New trash can at PRG! New benches!

Behold! Such beauty!

During last week's meeting, Aditi asked Sophia Kittler, Senior Legislative Aide to Malia Cohen about a SF Public Works trash can for DPW-owned Pennsylvania Railroad Garden.

She got a positive response, and Sophia worked with Larry Stringer, Deputy Director for Operations at SF Public Works and others at Public Works to make it happen.

Much to our surprise, a can was installed this week! It'll be emptied by DPW daily so feel free to go right ahead and throw trash INTO it, vs on the ground - your volunteer gardeners appreciate your help with that.

Can of Joy Delivery Truck

It's a thing of beauty. We've never been so excited about such a mundane thing, but TBH the reason we had trouble with trash cans before was, well, where do we empty them? And who will do it? Thus far, Aditi and Chris are emptying the poop cans, and that's a Not Fun Task.

Are there any dog walkers who would like to help out every week or two with this task?

One bench of two

In other news, two new benches went in at PRG as well. They've already been seen in use by neighbors, and that brings us joy too. Will they become graffiti-ed and used as the foundation for homeless shelters? TBD. Enjoy them while they are there!

Our next volunteer workday (Nov 3) will be all about weeding PRG, so join us - we need your help as we have new plants coming in that can't be planted until weeding is complete.*

*Just kidding. Weeding is never complete.

Yuck

Similarly, whoever has been systematically hacking apart the big agave at the front entrance... What is wrong with you?

Lost treasures.

Last weekend Matt and I were at the garden eating our customary bagels from Hazel's and coffee from Farley's when we discovered a load of trash at the bench. Which really means a homeless person's stash of junk or the castoffs from a theft. Either way.

Among the pile was a lot of photographs dating from around the 1880s to the 1920s. I like that sort of thing so I brought them home, only to find some had names handwritten on them.

I started looking up the names online, and discovered two that led somewhere. One led me to the Find a Grave website and I was able to add the photograph to the grave image. Hopefully the relatives of Sgt Melvin Gardner Gross like the baby photo I added. He was born and died in Pennsylvania which is apropos, and it seems like he had a good life.

The next led me to the grandson of Edna Laing Bachman, who I found on LinkedIn. I contacted him to ask if he wanted the photo, and he was happy to have it.

"As it happens, we are burying the ashes of Howard Hosmer, husband to Edna Caroline Laing Hosmer at the family plot in Tranquility New Jersey on April 17th. The family will enjoy seeing the pictures."

So her photo will be with her daughter's husband and family. One person's trash is another person's treasure.

The Squid Stays

Jackie doesn't mess around

I'm generally in favor of public art, but when it comes to graffiti on our new fence I am not a fan. I try to follow the 24 hour rule - as in if it's removed within 24 hours, they are less likely to tag the fence again. Due to some unforeseen events I wasn't able to get an orbital sander to remove the graffiti myself. Jackie, graffiti remover extraordinaire, was able to bring her equipment over from the East Bay. Meanwhile my mom, Debbie, and I setup the water for the trees, picked up trash, and did a bit of weeding. Bentley the dog sniffed and laid about in the shade.

Debbie keeping
the garden clean

It's hard work being
a garden dog

Jackie had an even fancier and more powerful sander than the last time she removed graffiti from the fence, and she made quick work of the graffiti. It was still early in the day, so we worked as a team to paint over most of the graffiti on the backside of the fence. One particularly artistic panel was of a squid and said 'Creature' so it was spared. Today was more maintenance than gardening, but that's the way it is sometimes. There is always something to do!