trailers, holding any tool and/or implement one might need, sitting conveniently near any house that was being worked on.We witnessed work being done on a two-block area. Our home was very near the corner of one block. Next to "our home" were three others with volunteers from around the state, as well as locally, were working. On the back side of our block, abutting our backyards, were the sounds of work in other homes. On the block past ours, there were also homes being restored by volunteers, on both sides of the block.

This small series of photos show most of the block in which we were working.
(I was returning to our house from a porta potty at the far end of the block.)

(Looking from the house above down the block towards our house.)

Our house is the green one... past the yellow wheelbarrow and to the left of the last pile of junk.

Our house is this next one... the green one.

Once I found myself standing on the sidewalk in front of our house, I zoomed in a bit to photograph people working on the house beside us.

It was a beautiful, sunny day... just cool enough to make working hard a comfortable endeavor.

This is our house. It was not a large home. The damage to be addressed was again on the first floor. We began by surveying the situation with an on-site coordinator who was very skilled himself. There were very specific problems to address in this 100 +/- year-old home... including leveling about 1/2 or more of the floor by replacing (he first thought) one floor joist in the basement. It soon became clear that our fellows were very apt. Their skills and problem-solving abilities were up to the task, and they created and replaced four beams ... or two full ones and two 1/2 lengths.

Am I correct in my terms? Are these not beams, instead of joists, that are being created?
*This is "Shady, Junior" ;-)

This is the way they were taken to the basement (through a window). The coordinator is on othe right.

Setting the beam with a jack. (Coordinator's son on the right)
These next two photos show the new beams in place.
Looking up at this ceiling, you can see the old joists...

Some of our fellows worked back and forth within the jobs that needed to be done. I, on the other hand, was the only female with very limited experience but a clear mind about doing whatever I could, stayed upstairs and helped with the installation of OSB subflooring.

Oh...okay. Here I am, somewhat posing... sheesh.
(that pink thing is my camera case)

By early afternoon, it became apparent that while some beams had definitely improved the situation upstairs, one area was stubbornly resisting their efforts. This area proved to need extra care and understanding (beyond the not-so-gentle persuasion being used below!)...

(The coordinator swings mightily.)...which resulted in whittling an uneven original ceiling beam that went 1/2 way across the ceiling below, adding more floor joists, and in just plain replacing part of the floor with a sheet of thicker (3/4") OSB subfloor.

Before this OSB was laid permanently, a couple more joists were added in the basement for stability... into which screws were drilled - holding down this panel of OSB.

We were not able to finish laying the 1/2" OSB, but it won't take long for someone else to finish the job. (Meanwhile, the finished product looks great!)

Also addressed was 1) the small but precise job of creating a 2x4 box with an additional upright to fill a space that might have been once a window, to better secure future sheet rock,

(Mr. Shady and Shady Junior)

and 2) a header (below) in the ceiling of the first floor that was quite in need of leveling. This took the use of another jack to raise it to its proper height on one side and add another 4x4 support, from floor to the header, to keep it level. The jack was then removed.

With all the sweeping, sweeping, and re-sweeping, as well sweeping and cleaning the basement, we left our home with the look of Promise! The hope of restoration will be finished by those who can do the necessary electrical work, sheet rock, flooring, painting, trim, etc.

Eventually the original home owner will be moving back into her home. We are feeling privileged and happy to have played a part in this rebuilding effort!

I was so proud of our fellows. They worked with the coordinator (and his son, who worked until noon) so wonderfully. They accomplish a LOT and the coordinator was very happy and quite satisfied with the days' work!

The OSB subfloor that was laid... this photo looks to the right,

and the photo below looks to the left of the front door.

Check out the above photo: On the right, you can see the 3/4" OSB that was laid in the floor.

As an aside, last Summer I was able to work with a group in Oakville. Later, Mr. Shady (but not I) traveled to and worked on a house in Iowa City.

Before leaving Cedar Rapids, Melissa (a main coordinator) stated that they're so grateful for the many, many volunteers that come to work and accomplish so much. But, it sounds as though November's slate of volunteers (so far) is slim. I wonder if we could get a group together to head back up next month??

Wouldn't YOU be interested in helping? Believe it or not, a group of workers in one of these houses was from Northwood, Iowa. This is a small town in North Central Iowa, just off Interstate 35 and south of the Minnesota about 12 miles or so. :-) This is very near where I grew up. It was fun to meet them!

Have a wonderful day!!

