Another week flew past, and honestly, we accomplished a good amount. We have had big groups and small groups, and in recent years, we have had about seven to ten, so getting this much done is gratifying.
I cannot show you the plaque we put up at the end of the week. In recent years, we have gotten into the habit of dropping it all in Andy’s lap, and he starts thinking about maybe late on Thursday, or this year, on Friday, so we all sign something, Andy puts it into a sign, and we bring it down the following year. Last year’s sign got added to the wall about Wednesday or so. So we might have to fight for wall space with those kids from Urbana High School.
We decided that the perfect background for our group picture would be Lorenzo’s new ride. I bring along a pair of folding sawhorses every year, and every year they get used by someone. This year they sat unused until Saturday, when I figured that one of them would make a good tripod for my camera for the group shot. I lined everything up, took a practice shot to make sure the timer was working, lined everyone up, …..and my camera locked up completely. I have no explanation. the camera gods just were not favoring me today. So I lined up my phone, leaned it against the camera that was sitting on the sawhorse, and got a picture of my camera. So we had to resort to computer magic to get everyone in this picture.
This goes to show that you cannot trust what you see and hear, and I did not even have to use AI to do it. (I did on one of the other pictures though. And you would never notice. Scary, huh?)
We made one more stop at Boomland for gas and lunch, but they still did not have any stuff in the expired/discontinued food section and anybody in our group who was inclined to blow things up already has enough stuff on hand to send their personal residence into orbit. So we just ate lunch, which was OK, not bad for road food, and not outrageously priced. This is the restaurant attached to Boomland called Wally’s. It seems that Wally has some taste, as some of the antique items on display are attractive.
The piano has a sign reading “For Display Only,” presumably to discourage any passing tourist from banging out a chorus of God Bless the U.S.A. or something.
And so dear readers, we come to the end of our adventure for another year. Over the years, we have become accustomed to the rhythms of this place, of the ups and downs, the wins and losses, and the progress that comes intermittently, but is progress nonetheless. The people of Tutwiler are our friends and a part of our community. We share with them those gains and disappointments. If you would like a share as well, we have room on the team next year.
WordPress has put me through no end of grief trying to post stuff to the blog this year. It seems that I used the wrong code to embed a video from YouTube, and this caused a feedback loop or something, so the only thing that showed up was the incorrect code and some text around it, over and over again.
The AI helper that is supposed to help you solve problems gave me some directions and I followed them, then found that I could not add anything to the blog. Finding itself out of its depth, the AI helper referred me to a real person, but since no real person was available, it promised to get back to me or send me an email. Neither happened.
Later I tried again and actually got in touch with a real person. She took some time to look over all the files, got back to me to tell me how to fix them, and disconnected. I did get a message later saying that the problem was that I did what the AI helper told me to do, but it was the wrong thing.
Well, the AI helper was able to figure stuff out a little better today, so hopefully we are up and running. But just remember that computers are animated by the souls of the damned.
It’s true! I read it on the internet!
But before AI actually figures out what it is trying to do and turns us all into its work slaves, we still have time to concentrate on more happy stuff.
Charlotte offered the morning devotion this morning and talked about gratitude. A nice topic for somebody like me, who tends toward a glass-is-happy-empty view of life. I thought I remembered a song by that title. Turns out that there are a number of them. I finally found the one I was looking for.
Back at High Cotton
I dropped on by this afternoon. When I walked in, Jay was hugging a local boy and congratulating him for completing first grade. A few more locals dropped in for lunch. High Cotton is always an interesting place. It reminds me a lot of my high school art teacher’s classroom. It gathered random artistic-type stuff over the years, and items might stay on the walls for years. It seems Stephanie is always working on something. I picked up another t-shirt.
Anyway, I am pleased to be able to announce that Stephanie is taking over as the director of the local Boys and Girls Club, which in turn is taking over programs at the Tutwiler Community Education Center.
(BTW, if you click on the link, it not only tells you all about it but offers a link where you can make a donation.)
So soon we can count on the youth of Tutwiler playing basketball, doing artsy things, and otherwise engaging in interesting and fun activities this summer.
