“Growth is painful. Change is painful.
But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.”
~ Mandy Hale
One of the things that made yesterday so wonderful was my walk past Mathews Garden. It, along with the house bearing the same name and an adjacent house, are set to be demolished to make room for the law school expansion. Mathews is no ordinary botanical garden. At a century old, it’s said to be perhaps the most diverse space in Kentucky, supporting over 350 species of native and non-native plants. There are a few rare trees on the half acre as well, including a reproducing American Elm. Three quarters of their population were wiped out in the mid 20th Century. Even though this small lot provides a unique classroom to students, not to mention a unique space in the middle of town, the administration questioned whether “a facility of dense undergrowth (should) be in the center of campus or more appropriately relocated to a research tract (farm)…” Cue Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, “They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.” I will enjoy Mathews Garden for as long as they’ll let me.
Leave a Reply