Party Time

Garden Party-Celebrating Accomplishment

A lot has happened since I last blogged.  Actually, that's usually the case. I underestimated the amount of soil that we would need to fill the garden beds as well as the ease with which we could get that dirt.  I found myself looking at having to purchase the dirt and pay for delivery, but God led me to Concrete and Asphalt Recycling on Lathrop Street.  These folks were kind enough to give us the dirt for the cost of transport.  Two tri-axled dump trucks!  Over 40 tons of dirt.

 The next difficulty came when considering how to move this dirt from the piles into the beds.  We had a couple wheelbarrows and some willing folks-no problem.  Patrick, Rosemary, Jerry, the Stuckwich family and I worked on this for a few days.

There was a lot of dirt there.  

In spite of the help, this was just too big a process.  I checked around and had no friends with a bobcat.  Renting a bobcat was out of the question due to the cost.  

Again, God intervened.  When Melissa and I were out passing out flyers I noticed several trucks, including one with a bobcat on it.  There was a neighbor building a garage and Temple Concrete was doing the work.  Working on this project I have been amazed at how generous people have been.  I took the opportunity to chat with Tim and tell him what we were doing just a couple blocks away.  He was willing to bring his excavator by and, for a small price, make short work of the dirt piles.  What an incredible time and effort saver this was.  We would probably still be shoveling.

The dirt piles were gone, the soil was distributed and the garden was just about ready to be planted.  It was time for a celebration!  Thanks to Kelly and Sidney, who were major organizers of the gala, we provided dogs, chips and drinks for approximately 50 people.  Patrick was a great chef and Hands Across the Keys gave us some background music.  The party was a success on a day that was cold and rainy, surpassing my expectations.  What a great feeling to see this project moving forward.

The ultimate goal of the garden is to build community and a neighborhood association.  Associations usually happen when there are problems and issues, but the neighborhood around Memorial Presbyterian is a good one.  I think the rallying cry for the association is one of assisting our neighbors.  We want people to come into the area and it's my hope that the neighbors can teach new folks how to be a good neighbor.  We support each other and the association gives us another forum to do that.

[This is the second time I have written the blog as I deleted the first effort right before posting.  Please forgive terse sentences as they reflect my frustration.]