Here come the plants

May 31, 2014 – Bringing all the plants outside.

Today I noticed the plants outside of the building site were very dry.  I filled a bucket in the Okada Sculpture Facility and found a cup to dip and pour into the containers. As I worked, Mary came up and said that maybe we should bring outside the plants in the Bemis Center Flock House gallery.

We went into the main building and Mary found dollies. These platforms on wheels allowed us to lift the large plastic containers and roll them out of the Bemis Center, across the paving stones of the street, and into the grassy area.

This was when I realized that the tomatoes were falling over and their cages were not offering enough support.  As I studied the cages, I realized that they could be wired together so that they supported one another.  This external support was necessary because the soil in the container was not deep enough for the support spikes of the cage to push fully into the ground.

Mary remembered that I had saved the copper wire that we removed from lighting fixtures to make planting containers.

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I unwound the braiding and separated 3 wires into strands of two thin wires.  It was easy to wind it around the aluminum cage wires.  As I worked to connect the cages, they became much stronger.

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As I quietly worked to untangle the wires and wind them around the cage wires, I began to feel connected to the place where the Flock House will stand.  I became aware how the simple act of participating and contributing was calming and peaceful. I did this simple task with concentration and a keen awareness. Later, when others commented how much better the tomatoes looked, I felt pleasantly satisfied at doing something of service.