As we leave High Cotton, it is only fair for me to mention that although it is not as lavish as the Ladies’ Room, the Men’s Room is tastefully decorated.
Moving on to House #50
That’s it. We have done all the work we can on House #49. The rest of the work consists of hooking up appliances, adding a handicapped commode, and other details that J.D. will handle on his own.
It also concludes all the houses that can be built in this section. Since I have been working here, we worked on houses all the way up the highway and then another five or six on the opposite side of the road. Now WTHFH has to branch out. so the house we are working on is across the bayou.
So here is House #50.
This one is a bit different than the ones we have worked on in recent years. The roof is not installed, so there is water everywhere because it rained last night. I do not know if it is the same layout as the others.
We are doing a lot of wiring on this one. Andy ran into town (not sure which town) to get some appropriate cable. Like I said, we have a talented crew, and several of us have experience with wires and other things electrical, so they are going at it. We were supposed to take half a day off this afternoon, but several people want to keep working.
Jacob is our rookie this year. He has been hard at it and says that he is enjoying the trip. In addition to his skills and positive attitude, he lowers the average age of our group by a considerable margin. So let us remind everyone again, we are a nice, friendly bunch, we do good work, we have a lot of fun, and we always welcome new faces. So people are always welcome to join the crew!
As I mentioned, our crew is more talented than most. Jon has done just about everything. Andy is an engineer, and Charlotte has been handling sound and lights in theaters for years, so they all dove in and got to work wiring House #50.
Jon and Andy concluded that the materials available did not meet their standards, so they took off for the nearest Lowe’s Hardware, 46 miles away.
Charlotte has been doing wiring for years. She is right in her elementKristin has not, but she follows directions well.
Jon is getting into the wiring with skill and enthusiasm.
Tutwiler
Along with the substandard buildings, there are some nice ones in town, at least they look good from the outside.
There is also a lot of natural beauty.
The bayou is not a place to swim. As Lorenzo put it, “If you fell in there, you’d come out blacker than me.” But the cypress trees are pretty. (At least that is what I think they are, either bald cypress or pond cypress. Somebody can correct me if I am wrong.) There are some impressive ones in the area.
There is plenty of open space and trees. It compares nicely with the Forest Preserves in Chicago. There are definitely things to love in the delta.
Clarksdale
Just about every year, we make a trip into nearby Clarksdale, MS. Sixteen miles from Tutwiler Clarksdale is about the closest thing that passes for a city around here. We traditionally stop on the way down and have dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. It is also the only place nearby that has a grocery store.
According to AI, Clarksdale, Mississippi has an estimated population of approximately 13,400 to 14,200 residents. This makes it the 27th most populated city in the state. For only #27, Clarksdale has more than its share of history and significance. It is the home of the Delta Blues Museum, a huge number of music venues, and endless blues festivals. There is one somewhere or another about every other weekend. Many legendary blues artists moved north during the Great Migration and wound up in Chicago, where their fame spread throughout the world. The most famous music venue in town is Ground Zero Blues Club, so named because it is Ground Zero for blues music.
Clarksdale had some significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, but I do not recall what exactly. I think it had something to do with beating protestors or something like that.
In addition to its historical and cultural significance, Clarksdale is representative of the state. There are nice looking buildings next to burned out ones. It has a lovely library, originally built by Andrew Carnegie and since expanded. It would be a great place for a book nerd like me. One of the more notable businesses is Cathead, a combination record/clothing/art store.
Cathead would be a cool place to hang out in just about any city. It is place to get an overview of the cool stuff and places around town. I met with the manager on one of our recent trips. He moved down because he fell in love with the great music. He moved into a place on the other side of the Sunflower river that bisects the town. “I thought it was great. I lasted about a month.” Clarksdale definitely has some areas of town where you do not want to be after dark, or during daylight, for that matter.
Along the main drag of music venues is one that used to look promising. Unfortunately, if you approach it from the rear, it is entirely burned out. Mike and Jacob took a driving tour of the town yesterday. They found nice looking houses that would seem to fit into a comfortable suburban community next door to others that are boarded up or burned out.
