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Monday, January 18, 2016

One of Those Days

That night, there was a warm rain and then it froze and froze and
froze. Next morning, the news showed hysterical shots of  cars
smashing and people falling. My chickens were bewildered as
they slid across ice and fell, another fell, they were all falling
in a skater's mish-mash.

With garbage bag in hand, I was trying to make my way up a
small hill to the alley garbage can. Seemingly from out of no-
where, a white knight in the form of a youthful, agile young
man ran sliding down the hill and said, "Let me put your garbage
in the can." He further explained he was a guest at the neighbors
across the alley. I expressed my thanks and I was grateful to
return to the house in one piece.

The next morning I was feeding the chickens and that same
white knight was again in the alley with his dog.  We exchanged
a few pleasantries and I asked him if he had eaten his
breakfast. When he said he had not, I offered him two warm
fresh eggs I had just taken from the nest. He came over in a
second and we were chatting about chickens, organic food
and gardens.

He was Gary from California and he was telling me about his
organic garden on the roof of his house that was in the heart
of a city. I envisioned a raised bed or two, growing the usual
vegetables, as he was getting his phone out to show me a
video of the garden.

OMG....... he showed me a video of a fairy tale garden.  The
whole top of this vast area was filled with small trees, lush
plants and greenery everywhere. It was magical. There was
even a greenhouse building that put my little greenhouse into
elf category.  It had been a small building, that was being
discarded that he took apart and revamped it into this. The
whole garden was rustic, it was wild, it was bursting with
the fruits of the earth, way up there, with only the blue sky
as a backdrop.

After we said good-by and he left to have his breakfast,  lol I
thought of countless questions I wanted to ask.  By that time
I was wondering how much reinforcement a roof would need
to support a garden of that size.

So dear friends, you never know what delightful conversations
will follow an encounter on a slippery-slope, in an alley, on
the way to the trash can.

48 comments:

  1. What a nice man. I love that you had such a good visit with someone that interesting. I bet he enjoyed those eggs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Murees
      When I said organic fresh eggs, he was over like a shot. With the gorgeous organic garden he had, I can tell he appreciated the organic fresh eggs, too.

      Delete
  2. I'd love to see his garden...very interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. turquoisemoon
      I would love to see it tool. I'll have to ask the young couple he was visiting if they have ever seen it. It would make a good photo subject for you. He said the garden had been featured in several publications.

      Delete
  3. Sounds like he created the perfect spot for himself. You never know indeed, could run into a nutcase or someone you can learn things from.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat
      I wasn't wary of this young man because I know the young couple he was visiting. We only have one certified nutcase in the neighborhood and he writes big scary things on the front of his house with spray paint. Another neighbor told me yesterday that the nutcase was just on the local news. I guess a lot of people had been driving by to see this. I think he's a Vietnam vet and here's a good example of the gov't not helping our vets. Everyone has told the authorities about him but nothing has been done. I did talk to him this summer when he was in a lucid moment. I've talked to the surrounding neighbors about him but the authorities don't seem to step in. What to do?

      Delete
    2. Ugg ,a situation where they won't step in until something really bad happens.

      Delete
  4. I'd love to see pictures of it! And you are so right, you never know a person's story until you talk to them. Everyone has one and most are very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bish
      I guess I offered the right person organic eggs. This young man was extremely "earth centered." He had 2 short videos in his phone and I just watched with my mouth open. I wasn't expecting anything like this. It was a very nice encounter.

      Delete
  5. Hi Manzanita - what a wonderful turn of events .. how interesting .. and he had time for you - I sincerely hope he visits again soon ... sounds very fascinating.

    I agree with Bish .. as for some photos and let us see ... ?!

    Glad all is well though .. cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hilary
      He said the garden was featured in some publications. I can understand why. I'm going to ask the couple he was visiting if they ever saw his garden. One would have to be young and strong to take on a project like that. It was just a house it was built over and I would think the roof would have to have heavy reinforcement in able to support that weight because during a storm, a tree fell on another neighbors roof and crashed a huge hole in the roof.

      Delete
  6. I'll just bet when he got home he was telling people about the wonderful person HE met.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'll just bet when he got home he was telling people about the wonderful person HE met.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Words are kind on number two
      Like getting high on Mountain Dew

      Delete
  8. I agree with Al's comment above!! Do I have to say it TWICE?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fishducky
      Thank you that is very nice
      Into my life a little spice.
      Or something like that. lol

      Delete
  9. Love your story, Manzanita! If Gary's still around, no doubt you'll see him again. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Susie
      I think he left that day. I'll ask the neighbors if they ever saw his garden.

      Delete
  10. Al wrote my thoughts also. What a really neat guy you met and I do hope you meet again before he goes back home to that garden in the sky. Don't suppose he is a blogger? Wouldn't that be cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Patti
      Thank you. I'll have to ask the neighbors exactly where I could find the publications of his garden. I can understand gardens in a commercial building but then I think of all the work to have one on top of an ordinary house.

