That Stubborn Patch of Rhubarb

Here's a story.  It's not even a long story with great pics, but one that merits telling.  Yesterday you met my last living Grandparent. And while my Grandparents have passed from my father's side, I still make the journey to their old home when I get the chance.  A lot of things have changed in their neighborhood.  Several years ago, I told you the story about overeating the pears in my Grandparent's garden and also mentioned that stubborn patch of rhubarb that grew in their garden.  I went back to their old property to see if that patch of rhubarb was still there.

This used to be prairie land. A little wetlands was found in the middle of this road.  Now it's ugly little boxes.

The new owner wasn't home and we didn't trespass, but I knew a way to get to the very far backyard and check out what was growing since my Grandmother's passing in 2009.   I was shocked to see what they've done to the prairie/wetland behind their house on this visit!!!  As a kid growing up, we played in the fields behind their house and went to the little stream/pond area that was full of critters.  I tried to navigate the area from memory on these roads through the maze of homes.  Almost every single piece of this large area was covered with suburbia and it broke my heart.  The days of the wild pheasants are over.  They used to roam this area freely and lived in a secret wooded area that very few knew about.  Most people have forgotten that the pheasant used to live in this neighborhood but my memory is long.  Today people denied they ever existed.  While not native to Wisconsin, they used to be numerous in most of the state.  Due to wetland loss, predators, etc, this bird is sadly declining in numbers.  They estimate less than 200,000 of these birds now in the wild around the state. Source 

This is the only area untouched.  A lot full of trees.  It was also home to the many pheasant that roosted in the branches of these trees.  This is very cool discovery and like the sign says..."Private Property, Don't Trespass"  Witches and owls live here I think.

So much has been destroyed for housing development.  Even some of the native grasses and prairie flowers cannot be found anymore in most of the area!!!  But I am a stubborn German and parked the car.  Again, never trespassing, I found the old overgrown trail we used to take as kids to get to and from different areas.  I walked remembering old haunts and there were still a few patches of authentic grasses here and there.  This old trail was kind of like the neutral zone between development and the older homes.  Yeah....I was a bit sad.

Eventually we made it my Grandparent's former home.  When they were alive so many years ago, they held the biggest and largest garden a person has ever seen!!!  Oh the vegetables and fruits!!!  But I remember my Grandparents always complained about the Rhubarb that decided to grow in their garden.  They tried to remove it and mowed it down. But it was stubborn and always came back.  Grandpa had even tried to dig it up.  Eventually they let it grow and incorporated it into their garden.  No more fighting.  The Rhubarb would grow into beautiful leafy plants.  When the stalks were red, they were chopped down and made into strawberry/rhubarb pie. It is still one of my favorite pies out there....next to blueberry and pumpkin pie:) And so it would be, every year the rhubarb would come back like clockwork.

Dead trees between the development and old path.  With their water supply cut off, they are now a grim reminder of the past.

They may be gone, but I will always honor their memory and visit when I get the chance.  Grandpa was a groundskeeper and master gardener.  I do not exaggerate when I say their very large backyard was a masterpiece of work and art. They even had an Alaskan totem pole at the entrance to a wooden gate that had grape vine growing over it.  Grandpa even lined a stone path with ferny plants between the walk to give it a woodsy feel.  He was the first to go and so Grandma for many years maintained the area with help from my Uncle and Dad.  We also came out to help.  But the garden area would disappear.  However most of the plants and hanging flowers would still be kept up.  Grandma would still have her Geraniums and other plants brought down into the basement to be wintered until it was safe to put them back outside again.  The one constant in the universe that never changed was that patch of rhubarb.  She would still go out and collect it.  She'd even laugh about how that darn patch would keep coming back. 

The backyard today.  It was more than this at one point.  Grandpa took the yard and split it into two spaces creating a landscape worthy of a magazine cover.

And then Grandma would leave us.  What would happen to her home?  Would the owner do something drastic to the beautiful backyard that went on forever?  Well here is my report.  The owner has cut down everything and left it flat. It's not too drastic but the yard could use a little magic.  The old wooden fence and totem pole are obviously no longer there.  Some of the old growth is present and some of it has been chopped down.  The land area is still the same but suburbia is now knocking on their backyard lines.  It's rather disturbing.  And that stubborn patch of Rhubarb?

Well, it's still growing! My faith restored.  Of course the entire backyard has been mowed down and there is nothing there.  It looks like they tried to get rid of the Rhubarb as well....but the Rhubarb wasn't having any of that:)  Maybe she'll find the time and make some of that great strawberry rhubarb pie like my grandparents did.  But most of all, I think the rhubarb represents hope here....hope that some things will remain true even though the world is changing around us.

And so we walked that grassy path back to our car........