yesterday i had a great bolton experience….one that reminds me why i am so glad i moved here. everyone with an interest in community gardening was invited to meet at the conservation club beginning at 9:30, at which time people volunteered to work on the garden plots or the nature trail part way around the pond. there was also planting going on on the patio in pots and planters. i signed up for clean up in the kitchen but at the beginning of the day, there was nothing to clean up! bodie, my goldendoodle, ventured into the swampy, mucky, very stinky water and instantly became a two-toned dog, with black being the predominant color. (he is a goldish, whiteish color!) i visited while my dog got dirtier than i have even seen him. there were 4 or 5 other dogs, all having the best swampy time.
meanwhile, sean craine and his friends were roasting a 250 pound pig in the biggest roasting set-up i have ever seen. they started the process at 4:00 in the afternoon on the previous day. however, at about noon, the pig was done. pot luck food came together on 2 long tables inside the club. the pulled pork was brought in…an incredible amount of pork!….and people began to eat. delicious offerings and lilac bouquets on each table. so very nice. then my clean-up job began. and who would believe the helping hands! everyone lending a hand made the work so quick and easy.
then back to the jobs outside. amazing how quickly 40 plus people working together can create gardens and a walking path and a beautiful patio. at 2:00, bodie and i left and went straight to norowal marina where joan did the honor of tossing my dog off the dock. after he swam around and chased a stick, which i kept throwing into the water, we went home. i had brought some pork home on a paper plate and when i went to the back of my jeep to get it, the plate was licked clean. he moves fast. i left him at home to dry and rest and went back to the club to visit and get the leash i left there. there were new people to visit with and we decided to walk on the new path. a great experience. home again at 4:00 ish. such nice people and such a great day. and, i am now a gardener with my own 8×4 plot. think i’ll grow herbs and perennials….maybe zucchini.