Rumour has it that the house on the south-west corner of 15th & Camosun has been sold. The woman who owned it for so many years, and kept the gardens that pleased so many, has been dead for a number of months now. The garden filled her yard and spilled onto the boulevard bordering her property. Other local gardeners have maintained it since her passing. The boulevard portion of the garden will be flattened by the city. I will miss it dearly.
The woman who created and tended the garden was an exceptional character. I heard that she had her share of run-ins with people in the area. But she was always friendly to me. It may have been that the years had finally worn smooth the edges of her personality. My favorite memory of her was a spring day when she was walking her old German Shepherd down our alley and stopped to ask us what we were doing. Our garage was open and there were boxes in the yard. I explained that we were cleaning the garage and preparing to sell and give away some things. I included the list of side jobs that this larger task involved. She listened to my litany of chores, smiling the whole while. I believe she was in her early nineties at this time, but I might be wrong. When I finished she shook her head and laughed. "Isn't it wonderful?" she said. "There's always something to do."
Try to take in this garden. It might be its last summer.
