TEN-TEN-TEN

      Three hours and 15 minutes with a stove-up back. It's a problem that prevents bending over, so you really don't want to drop anything when you have a stove-up back. Everything else was working just fine! Joey was at the chicken sink, scraping skin off maybe 20 or 30 pounds of chicken; it takes hours to do that.
       There were 41 sack lunches to make—82 sandwiches sacked with condiments, a drink, chips, dessert & napkin. It was certainly time for that to be the case, as the previous weeks had been too easy. Kyle has completed his community service and no longer comes. It's a loss for us and for him. There surely is a lot of turnover at the shelter—whether prisoners, homeless, assignees, workers or volunteers.

     Joey had forgotten about the soup we planned last week, so the chicken was underway. However, there was a grocery-size paper bag full of donated apples—all sizes and kinds. I had taken a good knife with me so, after I got the 41 sack lunches in the fridge, I set about making applesauce with sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves. You know those enormous, deep POTS they use in commercial kitchens? We had one that was 2/3 full of applesauce by the time those things had cooked down. I have never!

       My favorite pre-release is still with us. I got a big hey with that adorable dimpled grin. He said, "I see you had to help Joey open my tuna can," as if he might be wanting to make fun of Joey… but poor Joey hasn't recovered emotionally from the big cut he got awhile back. Our $550 can opener is shot and only opens partway around the can. I took the scissors and snipped open the can. It wasn't rocket science, but Joey was rushing to serve our darling fish-only fellow.
        Mr. Wilson was there—looking larger than ever, bless his heart, and I met a new guy who helped Joey with the mopping. Later he brought me his insulin to put in the refrigerator. He's young and handsome and homeless and sick. Just breaks your heart.

       Little Moon Face and his daddy still live there. The young woman who's been coming in later than I told me that the child's mother abandoned them long ago. She helped me peel apples and told me many things. She's only 21, she volunteers, she has an infant and another well on the way, she lives with another girl who has an infant, she'd never done any serious apple peeling or cutting, and she was amazed at all the different tastes they had. When we finished, she went out for a smoke. Maybe I'm a little envious of her: she doesn't appear to have a care in the world—just as happy as a clam right where she is.

       That man who's been knocking on the back door did it again today, and Joey let him in—again! Then he tried to get Joey to give him some 6-packs of soft drinks. Joey said he could have ONE six-pack. The man said he had a friend outside waiting, and he needed to go now, and he wanted two. He was trying to intimidate Joey with that whole "hurry-up" thing, and if I weren't a lady I'd have gotten in his face. After he left, Joey and I made a little stink (again) about that back door!

       Two months ago I tried to get the "authorities" to put a peep hole in the back door. I offered to pay for the hole and its installation. They said no. They have cameras back there, they said. But a camera isn't going to stop Joey from opening the door when someone is knocking… So today we made a little headway. We got a NOTE put on the door: "No Entry. Go to the Front." We tried to make it simple for those who might be reading impaired.

       One (the fellow who's been sitting at the front, monitoring the locking and unlocking of the doors and watching the cameras) has gone back to his previous shift. I missed him!

       A social worker from another floor came for coffee this afternoon, and it was nice to meet a silver-haired gentleman to whom I could relate. I'm really sheltered back in that kitchen; the place is no doubt full of interesting people. He didn't stay long enough for introductions, but seeing him gave me another little peek into the workings of that machine.

       Joey got a 96 on his last vocabulary test! He's lost all count of how long he's been in school or how he came to be there. I find that fascinating! For him, school is now just a part of his life. It has no beginning and no end, and he seems to like it that way. What a wonderful attitude—he might as well be birthing a second baby, not married, and smoking! (It's twisted. If you don't get it, don't worry about it.)

       Our C&W station was HOT today. I'm gonna send them a big ole thank-you email!

       Joey says he might put "crock pot" on his Christmas list, if anybody out there wants to donate one. It'll need to be at least medium-sized because he often feeds his sister's kids. And he wants a cell phone. He talked to the Verizon people, but he can't pass the credit check, and the Wal-Mart phone costs too much. It told him about pre-paid phones. He was amazed. He doesn't have $20 for one right now, but he sees that as a possibility. Remind me to never again complain about the $300 my household spends each month for what we think of as basic communications!

       My final reality check for today's service hit me on leaving. I've had a vanity tag on my car for years—always a French word or two. This year I changed it to a University of North Carolina tag because it's Map's school and, and I love Map. So the tag came this week, and I put it on. I didn't give it much thought until I walked out to my car after working, and all those shelter folks were sitting around in the sunshine watching. Remind me to never again complain…