Friday, July 25, 2009

For a number of hours today, I got to hang around with Marilyn as we began the process of fixing up what will be a prayer garden here at Asbury. And it was the most fun I’ve had in a very long time, definitely the most fun I’ve had all summer. We laughed and worked and played and chatted and had a ball. I got to hear stories of how she and her husband met and dated. We wondered around a gardening store and made commentary to one another about the statues. She talked a little about her youngest son who finally just moved away from home (he’s my age) and his struggles that always go along with that. I love hearing Marilyn talk about her children. She is so in love with them and delighted by them, even when they make bad choices.

Today, we pressure washed. I thought this might take an hour at most. Not true. It took the whole time. In the middle of it, we took a break and went for a drive to get some materials and do a little browsing. The pressure washer Marilyn borrowed had a little container on it to put soap in. And so Marilyn went out and bought a big jug of soap. In the process of trying to pour it into the soap container, I got some on me and when I went to rinse it off, I was annoyed that it would not come off. I found that weird, but paid little notice as we powered the thing up and went at it with the benches and the cement floor.

And then at one point, I went to switch my hands on the nozzle because my elbow was getting tired and felt a sudden sharp sting in my finger as if I had just gotten a sliver. It stung so badly that I put the nozzle down and left for the bathroom to wash my hands, wherein I noticed even with other soap, I was hard pressed to get this soap off my hands. I continued with the power washing for a little while longer before Marilyn took over when I needed a break. I sat for a moment and then picked up the jug of soap and turned it around so I could see the warning label. “CAUSES SEVER BURNS” it stated just like this in caps, and then went on to state it should not be ingested and should be kept out of contact with eyes, mouth, and skin. Skin. Yes, that’s what it said. For a couple of hours we’d been spraying that stuff all over. The nozzle was covered in it because our hands had gotten soapy from it and the mist had likely been inhaled by the both of us. Flush skin for 15 minutes, it said, if you get any on it. I told Marilyn to turn off the power washer for a minute and, laughing, read her the warning label. We had a good laugh and she said, “My legs do seem to feel a little strange. Needless to say, that sliver was not a sliver, but a tiny chemical burn where the skin had come off. The sting was the feel of that soap on the rawness underneath.

A small price to pay for having a blast of a day with Marilyn. On our return from the drive, Marilyn dropped me off to power wash some more while she left to drop off the sander she had borrowed and used on the top of the benches. Instead of power washing, I ran off to the post office to get my Victoria’s Secret package I knew was waiting for me. In it were a couple pairs of pants and a shirt, among other things. As I made my way back to the garden, Marilyn was walking in and when she saw me she said, “What is that?” I replied with a big smile on my face, “It’s my Victoria’s Secret package.” “What did you get?” “Some pants and a shirt, I think.” And she smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll power wash while you go try the clothes on and show them to me.” I laughed at her delight in my new clothes and gave her the fashion show she wanted. They are, I should note, some great clothes. Marilyn wholeheartedly approved.

The final bit of amusement came when Bekah and Elissa wondered over to see what we were up to. I can’t remember, now, what we were talking about, but Marilyn commented to them that she and I were a lot alike. Case in point happened only a few minutes later when Marilyn put something in her car and turned back around to head back down to the garden and tripped over the curb and stumbled, in slow motion, to the ground. No harm was done and we all couldn’t help but laugh, and not more than thirty seconds later, I turned back around to walk back into the garden and tripped on my own feet. These are the ways in which you should not be like somebody else. Well, whatever.

Marilyn and I finally parted ways and I wandered back to the dorm for the rest of the afternoon and evening. It was definitely a good day. And so, until next time. There is still much more to be done on the garden. Here are a few pictures from the day.