I'm Sure this was Just Chance (not) (warning: long) [View all]

Note: Bear with me. This sounds like it should be posted in the gardening forum until you get to the end.

As I've mentioned here before, my job is to run community and school gardens. We, meaning the community gardeners and I, were working late last night and it was getting near dark. Everyone left but me, and I was getting ready to leave when a gardener from last year showed up and apologized for not signing up for a plot on time. He asked if I had any place for him to put the sizable number of plants he was carrying.

I could easily have said no. This gardener is kind of a PITA because he asks a lot of questions and carries issues to an extreme. For example, last year he lost his debit card in one of the big piles of compost we have in an adjoining area. Not only did he go tell every gardener participating that year, he asked me to send a group email asking the gardeners and property maintenance staff to be on the lookout for his debit card, which he was sure he dropped somewhere in the compost pile.

I looked at all his beautiful plants and said I thought I could find him a few spaces to put them. This meant I'd be staying late, grrr.

After he'd dug his rows, I told him he'd have to put compost in the rows before actually putting the plants in. I said you know where the compost is and gestured to the area. I went to pick up my tools so I could leave.

A few minutes later, I looked and he was digging in entirely the wrong place. A bit exasperated because I wanted to go home, I marched back there, carrying my long-handled dandelion digger, and said, "No, don't dig there, over here." I gestured to the right place. At the same time I knew I was going to have to tell him E-X-A-C-T-L-Y where, otherwise I'd just get another question.

I walked to a good spot on this particular pile and plunged my dandelion digger into the compost and said, "Here, right here. Dig here." Then I went back to finishing up the closing for the night.

About five minutes later he joined me at the gate, happy as a clam because of the compost he'd been able to put on his plants, but he also had something in his hand, which he showed me. It was a splintered up group of little plastic things which he'd put together. He said, "You not only found me some great compost, you found my debit card!"

I looked at the card and it certainly appeared as if I'd plunged my dandelion digger right through the heart of his card, which still had his name discernible.

Got a chuckle out of this and wanted to share with like-minded individuals.

Guess it was my reward for staying late.