The Leaves of Twin Oaks
Winter 2000 No. 93

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The News of The Oaks
by Gordon

Zhankoye dining room seating remains rearranged since Fall Equinox. Most of the rectangular tables form a large U, gussied up with tablecloths, candleholders, decorative gourds, etc. The regular Fun Table is no more (for now) but the "no talking business" tradition continues at the most popular table on the outside deck. The ZK dining room has been graced by an exhibit of Cleo's quilts for some months now. From queen size to single square size, each has a written commentary from the artist.

Women's Tea returns, sponsored by the Wicked Women's Group (Bonnie, Dianne, Indigo, Sophie, Stella). Twenty-some women gathered at Nashoba in mid-November, a time of many visitors. They shared personal stories, stories of women in community and generally enjoyed each other's company. The change of location from the kitchen-less Women's Livingroom in Oneida facilitated the goodies catering.

This year's Trade Off Game is shaping up much like last year's except with less money. Production has been down in some income areas and some expenses are up (LP gas, insurance, perhaps private schooling). There will be no OTRAs again this year, but there's lots of potential OPP. For the second year in a row, most economic planning is taking place in December and January instead of the more traditional October and November.

Our lower community income is a result of Twin Oaks doing less income work itself (and perhaps lower efficiency). Our sales to Pier 1 Imports are steady and non-Pier 1 hammock sales are way up (yea!). Retail sales (mailorder and internet) are breaking records every month.

Tofu has mostly recovered from last year's fire. A new boiler plus some other improvements will
increase our efficiency and capacity.They are even finally getting a new stereo. The old tapeplayer and reciever came with the business in 1991. You had to use a flashlight to tune the radio. Indexing has some exciting new accounts, including Oxford University Press. Indexing income is up substantially over 1999.

In November, 15 Oakers joined 15 others raising 30 trusses in two hours at Woodfolk House in Charlottesville. That's the activist household of ex- member Alexis and ex-Acorners Brian/Suwelo and Spot. Woodfolk and Demeter's Circle (ex-ies Jim and Shana) now have labor exchange arrangements with Twin Oaks. We help them; they help us.

Dairy was blessed with four new calves one right after another. Calf names this year are Saints and Barbarians. Unfortunately, the crew hasn't found any barbarian names with the appropriate first letters. Names so far are Brannock, Anatolia, Nataraja, and Zachary.

The herb garden is almost doubling in size, overtaking the old asparagus patch. The cultivation is has been done through the judicious use of cover crops of grains and alfalfa plantings which in turn will provide its own green manure without the use of tractor or tiller. This is the first year herbs will be harvested from the new beds. We hope to be able to produce more of our tea and culinary needs with the additional space.

Nashoba animal problems: a bat trapped inside the building caused much shrieking in the halls. Finally Antonina caught the beast with a towel. Another time, a miniature pig momma and four little piglets from who knows where wandered by Nashoba.

QUICKIES
Temperature dropped below 20 F. in early December. We haven't had an old time BTU crew in a few years, but we get by. No corpsicles discovered yet. Twin Oaks currently has it widest age range ever: 15 years to 78 years. For first time ever oldest Twin oaks kid (Chris Higgins) is older than youngest member. Another Corolla retires. After ~350,000 miles, Cherry Garcia now watches the other cars come and go from her spot in the auto resource yard.

The Sunrise SLG is again encouraging everyone to help fill up the composting toilet. There's space for everyone to contribute! Sunrisers enjoyed a fun ice skating trip in early December. They report that weekday afternoons this time of year at the Charlottesville Ice Park are great _ only $3 including skate rental, and the place is practically empty. Coming up soon: SLG bowling!

August was a big pneumonia month: two cows, two members, a Louisa librarian's dog, and another librarian's husband.

COMINGS AND GOINGS
Simone is living in California with her dad Scott who began a sabbatical in November. Simone was born and lived her whole 11 years here at Twin Oaks. Coco the dog has joined the Colleen Higgins household in Louisa. The new occupant of the coveted "fourth dog" spot is Dianne's Fletcher, a medium size, energetic, 18-month old, fluffy white, terrier-ish male. New-born Jonah brings Twin Oaks' child population to 16, just short of the the 17 kid record of about 7 years ago. When ex-member Rick returns this month, he will set a new record for comings and goings. This will be the fifth time he's become a member. He shared the previous record of four with Piper and Mimi. This doesn't include Residents, who sometimes come and go more often. Population is expected to be approximately 75 adults by the end of the year.

