Sunday, May 03, 2009

From Anonymous Rhubarb to Deranged Nuns


All week, the sun shone. It was beautiful and heartwarming and ever so Spring. Yesterday, I had the day off, and the Nanaimo Community Gardens Society was holding its Rhubarb Festival. Wilson and I went. I planned to take his picture there. It rained. So I took his picture anyway, along with pictures of some of the tulips and other plants.

There was a coffee stand, where a local vendor sold organically grown, shade-grown, fair-trade or co-op coffee by the cup or by the bag. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for the plants, but I was distracted by music. A local couple were playing and singing, of all things, "How much is that doggie in the window?" to entertain the children. We stopped to listen, and Wilson had a go at the recorder. Then we went to the main display, where I bought a rhubarb plant and some raffle tickets.Later in the day I got a phone call to say I had won a big tub of herbs. It's sitting in my living room now, because Spring hasn't sprung so thoroughly that I can leave it out for the night, not just yet. I also bought packets of seed for sugar snap peas, snow peas, and something called Purple Peacock pole beans.


Earlier, I had gone out to my back garden to pick some rhubarb. I wanted to donate some stalks to the festival. All my rhubarb was gone - or so I thought. That's why I bought the plant that Wilson is sniffing in the Local Rhubarb photo.

Then I came home and carried the plant out to the back garden, where I discovered that my old rhubarb wasn't gone, it was just hiding behind the daffodils that I don't remember planting. Now I have two rhubarb plants. I know that the one I bought yesterday is an old variety (donated to the society by an elderly man who says he got the plant from his mother), but I have no idea what kind I already had in my garden. I've had it for years. I may have to post a sign reading Sandra's Home for Elderly and Anonymous Rhubarbs.

Meanwhile, I still have some of last year's rhubarb in the freezer, so last night's dessert was rhubarb-raisin crisp, oh yumm.

Dessert came only after I went to the theatre again. I went to see Agnes of God at Nanaimo Centre Stage. Three actors this time, playing three characters. I enjoyed the play, but I suspect it will take a long time before anything impresses me the way The Syringa Tree did.

Meanwhile, I see that the Chemainus Theatre is putting on Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! later this month. We'll see if O'Neill can come up to scratch. ;>)

Here is the trailer from the movie Agnes of God. They had a lot more actors, a lot more characters. I think I prefer the spare quality of the play. I like being able to use my imagination.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

"From Anonymous Rhubarb to Deranged Nuns"-- now that's a title! I'm particularly intrigued by the concept of "anonymous rhubarb." Nice photos, too. I remember rather liking the film "Agnes of God," tho it's been years since I've seen it, & I've never seen a stage production.

By the way, I liked your idea of blogging as both "discovery" & "claiming" on "Yes is Red."

Angie Ledbetter said...

Ah, the good life!

Sandra Leigh said...

John, the title came from my giggling about how Anonymous Rhubarb would be a good name for a character in a drawing room comedy. As for Rene's post on "Yes is Red" = it was very touching and insightful. I'm glad you discovered her. (It was you, wasn't it?)

Angie - yes, it is. I'm very fortunate to live where there are so many interesting things going on. Over the years, I haven't taken advantage of as many of them as I should. It's only in my dotage that I can work less and play more, and I intend to do just that.

René Wing said...

Well thank you! I was just here to visit and comment. :) I was thinking you might try Eberle's strawberry-rhubarb pie next. (I know I've been wanting to.) Funny how things hide and re-appear... :) And I just re-rented Agnes of God about 4 or 5 months ago. I had seen it in the theatre with my mother, the last movie we went to. I would love to see the play. I used to go to a lot more plays, Sandra and I enjoy reading about the ones you see.

(And in case you don't get the follow-up, I just left you and John a note at my blog.)

Sandra Leigh said...

Thank you, René. I'll go over and have a look at your comment. I'm holding off on Eberle's strawberry-rhubarb pie until our local strawberries come in, which should be next month. I considered baking a plain old rhubarb pie yesterday, but I was just too lazy.

My plan to go see Ah, Wilderness! has been thoroughly derailed. I went to Chemainus Theatre's website and discovered that tickets are $55-65 each. Aaaack! Never mind. There will be more plays at our much more affordable ($10 per ticket) Nanaimo Centre Stage.

GailO said...

Thank you for stopping by Picturing the Year and commenting...I'm glad it lead me here to your fun site...and I have to let you know that I am a Huge rhubarb fan...especially rhubarb pie...wish mine grew well...

Sandra Leigh said...

Welcome aboard, Oliag.I'm not sure that there's a secret to growing rhubarb. Mine seems to do fine, but I think it's plain dumb luck.

Anonymous said...

It has been a long time since I had rhubarb pie. This brings back good memories. And look at all those herbs, wowza!

Sandra Leigh said...

Hi, Kimmi. This is the group with whom I volunteer during the summer, working in the south end garden. They've acquired a greenhouse in the north end of town now, and they start a whole lot of plants there. There's usually somebody from the group at the farmer's market, selling plants and dispensing advice on organic gardening. They're good people and great gardeners.

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