A green pinky perhaps???

Tonight as I type this post, I type with hands that have played in the dirt this week. They're dry and stained and my back and shoulders hurt, but today I'm okay with that. Last night, I went out and started weeding my overgrown flowerbeds. I wasn't out there because I wanted to at all. I was out there because a certain person who lives in my house was nagging about how they looked. So as I weeded, I plotted a mass murder of entire flowerbeds with Roundup (and then ways to get rid of the nagger). I woke up this morning and stared disgustedly at my flowerbeds as I left for work...

As I got ready for work I remembered that I had planned to go work in the Community Garden with a lady I support! I wasn't overly excited at all, but I knew that the lady I support was going to need some encouragement as she tried something new. So I planned on faking it...Now if you don't know how Community Gardens work, here's a quick explantion...A large parcel of land in a town/city is used to give people who may not have the space, a chance to grow fresh produce. In our Community Garden half the space is dedicated to growing produce for our local food bank. Our garden is relatively new and since I was on maternity leave last summer, I really didn't get to see it in action. Its run and organized my two of my co-workers in their spare time. They don't even live in the town. They teach workshops for families and children on weekends! They need volunteers to help look after the food bank portion of the garden!!!

We had only been weeding a few minutes, when an older gentleman showed up. He had been across the street at Zehrs and they had tables with free plants. He figured they may be in rough shape, but there was empty space in the garden. He didn't have time to plant them, but he got us some tools and left. I was touched by his thoughtfulness!!! As we worked, we chatted about where this food was going to end up and how it was going to help needy families. We met a few other volunteers during our two hours there. Two older ladies brought us peaches as a snack, before they went a picked some peas and beets to drop off at the food bank. When I got home tonight, I tackled my flowerbeds and made some serious progress. I moved rocks and plants and was sad when I ran out of daylight. After almost two years in this house, I felt like I made them mine!

So here's the point...Find out if you're town has a Community Garden! Even if you don't want/need to have a garden, pitch in a help for an hour! When the kids get whiny and bored this summer, pitch in as a family! Remember that when we think and work as a community, good things truly can happen! And yes I'm going to post pictures of my flowerbeds later!

And to Andrea and Andrew- Thanks for all you have put into this community project!!!