Since i will be at a paying job, i won't be able to be there for that last day, but i'm hoping to go to the dedication on Sunday after church. While there, i want to get a picture of the finished product, since some people who are good with plants were putting in flowers and trees.
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| Flowers, soon to grace the front entrance. |
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| Tree, ready to be planted. |
While there this past Saturday, painting baseboards and windowsills, i learned several things about Habitat houses that i did not know.
Yes, i knew that the people who end up living in the houses had to put hours and hours of sweat equity into other people's Habitat houses to show they mean business and really want this and will take care of it. No, i did not know that they end up with a mortgage. While there are many volunteer hours put in, and donations pay for much of the materials, the house is sold by Habitat to the new owner. Now, there is no profit made, in fact, it costs Habitat a good bit more to build than they sell it for, but they do make the new owner pay some for the house.
Also i learned that Habitat has two basic house plans, at least around here, a 3 bedroom and a 4 bedroom, each with two bathrooms. Both floor plans come in a left-hand version and a right-hand version. This makes ordering cabinets and other materials easy, and makes it much easier for the Habitat staff, they only need to know if it's a 3 or a 4, with the kitchen on the right or the left.
They do, however, have 10 different roof lines they use. This way, when they are building several houses in a row, as where this house is, just the change in roof line from one to the other keeps it from looking like a row of exact duplicates.
The final things i learned are that when the staff say mandatory break time, they mean it, and that yes, i can be of help in building houses, which are very good things to know for next time.
Today is:
Birth of the Bab -- Baha'i
Feast of Agios Gerasimos -- Kefalonia, Greece (celebration of the patron saint of this Ionian island, with religious services followed by dancing and feasting)
Feast of No Excuse For A Feast Day -- internet generated, if you have no other excuse to celebrate something today, use this one
Festival of Ebisu -- Japan (the laughing god, who is the only one available this month, as the 8 million other gods of the pantheon gather at the Grand Shrine of Izumo; traditionally on 20th day of 10th month of the lunisolar calendar)
Information Overload Awareness Day -- we all get bombarded, take stock of how it affects you; sponsored by the Information Overload Research Group
Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth -- Sikh
International Juan Valdez Appreciation Day -- internet generated, yet as we sip our morning wake up brew, let's remember the hardy souls who pick the beans for us!
Mashujaa Day -- Kenya (National Day/Kenyatta Day)
Miss American Rose Day -- with online only pageants devoted to high achievement and community service for girls and women of all ages, Miss American Rose suggests treating all women in your life like beautiful roses and performing community service with them
National Brandied Fruit Day
National Day on Writing -- US (sponsored by National Council of Teachers of English)
National Pharmacy Technician Day -- because pharmacy technicians "Help America Feel Better"
Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity
Revolution Day -- Guatemala
Seeking of King Look Under Your Mattress -- Fairy Calendar
St. Acca's Day (Patron of learning)
Suspenders Day -- probably begun by the same people who wanted to see if you would observe Wear Something Gaudy Day and Dress Like A Dork Day
World Osteoporosis Day -- International Osteoporosis Foundation
Anniversaries Today:
Clint Black marries Lisa Hartman, 1991
William Shatner marries Marcy Lafferty, 1973
The Sydney Opera House opens, 1973
Aristotle Onassis marries Jacqueline Kennedy, 1968
Birthdays Today:
John Krasinski, 1979
Dann Gillen, 1967
Viggo Mortensen, 1958
Danny Boyle, 1956
Keith Hernandez, 1953
Tom Petty, 1953
Melanie Mayron, 1952
Tom Petty, 1950
Jerry Orbach, 1935
William Christopher, 1932
Mickey Mantle, 1931
Joyce Brothers
Art Buchwald, 1925
Fayard Nicholas, 1914
Bela Lugosi, 1882
Charles Ives, 1874
Charles Dewey, 1859
James Robert Mann, 1856
Arthur Rimbaud, 1854
Christopher Wren, 1632
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"The Six Million Dollar Man"(TV), 1973
"No Time for Sergeants"(Play), 1955
"Vor Sonnenaufgang/Before Sunrise"(Hauptmann play), 1889
Today in History:
The first Crusaders arrive at Antioch, 1097
The city of Nuestra Senora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace), Bolivia, is founded, 1548
Battle of sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's Shoguns, 1600
Maria Theresa of Habsburg becomes ruler of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, 1740
Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Habsburg Monarchy, 1781
US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase, 1803
The U.S. and U.K. sign the Convention of 1818, which, among other things settles the U.S. - Canada border at the 49th parallel for most of its length, 1818
First Edition of London Sunday Times, 1822
Lincoln formally establishes Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the US, on the 4th Thursday of November each year, 1864
P.T. Barnum's Hippodrome featuring "The Greatest Show on Earth" opens in NYC, 1873
The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, is launched, 1910
The first Negro League World Series is held, the KC Monarchs shut out the Hilldales, 5-0, 1924
United States of America and Pakistan establish diplomatic relations for the first time, 1947
The Nepal Stock Exchange collapses, 1971
The Sydney Opera House opens, 1973
BM-PC DOS Version 2.1 released, 1983
US accuses Microsoft of violating law by forcing IE browser on computers, 1997
European astronomers announce the discovery of 32 extrasolar planets, 2009
Atronomers announce that galaxy UDFy-38135539 is the most distant object observed from Earth, around 30 billion light-years, 2010
Muammar Gaddafi, and his son Mutassim Gaddafi are killed shortly after the Battle of Sirte, 2011
My son participated in a HFH house in Florida years ago when he biked all the way to Florida for the summer. It was being built in a very rough neighborhood and all the teenagers that went to help were kept under strict watch in the evenings. It as a good sacrifice for him as an atheist to be with such giving people from his friend's church. I did not know all the information you posted about these houses, though.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know these things either. How interesting. I just know you give so much back to your community and your church. Thank you for that. It makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
I didn't know that the new residents would have a mortgage. But still it's a great program, and they are blessed to volunteers like you and others to help make it happen.
ReplyDeletei knew they had a mortgage but am so grateful this program exists so folks can afford their own place!!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I didn't know much of this.
ReplyDeleteI knew about as much as you did. Interesting that there is still a mortgage. We have a Habitat for Humanity store here in town that sells used building materials with profits going to the program. You really do a lot!
ReplyDeleteYou have enlightened me on this subject. You are a good person to give your time physically to them and to give us your experience virtually to us.
ReplyDelete