9/1/2021 0 Comments Weeding the PaversThe Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest wildlife sanctuary of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Much of its 2,200-acre landscape was created by a glacier 10,000 years ago. It is also a 25-minute bicycle ride from our house. Catherine and I have been volunteers for more than a quarter of a century. For the past ten years Catherine and a group that she has assembled have been responsible for maintaining the many nature gardens at the sanctuary. Every Tuesday morning, from the beginning of April through the end of October, they plant, weed, beautify, identify and educate each other about all the mysteries of soil, plants, and all the creatures great and small that thrive in the sanctuary. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, at a volunteer appreciation dinner, I met the new director, Amy. The outgoing director, Carol, a good friend of ours had been there close to 30 years. Something about the way Amy shared her vision for the sanctuary, as well as her enthusiasm for the entire endeavor, spoke to me. I decided, on the spot, that I wanted to do something extra to support her. But what? I asked Catherine for her recommendation. She knows that I like learning about how to fix things and she suggested that I volunteer with the property maintenance crew who are always in need of extra hands. I asked if I could volunteer the same hours as Catherine and the Gardeners (sounds like a good name for a singing group). Thus, from April to October, 2019, every Tuesday morning, I made myself available to do whatever they asked. The first time I helped with the lawnmowing and the second week involved carrying air-conditioners and cleaning out drain gutters. But the third week, the person in charge of assigning work was not there, and everyone else was busy with their own tasks. Hmm, what to do? I simply looked around, slowed down internally, to see what might talk to me. The walkway up to the main house is made with pavers. Grass and weeds were growing between the pavers and made the walkway appear unloved. For such a wonderful and caring place like this sanctuary, it felt way below code. I asked if it would be OK if I weeded the pavers. “Sure”, someone said I went to the barn, found a little trowel and screwdriver type tool as well as a bucket, and simply began at the top paver closest to the house. I am familiar with weeding and really enjoy the quiet, slow process especially with simple tools. As I got to the side end of the first paver, I discovered that the grass had significantly grown over the paver making it look much smaller than it actually was. Taking my trowel, I dug up the overgrown grass making a very nice edge. I did the same thing on the other side edge so that the paver now looked much bigger and more inviting. For the next few hours, I worked in this manner and by my departure time, I had finished almost half of the walkway. I got a broom and swept it so it looked quite clean and beautiful. I was admiring how nice it looked when a number of staff, as well as the gardeners, came by and were delighted to see the results. The next week, and for the rest of the summer and fall, I weeded the walkways, steps and even the asphalt drive near the sanctuary buildings.. Each area was just a bit different and required a bit of adaptation. Some areas were filled with leaves, others had large clumps of grass. Sometimes, I needed to check with Catherine if a particular “weed” was actually a flower that should not be removed. In the early summer, the children’s camp program began. Many years ago, when our own daughter was a child, she went to these summer camps. It was transformative for her. She would come home bursting with news of what she found “ponding” or on their “butterfly or frog hunt.” So here I was, every Tuesday morning, quietly weeding away, with life bursting all around in weed form and human form. My experience had become a retreat of sorts completely integrated into my everyday life. I marveled at the root systems of these plant beings that had been evolving on earth for perhaps 500 million years. Some of the weeds had shallow roots and easy to pull out. Others had a highly developed root network that showed remarkable resiliency. I still pulled them out but with a different appreciation for them. I eventually put them in a large debris pile, eventually to be burned so that their energy would be recycled. As a special treat, the gardeners, mostly women, always brought something to eat and share with each other. And as I was weeding away, a little piece of cantaloupe or watermelon or even a slice of banana bread would sometimes arrive. Even while I was doing the weeding, I was well aware that the weeds would grow back. Somehow, it made the experience all the sweeter.
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David FeldmanDog walker, Dog Mediator, Father, Husband, Categories |