Greetings from Statin [sic] Island, Post Script

P.S. A few artifacts from our time on Staten Island.

Here is the clothing I wore, bagged and ready to throw out. I purchased boots, socks, a hat and gloves for the trip over the Thanksgiving holiday in North Carolina at Tractor Supply Co. (I misplaced the gloves after Day 1.) I threw away these items, and my old jeans, after I returned. We were working around asbestos, and I don't want to give those particles even the slightest opportunity to spread in my apartment or my lungs. The Ariat boots kept my feet warm and dry. I recommend them highly.

I found the golf ball lying in the grass between the NYC emergency management HQ stationed in the Midland Beach parking lot and the sanitation department's makeshift dump. The cabinet door is from a built-in closet at the Davis residence. This door was up by the ceiling, where the floodwaters did not quite reach. I initially wanted to keep the door as is, showing the dust created by the clean up effort. I've reconsidered, however, and will scrub it clean. I really want to be extra cautious about asbestos contamination.

And the artifact I am most proud of:  the sledgehammer I used to remove sheetrock from the ceiling in the bedrooms and to demolish the little built-in closet. (I can only note the irony that I am now writing a post about destroying a built-in closet in the very blog where I have spent so much time praising the beauty and utility of built-ins. See My Favorite Room.) Tom and Barbara brought it back with them and later presented it to me as a gift on Christmas Eve. They added a brass plaque to it with an inscription of thanks. I will treasure this object forever. It commemorates our trip to the Island and the time we shared there. It also reminds me of the struggles and challenges I have faced this year, and how I have been working to overcome them. 

Watch out. I am stronger than I look.

Greetings from Statin [sic] Island, Parts One, Two, Three, Four and the Epilogue.