OS are volunteer activists who recently created the Yablokov-GARDEN Public Council. And Rossiyskaya Gazeta has maintained a news sponsorship of it since spring 2020, when this oasis on the outskirts of an ordinary Ryazan village became the Garden of Memory and Hope.
Already in the evening we agreed with Morozov that we would pick him up early, as soon as it dawned. But it didn’t work…
– Okay, don’t make excuses. Grab a rake shovel and go!
The first group of volunteers arrived at Yablokov-SAD at the same time as us. In the evening, more than 60 planting holes were prepared and grafted apple and pear seedlings that were waiting in the wings were brought in a week in advance.
Photo: Alexander Emelyanenkov
– Did you know? – Boris Vasilyevich addressed, as if indifferently, the new volunteers, who moved from one foot to the other and did not know where to put their hands. – It is necessary that grass does not grow here, so that this competition does not exist…
– Is it important not only to plant and water properly, but also to weed and clean the trunk circle of the tree? – I translate and clarify what Morozov said.
– Necessarily! At least a small circle near the trunk should be kept clean. Especially in the first three or four years.
– This is the most difficult…
– What did you think?! When three years have passed, you can plow the rows and, for example, plant potatoes…
Photo: Alexander Emelyanenkov
On the horizon, recognizable by his wide walk, appeared our Saturday and Sunday foreman, Mikhail Gusev. First of all, a question for me:
– Well, how are we on time? I brought banner poles and Pasha Krug and his guests were at the Yablokov Museum…
– I don’t know what to say. Maybe we should rush the “museum workers”?
The foreman is strict and does not enter into arguments. He has another question, this time for Morozov:
– What kind of fertilizer, Boris Vasilievich?
– Nitroamofoska. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, in a glass.
– Understood. I’ll go call the musicians for help…
– There is no need! – the people buzzed, receiving a master class from Morozov. – They are preparing the equipment, so let them do it. And we can handle it here. We could use more buckets to bring water, humus… There are not enough for everyone…
Meanwhile, Morozov cradles the next settler in the hole: he levels the soil with his hands, moves pieces of turf to the perimeter of the planting hole, makes sure that no gaps form and that the rhizome, covered with podzol, is dry. like dust, he certainly “sweats” at this.
Without showing signs of tiredness, our guru says: “Everything is fine, beautiful marchioness: your estate was slightly burned, but otherwise everything is fine…”
And out of the corner of his eye he notices that the volunteers are starting to get bored of the monotonous work.
– Oh, and sweet crow’s feet! – as if he remembers something, our guru jokes. -Have you eaten? No, he says, I didn’t eat. But my dad saw how the teacher ate… Add more soil here, along with humus. When the water is absorbed, you can plant.
“Boris Vasilievich,” one of the newcomers dares to ask, “how old are you?”
– Yes, he is still young, only a year older than Pugacheva…
Photo: Alexander Emelyanenkov
