Tuesday morning found Stacy Banks high above the action, but no less a part of it.Clad in a Habitat for Humanity T-shirt, a pair of red jogging shorts and a worn tool belt, Banks outlasted the Tuesday morning heat as both she and it pounded shingles on Edna Mae Yates’ new roof.
The grit of shingles covered her knees, but she reported no injuries other than sunburn.
That morning, Banks and others at the West Anniston site installed windows and started to build the small decks that will be a part of the house. The vinyl siding was hung.
“When we left Monday, it looked like a house,” Banks said, hurrying off to the 17th Street Baptist Church for lunch. “Today the electricians are putting in the wiring and the plumbers are putting in the pipes.”
Lunches for Banks and her co-workers consisted of cold cuts and beef stroganoff along with soft drinks and plenty of water.
She continues to be amazed by the progress of the home, from how quickly workers erected the home’s walls to the time it took to start shingling.
“We’ve gotten a lot further than I thought we’d get in a day and a half,” she said.
They’ve had to tell Yates, 75, to put down the two-by-fours every now and then, but the crew still gets her sweat equity.
“Edna’s a very sweet lady,” Banks said. “Sometimes, we’ve had to tell her not to do something so she won’t hurt herself.”
Banks stayed up late Monday night reading, so the morning wake-up call came a little early. In order to catch the bus from Jacksonville down to western Anniston, it’s a 5:30 departure.
Banks and most of her Solutia crew have missed the morning devotion the past two days, but she’ll try to get a little more shut-eye tonight.
“I’ll be in bed by ten,” she said.
