Habitat for Humanity - Whitefield, NH

As you may know, I have a camp trailer in Littleton, NH and spend a lot of vacation time there from May to October. Most of the time, I bring the grand kids and we have a great time swimming, fishing and hiking and just enjoying the outdoor life. Besides the activities right in the campground, there are also plenty of sights to see all around the White Mountains area.

Recently, I attended a Pancake Breakfast held at the town common in Whitefield, NH which is only a short distance from Littleton, NH. Besides having a great breakfast of pancakes and sausage for only $5.00, we got to talk with other travelers sitting across the table. Some were local people and others were vacationing from near and far. In addition, there were crafter tents set up all around the town common where you can see the works of local craftsmen and women selling there wares. There were wood carvings, nature photographs, knitted garments, handmade walking sticks and furniture, jewelry, and handmade baskets.

As we strolled around to the different craft tents we stopped to talk with the crafters and purchased a few interesting items. However, one table advertised a local Habitat for Humanity Project and they were looking for donations as well as volunteers. After taking a Habitat flier, I left my name and email.

A few days later, I got an email from Habitat and volunteered to help out at a local work project in Whitefield, NH. They needed volunteers a few days per week. Since I was camping close by, I decided to volunteer once a week, if I was available. Last Friday I put in my first volunteer day and came back to camp sweaty and sore from all the hard work. Besides myself, there were about 12 other volunteers who also donated their time.

The volunteer work involved clearing a building lot for a small three bedroom home that was already awarded to a local young family who met all the income requirements. The prospective owner also had to volunteer 300 hours of sweat equity to the project. The work entailed cutting down trees, dragging brush and throwing branches into a wood chipper. Other jobs required digging holes, raking and leveling sand for a foundation, putting up a project sign and a million other odds and ends.

The non-skilled volunteers generally only worked on Thursday and Saturday for 4 hours while the professional contractors, like heavy equipment operators, plumbers and electricians showed up on the other days when they were available. Most of them also volunteered their services. Water and snacks were provided as well as most hand tools. You could also bring your own tools if you had them.

Since I was early and one of the first to arrive, I ended up digging a four foot hole along the foundation wall. Although most of the digging was in foundation river sand, we eventually hit roots and rocks and regular dirt that was hard going. The hole was for the water and electrical PVC pipes that had to go under the foundation wall and below the frost line. After digging the hole, we placed in the pipes and marked them with red tape and then buried the hole again with the pipes sticking out of the ground. Later, the professional contractors would make the completed connections. You can see photos of the work day at the link …….. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Habitat72310#

You can also see other photos for the project in Whitefield, NH at the link below ……
Whitefield, NH - Habitat Project
http://ammonoosuchabitat2010build.shutterfly.com/


You can find links to other projects in Greater Boston at the link below ………..
List of Habitat Projects in Greater Boston with Links
http://www.habitatboston.org/links.html

General information and owner requirements can be also be found at the link below ….
Habitat for Humanity – Greater Boston Home Page and Info
http://www.habitatboston.org/index.html

After I volunteer a few more times, I’ll let you know how the project is progressing. Remember, volunteering is a labor of love and giving. It’s good for the soul and its great exercise too.

Comments always welcome. Email …… markryan82@comcast.net

Garden Update 7-7-10

I got my first zucchini of the summer this week. Although I have been watching the garden grow and weeding each week, the fruits and flowers and vegetables seem to pop up and grow overnight. You can see some photos of the garden at the link below ……
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Garden7710#

Everything seemed to be growing well with very little watering during May and June. The natural rain water has kept all the plants healthy. However, I did water some by hand with a watering can from the rain barrel, mostly on the days that I planted new plants. To keep the water around the plant, I dug a circular trench around each plant with my fingers. This keeps the water near the plant roots and prevents it from running out.

However, the hot and dry spell we have had this week has really sucked the water out of the soil and consequently caused the plants to droop. Since rain is not predicted until the end of the week, I did have to give the garden a good soaking with water from the house garden hose. Since Wilmington, MA, where I live, still has some water restrictions, you can only water with a hand held hose after 5PM and before 9AM. I even saw flashing signs up in North Reading, indicating a water emergency. All the water we got this spring from the torrential rain has entered the water table, then streams, rivers and out to the ocean and back into the water cycle. Unfortunately, we will have to wait again for mother-nature to pour some back on the land.

You can see from the photos, which I have a good size pumpkin and zucchini patch going. I put these plants in an area where I have composted for a few years. The soil is now nice and rich and full of nutrients. Another reason I plant the zucchini here is to keep the “American Bamboo Plants” from growing. They are very invasive and aggressive weed-trees that take over a garden area if left unchecked. I have tried weed killer and even dug up the roots, but they continue to spread. They grow like wild fire by root propagation so leaving just a small piece of root in the soil is enough for a new plant to pop up. I weed them out each night and the next day they are back. My only salvation is when the zucchini patch spreads out and takes over.

Hopefully, the summer will not be so hot and dry and we will get some rain, at least once per week. As the season progresses, I’ll let you know what’s available. If you are in the area, drop by, I love sharing my harvest or just a cup of coffee or (ice tea).

See you around the pumpkin patch.

Comments always welcome …. markryan82@comcast.net