Last day.

Today is our last full day here at Common Ground.

Woke up early in the morning, as usual. Breakfast consisted of runny, weirdly smoky grits and nice potatoes, as well as orange slices. I did grounds at 9 with Andreu and Richard. I swept the stairwell (a woman on her way down complimented me on my sweeping, saying I was the most meticulous groundsman she had seen), and picked up trash outside. Then I just lied in my sleeping bag to keep warm.

After lunch, I joined my gutting crew. It turns out that yesterday was not our last day, and a house just a couple blocks down the street had our name on it. It was sort of structurally unstable, with a back end lower than the front and with walls that would cave in if you even touched them, and had enough big spiders to terrify our arachnophobic Sarah, but it was doable. We mucked out the first two rooms, setting aside china, records, and paperwork at the request of the owner. The owner was named Auggie. He was a kind, thin man with gray hair and a beard, and he helped us out with gutting. He told us about how FEMA had sent he and his mother (the two live in the same house) each a check for $10,000 to help them get on their feet after the disaster, but demanded half of it back after learning that they both lived together. He made sure to keep all the coins we found.

When we were finished with that, we invited him out to dinner with us. We went to this place five or six blocks up the street, a now legendary diner amongst the Woxy kids. It's called Spencer's Diner, but we all call it The Spot. It was my first time going, and I'm glad I went. It lived up to the hype: the cornbread was some of the best I've ever had, as were the candied yams, and the fried catfish was delicious. The owners threw in some cupcakes for free. We were all stuffed and happy when we walked out. If you've ever wondered why they call it comfort food, one meal at The Spot will tell you all you need to know.

And now I'm back here. My cab arrives at 4am tomorrow and I don't plan on sleeping between now and then. Who knows how I'll fill up the time, but it will be fun. If I'm lucky I'll manage to get one last trip to Cafe du Monde or Cafe Flora.

It hasn't hit yet that tomorrow I am going back to the clean world of California, back to my old life. It will be discomforting to return to all the comfort. I haven't shaved in weeks, can't remember the last time I've showered, my hands feel like ice packs, and the only beds I've seen have been the ones I've helped remove from decayed houses. And I'm going to miss it all.

But I'll miss the people the most. All the cool people that make up the Common Ground crew --- Brandon, Malik, Kone, Josh, Erik, Zeke, Free, Hattie, Cass, Tom, Adrian, and all the rest. And all the people I've met while doing work: the homeowners, their neighbors, or the random grateful person on the sidewalk.

Tonight we helped Auggie move into Common Ground. He will be spending the night, or maybe several nights, maybe indefinitely. I gave him my towel so he can shower and told him to keep it. It felt really moving in a way that as we are making our exit we are aiding someone in his arrival. It makes me feel like I've really become a part of Common Ground. I'm sad to leave it behind.

I don't know if I'll post again tonight, but post or not, this is not the end of this blog. I intend to post pictures in the next couple of days, and will probably continue to write in it, at least for another week or two as I readjust. But it'll be over when I say it's over. Until then, keep on reading, and once again, thanks so much for reading up to this point.

Here's to our last night in town.