By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Neighbors Jerry and Pat Skarbek and Mark and Linda Boehm share more than just a street name.
Both couples share a love for gardening.
Though the two homes on State Street are still in the city limits, one wouldn't guess it with the woods, deer and other wildlife that roam their properties daily.
"All of the neighbors feed the deer. They come here every evening around six or seven, about 10 or 12 of them," Jerry Skarbek said while pointing to his deer feeding box filled with corn. He also showed the path the deer take, which is a small dirt trail. The deer venture over from the woods on the other side of Lincoln Avenue, probably crossing the street to get their feeding destinations.
"It's really neat to watch them. They seem to be used to us and don't get too scared."
Linda Boehm said she enjoys watching one doe in particular, whose leg was injured and is now only able to walk on three legs.
"She has two little ones who usually follow her. I'm not sure what happened, but she seems to get around all right."
The gardens surrounding both neighbors' homes are very different in many ways.
Mark and Linda have really enjoyed their pepper garden, which sits beside their home on a slanted hill.
"It's mostly hot peppers because the deer don't like them. If we plant anything else they would just come up and eat it all," Linda explained. The Boehm's property features two different rock walls, one which is still an ongoing project by Mark. They also have three walnut trees, maple trees, bamboo and a lot of hostas.
"My husband does all of the gardening work. He loves doing it . A few weeks ago I took my husband's car to get new tires and someone asked where my husband was. I told them he was home gardening and they looked at me with a funny look and said, 'did you two reverse roles or something?' We get comments like that a lot," Linda said.
Next door, the scene is no different as Jerry is seen watering and tending to his garden daily.
"Me and mother nature. We're the ones who take care of the flowers. But mother nature hasn't been doing her job lately, so it's just been me," Jerry said with a laugh.
Jerry and Pat's property features every kind of flower imaginable. The highlight of the yard is the small pond in the backyard, which is home to goldfish and frogs.
"We had to put a net over the top of the pond because we had a problem with a blue heron a few years ago. He took about three of our fish," Jerry explained.
One bright side is the fact that the two do not have to worry about many mosquitoes, as the fish and frogs would feed on them.
Jerry originally started the pond as a way to beautify his backyard.
"A storm came through and knocked down a big tree, leaving a cavity in the ground. This was back before ponds were even a thing to do, but I thought it would be a good idea, plus we wanted something for our granddaughter to be able to enjoy when she came over," Jerry said.
So the pond idea came to life and Jerry purchased everything he needed – pumps, hoses, filters, even a pier for his granddaughter to sit on and wiggle her feet in the water.
As time has passed, the pond has become a place for the Skarbeks to enjoy some peace and quiet. A bench rests right beside the water, as well as solar lights. A number of different perennial flowers surround the pond, and even some wild ones have grown on their own.
"I'm not real sure where the water celery came from. It's more like a weed, but the deer really seem to like it," Jerry explained.
A wide variety of butterflies also flutter freely around the yard, and Jerry has made one special little friend.
"That's the chipmunk hole," he said while pointed to a small hole in the ground. "He and I have become buddies."
Jerry and his wife are trying their hand at a vineyard, as they planted their first grape vines, which have wrapped around the poles on the pier.
"I'm not sure how it will work, but they are looking good so far."
A short walk away, Jerry started on a fire pit, which he said is very enjoyable.
"It's one of the only things we didn't have yet, and this side of the yard was bare, so I thought I would build one."
The Boehms and Skarbeks have lovely gardens, but the two aren't the only ones on the block who have them.
"Right across the street there are two homes that have a lot of flower and vegetable gardens. We all share things and give each other ideas or tips. It's really neat that we all share a love of gardening," Linda said. "I went to the store one day to buy rhubbard for a pie and my neighbor called me and said 'now why did you do that? I have plenty over here.' It's really nice to live in a neighborhood like this."