Habachi Restaurant
At the end of the week, our crew has a potluck dinner with some of the local Habitat homeowners, board members, and volunteers. These used to be held at the community center, but they have declined in attendance over the last few years, and other events have crowded the calendar in the area. The weekend we come down is often the last week of the school year and thus the same time that many families are celebrating grade school and high school graduations. A few times we have held the dinner in the Habitat dorm or a local church. This year program manager Sheri decided to hold the event at the Hibachi Restaurant in Clarksdale. That worked out well for us because it gave us a chance to hang out in the blues clubs afterward.
I guess the best way to describe the restaurant is that it is absolutely Mississippi. As I understand it, hibachi typically refers to those Japanese places where chefs grill meat while twirling spice containers and sharp cooking instruments, often simulating or perhaps posing a threat to the safety of the diners. That was not this place.
The best way to describe the restaurant would be eclectic. There are no grills or death defying chefs. Mostly it is a Chinese buffet. There is a Japanese section, but it consists of sushi. Not being a fan of uncooked fish, I passed on that. The Chinese food was not bad, though not up to the standards I would expect back home (though I must say the green beans were excellent.) And no doubt in an effort to appeal to the local clientele, there is a section labeled Soul Food.
In an effort to reflect the varied categories on its menu, the restaurant displays a selection of Chinese waving cats along with the Japanese Hello Kitty.
I am not sure what the Thanksgiving turkeys are supposed to represent, particularly just before Memorial Day
But what better represents Japanese culture and cuisine than Godzilla?
The Soul Food section had some respectable fried chicken, edible corn bread, and banana pudding which I am told was not up to J.D.’s standards. ( I can personally attest to the fact that J.D.’s banana pudding sets a standard that is difficult to meet, but the consensus of opinion is that it did not come close.) Everyone is still wondering how crab legs an oysters wound up in the desert section. Different tastes, I guess.
The restaurant also provides condiments appropriate to the area and a decidedly Baptist warning about wasting food.
Hot sauce is appropriate for just about anything you eat in Mississippi. The substance in the red bottle was unlabeled. I was afraid to ask exactly what it was.
Well anyway, we had an enjoyable meal. Between our crew, the Habitat board members, and various others we took up a good section of the restaurant.
Sherri insisted on a picture of Jim, as he is the oldest WTHFH volunteer to date.
While Andy enjoyed a conversation with Yketa, the soon-to-be owner of House #50.
The food at the potluck varies in quality and attractiveness. Most of them include at least two or three versions of fried chicken, but Andy discovered to his dismay that the locals do not care for his version of green curry. (We love it though. Andy is an amazing cook.)
But the potluck always provides us a chance to meet and get to know with the residents of Tutwiler. We see different people different years. Some come back year after year and others do not, but it definitely helps build a connection to the community. We do not feel like strangers.
Music
Then it was on to the entertainment. Clarksdale has a huge number of venues to listen to music. On a given night, some are open, some are closed, and some are burned down. We have passed Red’s any number of times, but this was the first time we were able to find it open with music was playing.
Red’s is apparently legendary. It fits into the classic juke joint tradition. The room is small, tightly packed, and more than a little seedy. The bar has a limited inventory. The men’s room, consisting of one toilet, one sink, and just enough room to turn around among the plywood walls is about standard for crummy bar bathrooms, though the door seems to be made of balsa wood and cannot be securely closed. The entertainer tonight walked around the room playing guitar and accompanying himself on harmonica while singing songs mostly about getting drunk. Like I said, typical of the blues tradition.
I did not get his name, but he played on the albums of some pretty significant blues artists, accompanied by other significant blues artists, so he has achieved some fame within the genre.
Portraits of John Lee Hooker and BB King adorn the outside of Ground Zero. Robert Johnson appears on the other side.
Ground Zero is legitimately famous. Some of the greatest names in blues music have appeared there. A couple of times, we have arrived on the night when all the folks who have graduated from harmonica school get to appear on stage and show off what they learned. The form a train starting from the least experienced to the most, and everybody gets to play a solo with the band. That concludes when all the teachers take the stage together and just about blow the roof off.
