I feel pretty - oh so pretty!

Actually, I suppose I should say "I feel beautiful" because I just learned that Pennsylvania Garden has been awarded a San Francisco Beautiful Beautification Award! Yes, that's right, we're going to the Golden Gnomes!*

Friedel Klussmann founded San Francisco Beautiful in 1947 with her successful campaign to save the city´s cable cars.  Today, the cable cars are an instantly recognizable San Francisco symbol.  Today, SFB is an incorporated non-profit organization with a paid staff and a volunteer Board of Directors.

Since the early 1970s, the Beautification Awards have recognized individuals, organizations, community groups, and businesses that improve the quality of life in San Francisco. Nominated project have improved the City’s physical environment and has enriched the life of the community.

The awards Dinner is set for October 13th, at the very swish Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel. If you should choose to attend this event, you may well see me, in a frock, attempting to behave elegantly. That alone should be worth the price of a ticket! But no - there are better reasons to go:

Each year, San Francisco Beautiful brings together community leaders, activists, and philanthropists to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the award winners.  The dinner also serves as a fundraiser for San Francisco Beautiful, drawing sponsors from corporations, foundations, and private individuals.

I'm especially excited because the winners each receive a golden wheelbarrow with which to cart mulch around in style, filled with a year's worth of chiropractic appointment coupons, tweezers for removing cactus spines and handy packs of Advil. OK, that's not true. ;) But you do get the iconic SFB award - the "Golden Gnome" (above left)! OK, that's not true either. But it should be, right?

I'd like to thank Caltrans, DPW, SFPT and the people who nominated P. Garden for this award, as well as the fabulous volunteers who made the garden what it is. Not to mention the community support we've had - every cheerful visitor who ladles on the praise while we're toiling away in the hot sun really does make us feel like it's all worthwhile. It really does!

*I made that name up. It's not really called that.