Want to make a sure-fire investment of your time? Want to do something environmentally sustainable, nonpolitical, socially open and inclusive, and, well, low risk? Okay, here’s how:

Mark you calendar for a date with the Grand Lake Grime Busters, on Sunday morning, November 5, to plant some of 2000 bulbs in the Grand Lake Area.

The Grime Busters are your Grand Lake neighbors who for the past few years have been planting bulbs on the freeway ramps, in public space gardens, and in tree wells and medians in conjunction with the beautification effort by Keep Oakland Beautiful.

Show up anytime between 9 a.m. and noon at Grand Lake Neighborhood Center, 530 Lake Park Avenue. [map]

Bring your own digging tools if you have them, trowels or small spades, and a neighbor to join in the beautification effort.

Come join the fun. I’ll see you there,
—Mary Ellen, The Gardenless Gardener