CAN YOU SAY "WORK ORDER?"

       No, it's not yet installed. So I complained to the gatekeeper (the  young man who is new to me). He didn't know the story behind the can opener, but he had seen it on the shelf in the back of the kitchen. We talked about the simplicity of the job, but that it took a special drill bit and the nerve to drill permanent holes in a steel table.

       …and then he said it, "I'll put in a work order for our maintenance man."

       A work order. WHY has no one thought of that? And we are a facility that helps the helpless… there's an oxymoron in here somewhere.

       In the kitchen, the stove was empty and cold. Joey was mopping. I checked the fridge for sack lunches and saw that several of the half dozen sacks had been plundered (like last week). Joey reported the problem to the gatekeeper, so hopefully the plundering will stop. Residents are not supposed to go in the kitchen, but the night gatekeeper has been lax lately.

       I made two dozen sacks to add to the stash. Miss Anna will come this afternoon and fill in where I left off.

       For lunch, Joey had planned grilled cheeses (toasted en mass in the oven) and vegetable soup. This time, we carefully did not put any meats in the soup, so our vegetarian family didn't need their own special pot. I did take some yogurts and bananas for the kids.

       Joey had saved the soup making for me—a large bag of factory-made veggie soup thawing in the sink. I cut it open and poured it into the big pot. Then Joey and I rummaged through the mystery box for canned goods to add. He always tells folks that I made the soup. (Me, Campbell's, Luck's and Green Giant…)

       The babies don't live there anymore. I missed the little buggers…

       Joey has finished two of the five steps toward his GED. His "this fall" completion date was probably not realistic, but he's so pleased with his progress!

       The homeless group is steady, but our pre-release group is small; we had only two or three folks today. I don't know if crime is down or if making it to the half-way house is down…

       Several folks asked me if I was making dinner tonight… like I could cook anything as good as Joey. Lucky for them, I'm not. My back and legs gave out after only two hours, and as I left, the gatekeeper said he had filled out the work order. I suppose angels could do no better.