The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Giving back to Milan
Volunteers tend to post office's flower beds
By Sue G. Collins, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: September 25, 2008
Cristina Nutt (left) has been tending the flowers around the Milan Post Office for five years as a volunteer. She is pictured with her husband, Matt, who helps with watering and planting.
Cristina Nutt goes to the Milan post office nearly every week during the spring. Sometimes, during the summer, she visits the post office daily.
Nutt isn't checking her post office box, dropping off mail or buying stamps, however. She is checking the flower beds, dropping off mulch and watering madly.
Nutt and her husband, Matt, have been tending the blooms at the Milan Post Office, 123 E. Main St., since 2003 when Christina Nutt accepted the job as gardener, agreeing only to do so if she could handle the job as a volunteer.
"The postmaster told me the job paid an hourly wage, plus reimbursement for the cost of the flowers," Nutt said. "I told him the pay was irrelevant because I was interested in doing it just for the gratification it would bring me."
She chose the annuals, watering the beds diligently through the seasons.
This year, however, has been different, she said. Because work commitments required that she travel out of town, she finally succumbed to her husband's suggestion to use automatic sprinklers.
Matt took on the job himself and installed the watering system this summer.
"I was reluctant at first to the idea because I thought it would take away from the time I enjoyed tending the flowers," Christina said. "However, the flowers are now much fuller and bigger this year and I can spend more time weeding the beds and trimming hedges."
Naida Albin is the president of the Milan Garden Club. She said this month, the club is honoring the display of flowers around the post office with a Milan Beautification Award. Photographs of all the honorees will be featured in an upcoming issue of The Milan News-Leader.
"To me, the job is enjoyable and worth it just to hear all the nice feedback from passersby when I'm there working on the flower beds," Christina said.
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