Member Bios
Thea
I am Promethea, and the little guy in my belly is Jonah. I'm 30 years old and have been a member for one and a half years. I originally hail from southern California but have lived in many places since growing up there. My interest in communal living was sparked at an FIC gathering at the Evergreen State College when I was a student there 10 years ago. Upon graduating, I travelled to Israel to explore Kibbutz life and stayed for 4 years, feeling that I'd found the most satisfying and fullfilling livestyle for me. I've lived at Ganas community in NYC, and participated in forming a co-op house in Montreal.

Here at Twin Oaks I do a variety of work and am learning new skills all the time. I'm trying my hand at serving a term as a community planner, I milk cows, and will soon become a mom for the first time. I feel very excited and confident about raising my son here. I have more support than I could ever have dreamed of and a wonderful tribe that I feel a close bond with.

Twin Oaks was a providential opportunity to continue farm life while living with a group of exciting new people. Though the years I have experimented with many types of work from dairy to pre-school. Now, I find great satisfaction in caring for the yard areas and developing pleasing outdoor spaces for folks to work and play in. The herb garden has been an ongoing project since I first came and is a never ending source of learning and challenge. I am trying hard to grow as many of our own herbs for food and medicine as is possible and to also make it a place of beauty and pleasure. We have herbal workshops in the Spring and always have plants for sale or barter.

Cycles of Life at Twin Oaks

Kana, aka Robert Sweginnis, a long-term member of Twin Oaks, died of a heart attack on July 21, 2000. He will be sorely missed. He was a musician, a cook, and a woodworking artist. His room was a perpetual hangout space for his many friends, and every night in the courtyard one could hear the sounds of guitar and laughter. He is remembered for his warmth, generous compassion, and gregarious nature.

Hildegard, who was the last person from Twin Oaks to see him, saw Kana leaving for Louisa barefooted (this was highly uncharacteristic as he usually dressed up to go into town). She asked him, "shouldn't you put on some shoes." Kana replied with the last words anyone from the community would hear from him: with a little wave, he said "I'm going just the way I am."

Thea's Story
Jonah Raspberry Tupelo was born in peace and great joy in the upstairs living room of Tupelo on the morning of Nov. 15th,2000.
Kenric flew to the computer for a copy of Jonah's astrological chart- a double Scorpio with the moon in cancer.

Attending the birth were Shakti, goddess mother of the baby, Nancy, our midwife, Topaz, new member and lay midwife herself, Abeja, ex-member and very old friend of Tom's.

I remember floating, weightless and entranced in the hot tub for hour upon hour, having at last surrendered to the awesome power of my body and to the intensity of the experience. I labored all night long and pushed Jonah into the world at 7:11 am on Tuesday morning.

I want to give my deepest thanks to Nancy and my birth team for a truly ecstatic birth and to Tom for being a loving and supportive partner to me in birthing our baby and beyond. Jonah has inspired in me a love like none I have ever known and my spirit soars with joy and thanks for his presence in our world.

Giving birth was the most meaningful and profound experience of my life and the energy of the people and of the house itself was the most beautiful blessing. In an age where home birth is under such ruthless attack (especially in the state of Virginia), it is vitally important that we express our gratitude and support to midwives, and that we continue the struggle for our right to give birth safely and naturally in our own homes.

Tom's Story
Thea wakes me up at 1 a.m. to tell me she's having contractions. I ask if she is in labor. She says no, so I roll over and go back to sleep.Thea climbs back into bed at 5 a.m. She's been up all night cleaning house, cooking breakfast, and having contractions. It is the day Thea predicted as Jonah's birthday.

When we visit Nancy in Richmond, she tells us that Thea is in real labor, 4 centimeters dilated. As we drive I fight the urge to roll down the window and scream that we are going to have our baby tonight. I look at Thea's glowing, laboring face and it is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. My heart swells and I am more in love with her than ever.

We get home and begin prepping upstairs Tupelo for the birth, brimming with excitement and energy. We try to take a nap.We talk. Thea remarks how easy and pleasant labor is going. Nancy arrives at 5 p.m. and Thea has dilated to six centimeters. The contractions have slowed down. I begin stimulating Thea's nipples to help bring on contractions. Throughout the night everyone gets a chance to simulate babies suckling on Thea's breasts. It begins a running joke about the fringe benefits of being on the birthing team.

