When I wrote a profile of Brandon, Vermont, where I grew up and returned to live, for Vermont Life magazine, I said that if a sculptor were to create a symbol for the community spirit there, it would be a glove in a flower box. Leaving people's lost items where they are likely to see them isn't the only use for the flower boxes, there or in other Vermont towns. Volunteer gardeners usually keep the streets looking their best, homeowners add streetside displays, and in larger places, professional landscapes sometimes are contracted to do the job. However it happens, people believe in doing their civic beauty.