1979 and Rhubarb Pie

While browsing blogs on the Internet this afternoon, I came across one that had a recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. You know how somethings just transport you back to a place and time or some fond happy memory? Well Rhubarb is just one of those things for me. Takes me right back to 1979. Takes me back to a little farm on County Rd 8 in Arlington Ohio where one of my favorite cousins lived. Where we could run through corn fields and swim in the pond, ride on the tractor, collect peacock feathers and love on the abundance of kittens living in the old barn.

Check me out-I'm the one on the far left that looks like a boy with a really bad haircut. that's 1979 all the way right there...I'm somewhat surprised there isn't some random patch sewn on the knee of my pants. My Mom was an avid user of those little patches.

Anyway, we would visit my cousins Chris and Kim and Aunt Marge and Uncle Floyd in the summers and fall when I was young. We'd play "kick the can" and eat wild berries and explore the land without a care in the world.

Aunt Marge made two dishes from scratch that have stayed etched in my mind for all of these years-homemade baked macaroni and cheese and strawberry rhubarb pie. They were both heavenly. I've never had a mac and cheese like it. It was very rustic-not fancy-no added flavors. I've come to find out later that fresh goats milk cheese was part of the recipe.

OK, OK back to the real reason for the blog...rhubarb! Aunt Marge's Rhubarb Pie was so frackin' good! Most people have a sweet tooth-but I tend to think I have more of a "tart" tooth. I love tart flavors and rhubarb is most definitely tart. Click HERE for the recipe I found that inspired this blog-it is of course, complete with lots of wonderful pics.

I know I just said I was going to plant tomatoes and sunflowers-but I think I'm adding Rhubarb to the garden as well. I am seriously going to drive my husband insane-he's anti-plant. I think he's just tolerating all of this planting right now because he sees it is something that is bringing me joy.

THIS ARTICLE tells me rhubarb doesn't do well in the south-its apparently a cold climate crop. It does tell me how to grow it as an annual though. I guess I will be waiting until around August or so to start my Rhubarb plants. That's kind of disheartening-but oh well-if I get a good enough crop I can always freeze it for later use.

I'm off to learn more about my beloved Rhubarb and humming 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins all the way... (Great song!)

A Georgia Springtime Classic

Yep, its that time of year again. The time of year when Georgia looks as though it suffered a nuclear attack and bright yellow-green radioactive fallout is covering everything. You can't open your windows or it will be covering everything in your house. Its pointless to wash your car and whenever you have to go outside for anything you come back in feeling like you've got a gritty film covering you.

It will be nice to get some good soaking rains to wash away this mess.

Mud-licious and Puddle Wonderful?

"The world is mud-licious and puddle wonderful!" -E.E.Cummings

After having such a drought the last couple of years in Georgia I'd have to say I agree with that statement. Its nice to have mud and puddles again instead of dry dusty cracked earth. We hope the rains will keep coming. We desperately need it in this part of the country.

All the mud is fun for the kids too. Kids love the mud, its squishy and messy. When you grow up into an adult you do NOT (normally-I know there's an exception to every rule) love mud. Mud becomes one of those things you DON'T want on your clothes, body, or hair-that is unless you've paid for that sort of thing at a swanky day spa. When your child insists on splashing in the puddles on your way into a store or running through the mud before you take them into school-it does nothing but make you want to scold them for getting dirty. We parents take the joy out of everything do we not?

Well, when I walked in to Red's pre-school this afternoon, the kids were all out playing in the yard around back. They were in the far back corner and I couldn't see Red right off the bat. The teacher walked up to me and you could tell she was nervous as she started to tell me, "Um do you see that big mud puddle right there?"

I shook my head yes...and watched as her face grew bright red.

"Well, he just went over and dunked his head into it and then slid right in."

At first I did that parental sigh when you have just heard that your child did something wrong. Then I looked over and saw him-he was laughing and playing. His clothes were covered in mud-but his face was covered with a smile. So I laughed too. I mean we were going straight home. The clothes can be washed, and so can his body. That's what being a kid is all about. Experimenting, playing, laughing and getting messy along the way.

I think the teacher was relieved that I laughed about it. They must get sick to death of parents coming in expecting their kids to be shiney and spotless everytime they get picked up. Now, I wouldn't have wanted them to let him stay that way-that's what the change of clothes is for in his cubby box at school.

There's a muddy pair of shoes, socks, jeans, and shirt in the washer right now and there's a kid in the tub smiling thinking about the squishy mud he rolled around in today.