Creekside Gables Spotlights Leann M

Leann M has lived at Creekside Gables for nearly forty years. She originally lived here with her mother. She was adopted and had a younger brother who passed away at the age of twenty one. Leann had sort of lived around the edges of community events because in her own words, she has always believed in learning the “lay of the land” before jumping into anything.

When the announcement came that Hennepin County would be partnering with Lang Nelson and had chosen Creekside Gables due to our unique senior programming, to build the backyard farms, Leann’s antennae went up! This was a dream come true for her. She had hoped we could have our own gardens and it was now a reality!

Leann shares that while in high school, her family had a backyard garden where they grew beans, cantaloupes and tomatoes. This was her launching pad into the world and the love of gardening.

During the development of our garden, Leann showed up for every meeting with an enthusiasm that was uncanny. Her excitement and eagerness to learn was contagious and soon many others became interested in our garden.

The mentors sent by Hennepin County were patient and took us step by step but sometimes Leann would step in and help them out, thus helping us with questions about planting and harvesting. Our harvesting led was abundant and our ability to share with the rest of Creekside was always a reality more than just a dream.

Leann shares that our gardening experience changed her life and gave her a sense of purpose. We will not have our mentors in the coming year but will have a master gardener come in to help us. We hope that this gardener will realize that we have learned a lot and that Leann will be ready, willing and able to assist in many ways.

Leann is the perfect example of the therapeutic values of growing our own food.

This promotes self-sufficiency and independence in our lovely senior community.

Thanks Leann for all your help in the last season and looking forward to working with you in the future!