85 pulled from the bamboo today
Showing posts with label bottles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bottles. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Bamboo v.5
Today was much majesty.
I decided, you know, bamboo is just grass. How hard could it be to move it to the street?
I found out four hours later (with the help of Bill) that it is that damn hard to move bamboo after it's dry and there are thousands of shafts.
Paid Bill $80 for the 4 hours of work today. The lot is nasty, there are stakes everywhere, and he's great company. We got to gossip and at least one person stopped by after hearing Bill from the street. Harris and Madeline brought us pizza and real soda and Madeline got to look for bugs with her PopPop.
While we were moving bamboo to pile at the street, we also started moving bottles. First count coming soon!
I decided, you know, bamboo is just grass. How hard could it be to move it to the street?
I found out four hours later (with the help of Bill) that it is that damn hard to move bamboo after it's dry and there are thousands of shafts.
Paid Bill $80 for the 4 hours of work today. The lot is nasty, there are stakes everywhere, and he's great company. We got to gossip and at least one person stopped by after hearing Bill from the street. Harris and Madeline brought us pizza and real soda and Madeline got to look for bugs with her PopPop.
While we were moving bamboo to pile at the street, we also started moving bottles. First count coming soon!
Friday, February 4, 2011
whoops
***I looked and it seemed that a couple of things were drafted then never posted.
We had TROSA come to haul away all of the bamboo and such that I have lopped, only to discover that we are heartless and thoughtless. It was quite an eye-opening experience for me.
The estimate they gave was great, their lawn shop supervisor visited the site and thought it would be a quick job. We were happy that all of the bamboo would be hauled off and we could focus on cleaning the lot. When the crew arrived, several of the workers freaked out. They saw bottles. They saw needles. They couldn't work in those conditions.
We found this out when we called TROSA to find out what time they would be there so we could pay, sign the paperwork, and generally cheer them on and thank them. TROSA amazed us that day. If you have any experience with day laborers or the general state of workers who are paid off the books in Durham, you know that it is a sad place with no work place protections, pay under the table, and wages less than minimum wage. Workers are treated at chattle.
When you combine non-profit status to that, often people are exploited beyond belief. In the name of recovering, someone else benefits from their labor entirely.
TROSA is the exact opposite of this. We knew this before hiring them, but had it confirmed in numerous ways that day.
When their workers came to the supervisor and said they were uncomfortable TROSA listened. They DID NOT tell their community members to suck it up. They did not tell them to get back in there and finish the damn job. They LISTENED. They responded with respect.
TROSA pulled the crew out of the lot immediately. They called and explained that while they did provide services, it was a treatment facility and therapuetic community. They could not put their residents in a place or position that would be detrimental to their recovery from addiction. They were very sorry and they would love to finish the job, but since there were bottles (and someone saw needles) they just couldn't put their workers in that situation. Thank you for the business, but they would have to turn the job down until the situation changed.
Trosa is amazing.
When you consider the amount of power someone at month 6 has in a 2 year residential treatment facility generally, to be able to say, I spoke up and people listened and respected what I had to say. People were concerned not about the bottom line, but about my well being and opinions. This says so much about the people who run TROSA at every level. I was humbled by both the fact that I had not considered how a recovering addict would respond to a lot with the detritus of addiction strewn about and then releived by the response of TROSA that showered their members with honest respect.
This still leaves us with a bamboo lot strewn with bottles...but we're working on that.
This is the email I sent to them...
To the crew who came to 503 N. Elizabeth St this am,
We are so sorry. We did not consider the fact that the lot would be personally disturbing. We have not suffered under addiction, and had blocked out the suffering and misery that the vacant lot represented in our minds. We knew there were 40 ounce bottles scattered about, but we had seen no needles. Frankly, we wouldn't know what a crack pipe looked like to know if we had seen those. If we had seen the needles or crack pipes we would never have asked for you to enter that situation. I imagine it would be much like thinking your going to the grocery store and really entering a haunted house.
We have the utmost respect for TROSA and the PINNACLE of respect for all of the brave men and women who enter and complete the program. You are amazing and brave souls and we are so truly sorry we caused any of you any pain this morning.
