UW Badger Volunteers and Gratitude

On the first day of summer, June 21st, a new crew of University of Wisconsin Badger Volunteers and their supervisors, tended the Prospect Gardens. A perfect afternoon for gardening. Temperature in the low 70's and with a light cloud cover.

The four Badger Volunteers, in lime green t- shirts, starting from the left to right are Joe, Sameer, Ethan and Connie. In the back row are Justine, the Program Coordinator for the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative (WEI) and Sam. He is replacing Justine who shortly will be leaving for Olympia, WA. Justine, serving an Americorps term, will join Capitol Land Trust in Olympia, WA, as their Restoration Coordinator. Justine will be involved in volunteer management, public education, and conservation efforts in the region.

WEI, directed by John Imes, sponsors the crew and through John's generosity, crews work in the Gardens several times during the gardening season.  This crew will be with WEI for the summer and will be involved with other WEI initiatives.

With deep gratitude I thank this crew, the UW Morgridge Center for Public Service, developers of the Badger Volunteer program, and John Imes for making his crew available. Before I share more for your reflection, here is Carrie Newcomer's poem, "Three Gratitudes."

Every night before I go to sleep

I say out loud
Three things that I’m grateful for,
All the significant, insignificant
Extraordinary, ordinary stuff of my life.
It’s a small practice and humble,
And yet, I find I sleep better
Holding what lightens and softens my life
Ever so briefly at the end of the day.
Sunlight, and blueberries,
Good dogs and wool socks,
A fine rain,
A good friend,
Fresh basil and wild phlox,
My father’s good health,
My daughter’s new job,
The song that always makes me cry,
Always at the same part,
No matter how many times I hear it.
Decent coffee at the airport,
And your quiet breathing,
The stories you told me,
The frost patterns on the windows,
English horns and banjos,
Wood Thrush and June bugs,
The smooth glassy calm of the morning pond,
An old coat,
A new poem,
My library card,
And that my car keeps running
Despite all the miles.

And after three things,
More often than not,
I get on a roll and I just keep on going,
I keep naming and listing,

Until I lie grinning,
Blankets pulled up to my chin,
Awash with wonder
At the sweetness of it all."

As we ended the afternoon and packed up the tools and returned this wheelbarrow to its owner, I felt grateful for the opportunity to enjoy a summer afternoon with future UW alumni. You could say  I was "awash with wonder at the sweetness of it all."

Here's Justine observing a spider on her arm during an April work session when she and another crew of Badger Volunteers tended the Gardens. I wish the best to her as she ventures to Olympia and begins her new job. She is excited about moving to the Northwest. Justine will do very well in her new job.

Justine and I teamed to create a new bed which first involved  removing rocks. We took turns hauling the rocks in a wheelbarrow up the northern ramp. The rock pile awaits pick up by the city.

I will fill the space with dirt and plant natives and maybe some grasses. Nate, an Oregon teacher and lead for its school prairie, has set aside Blue Lobelia and Little Blue Stem grasses. Maybe early next week  I will do the planting.

Sam, pictured here pulling weeds, is  an environmental science major and will be a senior this fall semester. Recently he's been biking many of our nearby trails. He also loves cast and fly fishing and especially near his hometown of Viroqua. Thanks Sam for your good work which included pulling Bishops Weed.

Viroqua's population is nearly 4,400 and is located about 94 miles northwest of Madison. Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County. The county and surrounding areas are part of the unique Driftless region which covers about 20,000 square miles in western Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa, southeastern Minnesota, and extreme northwestern Illinois. This area was never glaciated, resulting in landscapes of steep, forested ridges, and deeply-carved river valleys.

Besides it's natural beauty, the Viroqua area is known for being one of the greatest organic farming regions of the  United States. Organic Valley, the largest organic farming cooperative in North America, is just one of the many organic farms that provide products to restaurants in Viroqua and across the Midwest.

The town and the area has a special place in my heart. Prior to retiring, I was the evaluation coordinator for the UW Environmental Resource Center. I'm grateful for the eight years of being on a team dedicated to addressing environmental issues.

We had a two day staff meeting held at the visitors center of The Kickapoo Valley Reserve, 23 miles east of Viroqua. A majestic setting on  8,600-acre of public land.

