Learning to Side

For the last two days our group, led by David Rost, worked on putting up siding on a woman’s house, Pam Sanders. The first day started slow and we only got up two sheets of siding, but we came back ready to work the next morning and by lunchtime we had gotten up three more sheets of siding. The work consists of hoisting the siding to its proper height and sliding the new sheet under the old sheet while someone on a ladder nails the board in place. Then the hoisters can step back and the rest of the sheet of siding can be nailed in place. However, the ground at the back of the house was very uneven and there were puddles that needed filling in before the ladder could rest easily in that spot. Consequently, many of the would-be idle workers not nailing were filling in puddles with the Mississippi mud-clay, and some logs as well. After lunch we were told that we needed to average twenty minutes to each sheet in order to finish the side of the house, and though no one admitted it, we didn’t think we could do it. Lo and behold, come 4:30 we had finished that side of the house just in time to be sprinkled by the rain. The whole crew got in at least one nail, and we left the site satisfied and proud of our work.

Louisa S.