On Sunday, as I was working in the garden at around 4pm, a woman waked by with her elderly mother in arm. It looked like part of the daily constitutional. They stopped at the garden and read the sign that describes the Minerva Bernardino Garden. Clearly, the blurb resonated with them, as Minerva was an early champion of women's rights.
They saw me, and asked -"Who is in charge of this garden?". I said, I was, and that I am a volunteer, and that I took it over from the Parks Department of New York City, because they do not have the manpower or the resources to do anything for this small plot of roadside park.
She thanked me and turned around with her Mom, I guess to walk back home. Suddenly she turned around, fished into her bag and produced a 20 dollar bill and gave it to me.
Before I had a chance, she and her mom were headed down the sidewalk towards 109th Street. I suddenly awoke as if from dream, with the 20 dollar bill in my hand, and called out- "Maam?'
She turned around. I walked up and said:
"What is your name BTW?"
She replied, "Dorothea. It is a German name."
"Oh!" I said, " Do you speak any German? I lived in Germany for four years."
She said , "Not really."
I said, "Thank you for the money, but I was not really looking to collect money."
She said, "Keep it, and thank you for your efforts.We love to see the flowers."
I said, "Well, in that case, I will buy a plant and add your name as a donor."
She said, "That is not necessary. We like the flowers."
With that 2-minute exchange, they both turned around and walked away.
I went yesterday to the Chelsea Flower Garden at 44th Street and 11th Avenue, and after much himming and hawwing, I decided to spend $24.99 on a glorious Hollyhock bush. The specimen is called "Black Beauty".
I bought it, because Hollyhock – if you plant them – will not bloom the first year. But these flowers are fantastic as the plants grow to over 6 ft. And the best part – they reseed themselves and come back in spring even after a hard winter.
There it is standing tall in the center of the picture (at the top of this blog post).
