TBW Daily Diary

Spent part of yesterday afternoon speaking with Stephanie VanSickle, Christopher Siennick and Peter Roquemore, three college students who with a group of volunteers have formed Harrisburg Summer of Solutions. It is an Environment-friendly youth program with three objectives: urban gardening and beautification, bio-diesel recycling program (fats used in cooking, if I understand correctly) and community-approved Street Art. As soon as I know the website address I will pass it on . . . I can certainly applaud the first two efforts. However, I am one of those old fogeys who are not amused by murals on buildings, painted hydrants, or graffiti, no matter how creative. I believe buildings can be appreciated for their architecture even if it is mundane, and I support historic preservation and renovation rather than coating over what some consider blighted buildings with what I consider an even greater blight . . . We wish the young people success, however. I am all for gardens in empty lots, flower boxes and blooms in unused plots along the street . . . As an aside, I have found on my morning walks a lot of good intentions; flowers have been planted but are now neglected. This is not a once-and-done activity. Watering and weeding are needed weekly throughout the season . . . and there is a lot of weeding to be done if our streets and sidewalks are to be beautified . . . Enough of that . . . Eileen Young is already hard at work preparing for the Harris Street Church fall bazaar. The date has been set, so mark your calendars--October 31. Isn't that Halloween? . . .