GARDEN VIGILANTES

GARDEN VIGILANTES

There are times in life when you see a travesty, something that is just not right, an opportunity that is being neglected and/or abused. It may not be your responsibility, and it is technically considered against the law to do anything, but, you feel you need to do something. Usually when you gather up a posse and take matters into your own hands to 'solve' this injustice the end result is the highlight crime story on the six o'clock news

However, on some occasions, when the intentions are good, wonderful things can happen.

On a rainy Saturday, a posse formed under the boughs of the Pine. This crowd was loading bike baskets with potential projectiles and holding dangerous looking garden tools. There was also the talk of 'taking matters into their own hands...it's been long enough', which is always a bad premonition. 

Let's ride!

Ready for business!

Vehicle and tools - check!

The posse then made its way across the field towards the school and made it to the thing they wanted to 'make right'.

Minutes later the gang was seen violently swinging a garden hoe, kicking up dust and dirt, leaving a trail of dead...plants in their wakes!

Let's clear those weeds out!

It did not take long for this posse to finish what it came to do - which was to weed the neglected community garden at the children's school.

You may say the kids are growing like weeds, but these ones were bigger than the boys!

It turns out the Community Stone Soup Garden, the garden the school children planted, has been ignored all summer. As seen in the pictures above, the weeds have overtaken the gardens that were planted earlier this year by the students at the school. Unlike previous years, there was no plan put into place to coordinate volunteers with weeding and watering duties. Someone needed to do something, even if it involved trespassing. The kids from the Place Under the Pine were up for the task and worked very hard, leaving the gardens in a much better state.

Along with weeding a surplus tomato plant from the PUTPs was planted

There may have been ulterior motives - a chance to use the 'new' tractor for some real work or a chance to take a longer than normal bike ride. But, I believe underneath it all was the idea that one can make a difference to their community. 

They left in high spirits. Full of both weeds and altruism.

Race ya home!