The Kickapoo River, a 126-mile-long tributary of the Wisconsin River, flows through the Reserve. Sandstone outcroppings tower over the River and native plants and animals abound in all seasons throughout the Reserve. Great fishing, and I bet Sam has fished in or near the Reserve.

During break, we talked about our least favorite buildings on campus. Sam disliked the Noland Zoology building. Joe nominated the George L. Mosse Humanities building pictured here. A few years ago the walk bridge was removed from this concrete colossus. Surprisingly, Sam liked the Humanities building, even though its design is similar to the Zoology Building.

Talking about buildings reminded me of my four years on the campus and how grateful I am for my UW education. Those were transformative  years for me when the Zoology and Humanities building were under construction. Also, UW was one of the epicenters of the Vietnam War protests during those years.

Construction of the Humanities Building began in 1966 when I was a senior, and in the fall began a Master's Degree program in Political Science. It and the Zoology building was completed in 1969. That year I still lived in Madison and was finishing my first year of teaching 7th and 8th grade social studies in Poynette with a Masters degree and teacher certification earned in 1968.

I recall walking past the Humanities Building as it was being built. The site was surrounded by a ply wood barrier covered with graffiti and anti-war slogans. According to a popular myth, the architect designed the structure to be riot proof. Supposedly, the design would impede protesters from occupying the building, as was done on October 18, 1967 when students took over the Commerce building. Known as the "Dow Chemical Riots", police waded into Commerce and dispersed the students with what would now be called excessive force.

I now stroll pass the Humanities Building on my occasional walks through campus. The massive building is a prime example of the 1960's Brutalist architectural movement. Brutalist designed buildings are large scaled concrete structures with a stark appearance featuring minimalist geometric patterns, straight lines and unadorned concrete exterior and interior surfaces. The architect was Harry Weese, the same man who designed Washington, D.C.’s iconic metro stations.

The UW master plan calls for the demolition of Humanities sometime in the future which has stirred up  controversy. Here's what Joe Reuteman, in the December 5th, 2015 Badger Herald said:

"The severe cement facade strikes many as overly imposing, looking less like a hub of arts and history and more like a munitions plant from some bleak dystopian fiction. The interior can be equally off-putting for new visitors, who often critique the layout of corridors, rooms, and stairwells as segmented and counter-intuitive."

However, Humanities has its supporters such as UW alumnus Virgil Abloh , the fashion designer and artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's wear collection. Perhaps Sam, as a future alumnus, will have a voice in resolving the controversy.

Another future alumnus is Joe. Here's Joe returning from dumping a pile of weeds. Joe is beginning his senior year and double majoring in Environmental Studies and Economics.

Joe is from Wauwatosa, WI, a suburb of Milwaukee. Joe joined Badger Volunteers because he enjoys being a part of a cause that is greater than himself. Your generous spirit and hard work is greatly appreciated.

Here's Ethan with Justine. Ethan, his international name, is from China. His majors are mathematics and economics. 

Ethan now has two courses and an internship as a Data Analyst for the Wisconsin Educational Research Center. He joined the Badger Volunteers to get a break from a lot of time sitting and looking at the laptop screen. Being a Badger Volunteer also satisfies his desire to help preserve nature. Thank you, Ethan.

Connie, her international name, is also from China. She was born in a small village, and reflecting trends in China, moved with her family to a city. When living in the village she   gardened with her Grandmother.

Connie is biochemistry major with a computer science minor. Connie joined UW Badger Volunteers because she wants to be more engaged in the community and specifically in environmental protection efforts. She is pleased to be with the Wisconsin  Environmental Initiative (WEI). I am equally pleased and grateful that Connie spent the afternoon tending the Prospect Gardens.   

Ethan and Connie in action. The two made a great team. They worked diligently while seeming to enjoy themselves. Thank you.

Here's Sameer removing Jewel Weed. His hometown is Kenosha. His major is electrical engineering with an emphasis on embedded systems. According to my Google search, embedded systems is a new discipline that intersects  Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Embedded systems dominate every aspect of human life. Applications are used in automobiles, TVs, cell phones, tablets, house appliances, house automation, and many other domains. In other words, all the electronic gadgets in our lives involve embedded systems.

