Filomeno and Valentine’s Day
Filomeno and San Valentino tells the story of a blade of grass in a meadow that fills with mud and which the owner of the garden solves by working the soil and sowing new meadow and thus saving Filomeno Verdina’s lineage.
In Poldo’s garden, there lives a tuft of grass called Filomeno. They gave him this name because as a child he was just a wonderful and very green thread. He was born here many years ago and knows every tuft of grass within a few metres! Last summer, however, many of his friends and relatives were missing due to the terrible heat that not even watering could mitigate. Around us today the mud has taken over many spaces. He too finds it quite difficult to breathe and hopes that Poldo will do something now that the time is right.
Verdina the girlfriend
Next to him is Verdina, his girlfriend. She is a delicate green and a little pale for the same reason as her, but beautiful. He is thinking of proposing to her to join him, but he doesn’t know if she will want to take care of so many small blades of grass with him in the situation they are in.
Poldo and the sticks
One morning Filomeno sees Poldo making a lot of noise with some wooden sticks and is a little worried. He seems to want to choose the one with a bit of edge. Who knows what he has in mind? Poldo is a sweet potato and wouldn’t hurt a fly and he knows it because they told him so… the flies: Pina, Gina, Ravi and Cicci.
The good holes
On Sunday, early in the morning, Poldo starts making deep holes all over the lawn and also around him, often in empty spots. Filomeno doesn’t know what he wants to achieve, but already in the following hours the two or three holes around him begin to have their beneficial effects. The air with its good bacteria has slipped not only into the hole but into the surrounding earth and the water has also brought other good bacteria into the depths and he seems to breathe better.
The comments of friends
The Dragonfly Siss and the Butterfly Fruly came to visit them and complimented them on this good idea.
Poldo and the hoes
The following Sunday he sees Poldo again this time with hoes and spades, lifting clods of grass and leaving them there like that without doing anything else. Filomeno doesn’t understand, but hopes that the situation will improve further because in a week he feels stronger and Verdina has also gained a bit of color. Poldo has also thrown some new grass seeds and Filomeno at this point becomes very hopeful for the future.
Valentine’s Day
On the morning of February 14th, Valentine’s Day, Filomeno wakes up full of energy and sees around him the excitement that precedes the birth of new shoots. Verdina next to him is radiant and he decides that the moment is right.
“Verdina, I love you and I want to spend my whole life with you. Do you want to raise with me these young shoots that are about to be born around us?” Verdina said YES before he even finished the sentence
Valentine’s Party
That evening there was a big party and Pina, Gina, Pippo the caterpillar, Brusi the Butterfly and many of their friends gathered under the light of the fireflies Bri, Smai and Plic to celebrate the renewed energy of the meadow.
Filomeno and Verdina, who witnessed the same work as Poldo every two years, together lived happy, healthy and thriving in this much loved and cared for garden.
The Mondo del Giardino advice
The importance of working the land, even minimally, is underestimated. An old saying suggests that one digging is better than ten waterings. If you want some more information on this you can read the following articles: How to understand the composition of soil and The real gardener cultivates the soil.
