KaBOOM!

The Enterprise has been big on "giving back to the community" so we were asked to help out at the next KaBOOM.

Several weeks ago we did a Habitat Build which helps build a house for a needy family. This project is focused on the kids.

It was kind of fun really. I came in my jeans, boots, and gloves. They picked us up from a parking lot nearby and shuttled us to the site. When we arrived there were just a few holes where the jungle gym posts go, some potted trees and plants, and a huge pile of wood shavings.

They had some great coffee waiting for us as well as some croissants and donuts. We signed a waiver, got a "Hello my name is: " sticker for our new T-shirts with the KaBOOM logo on it. On each of the stickers was a little icon that showed what we were going to be assigned that day. Mine had a grass icon on it. No! Not yard work! I hate this stuff!

It was about 45 degrees out when we started but I soon warmed up digging holes for the trees and plants. Ruth would be proud of me.

Things were going well when we discovered that the cement pallets were parked right in a spot where we needed to plant. Someone got the idea to move these 80lb sacks sooner rather than later. So we set up a human chain to move them. I was one of the links, but a weak one and so fell out. I just hustled the pallets from the unload site to the new stacking site.

Some kids came and painted square boards with designs which we later hung up on the chain link fence.

The "jungle gym" was nothing like I had when I was a kid. This was really cool stuff. Lots of monkey bars, swings, fire truck, and teeter-totters. The area covered about 3,000 square feet.

We were done early. We had lunch, which was supplied, planted some more flowers and left.

It was when I stared to get into the car that I realized I pulled something in my back when lifting the cement bags. I had a hard time sleeping and had to stay in from work the next day. I couldn't even put on my socks.

I'm such a wimp!

...dave
Writing is very much a playground - an artistic playground. It's the most fun thing I do. -Shania Twain