Jimmy Carter helps build D.C. homes after illness

Former President Jimmy Carter is helping build and rehabilitate homes in Washington just days after a viral infection landed him in a hospital.

Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter were out with Habitat for Humanity volunteers in the rain Monday, hammering nails and hoisting new home frames into place.

Clad in jeans and sneakers, Carter told reporters that he’s “perfectly OK” after spending two nights in an Ohio hospital.

Habitat for Humanity plans to build six homes and rehabilitate another six in Washington’s Ivy City neighborhood.

It’s one part of a project to construct or repair a total of 86 homes — in honor of Carter’s 86 years — in Washington, Baltimore, Annapolis, Md., St. Paul, Minn. and Birmingham, Ala.