PS As a footnote, I wanted to mention that the owner of this home is a 70+ year old widow who thought she had no recourse but to purchase a FEMA trailer in which to live. Due to meetings that are being held during this "Block by Block" rebuilding endeavor, the residents and home owners are learning that their homes ARE being rebuilt with the promise and/or hope that they will be able to return to their homes before too long. A blessing from these meetings are that they are able to establish relationships and friendships and gain encouragement during this bleak time in their lives.

Visiting Dad and Mom Last Week

I was so happy! I drove to visit my parents Sunday, Sept. 20 and headed back home yesterday, Saturday, Sept. 26. What a variety of "engagements" we had!

My youngest niece's 15th birthday party Sunday night was only the start! No pictures, but we had a nice time and visit. :-)


Monday
I was treated to the view of seeing Canada Geese in the small field Mom and Dad's yard. This first photo shows them without using much telephoto at all. I zoomed in quite a bit to get the next two photos. At the end of this post, you'll find a short video of the geese. They are cleaning up the sweet corn that was left in this field. lol.

Click on the photo so you can really see them!























My parents and I joined a group of their friends for a day's excursion to Iowa Falls. There were some very interesting sites to see, as well as a riverboat ride complete with lunch!



Tuesday morning, we packed some 5-gallon buckets in the trunk and drove into the County where they recycle city yard waste to make compost (free-for-the-taking) and shred huge piles of mulch (also free). We wanted a few pails of compost for the garden.

Here are two humongous piles of yard waste. The has obviously been standing longer.

There were rows and rows (long ones) of compost in the making. This huge machine drove up one side, turned, and drove down the other side... chewing and chopping as it went.










I used my telephoto (!) to get a better view of this machine and the work it was doing.











We were disappointed in that there was no finished product "for the taking" quite yet.

Tuesday evening, we drove to my brother and sister-in-law's home for dinner. Their daughter Sarah and her husband and one-month-old baby (son) came to visit! Yea!

This is my mom (Great-Grandma!) with the baby.

On Wednesday, we did a little shopping (I found a bargain on Blue Rug Junipers) and divided a few plants in my parents' flower garden. After lunch I headed back to my brother & sister-in-law's home to begin a little landscaping around their new pond. You can see some of the results here. My sister-in-law helped after work and we both were forced indoors due to the fact that nightfall is happening earlier these days!

Thursday: We "baby-watched" while Sarah visited the dentist. She returned afterwards and ate lunch with us. Thursday evening we went to my new favorite movie, "Julie and Julia!"
(Visit this site for a fun movie trailer, etc.)

It began raining Thursday during the night and continued throughout Friday morning. Dad and I took a car to the "Auto Hospital," I dropped him off for his weekly volunteer job, returned home and waited for the A.H. phone to ring. Then Mom and I each drove a vehicle downtown, and I left mine at the A.H. We stopped off at a beautiful city garden that is growing larger and more beautiful every year (did I say I didn't take my camera? What a mistake!)

It wasn't long until my car was finished. Mom and I drove over to pick up Dad, and we all three drove to the Auto Hospital and brought our vehicles home. ;-)

At 5:30 P.M., we met my dad's two brothers and their wives (my uncles and aunts) for a nice dinner. Afterward, we visited in one of their homes; playing UNO and having a blast! We left for home around 11:00 P.M. Who says terribly grown-up grown ups have no fun??

Saturday morning found us all driving to my Aunt MEA's town. Her Garden Club was having a plant sale and coffee/brunch. We enjoyed visiting and meeting several of her nice friends. AND Mom and I each picked up some new plants!

What a great time we had. The days sped by so quickly. Hopefully I can get there again before too very long!

Here's a short video of those geese. Once, Dad counted 85 of them.

In the Neighborhood Tailgate Party! :-)

Something's "brewing" at the neighbors' house!

Looks like Erlacher lost his shirt...

... twice!

The Bears might have lost the game,

but we enjoyed the evening anyway!
(They'll win next time, won't they?!)
:-)

Fun at Old Thresher's

This year was the 60th Annual Old Thresher's Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, IA. We attended with one of our nephews, his wife (whom we claim as our niece), and their two daughters. (You may observe that child number three is due very soon! :-)

L: We boarded a trolley car from the camping/parking lot to the grounds.
R: Some of the "scenery"

L: Have you ever heard of a 1920 Ford AA "Doodlebug?"
R: I have no idea what this is, but it's old. ;-)











Some cute pictures, which involve the purchase of taffy apples!



















Some of the "Gunslingers" agenda










"Wanted Posters" in the Post Office














These desperate looking criminals were found in jail...

Walking by a tent with entertainment... here we have "Dueling Banjos."

