Chad
and Aaron jostle, wrestle and coax a large stone into place, a perfect
fit and level to boot. Ben Eaton's eyes are filled with excitement,
"These guys are the best," he whispers. The guys are building a curved
two and half foot high stone wall. Ben is right; the stonework is
exceptional. Ben Eaton is the owner of "The Secret Gardener," a garden
design and planting business he created more than a decade ago.
It has been seven years since
Ben and his wife Margaret, who we met last time, purchased a building
on Warren Street. Over those years Ben and Margaret walked past the
two empty lots, a few doors from their home, hundreds of times. Each
time Ben passed, a long time dream stirred within him, the dream of
building a secret garden on Warren Street, providing highly detailed
horticultural services and bringing a bit of beauty to the street.
When Ben was a boy he was crazy
about cars. He subscribed to car magazines, Hot Rod, Motor Trend and
others. If it was about cars, he read it. He dreamed of cars, exotic
cars, fast cars. Then he went to college. There he majored in business
administration. In order to pay for his education, Ben took a job
working at Andover Farm Nursery. He worked long hours and fell madly
in love. He canceled his car magazine subscriptions and devoured every
gardening and horticultural magazine he could get his hands on. Before
very long he knew it was time to start his own business and "The Secret
Gardener" was born. Driven by his dreams the business became successful.
Finally
the day arrived when Ben could no longer just walk past those two
vacant lots. He bought the parcels as well as the adjacent property
and structure. The structure was what remained of Mike Finn's Barber
Shop, the place where legend has it, Legs Diamond used to get his
hair cut over seventy years ago. Although Ben wanted to save and use
the building, it had been condemned and had to come down. Ben salvaged
as much of the building as possible and is recycling it into the "Secret
Garden". Mike Finn's Barbershop doors for example, will be the front
doors of the storefront structure Ben plans to construct. All the
stone used in those beautiful walls Chad and Aaron are building came
from the site. 
When you ask
Ben to describe what the "Secret Garden" will look like, excitement
overtakes him. He points and gestures around the three-lot landscape.
A huge smile attacks his face and his eyes light up. When I look,
I see a white Quonset hut shaped structure, the greenhouse. I see
stone walls, piles of rock, and markers where the 16 x 20 Federal
style storefront will soon rise one and a half stories. Ben, on the
other hand, sees the completed structure, stone walkways, the arbor,
containers and pots, patio and garden accessories, tables covered
with herbs, annuals and perennials, house plants, tropical plants,
florist coolers filled with fresh cut flowers, professional tools,
gardening books, wheelbarrows and shovels, the list is endless. And
then there's the landscaping, trees and shrubs and flowering plants
everywhere, a virtual paradise amidst an urban setting. The curious
and amazing thing is that as Ben speaks I am able to look into his
eyes and clearly see it all. It is lush, it is real and it is beautiful.
Ben is a dreamer, but he is no idle dreamer. He is a man who makes
dreams live. 
I shake Ben's hand and wish
him luck, but that isn't necessary. He has sufficient luck and all
the desire and energy to make his dream come true. Ben and Margaret
and daughter Lucy have a marvelous life ahead because their love for
life nurtures dreams. I enjoyed my visit; their dreams are delightfully
infectious.
We'll talk next
time From The Road.
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