The birth team gathers around Thea to massage her body. We sing to her. We laugh with her. At some point Thea and I sneak into her room, close the door, and smooch. This is being too easy. A few more hours pass and Thea is up to eight centimeters. Nancy keeps checking at Thea's insistence and we believe that Thea's bag of waters is keeping him from being able to push on the cervix and help it fully dilate.

Thea has been awake and in labor for 23 straight hours. She is getting tired. Her labor has slowed. The decision is made is to break Thea's bag of waters. This also starts a count down; the baby can only stay in the womb so long now. We slow dance, Thea and I, belly to belly in the upstairs living room. Nancy keeps telling us that the energy that got the baby in will get the baby out.

At ten centimeters, the cervix is almost gone except for a lip that keeps the baby's head from entering the birth canal. Thea is alone in her labor. With each contraction Thea comes to the edge of the hot tub, leans her head over the edge in silent concentration. I watch her face, pulled tight, focused. I wait. When the contraction finishes, she leans up in the water. "Good one", she says, then checks for the dissolution of the lip. It's still there she announces before paddling away. At one point Thea sees me at the edge of the tub. She says my name and paddles over to give me a kiss.

About five in the morning Thea discovers the lip is gone. Now out of the tub, she sits on the Swedish birthing stool. She pushes. She kneels on all fours. She pushes. She goes to her bed. She pushes. On her back, she pushes. On her side, she pushes. There is movement. I look into the dark tunnel and tell Thea I see the head. I don't really see anything, but I want to encourage her. Inside I am thinking this is too much; this is taking to long; Thea is hurting too much.

I am behind Thea holding her as she pushes. I hold Thea in a partial squat not knowing she has lifted her feet from the ground, not knowing I carry her full weight. She has already passed what I could have tolerated. I'm exhausted, I'm scared, I want to do something to help, I want it to end. All I can do is hold on as Thea pushes.

Jonah decides to be born. He starts down the birth canal. Thea pushes. Jonah's head is against the opening trying to stretch it wide, trying to slide out. His head crowns. Jonah's head disappears back inside. Thea pushes. Jonah pushes. Then there comes the moment where it seems time has stopped, taken a deep breath, and stepped into the future. A moment of bliss incomparable to anything I have ever experienced before. I am looking over Thea's shoulder. Between her legs is a large, round, crinkled mass. It is Jonah's head bravely pushing into the world. Nancy tells Thea to catch her baby. The rest of him slides out into Thea's hands. We are all crying. Jonah takes his first breath and is born.

Having been a part of Jonah's birth, I am in awe of the courage and strength of his mother. I can not fathom how any man can witness the magic and ritual of labor and not come away with utter devotion and lifelong commitment to his partner. After this birth I could never love Thea less.

Shakti's Story
This was my sixth birth to attend in my 15 years of community living , including the birth of my daughter, Sage at East Wind in 1987. This is an event that has brought me closer to the people who attended the birth of Jonah.

Thea was in such a beautiful way, relaxed and laughing with Tom, Topaz , Abeja and the midwife. It was wonderful to watch this wonderful, strong woman be with the father of her child and go through her labor, repeating over and over, " I feel great!"

These people are part of my tribe for always. I love them as family. I am the goddessmother of Jonah and Sage is Jonah's goddesssister. We look forward to growing up with him.

Topaz's Story
Childbirth is probably the hardest, and the most empowering task most women will ever take on. Thea and Tom were so excited! Being at many births over the years as a direct entry midwife, and having had 3 children at home myself, I knew that elated feeling! I also knew that things would change a lot when Jonah decided he was serious about being born!

The birthing space was beautiful. Candles were lit around the room. The hot tub was filled. The beautiful painting by Cosima and blessing-way alter, with pieces from all the women of the Community, brought energy of spirit and love, birthing experiences, and the strength, courage and confidence to carry Thea, Jonah and Tom safely through their passage.

Thea was waiting for the cosmic trip to begin, to engulf her in the vastness of perfect wisdom and love that would guide her through her journey to that moment of pure joy and elation upon holding her brand new baby, wet, gorgeous and just as close to pure spirit as one can be! PATIENCE is the lesson now! Realizing that the process has a life of its own, and at least sometimes, it's not about control, not about "doing" anything, but about surrendering completely to love!

The waves of labor overtook her as she labored in the water. With only the sounds of an occasional trickle of moving water and the deep, beautiful moans she made as her body opened for her child, she pushed with incredible strength and determination, knowing her body was designed perfectly to accomplish the task.

