Many of us in the neighborhood routinely pass by the traffic diverters at NE 33rd and Bryce when coming or going from our homes. Perhaps because I live only one house away, I find myself avoiding looking at the weed patch that grows taller and thicker every summer. However, I walk as much as I drive, so when I walk across 33rd, there it is, up close and personal. The guilt trip is real when a voice asks, “Shouldn’t you do something to beautify this wasteland?”
Finally, one of those straw weeds in the circle symbolically became the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” Let me propose a neighborhood volunteer group to meet at the islands to dig away. The first goal is to remove the weeds. Next, visit nurseries and solicit donations of drought-resistant plants. While our garden might not be the photo background Grant prom couples would choose, it will nonetheless be an improved and decorative communal garden.
I volunteer to organize the weeding, solicit plants, and schedule planting sessions. For the volunteers who will join me, I’ll provide drinking water, iced tea, and cookies. Weeding and planting is best accomplished in the mornings to prevent gardening in the heat of the day, so dial in your “lark” mode and plan for early-morning work sessions.
Before you say no, imagine the following: you set forth on 33rd and pass twin simple little gardens, improved reflections of our lovely Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood.
Please e-mail me (patriciamatteri@comcast.net) if you can spare an hour or more on this project, and put “traffic diverter garden volunteer” in the subject line. Transformation is in our hands.