Please let us know if there is any way we can make this up to you.
Natalie Spring & J. Harris Carpenter
We had TROSA come to haul away all of the bamboo and such that I have lopped, only to discover that we are heartless and thoughtless. It was quite an eye-opening experience for me.
The estimate they gave was great, their lawn shop supervisor visited the site and thought it would be a quick job. We were happy that all of the bamboo would be hauled off and we could focus on cleaning the lot. When the crew arrived, several of the workers freaked out. They saw bottles. They saw needles. They couldn't work in those conditions.
We found this out when we called TROSA to find out what time they would be there so we could pay, sign the paperwork, and generally cheer them on and thank them. TROSA amazed us that day. If you have any experience with day laborers or the general state of workers who are paid off the books in Durham, you know that it is a sad place with no work place protections, pay under the table, and wages less than minimum wage. Workers are treated at chattle.
When you combine non-profit status to that, often people are exploited beyond belief. In the name of recovering, someone else benefits from their labor entirely.
TROSA is the exact opposite of this. We knew this before hiring them, but had it confirmed in numerous ways that day.
When their workers came to the supervisor and said they were uncomfortable TROSA listened. They DID NOT tell their community members to suck it up. They did not tell them to get back in there and finish the damn job. They LISTENED. They responded with respect.
TROSA pulled the crew out of the lot immediately. They called and explained that while they did provide services, it was a treatment facility and therapuetic community. They could not put their residents in a place or position that would be detrimental to their recovery from addiction. They were very sorry and they would love to finish the job, but since there were bottles (and someone saw needles) they just couldn't put their workers in that situation. Thank you for the business, but they would have to turn the job down until the situation changed.
Trosa is amazing.
When you consider the amount of power someone at month 6 has in a 2 year residential treatment facility generally, to be able to say, I spoke up and people listened and respected what I had to say. People were concerned not about the bottom line, but about my well being and opinions. This says so much about the people who run TROSA at every level. I was humbled by both the fact that I had not considered how a recovering addict would respond to a lot with the detritus of addiction strewn about and then releived by the response of TROSA that showered their members with honest respect.
This still leaves us with a bamboo lot strewn with bottles...but we're working on that.
This is the email I sent to them...
To the crew who came to 503 N. Elizabeth St this am,
We are so sorry. We did not consider the fact that the lot would be personally disturbing. We have not suffered under addiction, and had blocked out the suffering and misery that the vacant lot represented in our minds. We knew there were 40 ounce bottles scattered about, but we had seen no needles. Frankly, we wouldn't know what a crack pipe looked like to know if we had seen those. If we had seen the needles or crack pipes we would never have asked for you to enter that situation. I imagine it would be much like thinking your going to the grocery store and really entering a haunted house.
We have the utmost respect for TROSA and the PINNACLE of respect for all of the brave men and women who enter and complete the program. You are amazing and brave souls and we are so truly sorry we caused any of you any pain this morning.
Please let us know if there is any way we can make this up to you.
Natalie Spring & J. Harris Carpenter
Monday, January 10, 2011
Bottles
Guess how many bottles we will find on The Twin of Lizzy !!
Specs:
Lot is .088 acres with a front dimensions of 67.50 feet on Elizabeth St.
Last time NIS cited it was : 8-12-2010 ((Weedy/Junked lot closed by compliance)...right...)
Rules:
Closest without going over wins*
No dumping of new bottles
Guesses must be submitted here in the next little while.
Winner will receive bragging rights re: mad math skillz!! and a surprise!
Bonus points if you correctly identify which bottle (king cobra, budweiser, wild irish rose, etc) is the most common.
Specs:
Lot is .088 acres with a front dimensions of 67.50 feet on Elizabeth St.
Last time NIS cited it was : 8-12-2010 ((Weedy/Junked lot closed by compliance)...right...)
Rules:
Closest without going over wins*
No dumping of new bottles
Guesses must be submitted here in the next little while.
Winner will receive bragging rights re: mad math skillz!! and a surprise!
Bonus points if you correctly identify which bottle (king cobra, budweiser, wild irish rose, etc) is the most common.
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