Gratitude overflows

Our very kind physical resource director has succumbed to yet another of my crazed ideas for our property. Oh, they are not huge expensive projects but they do take time and sometimes a great deal of effort---on her staff's part--with as much help as I, myself, can offer.

It all started with my finding three trellises at the back of the monastery, with no plants growing up on them. "Could we move them to the inner courtyard?" I asked. "Sure," she said. They were bolted to the bricks, you see, but now enjoy three beautiful climbing plants every summer on new walls.

Then came the sighting of bluebirds and googling that told me they only nested in birdhouses that were on posts in the middle of a field or large lawn area. "Could we put one up? I'll buy it," I asked. "Sure," she said. And now we have two, in a row, to help the mowing--and both get used by bluebirds (or sparrows) every year.

Then, I think came the dogwood trees on the path to Benetwood to replace the trees that came down. "I have two young trees in the garden that I've been nursing along for a couple years, could I plant them along the path?" "Sure," she answered. And in they went. Totally done by myself, by the way!

Now we're up to the cemetery plots: 250 of them. "Our flat stones look terrible," I reported. "They don't have a nice border around them and the crab grass and tree droppings fall all over them. You can hardly see some of the names. Can we get them a border and mulch?" I pleaded, as I showed her pictures that I had taken of the various conditions. This was a much bigger project then previously, but she said, "Yes." Sure enough the next spring our regular landscapers went out and dug all around them. What a job! I found them at it one day and those young guys were working hard. Digging out grass is very difficult as you might know. But once done it's much easier to keep it up, which I can help with now.

This saga brings us to this month: "Do you know that there are two beautiful Benedictine crosses with PEACE etched into them on the front sign building?" I said. "Yes, I do," she responded. Because she really does know every inch of our land and properties. "Well, I'd like to try and dig out the overgrown bushes that are totally covering them," I continued. "Hmmm, that'll be a big job," she noted. And she was right. It took me five sessions of an hour or more each, until I succeeded in clipping off enough of the branches to expose the trunks so that the guys could get a chain around them. Seems the only way to get the (huge) trunks/bushes out was to pull them with the tractor. With the tractor?! I thought. Holy moly. Well, our great guys did it this week and look at what we now have.

The upper photo is the east side, the lower one is the west side. Aren't they beautiful?

Hopefully now, similar to the gravestones, it will be easier to keep them exposed and visible.

My great, great thanks to "Charlie," as we affectionately call her--for her patience and kindness to me over and over again as I presented her with my "latest scheme." 

Hmmmm, let's see, what shall we do next?!