Be Strong Like Rhubarb

Day 326 of 365

This morning, when I was filling the duck waters, I caught sight of the rhubarb. It is growing! There is still snow on the ground, and there, bursting through the soil is the rhubarb. What a magnificently sturdy plant rhubarb is. I have fallen in love with it in the years since I first moved to Maine.

When we first bought our property in 2011, there was this giant rhubarb plant in the garden. The rest of the garden hadn’t been used in several years, but right in the middle front, there was rhubarb. I had never even heard of rhubarb, so for the first few years, it just came and went. We would try a stick or two, think it was too sour, and remained oblivious to its potential.

Finally, about six years ago, I decided I had to learn how to cook with rhubarb because I greatly admired its sturdiness. Ron had decided it was “in the way in” the garden and since we didn’t use it, he dug it up. He threw it behind our shed to deal with later. Well, later never came, and we figured it was a goner.

But the next spring, I saw it growing! It was in two pieces, and both pieces were growing, just right on top of leaves. I told Ron, “This stuff deserves some respect,” and he agreed.

We planted both pieces. One went in the garden, and the other went in the backyard. They both flourished, and we learned how to use rhubarb. In recent years, we make rhubarb cake and muffins and jelly and strawberry-rhubarb pie.

Rhubarb is also now so symbolic to me. It’s truly the first sign of spring on our property. It grows right there next to the snow. It’s awakening in harsh conditions because it can. Rhubarb is so strong like that. I wish to be strong like rhubarb.

It’s a goal.