No man is an island

No man is an island...but sometimes he is responsible for one. This gardener keeps his little patch of grass looking neat and well manicured.

This post title just popped into my head, and then made me want to read the source again. The poem seems timely, and I'll share it here, even though it has little to do with the picture.

No Man is an Island

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

~ John Donne

New vines

I have two different grape vines in my yard. Every year the vines come up, the leaves are beautiful, big and bright green; but I have yet to get grapes. Still, every year I anticipate the possibility. I will continue to hope.

"Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible."

Azaleas

Spotted this azalea bush the other day on my bike ride here in Downey and thought what a great gardening achievement. There is more bush in front of the picture but I wanted to capture the sheer size of this one. I thought it must be fake. The one in my yard is two feet high and you can see right through it. But alas, it's real, very real and very beautiful. My hat is off to this gardener.

Are you this successful in the garden?

Keep Downey beautiful

This morning as we were finishing a walk around Furman Park, we came upon a group of students who were working on the planters along the entrance of the park. They were volunteers to help "Keep Downey Beautiful."

For me, it was one of those moments when I realized that I had looked at the previous planters and thought they were ugly and dated, but did nothing to change it. Well, thanks to this group of volunteers, a local Downey resident, and a grant from Lowes, we have a welcome change and some beautiful, drought-tolerant plants. THANKS for working to make our city beautiful!