Sameer joined Badger Volunteers because he felt it was good opportunity to meet new people and help the community at the same time. Thanks for helping our community and especially Prospect Gardens.


Gardening with the UW Badger Volunteers, Sam and Justine, to borrow from Newcomer's poem, is another example of the "Extraordinary, ordinary stuff of my life." I look forward to this crew's return.

The efforts of volunteers over the ten years since the Gardens began means that colorful areas such as this one greet passersby.The Poppy Mellows are in full bloom and dominate the area.

The Poppy Mellows are well established and like magic return each year. Yet they and all sections of the Gardens must be maintained which means that the need for volunteers is constant. The next neighborhood work session will be July 20th, 9 to noon. If you are in Madison, please join me. Many other plants will be in boom and perhaps the raspberries will be ready to pick.

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."

May and Time

Another Memorial Day is history. It was a rainy day that most likely caused picnickers to seek shelter. Summer has officially begun. Kayaks and canoes have returned to the Lake Wingra boat house across the street, along with heavy carpeted logs for the log roller enthusiasts.

Ann and I headed to Klein's on East Washington and bought annuals for the six pots on our deck. A short intense shower pounded the greenhouse roof as we shopped and it stopped before we checked out. Beauty and color will once again enhance a space where I often do my morning Tai Chi.

The peaceful Buddha sits in front of the pink blooming geranium. The rock to his left is lava from Garter Lake, Oregon. Two friends, ignoring signs warning against removing lava, showed up with two lava rocks in the late 1970s when I lived in Portland, Oregon. They did not know of the Buddha's five precepts with one encouraging us to refrain from taking anything that is not freely given; i.e, no stealing.

These rocks now mark the passage of time.We packed them when we left Oregon in 1980 for Bloomington, Indiana and packed them again in 1983 for the move to Andover, Massachusetts after completing a Ph.D. at Indiana University. They were among the boxes in 1986 upon our return to  Madison, Wisconsin. Home at last. Yes indeed, if these rocks could talk they would tell you many stories about my life as it arced from coast to coast and back to the Midwest.

Tirupathi Chandrupatla, a professor of mechanical engineering at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, says this about time in his poem "Time Knows Time."

Time flows

Like the perennial river

Time rides the crest

Of a wave in the sea

Time's space

Its fourth dimension

Time's elastic

Keeps on bouncing

Time's a sponge

Absorbs all spills

Time sleeps

Time wakes up

Time walks

Time runs 
Time races

Time stands still

Time flies fast

Time has past

Time has future

Time never stays in the present

Time creeps

Time ticks

Time tricks

Sometimes good
Sometimes bad

Time's night

Time's day

Time's dark

Time's bright

Time's heavy

Time's light

Time's easy

Time's hard

Time blinks like eye

Time beats like heart

Time makes

Yoktosecond * large 

Time turns

Exasecond ** too small

Time lets one fall

Time makes one rise

Time's magic

Time brings one to life

From nowhere

Time makes one vanish

In an instant

Time's all

That we know

Time's everything else

That we don't.

Time Knows Time

* a septillion of a second

** A unit of time equal to 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 second

Time raced through May; flowing through Ann's birthday, our 40th wedding anniversary, watching the migration of spring warblers, meetings with my First Unitarian Chalice group and another Buddhist inspired "Going Forth" small group, a long walk and lunch with my friend Dave, medical appointments and several days of tending Prospect Gardens. May's river of time also included work on a survey for our church and the haunting sound of an owl just before falling asleep next to Ann.

 Time with neighbors at Prospect Gardens was "bright", "light", "easy" and at the same time vanishing "in an instant."  In my attempt to capture time and chronicle Prospect Gardens events here are nine pictures, along with commentary. 

On May 15th we cleared a section full of weeds.  Here's Amy, a nearby Dungeon Monroe neighbor and Jessica, a recent UW graduate. Jessica is waiting to hear if she has been accepted to the Peace Core.  Thank you Amy and Jessica for your  good company, hard work and for sharing the passage of time on a warm and beautiful spring day, with fluffy clouds, blue sky and temperatures nearing 80 degrees.  Life is good.

The crew taking a break. Joining Jessica was her friend, another UW student, Lasea. Thank you Lasea and come join us again.

