Transcendence , Knowledge and Wisdom

 Another Father's Day is history and summer is arriving. My daughter Emily, from Oakland, CA sent me this stunning flower arrangement. I love the abundance of different flowers and the atypical design. Thank you, dear daughter.

I keep Emily's handwritten page-long note from  Father's Day 1995 framed and on my bookshelf. After praising me, she writes "You play with me. No matter what we do we always have a good time."  Ten year old Emily then gives two examples, involving reading two of her favorite books, "The Napping House" and "Stars and Planets."  So many precious moments since that first 1985 Father Day when she was seven months old. We now talk every Sunday night which never makes up for missing seeing her in person.

Reflecting on several days of tending Prospect Gardens and life in general led me to consider transcendence, knowledge and wisdom. Our church, First Unitarian Society of Madison, has monthly themes and "transcendence" is June's theme.  In the June newsletter, Community Life Minister Kelly Crocker says that transcendence ".... speaks to us as moving beyond the common place or getting a sense of something larger than our existence." The newsletter offered Julie Cadwallader Staub's  poem for our reflections.  Staub's poems have been featured on Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac and published in several  journals. She lives near  Burlington, VT.

Longing 

Consider the blackpoll warbler.

She tips the scales

at one ounce

before she migrates, taking off

from the seacoast to our east

flying higher and higher 

ascending two or three miles

during her eighty hours of flight

until she lands, in Tobago,

north of Venezuela

three days older,

and weighing half as much.

She flies over open ocean almost the whole way.

She is not so different from us.

The arc of our lives is a mystery too.

We do not understand,

we cannot see

what guides us on our way:

that longing that pulls us toward light.

Not knowing, we fly onward

hearing the dull roar of the waves below.

The arc of my life is indeed a mystery. The far end of the arc is anchored in rural Northeastern Wisconsin near Pulaski and on a small family farm, in a large family of 14, and grounded in a Polish and Catholic culture. The arc now is situated in retirement, aging, a loving extended family with grand nieces and grand nephews, a loving wife and life partner, and a comfortable apartment in one of Madison's upscale and popular neighborhoods. Understanding how this all happened inevitably leads to acknowledging and appreciating the mystery of my life.  

Tending Prospect Gardens also underscores how gardening, as well as life, is a mystery. After ten years of tending Prospect Gardens it's still a mystery to me as to what perishes and survives as the years slip by. Why did  the strawberry patch disappear and the Blue Indigo survive, although we could spin out several plausible explanations? Is understanding life and gardening that important?   

Don't get me wrong, understanding is sometimes important. Yet understanding and knowledge are often overrated in terms of what motivates us to "fly onward", i.e. continue despite our own and the world's sufferings. As I experience aging, I'm more aware that acceptance, letting go, self-compassion and trusting in life itself are equally important.  Perhaps I am gaining wisdom. This is how Thich Nhat Hahn, a world renowned Vietnamese Buddhist teacher, distinguishes knowledge from wisdom:

  "Knowledge is conceptual, it is information, opinions and views read from books or spoken by others, whereas wisdom is the truth within the experience. Experience can not be conceptualized, for example....try to explain what water is, then go drink some water or stand in the rain, the conceptualization and the experience are completely different, this is the difference between knowledge and wisdom!!"

So I continue tending Prospect Gardens, flying onward and hopefully gaining wisdom about life itself. Happily and fortunate for me, as the following ten pictures show, others continue to lend a helping hand with Prospect Gardens. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.  Thank you all.

On a sunny June 5th afternoon, Ryan, the conservation crew supervisor for Operation Fresh Start (OFS), and five of his crew tended the Gardens. Ryan, the guy with the sun glasses, is now working for the Vilas Zoo. I will miss his enthusiasm and knowledge of plants. Ryan raises hybrid day lilies as a hobby.

Percy, a master gardener and regular volunteer, substituted for me since I could not stay for the entire work session. Thank you Percy, Ryan and the young men from OFS.

