the church is down...

After eight consecutive 12 hour days of labor of a most difficult variety, I managed to haul out all the lumber I had salvaged and stacked in the church, just hours before the demolition.    I got the oak floor and the subfloor, and about a dozen 2x12 joists.  With a few more days I could have knocked out the remaining 50 or so joists as well as the last of the t&g pine unstairs, but I'm pretty happy with what I managed to get out.    I was told by the church pastor on friday evening that the church board decided they did not want anyone working over there on sunday (the day before demo).   It IS the lord's day after all.   Even if that means many trees worth of lumber will be sent to the landfill rather than be reused and given a new life.   On sunday, as I rested (and on the seventh day...) I thought about this.   I thought about how, in addition to jesus dying for them, the many trees that formed their church, their shelter, their place of worship,, also died for them.  Living, breathing trees gave their lives so that folks could worship god in a dry warm room.   It only seems right to honor those trees by giving them new life rather than unceremoniously dumping them in the trash.   I didn't complain though (at least not to them) as I am grateful that they gave me the opportunity to salvage what I did.
I cheated a bit by going back sunday night at 10pm to start hauling rather that waiting for midnight and official monday.   By 3am monday I was done.  By noon the church was gone.   At one I took a nap.  Now it's back to the house.....