Tuesday, May 01, 2007

A Garden Grows in Harlem

Flowers have been blooming all over the city and gardens have been springing up all over Harlem, but today there are particular flowers I planted in a certain garden in Harlem.

Our company is sponsoring a community garden in East Harlem, and I took a paid-volunteer day to dig in the dirt of the urban jungle. We planted flowers and shrubbery as members of the community came out to help or watch as a small patch of land began to turn from drab to dazzling.

My colleague Randy and I dug a large hole for one of four purple trees in the southeast corner of the garden while we joked about digging to China. We agreed to come back to the neighborhood this summer to check on the progress of the garden and have brunch. Later, I stood back with another colleague named Liz and watched an older woman hug each tree that we had planted.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held in August, after more plants are added, new grass is laid, and the flagstone walkway and the patio are set. I can't wait to see how it will look when it's finished.

My soror sent me an invitation for another garden project in Harlem on May 19; however, I will be in Miami for a friend's bachelorette weekend! More about that as it happens!

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