From Ralph Bucci – CBC Bronx, NY – Dave Detje and I have been working on the roof garden and by the entrance statue at CBC the last two summers. I began a garden many years ago, and Dave continued it until we met up again. All this supplements the work of Dave Van Hollebeke outside with the gardeners. Tending a garden is a great creative and spiritual experience – even for Steve Olert, Mike Sevastakis, Robert Bimonte, and Beto Pinto-Corredo, who water the garden, too.
We have some perennials and were able to winter-over 22 geraniums! Beginning the season with 35 plants and about 10 cacti (from my earlier stay and subsequent propagation) and 3 fig trees, we purchased a whole lot of annuals – and 20 vegetables – for color, textural variety, and cooking! The 100+ potted plants on the masonry roof requires an hour of watering in the early morning, a quick watering of a few plants in mid-afternoon, and a second soaking in the evening.
It’s a great gift to get one’s fingernails dirty while continuing God’s creation, providing visual pleasure and a pleasant place where brothers walk, pray, read, or relax during the warmth of the day or in the cool breezes after supper.
And it’s been a wonderful respite from the sometimes isolation caused by our unwelcomed guest (Covid-19) since mid-March.
