I’m sitting at home on my front porch as I write this post. I have terrible seasonal allergies. Doesn’t matter. I’ve never been able to will myself indoors on gorgeous Spring days like today. New leaves quaking in the breeze, chirps and whistles from nesting birds, shouted greetings by passing neighbors, children’s scooters and bikes clicking and squealing down the street—even the rumbling of a suitably distant mower—they’re all well worth the itchy throat and sneezing that awaits me tonight.
Spring is the season of renewal.
There’s lots of evidence of it around Sloan Street these past couple of weeks. Purple and pink stripy petunias burst from the hanging baskets lining the porch at 220, and two beautiful hibiscus offer their showy flowers from the front steps. Flowering trees, newly planted in our communities last Fall, have pushed blossoms aside and begun to leaf out. Tulips and a full range of summer blooming perennials ring the common spaces at The Bungalows, the Cottages, and our Creekside neighborhood.
We have teams of volunteer partners to thank for all this beautiful color. The SAGES group from Davidson College Presbyterian Church is among our most devoted green thumbs. Davidson Lands Conservancy stalwarts planted the trees, which were funded as part of a joint proposal DLC and DHC submitted to the Town. A high school junior showed up just last week on his day off from school to spread mulch for us in the slowly developing garden behind some of our Mock Circle rentals. Our very own Mayor of Mock Street makes sure the plants and trees get all the water they need and rushes loyally to their defense when they need shelter from storms.
Small things, yes. Nowhere near as big as a whole roof. Still, just as important.
Why?
Because we all need the beauty of nature in our lives, and the closer it is to our front doors, the better. It brings us peace of mind. It fosters a sense of place. It offers respite from the built environment, while giving us opportunities to connect to one another and to the other living things with whom we share space.
It’s why we believe affordable homes must be both safe and attractive. And why we are striving everyday to make it so.
We’re so grateful for the partners who roll up their sleeves to contribute their time, their talents, and their labor to the endeavor.
There’s always room for anyone to join them! Call US if you’d like to help steward the investments we’ve made to keep Davidson’s doors open. Safe, attractive, affordable housing is our mission. A connected, vital, vibrant community is our vision.
Spring is back in our little corner of the world!