I've recently received quite a bit of flack for not updating this thing, and just to satisfy the people-pleaser in me, I have decided to write this post. Who knows what might happen! I might just start updating regularly again.
Yesterday my church Intaglio helped this family out in our town. The lady has terminal cancer of some sort, and she recently got a powered wheelchair (yea, the kind that takes you to see things like the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty in TV commercials). The problem is that she couldn't get the thing out of her house. Someone had come and attempted to build her a ramp, but some work needed to be done to it so that she could actually use it. I'll get to those details later.
The plan was to meet at 9:00 AM and drive to the family's house together in order to be there by 9:30.
9:00. I arrive. Puck was there waiting on me. He had no tools. We went inside to get the address of the house and wait on everyone to arrive.
9:05. Kate, one of the girls in our church, showed up next. Now I should mention two things here: 1) I was expecting all guys because of the nature of the work (old-fashioned but true) and 2) Of all the girls in our church (next to my wife), Kate would be the last person I would expect to show up to help build a wheelchair ramp.
We waited.
9:25. Drake drives up. He had a hammer, level, tape measure, Skill saw, and drop cord.
Just to sum it up so far. We have a construction job, four people, and two hammers.
9:35. Coy drives up. No tools.
Just to sum it up again: construction job, five people, two hammers.
We arrive at the house at 9:45. Five people. Three cars. Two hammers.
The existing structure was a 4'x4' deck with an unrailed bridge suspended above the sidewalk from the deck to the top of the concrete steps at the driveway. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, was to pull off the existing railing on the deck, extend it three feet out, put up a new railing on the deck and add a railing on both sides of the ramp/bridge. All to code. All to match the existing structure. All with four men, one lady, and two hammers. We chose to accept.
10:30. Railing deconstructed. Posts erected. Dickson calls: "I'm running a little late, but I'm on my way. Do you need anything?"
Yeah. Hammers.
10:35. Kate leaves to go get us coffee, muffins, and the hammer she has at her house.
10:45. Dickson arrives. Hammers are distributed. And then Dickson puts on his brand new tool belt with brand new shiny tools. Drake starts mocking the yuppie tool belt, and Dickson gives some excuse about his old tools being moldy and how he had to get new ones.
11:00. Kate arrives and promptly gives out coffee and muffins. Then she produces the hammer. It was small. The kind of tapping hammer one uses to hang pictures. It reminded me of the rock hammer Tim Robbins used in The Shawshank Redemption. Needless to say, everyone laughed. Kate's response is valid: "At least I have a hammer." But it doesn't stop the remarks! I think the highlight comes from Coy as Kate is tapping in a four inch long galvanized nail: "Give it hell, Kate! Give it hell!" It was hilarious.
But when 2:00 finally rolled around and we were packing up our tools and admiring our work, I noticed something: Kate's contribution. Kate bought everyone coffee and muffins. Kate was the one to mark the placement of each picket. Kate was the one to hold each picket in place as we nailed it to the rail. Kate was the one to get us all laughing. Kate was the one that made the day memorable.
When it was all over, it was the college girl and her tiny hammer that made the day.