We achieved my unstated objective of clearing the problematic section. Two yards of mulch was also delivered in anticipation of covering the area after planting. I returned and replanted with plants purchased from a private party who advertised on Facebook.

The twenty-five minute trip to fetch the healthy plants ended at a 1960's ranch home on the far west side of Middleton and close to Verona. Never been to that part of the county before. Traveling west on Airport Road, I noticed how the rolling landscape, once filled with farms, was now dotted with small clusters of homes and some businesses. Urban sprawl with the boundaries of Madison, Middleton and Verona overlapping. Dane County is the fastest growing county in Wisconsin and it's noticeable.

The May 18th work session was rained out. A week later, May 25th, this crew tended the gardens. Thank you for being such a diligent and joyful crew.

In the front row starting from the left is me, Tom and Joyce. In back of me is Hanns, and to his left are Niha and Penelope. Niha and Penelope are high school students. Penelope was doing community service as part of the nearby West High School's English class. She will be writing about her experience as a class assignment.

Behind Penelope is Will, another high school student from nearby Fitchburg. Next to Will are Anne and David, Penelope's parents. Anne is a UW Botany professor, specializing in fungi.  Laura is to David's right(behind Hanns).

Eli, a middle school student, came later and after the picture was taken. Since his family is moving to Middleton this was probably Eli's last time tending the Gardens. Thanks Eli.  Come visit when your back in the neighborhood.

Here's Nick enjoying one of Ann's lemon bars. Ann, my wife, always bakes for the Saturday crews.  Lemon bars are a favorite and these were some of her best.

 Afterwards, Nick joined Tom who was busy mulching. The pile of two yards of mulch quickly vanished. About a wheelbarrow's worth now remains.

Thanks Nick for lending a helping hand. Please come join as again.  I like your cowboy hat which I once wore when living in Central Oregon, along with cowboy boots. When the heels needed to be replaced,  the cobbler looked at me and asked: "Do you ride a horse?"  After answering "no", the wise man said stop wearing the boots and explained why. And I did.


Tom returning from dumping a wheelbarrow of mulch in the section that Amy, Jessica, Lasea, Ann and I cleaned out on May 15th. Tom is an avid gardener and prairie enthusiast from the Brittingham neighborhood, west of Prospect Gardens and near the east end of the Southwest Path. He is the crew chief of the Brittingham Community gardens which I must visit.

Tom credits his father for his love of the outdoors, gardening and prairies.  Tom's father was once a game warden.

Will, Niha and Penelope in action.  They cleared the Gardens and adjoining areas of garlic mustard, as well as tackled areas covered with Bishop's weed. Their youthful joy and enthusiasm added so much to the day while reminding me that time has both a past and a future.

Gardens have always been integral parts of a community. Tending Prospect Gardens includes time to chat, as this picture of Laura and Joyce shows. One of the benefits of tending Prospect Gardens are opportunities for these friendly exchanges when we stop and strengthen our human connections.

One outcome of the two May work days is this  mulched and replanted section. The small green plants are the recently purchased purple cone flowers, spider warts and a blackeye susan. I will be watching them with some anxiety since this area has resisted past efforts at being transformed. Weeds and quake grass flourished and hopefully they are under control.  Yet gardens and weeds have their own life cycles.

The joys of tending Prospect Gardens in May also included finding, refurbishing and placing this birdhouse.  I found it on a trash pile in front of a nearby vacant home before it was sold. I reattached the roof, cleaned the dust off and applied a few coats of varnish. Let's see if nuthatches or perhaps wrens like this house as much as I do.

An older women who was cleaning out her home moved into a assisted living community. The birdhouse didn't sell at her garage sale, but the house sold, and now another younger couple joins the neighborhood. 

I end these reflections about May, Prospect Gardens and time with this observation about gardeners. 

"Aren't gardening people the happiest, friendliest, a
and most generous people you know? Why do you suppose gardening is the #1 hobby in America?  Gardening touches everyone in some way, be it beauty, color, solitude, food, memories, therapy, land value, exercise (some of the best), to attract wildlife or just the thrill of making something grow. It’s a great way to have quality time with your family and friends."