Ground Zero is a famous venue, displaying flags of countries from all over the world that people have come from to listen.One of the traditions is that people write their names on just about everyting. This started when a waitress wrote hers on the bar right after it opened.
More recently, patrons are prohibited from writing their names on the pool tables. Personally, I have always chosen to stand out by not putting my name on anything.
Jacob took the opportunity to shoot a couple games of pool. He won his first game against one of the teachers from the Delta Blues Museum. Then he took on somebody good and lost.
Tonight was open stage night. Sometimes that leads to some great performances by talented artists. Tonight it did not. But it is still worth a visit if you are in the area.
I did the Morning Devotion this morning. I found what I thought was a perfect scriptural reference.
I
1 Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build. Unless the Lord guard the city, in vain does the guard keep watch. 2 It is vain for you to rise early and put off your rest at night, To eat bread earned by hard toil— all this God gives to his beloved in sleep.
We have come down year after year and watched things change, for better or worse. My personal obsession has been to load the library with books and DVD’s. On several trips, I spent most of my time in the library, and used to talk to the librarian regularly to get an idea of what the community could use. Then the library closed. It has since been turned into the Tutwiler Police Station.
In light of my background as a criminal defense attorney, that would not have been my choice for a new use for the library.
We have seen other steps back in the years we have been down here. At one time, Tutwiler was a bigger community with a train station and a business district. Those days are long gone, though some remnants remain. A few years back, J.D.’s sister opened a restaurant in one of those buildings, which had originally been the Masonic Lodge. The restaurant stayed open for a year or two, and then closed. Last year the building disappeared entirely. Somebody wanted the bricks. They were worth more than the standing building.
For me, the most tragic incident was shortly after one of the new homeowners moved in. He was a single parent and his daughter and grandmother moved in as well. Then someone shot into his living room and killed his grandmother. There are only a couple thousand people in this town at most. There are a few streets. But apparently, there are street gangs.
But the Tutwiler Clinic moved into a brand new building last year. When we toured it, it still have a smell of sawdust and there were some construction remnants lying around. The clinic is run independently from the hospital that took it over. It can stay open with insurance payments and donations. The many years that Dr. Sr. Anne Brooks toiled providing medical care and the dedication of the sisters who followed her here had a result.
Yesterday I received an email form Marie, one of the earliest people to join our crew. She and her husband Jan made many contributions over the years. One year, she brought her sister Carolyn. Last year just as we were packing up to head home on Saturday, Dino one of our members got an email from Marie. Carolyn had passed away, and Marie wanted us to know how much her trip meant to her.
Hi Dino—Jan and I hope the Habitat group has a good trip this year. We remember our trips and wish we could be with you again. You may remember that my sister Carolyn from Arizona came on one of the trips, 2016 I think. She often said it was one of the best experiences she had – not only the work but the people she met from Sheil and the community. Sadly Carolyn passed away early this month. She had been in poor health for a while and is at peace. Here are a few pictures from the trip. She was part of the fit and finish crew with Kathy and especially found a good friend in Bernadette, a fellow nurse and also from Arizona. The picture of us with Elvis was taken in Memphis. Please share the pictures with anyone who might remember Carolyn from the trip. We will be with you in our hearts. Marie
Carolyn, Marie, and Bernadette bonding. Carolyn and Bernadette have passed away, and Marie and Jan have moved to New York, but they are remembered and their contributions remain.
Here is part of what Carolyn wrote about her trip.
The houses get built in God’s own time, and we work away with guarantee of result. We have a good bunch of regulars who show up year after year. We have developed a close community over the years. We also have people who make one or two trips. We cannot know what seeds are planted in people’s hearts. It is definitely a work of faith. For me it is a source of faith as well.
Many of the homeowners have added details to their homes. On one of the houses we worked on years ago, the owner spent a little extra to buy a bright pink roof vent. When we left for the week, the vent stood out like a spotlight on the pale yellow siding. Most of us thought it was a little over the top. When the house was finished, she added other details. The porch railing was the same color, as were the front door, the large rocks marking the width of the driveway, and the flamingos on the lawn. The overall effect was cute and attractive. Since then, she has extended the kitchen to where the porch was, so there are fewer pink accents, but it still looks nice.
