Susan Harris
Susan Harris's blog about eco-friendly and urban gardening, plus the adventures of a DC-based garden writer, coach and occasional rabble-rowser.

From the category archives:

Urban Gardening

Grocery store gives free massages!


Yeah, I know, it's amazing!  And the Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op has offered them for at least 10 years, just inside the front door, every Sunday afternoon from noon to 4 – and I never noticed.  Never noticed that they were FREE, that is.  Til one day I was standing in line and heard someone yell "Raise your hand if you want a free massage" and I found my sore gardener's arm shooting up to claim the service.  (My sore gardener's back seconded that emotion.)

So here you see the result – not that very day but the next Sunday, too, with lots more Sunday massages to come.  The massage therapist is Nicole Zeigler, totally qualified and a delightful person to boot.  

What other grocery store buys four hours of massage therapists' time every week?  Or offers frequent free events in the store, like story-telling and movies?  Nicole thinks this store can do it because it's a co-op, so profit margins aren't the only concern. 

My only complaint? The young (male) clerk who suggests to customers of a certain age that they take advantage of the senior discount.  Just post it, buddy, don't ask. 

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Mayors of the World, Copy This!

My story about Baltimore’s City Hall Garden is actually here on GardenRant.   These are the extra photos I couldn’t resist posting.

 

 

 

Lettuce and window box photos by Angela Treadwell-Palmer.  That’s Angela tackling the beans.

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Real Men Make Community Gardens

I knew that Joe Lamp’l and the gang from Fiskars were doing a garden "makeover" yesterday in Baltimore, and turns out it was a totally cool thing – story coming soon.  But til then, here’s some shots of sweaty middle-aged men hard at work making the Oliver Neighborhood Community Garden a reality.  I like ‘em hot and dirty, don’t you?

Joe’s on the right wolfing down some classic American picnic food.  In the shot below with the new raised beds in the background is Paul Tonnesen, president of Fiskars in North America. 

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