Rhubarb!

     Pastor Justin began his sermon this morning by saying that the attack on Minnesota by the Federal Government is not normal. He put on a huge backpack and likened to the burden we all carry because of the current siege happening in Minneapolis. Nixon had his enemies list but that was nothing compared to Hitler2, who not only has a list but sends the Feds to invade. Justin was correct and it was very helpful to name what we're all feeling. Personally, I can only handle so much of  this reality at a time and then I have to disassociate for awhile. With that said, let's talk about rhubarb.

     On the farm on which I grew up is a huge rhubarb patch. My mother said "When I moved to the farm in 1927 it was in place." It's still there, still thriving and occasionally a bit of it is harvested. All by itself, with no human aid, it has been growing year after year, now for over 100 years. It doesn't spread nor shrink just continues minding it's own business. While I was living in North Dakota our rhubarb plants were flooded and they didn't survive, that's the only ones I've noted to succumb.  

    In today's Writer's Almanac was this article. "On this date in 1770, Benjamin Franklin introduced rhubarb to America. He was representing the American colonies as an ambassador in London, and sent a crate of rhubarb to his friend John Bartram. The plant, native to central Asia, had been introduced in Europe by traders; the rhubarb that Franklin sent to America had come to London from Siberia. Rhubarb first appeared in American seed catalogs in 1829, and soon became a popular ingredient in pies. John Bartram was also responsible for introducing kohlrabi and poinsettias to America."

   Kohlrabi could have been left behind but I didn't know this about rhubarb and poinsettias. Rhubarb is very common in Norway and is a northern plant that doesn't live in warm climates. Near Camp Pendleton in southern CA, where I was stationed in the Marines, are huge fields of poinsettias growing six feet tall.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Don't forget the suffering caused by Hitler2's vendettas!