Gardening

Hello,

Leroy and I went early to the garden as planned. It was nice to work there before it gets too warm and the sun beats down. One other person did come before we were done. He had worked at another time. As we were talking a guy rode past on a bike, stopping by the dumpster that the workers use by the old fire station. He then proceeded to look through it retrieving discarded refundable bottles.  I went over and told him that this was a community garden. I asked if he lives in the neighborhood. He replied that he lives across First Avenue. (Not really our neighborhood, but close enough.) I then asked if he liked kohlrabi, he said yes. On the way to those plants I asked if he liked turnip greens. He said he liked all greens. I pulled one kohlrabi for him and he said he would eat the leaves too. I invited him to come anytime and help himself.

Later on the way home, we met a woman who was walking along with a cane. I greeted her in the middle of the street and asked if she lived in the neighborhood. She said yes so I told her about the community garden pointing out where it was. I told her that some small broccoli would be ready to pick. She told me that her daughter called broccoli “trees with cheese”. I hope she does go to reap some of the harvest.

We took home some volunteer tomato plants for our neighbor across the street. He seemed quite happy to get them. When he returned our bucket I gave him some winter onion bulbs. He was happy to have some more of them. I asked if he had a place to garden and he said with a big grin, “I just took it behind the house.” Not all renters are comfortable doing that.

I realized after I was home that all of these people were missing some teeth. When traveling/walking with the comfortably rich I almost never have seen anyone without all of their teeth. There are some lines separating us aren’t there? Lack of teeth being a sign of few resources.

Paula