Riding another trolley car, out to the Log Village















Oak Ridge School - modeling a one-room school.














Spinning sheep's wool into yarn










Oh, no! A Train Robbery!





























The weather was great. We surely enjoyed our day! I'm so glad they called us to join them. :-)

P.S. Abigail Esther was born early Monday (Sept. 7) morning. She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz. Just on time. :-) Do you suppose all this walking had anything to do with it?

Making Stepping Stones

This is one of the pre-cured stones... just before it was wrapped in plastic.

Last Thursday, as you can see, was August 6. A group of us met at J and S's house to make stepping stones with J and S's children, E and J and their friends S and L, twin daughters belonging to S and T.

We were all ready for an adventure! :-)

Step One: Getting ready.

Step Two: Add the water.
E and J are in the foreground, while S and L also look on.

Step Three: Mix.
It's time to stir the mix. Whew! Hard work!

Step Four: Pat into the molds.
(In this case, we used plastic trays for flower pots.)
The mix was pretty stiff, but everyone was game to pat it into the molds.

This is one of the stepping stones...
before the curing process.

It was wrapped in several layers of plastic
(used mulch bags)
and left to cure for three days.

After the three days' time,
the plastic was removed and the stepping stones unwrapped.

I hear they turned out satisfactorily!
That makes me feel good.
I haven't seen them yet, but I'll use that excuse to stop by.
:-)

P.S. I just received an email from T with photos of S and L's stones in their garden at home. Here's a peek for you!

I'll see what I can do about getting a photo of E and J's stones. :-)

At Mom and Dad's

We so enjoyed our weekend!
The weather was sunny with cool mornings and warm afternoons.
Mom and Dad have a beautiful garden with trellises that Dad has built.
We're posing in front of one of them.

Dad and Mom

We girls!

and I get to pose with Dad, too!

I'm not sure what "Mr. Shady" was doing, but he missed the photo-op!

Good Times with Friends

A Girls-Only Party!

A tea party, complete with tea, coffee and chai
as well as scones and biscotti.
There was also a choice of lemon curd
and Devonshire Cream for the scones.

Chai
Combine in a crockpot:
2 quarts (8 cups) water
8 tea bags of black (I used green decaf) tea
3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup is plenty)

In a large tea ball, put
16 whole cloves
5 cinnamon sticks, broken
16 whole cardamon seeds (optional)
8 slices fresh ginger

Place tea ball in crockpot.
Cover; cook on HIGH 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

Discard solids. Refrigerate.
Add a little milk in your cup prior to serving.
(Can be served hot or cold)

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Cream Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 tsp bakingn powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Egg mixture for brushing top of scones:
for top:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tblsp heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a small measuring cup, combine the whipping cream, beaten egg, and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix.

Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a 7" circle, about 1 1/2" thick. Cut this circle into 8 triangular sections. (I cut into 12 sections.)

Mix the 1 lightly beaten egg with the 1 Tblsp. heavy cream and brush over scones. This helps to brown the tops during baking.

Bake about 15 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn broiler on high. Sift confectioners (powdered) sugar over the tops and place scones under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar had melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch carefully, as the sugar turns golden and burns very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with Devon Cream, whipping cream, Lemon Curd, and/or your choice of jelly.

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Lemon Curd

3 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 - 3 lemons) (DO NOT use bottled lemon juice)
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 Tblsp finely shredded lemon zest
4 Tblsp. unsalted butter at room temperature,
and cut into small pieces

In a double boiler, or stainless steel bowl over saucepan over simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent curdling) until the mixture becomes thick like sour cream or a hllandaise sauce. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk the cut butter into the mixture until melted. Add lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Makes 1 1/2 cups. You may whip 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream and fold into lemon curd for a lighter curd.

*******************************

Devonshire or Devon Cream

4 ounces mascarpone*
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 or 2 Tblsp. granulated white sugar
Zest of lemon
* Mascarpone is a soft unripened cheese that belongs to the cream cheese family. It comes from Switzerland and Italy anad is a thick, rich, sweet and velvety, ivory-colored cheese produced from cow's milk that has the texture of clotted or sour cream. Its delicate and mild flavor is great with fresh fruit and is probably best known for its use in Tiramisu. Produced mainly in the fall and winter, it is sold in plastic tubs and can be found in specialty food stores and in the deli sectin of some grocery stores.

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat until the mixture holds its shape and looks like softly whipped cream. Use right away or cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Note: This can also be used as a filling for tarts or with fresh berries.

A great time was had by all!
Friends are one of life's Good Fortunes!