My boyfriend pointed out to me yesterday that my ever-evolving garden of plastic toys, trees and flowers was mentioned in a "love the way we love" about the North End a couple of issues ago. When I got home form his house there was a gorgeous note on my porch, signed by "Sarah and Rachelle", telling me that my garden brightens their day every time they walk past. Thought I'd share the love: When I started lining up forgotten treasures in front of my house last spring, concerned friends advised me that they would be stolen within a day. Totally not what happened! Not only do people leave me plastic pirate skulls, poems, paper fish on fishing poles, huge stuffed animals, cassette tapes, plastic busts of Jesus and shelves full of figurines, they also bring THEIR OWN chalk to add niceties to my chalkboard. Many, many people have thanked me for my little garden, or told me how much inspires them. One time a really drunk thug guy started crying, telling me how much he thought about it, how good it was. It is so simple to make others happy by passing on these small, beautiful things. I just wanted to say thank you.

---Laura Dawe