Day 1236: First iris of the season

All equipment is now turned in!  The last boy in Fredonia dropped his pack in the office this morning, confident that he would not hear from us again.  Wrong.  Steve discovered a whole compartment full of his stuff: moleskin, compass, hat, ski cap, bandanas, flashlight.  Twice Steve called him to the office.  When he finally showed up and saw the pile of his gear, "Oh, but I checked the pack!"  Clearly, not well enough.

Josh brought the last of the Silver Creek gear over tonight along with a beautiful note from one of the lovely ladies.   She wrote:  "To: Quest family,   I would like to thank you guys for lending me the things I needed to do Quest.  It was a wonderful experience and I was truly  grateful to be a part of it. I with never forget it and life lessons it taught me.  Thank you."   It brought a lump to my throat.  We can never predict who will be touched by the program or how they will be impacted.  Reactions are always mixed.  Some are dismissive or scornful, others are exuberant and grateful, while a few quietly take it all in and process thoughtfully.  It may take months or years to realize what they've learned.

The first lily of 2015

The first iris of 2015

It was a lovely day for gardening, although even colder than last Wednesday at Cockaigne.  I planted green pepper, kale and thyme in the gardens along with yellow and green beans, Swiss chard and lettuce in containers.  Tomorrow, I'll move on to the flowers!