Tail End

Tomorrow I’ll roll out the last of the horticulture therapy gardens under the grant I’ve been working with. I’m tucked into a delightfully dated motel in a wee town on the eastern side of our state. The solid knotty pine paneling reminds me of a house I used to own. The room is funky, and mismatched, and the owners are kind, just like the Expedia reviews promised.

This has been a journey. Without going into the minutia we’ve deployed 45 gardens into 31 non-profit skilled nursing communities under the grant. The communities range from very swanky to seemingly impoverished. The residents are anywhere from non-communicative to sly and sassy. This program brings value to all, whether connected with our educator and the curriculum, snoozing yet attending the class, or reserved with a raised eyebrow. Bringing engaging content to elders in care facilities matters. I am proud to be part of this, and after 5-months of coordinating rollouts, a lot of plant purchasing, garden reviews, hiring, training, reporting, and particularly the last 2-weeks, I am tired 😴.