Environment

The Garden Path

by YankeeJim | June 1, 2011 at 08:54 am

107 views | 1 Recommendation | 5 comments

That’s what I want to become my beat, the garden path.

I went out to paint this morning before the temperature reached over 90 degrees. I carried my backpack, camp chair, water, and camera.

I wanted to paint trees from the grove in the Native American garden that has been in Donaldson Run since 500 BC.

I walked by the demonstration garden where I ran into four ladies, gardening and watering.

One of them told to me a story about a conservative friend who, upon hearing that she was tending beans, responded, “Well, that figures because she is one of those liberals.”

The lady told me that she had thought about it and believes that having the ability to plant vegetables and to grow crops is actually a very independent thing to do. She said, “Tending beans is conservative.”

OK, that’s nice, though I was more into the gardening and painting than a marginal political discussion, however, I like the story.

While visiting, several things captured my attention: 1) the plants that attract butterflies, 2) the garden and vegetables, 3) the gardeners, and 4) the pear tree that I wanted to paint.

On the way back, I ran across some lumber that was harvested here as well. A sign says that local workshops will use the wood and solicits other ideas for using it as well. Think of all of the parks that lose trees to storms from which lumber can be made. They only use trees that have fallen or are damaged that can hurt bystanders. The woods need its rotting trees too.