Now that the first Habitat Women Build training session is under my belt, my "tool belt" feels a bit better prepared to hold hammers and nails. Surprisingly to me (though not to our illustrious leader, Debra) hammering in a nail straight was the most difficult part! Those scary electric saws were really not so bad nor so intimidating once you understood how to turn them on and safely operate them. But hammering in a 12D nail is no easy task, especially when you're doing it upside-down on an angle. Laurie Quinn and I failed miserably the first try, and thankfully Wendy Carroll of Chatham helped straighten us out, literally. I was able to hammer in a few of them with no problem, and got a great sense of accomplishment from those successes. But I'll need to spend the next few months building my arm strength so I can do it with a few swift swings, like my classmate Leslye Alexander. My advice: practice, practice, practice!!!
Taitia Shelow, Chatham, Steering Committee
