Godsil’s Euclid Garden

This evening I went over to my friend Godsil’s Euclid GP home garden to give him advice about his newly arrived worm condo. Godsil, co-founder of the Milwaukee Renaissance with my friends Tegan and Bill Sell, was the person who introduced me to Growing Power, Will Allen and the worm. With the help of some friends he has build a very intense home model GP garden in his backyard, front yard and on his garage roof. Since I have known Godsil, starting back in 1965 when we were both students at St. Louis University, he has been an intense person. Our lives took various paths but we are ending up in the same place with the nonviolent worm as our guide. Godsil prides himself as a “peddler” of ideas and actions, and promises to take up the cause of the worm condo and really peddle it. I am glad since he, although only two years younger than I, has a lot more energy and certainly a lot more friends. Almost everyone in Milwaukee knows Godsil or about him.

You can see from the picture above how intense the growing is in the Euclid Garden. His garden, like mine, has some things doing really well and some not. When I asked him why, he said that some raised beds were not deep enough for some plants but in general he did not know. It was a mystery. I found that a good attitude. Just do your best and keep on learning but accept what you get in the garden.

On another stop today I visited Father Purcell S.J., my teacher and mentor for four years in college when I was a student in a Jesuit seminary. He was our speech teacher, but taught us more than just good speech. One of the things he taught us was the power of observation. He had us keep an observation book, which is, more or less, what I try to do in these Diary of the Worm postings. I brought him a copy of my observation homily on a worm and the Blessed Trinity. He really enjoyed it and he was proud of me, which made me feel good, for some reason sad but good. Father Purcell was and is an intense person but with a balance of deepness.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that today is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. St. Ignatius and Jesuits are what connect me in life to a lot of people and events. Godsil, like I, am a product of Jesuit Education, and we met at a Jesuit University. Father Purcell is a Jesuit and was my speech teacher for four years while I was in the Jesuit seminary. There are many more connections in my daily life and that is intense enough for now.

Comments

(:commentboxchrono:)