He was vigorous and healthy! Blessed Be, yet another radiantly beautiful cosmic miracle! We love you Jonah! Welcome Home...

Those gathered are a mix of ex- and current Twin Oaks members, people involved in Trade Local, friends and neighbors. It's a party atmosphere, buoyed by the enthusiastic hugs and handshakes of people who don't see each other every day. "Damn, I thought you'd be done by now!" one would-be carpenter grumbles amiably. As Alexis explains how best to move the frames across the yard, up the wooden scaffolding, and over the roof, I realize this is not a job for the weak of back or the fearful of heights.

A crowd of people surrounds the frame, raising the wood, moving forward slowly as one. Some skirt the remaining pile, others hop through the remaining trusses like a three dimensional hopscotch game. Those who can't lift, photograph: Keenan and
Paxus clown for posterity as I point my camera for the "Behind the Scenes" version of the event. The truss is leaned against the scaffolding. On three, the group at the bottom begins climbing the scaffolding and pushing the truss skyward, where it is eventually grabbed by a group of people on the roof, and moved to the far end. One hears cries of "Wait!" and "Slow!" as carriers jump over obstacles to move the weight as one. One daredevil strolls across the side of the roof on a piece of wood no wider than a balance beam. I hold my breath until the frame is safely in place.

It's entertaining to watch everyone's strengths come out: Alexis organizes the raising and carpentry procedures while Keenan honchos the large group. Shal suggests helpful lifting techniques. Viv and another worker volunteer to pick up lunch, and leave on borrowed bikes. Antonina, Fred, and Sky climb up and down the scaffolding so quickly I wonder if they all have prehensile toes. During a break, Paxus works the crowd: "We're taking a group photo at the end. You'll be in it, right?" Reporters scribble notes while photographers line up shots of Alexis balancing on the pinnacle of the roof. Arlo and Rowan are fascinated with a large pile of gravel, though Kristen convinces them to leave the majority of the gravel there.

The last frame is placed just as lunch pulls up. Alexis climbs down from heights to break out the locally produced soda and grab some pizza. I can tell by the blissful look on his face that he's still high in the air. We all laugh as we eat, giddy with how easy and fun it can be to build a house with community.

The Gathering started on a Friday night and consisted of three days of performances, rituals, workshops, sweats, and drumming. Over 150 womyn gathered in the woods, up at the conference site, and camped out in tents. Together we created an alternative community for three days, which involved all of us sharing stories and laughter, pain and sorrow. There seemed no "class boundaries" at the Gathering. Womyn paid on a scale according to their income or what they could afford. Those with more money helped support those with less. Everyone was welcome to come to the Gathering and no one was turned away due to lack of funds.

Never have I been to a more beautiful place than where womyn gather together and find strength and power in one another. Most called it sacred. The energy in the air was amazing. We all felt "safe" in a place where we did not have to worry about crime or walking alone in the dark. Vendors set up tables and left money jars in place of people. I have never been in a place where things are left out unwatched. Coming from the city I am aware at all moments of where my stuff lies, because if I turn my back for even a moment it could be gone. The trust that surrounded us was amazing, and in this trust we were honest.

Friday night there were performances in the pavilion. As I sat listening to the singing, I looked around me at all the faces I was surrounded by. Here womyn had come together to forget about all their worries and troubles at home and to just be together here at the Gathering. It all felt so peaceful to me, surrounded by such beauty. And I saw such beauty in everyone as they moved to the music, lip-synched lyrics, and danced the night away. Saturday was filled with workshops, sweats, amazing food, and a talent show at night.

The workshops were vast and diverse. I attended one on Menstruation and what it means to be a woman. People in my workshop were open and honest and I was delighted by the amount of trust we felt in sharing our stories. By sharing intimate parts of our lives and feelings I felt connected to the womyn there. I felt supported in my wants, desires, and differences. I felt challenged. I felt alive.

At night there was a talent show in which everyone was given the opportunity to perform and have a few moments of "fame." I saw all the womyn encouraging one girl, who was nervous and afraid to sing, into sharing her music (and her voice) with all of us. I saw little children who had spent the day rehearsing perform amazing pieces. One mother and daughter did a performance piece on their relationship and their love for one another. Regardless of talent, everyone shined.