One of the houses we worked on in recent years has a custom painted mailbox. Where a number of homeowners have added garden sheds to their property to hold lawnmowers and the like, this one has added one large enough to serve as a garage.
The standard plans for the houses have a limited number or color options. One owner paid extra to get a red one.
Next door is Sarah’s house. The group that came in before us had done a sloppy job on parts of it. Her green front door was full of drips, and I did not like the look of the kitchen cabinets. Several of us spent a long time sanding down the front door and repainting it, and I took all the cabinets down to refinish them. Neither result was perfect, but they looked much, much better. Sarah has since planted a rose bush in her front yard.
It is gratifying to see the houses change as the owners customize them to their liking. Their pride in their homes is evident.
Meanwhile, our crew shows typical attention to detail.
Jim and Jon are finishing up the bathroom, Mike and Ed are working on the closets, Charlotte and Lorenzo are preparing the last couple pieces of trim for the closets, and Dave is sweeping up the results of all this activity.
Meanwhile, one of my favorite local establishments is still in business.
Stephanie and Jay run a nice place to eat lunch and a great place to buy t-shirts. They have been running art classes for the local kids for years. Stephanie is a talented artist, and the building looks great from the outside.
The inside looks better.
Here’s the ladies’s room. It looks a lot better than the mens’. Go figure.
There is more exciting news regarding High Cotton and its proprietors, but I can’t share it yet. Stay tuned.
Painting the porch purple
Charlotte and Kristin spent lots of time painting the porch. There was a push to get at least one coat of paint down before it rained.
Proving that we are a full service group, Charlotte is offering painting instruction.
Homeowners or their family members put in hours on their own homes or someone else’s. The new homeowner got support from her daughter and granddaughter.
Computers are being mean to me today. I had all my notes typed up for what I want to say tomorrow. I also started putting together a description of today’s activities. My computer ate all of it.
But we carry on. Kristin concluded Morning Devotion this morning with the Sucipe, a prayer familiar to anyone who has ever attended a Jesuit University,
and a famous prayer of John Wesley.
Lots of different groups come down to work on houses, and naturally they vary in talent and intent. One in particular caused us to roll our eyes on a few occasions, but they do not seem to have been around in recent years.
Our group is one of the better ones. We are far from perfect. In the houses we have worked on since I joined the crew, we have left tools buried in walls that were dropped and could not be retrieved, had to red0 a roof or two, misaligned tiles, sustained lots of creative physical injuries, and plenty of others. We have also accomplished a great deal in the past years.
It helps that most of our group have been homeowners, so they have some idea of what houses need and problems that need fixing. We are also a talented bunch. We have brought down contractors, engineers, and electricians. And of course we have benefitted from years of experience. We have made enough mistakes to learn better. But most importantly, we care about what we are doing.
JD cutting the board that is going to fit the sink.And here he and Lorenzo install it.
This current house looks better than most. In the kitchen, J.D. is taking care to fill the gap left between two cabinets.
This is Year 22 for our group! We have one rookie this year and the rest of us are veterans of various tenures. I do not think anybody has made every trip, though Andy, Charlotte and Kristin are pretty close.
Most groups leave some memento of their visit on the walls, ceiling, or wherever it they can find to put it. Over the years, the place has started to fill up and competition for space can get kind of fierce. Having been here more times than most (or possibly anybody) we have commanded our share of space.
One year we helpfully consolidated some of the contributions from the group from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in order to create a more esthetically pleasing display – And because we wanted the space.
The young people from Urbana High School have put together an impressive run in recent years, and in the process commandeered much of the ceiling.
Appropriately we started the week making some repairs to things people have tacked to the ceiling, so as not to get hit in the face with them.
This might require some further work as the week progresses.
Mike started us off this morning with a passage from Philippians inviting us to be humble servants as we work this week.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3
I think we can honestly say that we try however imperfectly to work for the greater glory of God. Still most of us show up every year because of the rewards: the people we meet, the fun we have, fellowship we share. The relationships we have built with one another. Something brings us back year after year. That reflects the greater glory of God.