OFS according to its mission statement provides "disconnected youth, 16-24, a path to self- sufficiency through education, mentoring, and employment training." Through a contract with the City Engineering, OFS conservation crews, assist in maintaining green spaces as part of their employment training. Maddie, the Department's Greenway Vegetation Coordinator, provided the crew as part of the Department's support for prairie gardens along the Southwest Path.  Thank you, Maddie.

The OFS crew worked hard and hopefully they benefited from their Prospect Garden experiences. Here's Ryan and two crew members pulling out aggressive Rudbeckia (Black Eye Susan) from an upper section of the Gardens and on the Regent side.

Black Eye Susans are lovely to behold and yet very aggressive. They were overtaking the tall Michigan Daisies lining the weathered picket fence. More need to be removed.

These two crew members, along with Percy, tackled the equally aggressive Bishops Weed on the opposite of the Gardens. It forms a dense mat that prohibits other plants from establishing. Another great year for this nemesis to many gardeners. How it gained a foothold in the Gardens continues to be mystery. A few years ago there was none.

Another area that Percy and this OFS crew member tackled was the ditch in front of the storm water drain and the home of jumping worms. I am starting to learn about this latest invasive species and their potential ill affects.

Jumping worms grow more rapidly, reproduce more quickly and consume more nutrients than typical earthworms.They quickly transform soil into ground resembling discarded coffee grounds. Ornamental, garden plants, and many native plants do not thrive in the changed soil. For now, I am following Percy's advice to wait and watch for effects. There is some uncertainty about how best to treat an infestation.  Cleaning out plant debris like Percy and OFS crew members did is recommended.

 On June 15th this crew arrived. Starting on the left, first row, is Emma, Mary, Ann and Laima. In the back row starting on the left is Laura, with the yellow visor, then Janet and Reis. Removing Bishop's Weed consumed most of the three hour session.

Here's Reis digging out Carney Reed Grass, a noxious plant that can grow up to six feet tall and with very deep roots. Like Bishops' Weed it forms a dense mat that prevents other plants from existing.

I enjoyed Reis' enthusiastic and adventurous spirit. He really got into digging after exclaiming "I always wanted a shovel in my hands."  Reis is University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student who now has two summer jobs.

Another enthusiastic and adventitious spirit is Emma. Reis and Emma are friends who learned of Prospect Gardens through the Dane County United Way volunteer website. I posted the work session on this web site.  Emma also has a summer job and last year attended UW Madison.

I enjoyed Emma's sense of humor. After I mentioned that she didn't have any gloves she laughed and said, "I plan on getting really dirty."

I'm hoping that Emma and Reis return so I can get to know them better. Plus they are such great workers.

Here are two regulars, Laima and Laura. Both are neighbors who live near the Prospect Gardens. Laura who has consistently volunteered now for many years, helped me trim back the ten year old Forsythia. Janet also provided advice and encouragement as we reduced the overgrown shrub by at least half. Nick arrived to help finish the job as well as helped me trim another overgrown Forsythia. Both shrubs were damaged during the unusual cold spring or as Janet said, "the polar vortex."

Here's Mary taking a brief break from weeding a shady corner of the Gardens. Now the Astilbes are visible. Mary is from the Regent Neighborhood and her home is an easy walk from the Gardens. She has a great, welcoming smile.

Mary may become a regular since this is the second time she volunteered.  You will always be welcomed and your hard work appreciated.

Janet, here behind the still to bloom Queen of the Prairie, is a first time volunteer. She arrived on her electric assisted bike from her home in nearby Villas neighborhood. She knows a thing or two about gardening and plants. You too will be welcomed back any time.

For some unknown reason, I didn't take a picture of Ann working diligently in an area to the right of Janet. Your  thorough weeding is greatly appreciated. Come back again anytime. You will be welcomed.

These old fashioned roses are once again blooming. I suspect that they have been along the Path for years. They were uncovered several years ago as we cleared out the area and expanded the Gardens.

They are one of the surviving old timers. Against formidable odds they persist, returning every year to beautify a small corner of the Gardens that can be easily missed. Passersby, like me who look up and notice this corner of  beauty, may experience a sense of transcending our ordinary and yet mysterious lives.

May you continue to fly onward like the blackpoll warbler in Staub's poem unimpeded with concerns about the distance and the "dull roar of the waves below."