I love gardening. I can’t say that I have a green thumb, but I do love to be covered in dirt with my hands in the warm soil and the sun in my eyes. Let me tell you a little garden story.
About 12 years ago, I was forced asked to attend a committee meeting designed to develop eco-friendly initiatives for the college where I worked. At that meeting I met my now dear friend Barb when we both grabbed chairs at the table that had the words “community garden” as the centerpiece. The rest, you might say, is history.
Barb and I became fast friends and together we willed the Alfred Community Garden into existence. She and I spent 10 years digging, designing, haranguing, wheedling, planting, fertilizing, fund-raising, recruiting, and teaching about gardening, self-sufficiency, frugality, sustainability, and community service while the garden grew and grew and grew. Honestly, my friendship with her and that garden were the highlights of my former job.
But then my dear friend retired, and after one lonely year, I left the college too. My next (now current) job put me on the road and I started traveling for work (safely working from home now, no worries). Barb and I enjoyed post-college lunches a few times, but not often enough. And we all know what happened in 2020. I have missed her greatly now for two years.
In the background, I have been thinking a lot about my friend and our garden and the legacy that we built for Alfred to enjoy. And so I started making a quilt. I know that green is Barb’s favorite color, so you know what I did…I pulled out my 1.5″ postage stamps and got to work.
Right after Christmas I finished the Alfred Community Garden quilt. Last weekend I got the briefest of glimpses of my friend when we met in a parking lot and I gave her the quilt. I was so happy to see her face. I cannot wait for a summer day when we can eat ripe, juicy tomatoes fresh- picked from the vine in the beautiful, bountiful garden that we made.
