I went to the board meeting on 11/17/15 to explain my garden management plan. The plan had been agreed to back in February, but there had allegedly been a complaint about it so I thought I’d better explain to the board what the plan was and how I planned to deal with the complaint. I’m not allowed to know who made it so I have to take their word for it that it happened at all. Also I requested a copy of the complaint with the personal information blocked out and I was told I’d get it but I don’t have it yet, so I’m skeptical about whether it exists at all.

It seems that one board member is bitter and resentful that I even have a garden at all, she apparently thinks I don’t deserve “special treatment”. It seems likely that no matter how I manage my garden she will be unhappy that it exists. I did not know this until the meeting but apparently gardening permits are no longer issued at the complex. I got mine in January 2005 so unless the board votes otherwise it seems my garden along with several others is “grandfathered in”. To be angry with me over this doesn’t seem like a very fair attitude to me because the only reason I even got the idea to start a garden here was that the association used to advertise in the newsletter to come to the office and get a permit to start a garden. In other words, I was invited. You can’t rely on the word of the management about too many things, they’ve followed through on several of their agreements with me but have blown off several others. Some of this is no doubt because of the large size of the complex but it’s difficult to rely on their word for anything. If you rely on what they say you are likely to get attacked for it later, even you have it in writing. Some of the people who work here are wonderful to deal with and some give you the impression that they’d be happier if you left and never came back. That is why I would not advise anyone to move here – unless you enjoy conflict and stress. Otherwise there are a lot of good things about it.

Unit owners are only allowed a short time to speak, there is a timer that goes off when your time is up. People are allowed to make anonymous complaints about you but if you want to defend yourself you have to go on the record which I don’t mind doing but I sure wish the alleged detractors if they exist were man or woman enough to do the same. The PowerPoint presentation I had prepared was far too detailed to deal with in the time allowed so I requested to present it at the Building and Landscape committee meeting on December 9 and that request was granted. In the meantime, I suggested a couple of compromises on the North and West sides of the building to make the garden blend in a little better with the rest of the complex which were accepted for now. With those small adjustments I’m to proceed with my plan until the Dec. 9 meeting. What will happen after that I don’t know. The management has a copy of my plan along with my contact information and has my permission to share that information with anyone who would like to talk to me about the garden. I have strong ideas about how I want to manage the garden but I also have strong ideas about not causing problems for my neighbors. If a compromise can be reached I want to try it and not just give up. Some things ARE negotiable. My garden has become habitat to lots of delightful creatures since I started it and is also habitat for at least one endangered species – the Monarch Butterfly. For them, I want to try to keep it going.

On November 19 the leaf blower guys came around again and this time they confirmed with me that I wanted them to skip my garden and I would manage the leaves myself. I confirmed that was the case and sent an email to the condo association and the landscaping company to thank them profusely for their cooperation.

On November 23, I applied 20 more bags of mulch to cover the leaves that had fallen since the last mulch application. That was not enough to do the whole job so I did the North and West sides first which are visible from the street. I’ll do the rest at the earliest opportunity – probably today. I also applied some more blood and bone meal fertilizer and the last of my oat seeds which I’m using as a cover crop.

November 24 – 20 more bags of mulch completed the job, for now.