Spring Beginnings and Endings

Yesterday brought sad news that a neighbor and friend died.  Howard Dean, husband of my friend, Terry Concannon-Dean, died in hospice at Middlesex Hospital Thursday night.  Terry is co-librarian with me of the community clubhouse library. We also attend a monthly book group together and recently saw the Hartford Stage production of Divine Rivalry together.  Terry keeps a lovely English-style garden in the front of her house (same model as ours) that I always admire each trip up and down Laurel Ridge.  I hope her gardening gives her some solace as she grieves the loss of her dear husband who shared garden chores with her.  He will be missed by all of us, but will be remembered each time we view her garden on our trips up and down the hill.

On a beginnings note, my daughter, Sara  Graziosa, met with the president of the Waterbury Garden Club, Nancy Cebik, to discuss a plan to create a garden in the play area of the Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health facility at Waterbury Hospital where she works.  I helped her find a contact who could make her idea come to fruition.  I attended the UCONN Garden Conference on March 11, 2011 with an East Hampton garden club friend.  Sara had originally asked if our club could help her with the garden. We felt it was too far away and that the local Waterbury garden club might like an opportunity to be involved in a garden therapy project. But at the conference, I talked with Leslie Alexander of the Master Gardeners at UCONN while visiting their display outside the speakers' auditorium.  She told me that there was a project in place at a Natchaug Hospital Behavioral Health facility in Mansfield Corner, with a master gardener.  Sara pursued that lead, receiving an email from Leslie and the master gardener, but the project was local and much larger than Sara wanted in Waterbury. I contacted the Federated Garden Clubs of CT in Branford and found a contact for Sara in Waterbury.  After some phone calls, Sara and Nancy got together yesterday to discuss and view the project.  Sara will present the project to the Waterbury Garden Club at their meeting Monday.  I can't wait to hear and see how this beginning becomes a garden.