Back during my hard-working corporate days, I used to hike the I-Shores stretch of Summit each weekday morning to rendezvous with my awaiting vanpool. In wearing a path from Top Pot to Starbucks each morning, I came to know the route quite well, and learned that it is, for the most part, a boring walk. One of the few things that stood out along the way was the nicely manicured traffic circle at the corner of Summit & Harrison. This is the only traffic circle along this fairly busy stretch of Summit, and I suspect it was put in place to challenge the sobriety of the #14 bus driver.

One morning, while counting how many shoes were hanging from the power lines, I noticed a woman walking toward the traffic circle hefting a large bucket of water. She proceeded to douse the carefully arranged flora in the circle, and then returned a nearby apartment building. I found it curious that a seemingly private citizen would take on the task of traffic circle gardening. Doesn’t the city do that?

As I walked past...