Bird Houses

Claude finally finished clear coating the birdhouses. This was a project I thought I posted about but, after an inordinate amount of time searching, I find that I did not post pictures of this event. So, here goes...

In February Claude dropped me off at the nursing home to visit Papa while he attended a meeting and took care of errands. When he comes to pick me up, he always pops me a text and I finish up my visit with Papa and go out to the Jeep. While Claude was waiting for me to come out this time, he happened to notice all the front windows of the nursing home had a chain hanging in front of them with nothing on the end of the chain. In his musings as he waited he had an impression. When I got in the car, he did one of those, "What would you think if...?" statements. His plan, he would purchase the little decorative birdhouses and give them to the Young Women at Church to paint. Then he would clear coat them to protect them and then hang them in front of each window. That would be nine birdhouses. I thought this was a capital idea.

I then went to Glen Redmon who is over all the things that enhance the residents of the nursing homes lives. He approved them and then said he would check to see if any of the windows on the back side of the nursing home had chains. When he did that count he found that there were only chains on the front nine windows.

Claude and I purchased the birdhouses while out and about on our anniversary in February. I supplied all the paint and paint brushes. Then we found a date when the Young Women wanted a service project to do. Wednesday evening, February 28th, I to the birdhouses and the paints and brushes to the Church. The Young Women leaders provided the plastic clothes to cover the work tables and the paper plates to put the paints on and paper towels and water in cups for clean up. The girls had a blast painting. Here are some pictures of the girls and their leaders having a good time doing a great service.

 

Then Claude took several weeks to put on several clear coats to preserve them a little bit longer. Here are some pictures of their work after Claude's clear coating.

The week of Papa's birthday, Claude again dropped me off to visit Papa. When he came back to pick me up, Papa and I were sitting on the bench in front of the nursing home enjoying a comfortable afternoon. Claude brought the birdhouses and Papa got to watch us hang them at the nursing home. They are so very cute. Makes the place look a little more like a home. 

When the kids came to sing Happy Birthday to Papa on May 2nd, the birdhouses were there. Here a are few pictures of very happy Young Women with the birdhouses they painted.

This was a fun service project for the girls. I am grateful that Claude had this impression and was excited about providing this opportunity for the girls and to help the nursing home. This project was great on many levels. I hope the Young Women feel more comfortable being in a nursing home and around people with lots of difficulties at the end of their lives. Good things. Just good things.