Do You Have A Shovel - Ain't She Sweet
Do You Have A Shovel?
It was a fine fall day and feeling like I needed to be outside I decided to visit the St. Paul recycling center to drop off some pruned branches and get a trailer load of woodchips. After spending about 25 minutes loading the trailer with a heaping load of chips I had built up a mild sweat and was feeling really good while enjoying the beautiful fall day. As I turned with pitchfork in hand prideful that I accomplished this task a voice called to me --- "Do you have a shovel?" I turned to face a lovely elderly lady who was old enough to be the mother of this already very old me.
No, I don't, I replied, observing that she had 3 small pails in hand. I said that I had a pitchfork and that I would be happy to fill her pails for her. She replied that would be nice but don't fill them full because she would not be able to lift them. Well, I will be happy to carry them to your car for you I said. After all, it was pretty obvious she was frail and slight of build and it would be difficult for her and would only take seconds and very little effort on my part.
After completing this new task on such a lovely day we began a short visit about gardening and life. She has been gardening her whole life, all 97 years and today she decided she needed some woodchips. She had planned well and had a small rug laid in her trunk in case some chips were to fall from her buckets.
And then the rest of the story,
We bid our goodbyes, and we were on our way -- not knowing we would meet again!
It was another fine fall day ( a few weeks later) and it felt like another load of woodchips would help fill in the low spots on the trail to the campground and keep my shoes from getting muddy during the spring thaw. So there I was at the huge pile of chips just finishing my load and marveling at what a great day it was with my pitchfork in hand when, "Do You Have A Shovel?"
and there she was with her small pails in hand and well we know the rest. Or do we? Will she be there next time? I certainly hope so! At 97 she is too young to quit gardening. AND,
AIN’T SHE SWEET!
In a previous issue I told the story of the 97 year old lady that on two occasions asked “Do you have a shovel” and I obliged to load her tiny buckets up with woodchips. I am still amazed that at her age she is still going to the compost site to get mulch.
Well I was back today after the recent storms had given me cause to cut up some tree limbs and return to the compost site to unload a trailer load of limbs and branch’s. I had just begun to unload the first and very heavy limb when I was treated to “Do you need some help” - yes, you guessed it. She must be 98 now but she was offering to help me unload my trailer with a beaming smile. Oh, what a day!