First up, the aside. Has a film scene ever disturbed you so deeply that you shuddered every time you thought of it? When I was in third of fourth grade, I saw just such a scene, which sticks with me even though I’ve forgotten most of the details about the rest of the film, including its title. The main characters were kids about my age at the time, students in a boarding school (I think), which took place in a dreary and dismal world with a dark, thick cloud cover that sunlight can’t penetrate. The protagonist, let’s call him Timmy, is a quiet, nerdy kid who’s always getting beaten up and bullied and could really use some Vitamin D (we all do, it can’t be overstated). Hope comes only near the end of the film when the clouds break, and the excited kids race outside to soak in some sun. Except for Timmy, who the bullies have imprisoned in a storage closet for the duration of the short-lived event. As if that weren’t bad enough, Timmy could hear his tormentors laughing and playing just outside the door. Gulp! I couldn’t imagine a worse fate. But after living in Chicago for the past few weeks, I’ve realized that I am Timmy. We are all Timmy!! But we’re going to get through it. It’s going to be 80 degrees next week. Or someday. And April showers definitely bring May flowers.
In fact, the flowers keep coming all summer long.
While it may be a cliche, Peter and LaManda see it firsthand when they harvest their bounty of veggies every year. It was the 3500 sq. ft. lot that sold them on the house, and they promptly transformed the bland yard into three main areas: an outdoor kitchen, a lounge-y outdoor salon and a massive garden that feeds them (and quite a few friends, including your truly) all year long.”This year we had 34 types of tomatoes (over 70 plants), 5 types of eggplant, 8 types of peppers, squash, herbs, tomatillos, you name it. It’s really a madhouse out there. A delightful madhouse!” Worth the rain I’d say! A few years ago, LaManda was researching World War II Victory Gardens and stumbled across the fact that one of the original gardens had been located on an empty lot nearby. So she made a few calls and ultimately founded the Peterson Garden Project, an organic community vegetable garden. “One season later we’re the largest edible garden in Chicago and won an award in the Mayor’s Landscape Competition,” LaManda says. “We had about 400 people working in the garden. It was an amazing experience!” I took these photos last summer but I like to think of them as messages from this coming summer. It gets better. Thanks Peter and LaManda!
Peter and LaManda have also made their dated 50’s-era split-level duplex madmen cool again. Check back soon for their Open House.
Click here for Chicago Tribune’s story about the Peterson Garden Project.
One of LaManda’s recent Facebook status updates. Click here to hear the song for yourself.
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