The Boy Has Skils

Last weekend, just before I came down, I decided we need more shelves in the pantry. (Having free time has released my inner handy man -- well, my inner trying-to-be-handy man.) As with the tile, the wife had her doubts, especially when she found out the shelves had to be cut to fit. She openly mocked my ability to use a circular saw, though to be honest, I have to agree with her opinion.

Today, we moved again -- this time to a house that needed to have its roof put on. (For the curious, we moved because our team leader yesterday was busy and due to the fact that there were so few volunteers today.) One of the tasks needed was to notch the gable on the end of the tresses so that the roof supports could be placed in it. And the notching required use of a circular saw! Quickly realizing I could expand my talents (and make the wife happier that I am here), I volunteered.

Following the training of Rachel (from Habitat), Gale (a volunteer from Minnesota) and I quickly got to it and finished in no time. Now, I am no construction expert but I think our notches are both perfectly placed and very well cut. And I am a bona fide Skil saw stud! (Plus pretty handy with a miter saw as well.)

The new location is amongst a series of destroyed homes. Not as bad as yesterday's -- but still pretty empty. You sort of get numb to all to destruction, until you take 10 seconds to consider the reality for the people involved. In the rubble by my car, I yanked on an electrical cord and finally pulled up a hair-straigtener -- not unlike the one the wife uses at times. Certainly makes it real again.