Unfortunately, helping to organize the event made it hard to fully integrate and enjoy myself as a participant. I fought a cold through a lot of the Gathering, worn out from weeks of meetings, computer work, and preparation to make the Gathering happen. Yet, I was magically affected by the Gathering. And the feeling it left for all the womyn who spent three days immersed in that magic can be summed up in one word: powerful.

Workshops, communards, food, dance,nature, talent shows....where could one get all of this and meet interesting people? Answer: the annual Communities Conference at Twin Oaks. This long standing tradition took place last September. 200 people attended from more than 40 communities, mostly in North America, including about a dozen folks from exotic addresses like the Ukraine, Scotland, Belarus and the Netherlands.

Words fail to describe the magic of this event. It started with a slide show of communities first night. Presenters from different communities had the opportunity to entertain all of the Conference attendees with stories of their homes and show how their communities were shaped, formed, and continue to grow with time.

The days of the weekend were filled with many workshops and opportunities to formally learn from individuals who wanted to share the working mechanisms, ideals, and interactions taking place in their communities. Saturday morning began with members from each community giving short introductions about their community. A more intensive and informative "meet the communities" workshop followed: tables with literature & pictures were set up, and representatives were available to answer questions and give in-depth information.

The workshops encompassed a large range of topics: Conflict and consensus workshops were lead by Laird Schaub of Sandhill Community in Missouri. Participants learned how conflict can be a sign of a healthy community and several useful ways to resolve conflict in order to build stronger communities. Patricia from Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina, led two workshops, "Ecovillages" and "Introduction to Permaculture"which focused on how communities can build structures, grow food, and live in harmony with the earth. The well-attended and controversial polyamory workshop was facilitated by Pat Therrien from Kinhearth. There was a roleplay, which went a bit out of control, along with some serious and vocal critics of this relationship model _ but overall participants enjoyed and appreciated the lively conversation and radical ideas presented. As one might have predicted, the workshop on anarchism was very dynamic, with participants challenging the definitions and authority of the presenters. Paxus from Twin Oaks gave a workshop on the Cross Community Computing Coop, a project which will include FEC communities working together on developing a software business _ a small but enthusiastic group attended.

Of course no conference with all of these dynamic people would be complete without social components. Communards danced Saturday night away into the early hours of Sunday in the Twin Oaks dining hall, complete with excellent DJing from jAz and Sky. Meal times throughout the weekend were chock-full-of conversation, interchanges of stories, people meeting each other and the sharing of home-cooked food. More than a couple of romances were sparked. People enjoyed the natural beauty of Twin Oaks and had time to appreciate the woods, cover themselves in the mudpit, and swim in the South Anna River flowing through the property.

What did all of these factors create? A successful gathering and meeting of the minds and souls of the communities movement during this years Communities Conference.

Project Summary Submitted to the
Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy on 9/8/00
(Winners will be announced in April 2001)

Anecdotal evidence consistently indicates that when a child who has been falling below grade level in school is given Reading Window Tutoring one hour per day, five days per week, the child begins to do satisfactory schoolwork within eight weeks, and the improvement is long-lasting.

For preschool children, Reading Window tutoring eliminates the possibility of experiencing failure when school begins, and frequently the child is subsequently placed in the gifted and talented program. Reading Window tutoring has been used with great success to teach adults as well as children. It appears to be highly cost-effective and also extremely effective for teaching the dyslexic.

The Reading Window is seeking a grant primarily to fund a large enough reseach project to provide statistically significant evidence of the method's efficacy-- as preparation for future possibilities that include seeking implementation in our local public schools as well as asking on of our Virginia state legislators to sponsor a bill for widespread use of the techniques. During the time the research is underway, all families involved will be benefiting from tutoring.

Piper says a big Thank You to all our readers who have helped us get this far!

Walden Index-by Valerie

• Number of shower curtains at TO: 12
  
• Number of shower curtains made of a slightly-flawed fabric hammock bed: 3
  
• Number of quart-sized mason jars purchased in Louisa for canning tomatoes: 180
  
• Number of comments from people in line while buying jars, about bootlegging whiskey: 2
  
• Number of members at Twin Oaks in September 2000: 63
  
• Most recent year in which membership was this low: 1988
  
• Number of expected new members before the end of 2000: 13
  
• Number of members who are children of architects: 3
  
• Percentage of those members who have distinctive and highly legible handwriting:100
  
• Number of self-identified anarchist members who plan to leave the community and earn a living working for a credit card company: 2
  