- The Gardener's Touch Sonya Robinson 

Saturday, June 15th , 9 to noon,will be another opportunity to feel the benefits of tending Prospect Gardens while experiencing some of Tirupathi Chandrupatla's insights about time: 

"Time flows

Like the perennial river

Time rides the crest

Of a wave in the sea"

Friendship and Busy April

It's a quiet Sunday the 28th of April and spring has returned after Saturday's wintry mix.  April has been a busy and fulling month. In early April, I reconnected with long time friends from Indiana University (IU) graduate school days. We spent several days together in beautiful and historic Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe is the oldest city in the United States, starting as a small settlement in 1607.

Here's Julius, Diane, Edie and me just before dinner at a wonderful Japanese restaurant . Julius lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Diane hails from Eastsound, an island off of Seattle, Washington, and Edie from Waterbury, Vermont. Linda, from Chicago and Lynn, from Oriental, North Carolina, two other graduate school friends, were unable to be with us. Through the magic of video teleconferencing we spend a hour and half with them.

We enjoyed beautiful and historic Santa Fe. We reminisced about the IU days and talked about how that period shaped our lives. Edie, Diane, Linda and Lynn and I were completing doctorate degrees in education while working on a national federally funded special education grant. Julius was a key support staff. We also talked about our lives since Indiana and our current passions and activities.

Our time together confirmed the value of friendship better expressed than I can in this Max Coots' poem.

A Harvest of People

"Let us give thanks for a bounty of people:

For generous friends, with smiles as bright as their blossoms.
For feisty friends as tart as apples;
For continuous friends who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us that we’ve had them.

For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;
For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn; and the others as plain as potatoes and as good for you.
For friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as endless as zucchini, and who, like parsnips, can be counted on to see you through the winter.
For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time.
For young friends, who wind around like tendrils and hold us.

We give thanks for friends now gone, like gardens past that have been harvested, but who fed us in their times that we might live."

Shortly after returning from Santa Fe, my attention turned to Prospect Gardens. We are now starting the tenth year and over the years a "bounty of people" have volunteered. Those who have regularly showed up over the years are truly "generous friends, with smiles as bright as their blossoms."

April's events at Prospect Gardens began with Ann B. and I taking down the protective orange snow fences. Late last fall, someone tagged this section of the mural with graffiti. Dorrie, a neighbor, created the mural during April and May 2011.

Seven years without being tagged. Not bad of a run, given how often two nearby bridges are tagged. I repainted the area attempting to create clouds. I'm looking for a few bird stencils to enhance the effect of a bike in the sky.

Hopefully, the taggers will stay away. If not, this slab and perhaps the other sections of the mural along the sides of the ramps will need to be redone or redesigned.

The abstract bike really "pops" out. It will do for now. Somebody might come forward with ideas for a redesign and energy to install a new mural. Maybe they will be new "young friends who wind around like tendrils and hold us?"


Another task involved repairing terraces built to stabilize the slopes and prevent erosion. We all know impermanence is the reality of life. Ann B. weeded and swept the ramps while I tackled the terraces.

I added the two top rows to this one and rebuilt a second one in a different section. Eleanor, a nearby neighbor, gladly offered the heavy slabs for the taking. They are from an old fire pit she  removed to make way for  a new anticipated fence and a new dog. Moving the slabs in a wheel barrel meant plenty of exercise while ticking off steps on my Fitbit.

On Friday afternoon, April 26th, 13 volunteers joined Ann B. and I, to officially kicked off the 2019 gardening season. We welcomed three new faces, Elijah, Amy, and Mary. Mulch King Bob returned as well as Percy, Eli and Ann N.

John Imes, Executive Director of  the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative (WEI), also returned along with Justine, a WEI staff member, and this year's four University of Wisconsin Badger Volunteers, Morgan, Taylor, Ellie and Yeline. The Badger Volunteers, UW students, have been with WEI and John for the academic year and this was their last day.

John has his crew work at the Prospect Gardens one day month during the season except May.  May is a transition month plus graduation, and of course, finals.  A new crew of Badgers, along with Justine and John, will return on June 21st, July 12th and August 2 or 9th. Thank you John and all for your generosity and hard work.

