Prison Gardeners

Some time ago we established that GroveAtopia continues whether we write about it or not so there is no need to address the fact that we've been absent for over 3 years.  That's longer than any written excuse can handle, so let's just skip it.

That said, over the years, writing and reading about GroveAtopia has been in the back of our minds, hasn't it?  Some have even asked where it has been.  That was surprising.   The truth is that it been in the place where writing is before it hits the screen, wherever that is.  Imagination?  Fantasy?  Some part of the brain called "time crunch?"  In any case it has not been here.

But the other day, driving by City Hall an unusual gardening occurance was taking place and frankly, there is no better place to share it than here.  It was so unusual that it took several awkward drive by attempts to photograph it, so please excuse the poor results.   One plus of poor results is that people sometimes stick around for the explanation.  Let's see if that is the case here.

Here is the first picture.

 See?  You were warned.  It's not very good.  So let's explain.  The guy in the stripped suit.  What is he doing?  Why is he wearing what looks like prison garb straight from a cartoon?

Because he is a prisoner in the GroveAtopia jail.  Yep, GroveAtopian prisoners have to wear cartoon clothes while they serve their time.

Now seeing a prisoner out and about on a pleasant Saturday afternoon might give one pause, but only if you don't realize that the brown door in the background of this picture leads directly to the police department.  So given the combination of cartoon prisoner garb and proximity to the police department, this guy is probably not up to anything we should be worried about. 

Actually, it turns out he's up to something that makes us happy in that mixed up kind of way you feel when you see a good thing being done by someone who is accused of having done something bad.   At the very least you drive around the block and have another look.

And when you do, this is what you see.  TWO guys in cartoon prison garb pulling weeds in the little patch of flowers between the police department, jail, city hall and the Territorial Seed call center - all right there on Main St.

Lest you think this is a common site here in GroveAtopia, well, it's not.  We've seen prisoners washing patrol cars a few times before, so we know they are put to work.  

But we've never seen them gardening, so when you drive by and the words "prison gardeners" pop into your mind, you simply have to tell someone about it.