      Delete
  11. I've seen movies and read novels where people had such gardens, lush and wild and productive. Only once was the reinforcing of the building structure mentioned and I've never forgotten that, in case I ever want to build one. I've wondered about the watering too, specialised drains would be necessary to ensure no leakage into the building below.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. River
      Oh yeah.... I nver thought of the water situation and leakage .That could be a big project all in itself. If the house was built with a roof garden in mind, it would seem easier but to add it to an ordinary house would take a lot of engineering.
      I remember he said, he had wanted a garden but didn't have the land, so he made his land....... but it would be very interesting to see in the real.

      Delete
  12. I think you're a magnet for these sorts of conversations. Love ya Manzi!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Robin
    Hahaha I have some young female friends who call themselves "guy magnets." I must be a garden magnet. At this point in my life, I'd take the garden magnet. Ha But I do always respect, especially
    young men who will take the time to talk to an older person. As I've said before, when one gets old, they become invisible to so many young people.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's true! I often think hardship brings blessings and we have a hard time realizing that while facing the rough patches. Here's to new friends, good deeds and pleasant surprises!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crystal
      I'll drink to that. Thank you for dropping by. I truly agree. Often we don't recognize our blessings when they come in a slightly different form. I appreciate your wise words

      Delete
    2. I think it's so cool how you two connected. Almost fiction worthy. ;)

      Delete
  15. Hello,

    Very interesting encounter with an enterprising young man. In my own city there are people who have vegetable gardens on their terraces because vacant spaces are becoming rare and building are everywhere. Besides, organic farming is becoming the watch word and many people would like to grow their own vegetables. Buying from the market is becoming risky because fruit and vegetables grown for public consumption are full of fertilizers and pesticides.

    Best wishes

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello to you, Joseph
    Wise people in your community, growing vegetables on their terraces. The farmers markets here, are supposed to be all organic but I have a feeling, much of it isn't. Even planting the vegetables outdoors is a sitting-duck for the stuff flowing out of the chemtrails.
    Are you plagued with the chemtrails too? I can't believe the people here, voted down labeling the organic food. That has to be political because everyone knows (or should know) of the health benefits from organic food. GMO's have been going on a long time AND there are so many new, crazy diseases that are not recognized by allopathic doctors. Thanks for the meaningful comment and I do hope that you have a good honest source for your produce. Wishing you all the pleasantries of life.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hurrah for nice agile young knights who save us from ice and then treat us to visual garden delights. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hurray, hurray for agility
      Some people have that ability
      I slip and slide upon the ice
      The winter doesn't treat me nice
      I just retured from Pat's and it takes me a while to get
      out of the rhyming mood. Hahaha.
      Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

      Delete
    2. I rhyme on people's blogs after I visit Pat's place too. Who knew it was contagious? :)

      Delete
    3. Rosie
      It took you a little while to catch the fever but YOU GOT
      IT NOW, Babe.
      Rhyming is fun, isnt it?

      Delete
  18. What a nice story. Nice people like that give me hope for the rest of 'em.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mackenna
      Thanks for visiting. Lots of nice people here and there but
      too often we have to "look" for them.
      I hope you are having a ball with your new blog.

      Delete
  19. Replies
    1. A lovely story for a lovely day. Enjoy your day...let me count
      the way.

      Delete
  20. Gary from California... sounds like a great guy. Oh how I love gardens, especially fairy tale gardens. Here's my favorite roof top garden from the movie Just Like Heaven: CLICK!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blue
      Oh my god, Blue, that picture of the garden is beautiful. And a flamenco floor in the middle. Thank you, thank you
      for sending it. You have made my early day, already. I shall go back and study the picture some more and revel in the warm glow it give me in the tummy.

      Delete
  21. What a lovely story! My dumpster chronicles have never been so positive and lovely:)--more like "dumpster wars." So glad to see that chivalry is not dead--that gentlemen still exist:) and that friendships may be found in unlikely places! Love u Manzi! xo daisy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a delightful surprise ....... it's daisyb.
      Thank you for the visit. If you pass by again, you should click on the "click" of Blue Grumpster, the comment preceeding yours. It is the picture of another delightful garden. My "dumpster neighbor" is still trying to rain on my parade, this time with an old mattress in my yard. Of course the pick-up driver wouldn't take it, so I moved the single bed mattress back to her yard. Now I notice she moved it up to a back alley yard a few cans down. I know he still won't take it. But it doesn't anger me anymore, it just gives me a good chuckle. LOL

      Delete
  22. Wow! I've always admired people who are able to garden in the city on top of a roof of a building. I can barely do it on the ground. It feels great to be able to visit again after being so busy. I'm in between projects now and before guests start arriving again.

    ReplyDelete
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