1.   I absolutely stared into the face of adversity and shined like the diamond in a mud pile that I am.

2.   That just used to be a mud pile there.

3.   Exhausted but determined, hundreds of volunteers Saturday slogged their way through tons of rubble that became a mammoth mud pile after heavy rain the previous day.

4.   Exhausted but driven, hundreds of volunteers slogged their way through tons of rubble that became a mammoth mud pile, following thunderstorms that began hours before dawn Friday.

5.   Some seldom leave the safety of their mud pile, choosing to stay inside and buy what they need in the micro-economy that has sprung up.