The Blessing of "Helpers"

Yes, my young friend, (I'll call her Cee since I didn't ask permission to write about her) came last Tuesday evening, and every evening for the rest of the week, except on Saturday she asked to change her hours to 4:30 - 6 pm instead of 6:30 to 8 pm.

We pulled weeds together first in the front yard, for Tuesday to the first half hour on Wednesday, then we switched to do the weeding in the garden. She missed some weeds, but I chalk that up to the fact that she was afraid of pulling good plants.

But she soon caught on to how I sit on a stool, and pull grass and weeds, dropping them in a 5 gal. pail - which we later dumped into the green compost bin. We were able to chat in a companionship that this kind of work lends itself to.

When I stopped and set up the sprinkler, one day in the front yard, and the next in the garden, Cee watched me, and soon hurried to get to the outdoor tap to turn it on or off as we needed, then also to move the sprinkler to the spots on the path where I placed it. (This from a city girl who has never worked in a garden except to help me sow my garden in spring last year and this year in May.)

I made a point of going around to check the tomato plants for ripe cherry tomatoes, and look for zucchini and cucumbers for her to take home to her roommate.

I'd been itching to spray paint more of my 1 litre yogurt tubs so I could use them to transplant my excess baby aloe vera plants for a sale from my front porch, so on the Friday evening I gave her an old garment to use for a paint smock, and we went out to spray the yogurt tubs spread out on newspaper/flyers on the out door table. She was happy to have a turn too. (I think we got 18 done).

On Saturday I suggested a break from the weeding and watering to mix some garden dirt and peat moss, and then fill these tubs and quickly plant a bunch of baby aloe vera that had been lying around in my pantry for a couple of weeks. Also some slips from my Christmas cactus plants - about 8 or 9.

We brought them into the front porch where I had shelves ready for the plants. Especially if there is no danger of frost yet. Last year I had my plant sale too close to that time of year, and had to lug some 30 or more plants into the house at night.

Then, yesterday I heard a noise beside the house where a gate hung unevenly and was a great bother to open or close. Well, if it wasn't my cousin Gary, my handyman, who had the day off from his cementing and paving work because of the off/on rain. He'd finally come to fix my gate.

I invited him in for lunch as I had made an extra batch of chicken balls in a tomato/BBQ sauce with spaghetti on Saturday.

Later in the afternoon I went to check on him and the gate was all done and he was working on replacing the pane of window glass in the front porch that was broken Halloween night when someone threw a rock into the window. (I'd taped a laminated sheet of paper over the hole for the winter as Gary didn't have time, and I didn't think I could do it alone).

I've been blessed with volunteer helpers the last week or so. I hope this happens to you too, whenever you really need it!

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