Yesterday we met Macon Fry "the Garden Guy" and began swinging pick axes, shoveling gravel, breaking up bricks, sawing down saplings, and cutting back brush to restore a section of a community garden not used since before Katrina.
At one point Macon and I began to sing Roy Orbison's "Workin' for the Man." The man (in this case) is Jorge, a Metairie resident who moved here 12 years ago to be nearer his sister. Sarah Blake and Sarah Yost put their Spanish to use to learn more about our new friend, who aspires to help people find spiritual, mental, and physical balance through his contributions of food and flowers to the world.
Several students have remarked that they would like to make sure they "make a difference" while here in New Orleans. Jorge commutes about 40 minutes from his job to work on the garden, and yesterday we helped him in his unusual but effective gardening technique. Rather than lay black tarp to kill weeds and place soil on top, Jorge insists on cultivating 20" (plus!) trenches to fill with banana leaves, old weeds, manure, and other compost materials. Yesterday we dug 4 10' trenches. If we are lucky, we will be able to start filling them today.
Top soil finds: part of a claw foot tub, bottles, marbles, and in the bushes--an LSU purple and gold nerf football in great condition.
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