• Number of participants in Women's Gathering and Communities Conference: 345
  
• Number of guests housed in Twin Oaks rooms during the conferences: 35
  
• Ratio of guests to members at Twin Oaks during that time: 1:2
  
• Number of drag king performances at the Women's Gathering: 1
  
• Amount, in rupees, paid to participate in the Communities Conference: 1,500
  
• Amount, in dollars, the Bank of America gave to Twin Oaks' Reading Windows (literacy) program as a grant: 10,000
  
• Gallons of honey harvested from our bees this year: 21
  
• Tons of potatoes harvested from Twin Oaks garden this year: 1.5 (= 3000 pounds)
  
• Number of Snickers bars given out by a visiting friend-of-community, Joan: 96
  
• Number of K-shifts covered by Paxus and Nexus in 6 days in October: 8
  
• Percentage of mammals (including humans and cows) born at Twin Oaks since 1997 that are male: 64
  

After a month of no rain
we see a plume on the horizon.
Some fool's trash burning out of control.
The sun blurs at the edges.
Everyone coughs sand and resin, tear-choked,
our words emerge piled in ash. Conversations stillborn,
already buried for centuries.
I could drink oceans and feel less salty.
At night ghosts flicker in the forest, filling
the space where the leaves used to be,
A curiously silent mob carrying extinguished torches.
The air is swamped with dream soaked sleep, nightmares hold me hostage.
Committees are dispatched to negotiate.

Lucifer, thank you for the light
But we're killing ourselves with the flames.
Next time, bring flight.
Pele stokes the coals as darkness rolls down.
The lid on Pandora's box bangs and shatters.
The blaze whistles through the cracks and
She emerges draped in shimmering moth wings,
her scar tissue shining green where falling satellites
Rip open the night.
We turn our faces and are drawn like electrons
swallowed by the fire we follow.
Galvanized, I leave footprints in the lava
flow, bowls to capture the tide,
A postcard to a future I can't see
Except where it dances in the northern sky,
like those ghosts again.

They follow me home and sit on the edge of my bed
while I call down the lightning and open my treasure chest
of rocks, feathers, salt, and sight,
Held breath, and laughter loud enough to tip
the stars in their orbits.
They burn up at my feet.
I open my treasure chest as Pele stokes the coals.
I brush the cobwebs from the tools I have forgotten,
Spin ash into rain. Orion and Jupiter rise
with the moon.
I pluck hope from the early twilight and warm it in my hands.

Wings
by jAz

I don't remember being a bird
but I still bear the scars on my back

where the wings once were.
Half-remembered dreams of flight that dissipate
as my eyes blink open to see the sunlight dance through the branches, spill across my wall,
set the dawn on fire.
I don't remember the songs I sang.
A single cry at four in the morning, confused
and alarmed,
I reach for someone not there.
I can't remember who.
And I don't remember what I said
but you claim I spoke to you,
and you swear you heard music.

I don't remember the pain that pushed me into this world,
but I've never stopped running from it.
I think maybe it's time to slow down now,
because I keep tripping over the very thing I'm running from.

I don't remember if I've looked into your eyes before,
but I recognize your voice, and the words that swim there in that sound.
I turn to keep running.
But this time when I stumble,
I remember what flight feels like.

I don't remember why I'm here sometimes, but
sitting under this green cathedral, as the
day's glow fades into distant night,
the stars tuning up,
the evening's chorus underway,
I don't remember if memory matters.

A Big Patch of Love
by Chris Okocha age 11

Have you ever seen an atrocious plot of weeds
turn into a cozy garden full of life and joy?
I have. My mom did that to a place
that looked like a battlefield.
She pulled weeds from the ground and dug up
the dirt to loosen the soil. Eventually, she made
a pond with graceful fish about as peaceful as
they could be. She planted flowers in heart-
shaped spaces. She did not use any chemicals.
All she put in the garden was hard work and lots
of love. She put sawdust on the ground up the
paths so people would not get their feet muddy.

I was happy when it was all over because I did
not have to help her work as much, but all the
hard work paid off. With other people saying
that she could never get it finished, it still came
out great. My little sister thinks she helped,
but she just got in the way.

Nevertheless, I still love her.
I like how the garden came out, though it is still
not quite complete. It only needs a little work.
I love the spot the garden is in because it is right
outside my window.
I love the garden, I love the place it is in,
but I love my mom even more.

photo by Sage

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