This is the second year UW Badger Volunteers have helped tend the Gardens. Here's the crew pausing from their labors after I asked them to pose. They worked hard weeding and pulling garlic mustard. Not a slouch among them. John also pruned the shrubs bordering the ramp's wall.

I look forward to working again with Justine, John and a new Badger crew. Badger Volunteers is one of Morgridge Center for Public Service's programs. It's a semester-long program that places teams of students with schools, nonprofits, and municipalities. Volunteers work 1-4 hours each week at the same organization.

As a UW graduate and an elder, I receive much joy from working with these four young Badgers.  May our paths cross again.

The following six pictures provide ample evidence that the other volunteers worked with gusto. Sorry to say, I missed snapping a picture of Mary while she weeded and pulled garlic mustard. Also missing is a picture of the all volunteers during break time enjoying Ann B's homemade treat.  This time it was Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars.

Here's Amy, Elijah and Ann N. weeding the raspberry patch and getting it ready for mulching.

Here's Bob and Amy in action. Bob continues as our "mulch king" because he's good at and he so likes mulching.

The day before Ann B. and I purchased and delivered to the site ten bags of mulch from Home Depot. The trunk of  our 2012 Honda Civic was packed and two bags were on the folded back seat. What a load! I wondered about the weight limit for a Civic as we slowly made our way back to Prospect Gardens. 

 Here's Elijah, a junior at West High School. What a great worker! At the end of the work session he offered to help clean up and put away the tools. Hopefully, he will become one of those "young friends, who wind around like tendrils and hold us" mentioned in Max Coot's poem.  

Here's me towards the end of the work session standing besides the now mulched raspberry patch. That's Elijah behind the electric pole still working away.

This young man is Eli. This is Eli's second year volunteering and most likely this was his last time. He and his family live about a half block from the Gardens. Unfortunately for us but not the family, they will be moving to Middleton and into a home with an acre and half lot that includes a prairie. Ann B. and I wish the family the best and hope our paths too will cross again.

Here's Percy surveying a second cherry tree off to the left of the picture before pruning it. She just completed pruning the other cherry tree. I'm grateful to this Master Gardner for her pruning expertise and for being a regular volunteer.

I end with returning to Max Coots' poem and its message about being grateful for friends and all their uniqueness. The same applies to all volunteers who over the years tended Prospect Gardens. I feel especially blessed that 13 showed up on a bright sunny 2019 spring day to take us into the 10th year and perhaps beyond.  

Saturday, May 18th, 9 am to noon, is the next work session. If you are in the Madison area, please join us. Our need for volunteers is constant since many come for one session, which is okay.

Thank you.  

Anticipating Spring

Once again, early in the morning of April Fools Day, Ann tricked me. I got up a few hours after her. After we greeted, she said "Guess what?  On the news this morning they said that the Monroe Street sewers need to be redone."  Sewers were included in the renovation of Monroe Street lasting from March to Thanksgiving, 2018.  We live on Monroe. I groaned: "Oh no!"  She triumphantly proclaimed "April Fools." We laughed.  A good way to start a day.

During that day's afternoon walk I meandered east from our apartment on the Southwest Path. A daily walk is part of my regular routine. Occasionally the sun poked through the thin clouded overcast sky. The following poem Michael b. darby captures my mood as I approached Prospect Gardens and began scanning the Gardens for signs of spring.

Anticipation of Spring

"As winter slowly wanes, its cold breath slowly turning to the warm
Breath of spring, renewing and accepting the Wonderment that spring
Shall bring forth nature's power of renewal. Oh how awesome it makes us feel
As we await the beauty and the anticipation of spring we shall accept.

Watch the daffodil slowing begin to bloom as it pushes its way up from earth
And ground. Watch the buds on the Bradford pears burst open and the yellow
Grass as it begins its journey to green, and the firament and all it contains show
Its force that Mother Nature shall bring and anoint us all with its renewal of life.

Watch the farmer as he busts open the soil and turns over the ground and tills the dirt
To a fine sift, awaiting the planting of seed that will bring forth a great abundance
Of Food to renew life's bread for us all; and to exclaim, spring is finely here!"

It's been a long winter as this patch of remaining snow streaked with dirt testifies.  Loudly announcing "spring is finally here!" seemed premature. Yet a hint of spring was in the air.

