Digging

(Cold and clear, 30-ish)

I was pulling up a wad of blackberry roots today when a high-school girl walked by, talking to her counselor type, and said, “Hannah? Have you ever heard of those paintball places where guys come and shoot paintball guns at naked ladies?”

It was a delicious moment between these two women. The older one said, “Um, no,” while the nearby boys picked up the subject. But the fact that this girl felt comfortable asking this twenty-something woman was really great. The kids I worked with today ruled the humor department. I came upon the group half an hour later, and one of the guys was saying to the other, “Dude, would you fire a paintball gun at a naked lady? I mean, one who wanted to be fired at?” All the while, they were standing in a mucky creekbed, shoveling silty water out and onto the ground nearby.

Today’s work project was a lot of fun. One group dug up the creek, while another skinned the rails and posts for the fence, and the last one cut down two more trees for fence materials. All of the fence wood is cut now; all it needs is to get completely ready, and then we can put it up. I think we should have it done by next week, with the last service project of the year. After working by myself or with just one other person, it’s awfully nice to have a crew of people, even on the off chance that they’re being a little frustrating.

After the service project, Marc and I walked down to the river. It had been clear all day, but a fog rolled in as the air cooled. The river was higher, and everywhere you stepped on the beach, it was nearly quicksand. I love when the Sandy is like that. We didn’t see any prints, but there were three ducks chilling when we approached.

Now we’re sitting by the fire. We just ate dinner, and it’s lovely to be out here in the calm evening, with the weekend ahead.