We Got Our Assignments!

My first bucket of weeds. 
That thing hanging from my waist is a very cool spade, made in Italy. One edge is a sort of knife, sharp enough to cut grass.  It's a great weeding tool. 

After 10 weeks of waiting, including 2 weeks of orientation, I can finally tell people what I'll be doing on my mission. This morning Dee was assigned to work on air conditioners, of course.  I was assigned to the grounds crew - which is what I was hoping for.  Autumn is my favorite season, and I get to be outside every day for 6 hours, playing in the dirt, watering the flowers, pulling up the flowers, getting things ready for winter. I work on a team of women, whose husbands are all doing specialized maintenance tasks.  We are like the pioneer women, whose husbands left us to run things at home.  Only instead of plows and horses, we will be driving trucks with dump trailers, water pumps, and running other machines that our husbands normally would do. And we'll be weeding and doing other grounds keeping jobs.  I don't think I'll be mowing, although those rider mowers look fun.  People walk by and tell us how beautiful the gardens are, and we agree.  Some sisters work in the green house, and I'd like to do some of that if I get the chance.  

So today was my first day, and I admit, I'm very tired - but happy that I'll be outside and getting in shape. And the sisters I work with are very nice and a happy bunch. They are fun to work with.