The only signs of spring I found were pale green Day Lilies, no more that three inches above the ground. I'm reading Jerry Apps' "A History: Old Farm." I gained from Apps a new respect for what many, including me, call "ditch lilies."

The tawny orange blooming annuals are native to China, Japan, Korea and eastern Siberia and were cultivated long before the birth of Christ. Apps sites Chinese records saying that Day Lilies relieve physical and mental pain. Juice from the roots benefit the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and stomach while strengthening willpower, reducing worry and brightening the eyes. Wow, I didn't know all this.

Day Lilies were popular throughout Europe by the 1500s and they most likely crossed the Atlantic with the Pilgrims, at least that's what Apps says.  In the light of what I learned about Day Lilies, I may reconsider intentions to remove more Daily Lilies from the Gardens. Much of the southwest section of the Gardens was covered with Day Lilies when we began developing the Gardens in 2010 and many return each year. Perhaps it's best to leave them given their history, as well as a reminder that they witnessed steam powered trains rumbling down the corridor.

What follows are more Garden scenes all testifying to this season of transition and my anticipation of spring. They also show the Gardens' geographical features: hilly slopes with some covered with rip-rock. Both features add an extra challenge to gardening.  Sometimes I refer to our efforts as "extreme gardening."

This picture shows the southeast section of the Gardens and is in the Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood. Underneath the trees is a shade garden of Hostas, Jack-in-the Pulpit and Jacob's Ladder. In front of the newly replaced board fence is a Red Bud, that will soon bloom. Several Red Buds are in the nearby UW Arboretum. With anticipation I await their blooming and another sign that "spring is finally here!"   

 This picture shows the northwest section of the Garden and is in the Regent Neighborhood. Note the rip-rock. The Day Lilies make up the pale green areas. They anchor the slope preventing erosion, another reason against removal. The triangular shrub is Japanese Sumac, with golden yellow foliage in the Fall. It is now just a skeleton of itself.

The old picket fence has been there for many years. It was there when we first moved into the neighborhood in 1986, as was the railroad tracks. Occasionally an engine and one flat car of lumber slowly traveled west with a load for Brunsell's Lumber yard, which is still in business near the Beltline.

Emily, our daughter, has fond memories of the train tracks. As an older child, Emily would sit along the tracks enjoying some peace and solitude. Now West High School students visit, sit along on the ramps and eat their lunch.     

This picture is looking east and is on the north side of the Gardens and in the Regent Neighborhood.The Forsythia, in the right hand lower corner planted by Steve, a fellow gardener, is one of the first bloomers. It's bright yellow flowers will proclaim that spring is finally here. Meanwhile, I wait with anticipation.

 This picture shows the Dudgeon Monroe side of the Gardens and looking west up into the shade garden. A layer of leaves covers the ground. The small spindly tree (middle of picture) is a species of Dogwood. This one is slow growing. I purchased two several years ago when both were about a foot tall.  Last year both bloomed for the first time. I wait in anticipation for the pearl white flowers to burst forth.

Today, election day, Ann and I intended to remove the orange snow fences. Removal has become a spring ritual. Light rain changed our minds. Sun broke through about 3 PM, just in time for my daily stroll.

In a few months the Gardens will be transformed as native grasses, prairie plants and perennials return. Meanwhile I will wait with anticipation for spring as I did as a young farm boy growing up on a farm with a pond near the farm house.

 I cherish the story of those spring days told by my oldest sister, Jenny, when Ann and I interviewed her for a family project. Jenny died in early spring of 2017, April 6th to be exact. She took me back to when the pond and the creek that cut across the farm overflowed with water from the melting snow. Jenny described the soothing sound of the rushing water, the pleasing songs of croaking frogs and the sweet melodies of robins. For a few minutes we sat silently each enjoying the memories of childhood springs.     

Our first community work session is scheduled for April 20th from 9 to noon. If you are in the Madison area please join us. We will finish cutting back plants and maybe remove more rocks while creating new beds for plants that are on order. On April 26th from 1 to 4 pm University of Wisconsin Badger Volunteers. Another opportunity to tend the gardens while enjoying the unfolding spring.

May spring continue to unfold and may we all be healthy, strong and happy.