J.D. Smith has been the contractor and supervisor on these jobs pretty much since the beginning of the Habitat chapter. Nothing really gets started until he shows up.
In the meantime, his nephew Lorenzo arrived. Lorenzo has been part of our crew even before I was. We have watched him grow up. While we waited for J.D., Lorenzo was happy to show off his new ride.
Then J.D. showed up and we were able to get started.
We are currently finishing up House #50 for West Tallahatchie Habitat Chapter. We helped finish up House #49 last year. It took some time. We were the first group to come down after Covid and we worked on it then. Here is what it looks like today.
The houses to date were built on one large piece of land that had been donated to WTHFH and the dorm is built there as well, so to this point, all of the houses have been easy walking distance from the dorm. This is convenient for people who need a bathroom break, a dose of air conditioning, or a nap, or who sit back at headquarters typing a blog while the rest of the crew is working in 90 degree heat. But I did take time to at least get a few pictures of our team at work.
I personally am particular about staining and finishing. I have refinished enough pieces of furniture to figure out how to do it reasonably well, and I hate drip marks and mistakes (except on louvered doors. Louvered doors are a pain. They are just hopeless,)
This particular house has solid wood doors, as opposed to the hollow ones that most of the houses have. I do not know if that is the reason, but the doors look noticeably better.
Mike, Lorenzo, and Jacob look for supplies in the trailer. The trailer has been there for many years, and is gradually transitioning from vertical to horizontal. This young man needed some service hours. He got them. Then he left. We did not get to know him well.
We made our traditional stop at Neimerg’s in Effingham, IL where the food is pretty good, the waitstaff is friendly, and the pies are excellent, and it is a good location to rendezvous on the way down, and then made a stop at the phenomenon that is Boomland!
Really, Boomland is better experienced than described. Stretching across what would be about a city block in Chicago, it boasts fireworks section large enough to supply a small war. Ah, but that is not all! It offers a huge variety of food, clothing, and an endless supply of items to enhance your dwelling place.
Here Andy examines a sampler package of some of the huge variety of hot sauce on display, with all manner of names promising pain, death and destruction.
I do not understand the appeal of a condiment that threatens to kill you, but apparently there is a market for that sort of thing.
The inventory offered at Boomland is such as to appeal to those who drive trucks, ride motorcycles, and serve in the military. Those can be large and diverse groups of course, but that should provide an adequate description. It tends to the religious and patriotic, categories that of course are not mutually exclusive. Precisely who or what is being worshipped is subject to interpretation.
I would never describe Boomland as underwhelming, but its merchandise this year is somewhat sparse in comparison to other years. Since Covid, the selection has decreased a bit. If you have your heart set on a jet black gargoyle wielding a broadsword, you would be disappointed this year.
I personally tend to gravitate to the food section, looking for the discontinued and expired items. The cherry salsa and pickled black-eyed peas I bought were yummy, and I was disappointed not to be able to buy more bottles of Ass-Kickin’ Ketchup.
I was tempted with one item, but decided to give it a pass. While I agree with the sentiment, I am not sure we are all missing the same thing.
We reached Clarksdale, MS at about 7:00 and headed for dinner at the Mexican place we always do, and here is this year’s crew.
So here is this year’s crew, minus Kristin who has not arrived yet as she is attending a college graduation and your correspondent, who is behind the camera, where I look my best. My jacket is in the foreground, however. And we have two of our friends from the restaurant, though they will not be building any houses this week.
This represents a pretty typical weekend in Clarksdale, MS, which can rightly claim to be the home of the blues. Then again, so can a dozen other towns in the Mississippi Delta, including Tutwiler, where W.C. Handy supposedly discovered the blues while sitting in a railroad station listening to a drifter playing his guitar.
Then it was off to grocery shopping!
Clarksdale has one grocery store, namely Walmart. It used to have another one, but it closed. Rumor has it that it has a newer one so that locals can buy fresh produce and perhaps sell some of their own, but we have not found it yet.
Hammerin' In the Delta 