Weekending- Rhubarb and running around with Bub

Linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday:

Had a nice, mostly uneventful weekend.

Ah, but really was it uneventful? Rhubarb was picked! This is quite the story. I didn't plan on picking any rhubarb this year. That was mainly due to the fact that though my rhubarb plant looked like it was thriving, the stalks were green and I dug deep into the recesses of my childhood garden memories and thought for certain that rhubarb stalks are red. That meant that my green stalks weren't ripe and therefore shouldn't be cut. When my sister and I discussed rhubarb on the phone early Friday afternoon (as one does with one's sister...), she told me she was certain that there was a variety of green rhubarb and that was likely the variety growing in my garden. That changed everything. I cut some stalks, found a recipe to put that rhubarb to good use that wasn't pie (Donnie remembers the last time my mom made a rhubarb pie for us probably 24 years ago that he didn't care for so I didn't want to make pie with it), and proceeded to make rhubarb muffins and a little loaf pan of rhubarb bread.

I know I'm biased but I think this plant sure is pretty!

My green rhubarb. 

My sister sent this to me after we talked on the phone on Friday. We both laughed electronically. We send garden pictures to each often in the summer and of course I take pictures of my garden plants and post them here. Truth be told, I've never been hip or carefree but was once young and I sure didn't take garden pictures then (though mainly because I didn't have a garden then!).

I found some great garden memes but will just display one other one here. This cracks me up and is so me. Attractive fingernails and I don't go hand in hand (pardon the pun!).

Saturday morning, I made my way down to Cincinnati to help Jacob move out of his college house and into an apartment. I had seen Jacob earlier in the week. On Tuesday, I met him at a movie theater in West Chester to watch Sound of Freedom with him (I'd already seen it but Jacob wanted to see it so I told him I'd be happy to meet him and watch it with him). He told me that he wouldn't need any help moving- that he and his roommate would be able to do it all. Then later in the week, I reminded him of a piece of furniture from his room at home that he could have if he wanted for his new place. He said that he would like it so I told him I'd bring it to him on Saturday and help him move.

So that is what I did on Saturday. Donnie was going to come down and help, too, but Jacob said that he knows how hard Donnie works during the week and he wanted Donnie to relax at home instead of move heavy things. What a good son!

Once in Cincinnati, I got to work cleaning things up in the old apartment while Jacob and his roommate loaded large items into the Uhual they'd rented. At one point, Jacob came in and asked if I'd brought any food with me as he was hungry and all his food had been packed up. Well, wasn't it Jacob's lucky day for what did I whip out of my purse but a large Ziploc bag full of... rhubarb muffins!! When I told Jacob what they were, he looked at me like, "Of all the food you could have brought, you brought rhubarb muffins?" But he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'll eat anything at this point," and both he and his roommate had a muffin. I don't think either boy cared for the muffins (truth be told, they weren't that great) but they didn't say a word bad about them. 

Well, not all heroes wear capes. Some wear a moist with sweat Air Force Marathon tank top, utility shorts and a UC baseball cap; take her Mastercard out of her purse; hand it to her son and tell him and his roommate to place a Chipotle order and volunteer to pick it up for them. 

I brought the lunch back to the new place- such a nice place- where the boys were unloading the Uhaul. We ate lunch quickly and then got back to work. I unloaded my car full of items for Jacob. I helped unpack things for Jacob and reassemble things that had been taken apart. Before Jacob returned the U-Haul, he and I went out to buy a new box spring mattress that he needed. (Boy, it made me feel old to ride shotgun- literally along for the ride, while my boy drove this big, lumbering truck in town. Odd role reversal that I guess will become more and more common...)

Someone from the apartment complex had drinks, chocolates and stemware as a welcome gift to the renters displayed on the counter.

One other item was given to the renters- a bottle of hand soap was by the sink. That was super thoughtful- on my way to the apartment after picking up food, I was a little worried about how we were going to wash our hands before eating. To have that soap there ready for us was really nice. 

While Jacob put together his bed frame, he asked if I'd mind putting some of this clothes away for him. Of course I did not mind one bit and even walked out with one of Jacob's UC sweatshirts that he insisted I take. By the time I got most of Jacob's clothes organized and on hangers for him, we were both hungry (and I did not suggest that we eat rhubarb muffins to assuage our hunger). A brewery/ restaurant is practically on the same premises as the new apartment complex is. It's within walking distance but we chose to drive because the heat was pretty intense even at dinnertime and we'd walked and walked and walked over the course of the day and were done walking! 

The food was OK. The best part was the company...

Sunday was a quick run followed by getting ready for church. Church was good- the sermon focused on the sin of pride. Our pastor quoted words from C.S. Lewis in Lewis' popular short book, Mere Christianity. I have read it but it's been years. I have the copy that we had in my house growing up. I plan to re-read it this week. 

Spent the rest of the day getting things done and relaxing- going to the grocery store with Abby, talking to my siblings on the phone, organizing some of the items in Jacob's room and things like that. For dinner, I decided to try to recreate the delicious pineapple burger that Donnie and I had two weekends ago at a pineapple festival. I looked online for something that approximated what we had. I ended up scratching that plan when I saw a pineapple teriyaki burger recipe that sounded even better than the burger we had at the festival. (I will still try to recreate that at some point.) I don't think I've ever made teriyaki sauce before- I usually use purchased sauce. Homemade was so good and easy to make! The burgers were good and I have some leftover sauce so it looks like teriyaki chicken is on the menu for tonight. That worked out well.

I am in denial that tomorrow is August. I guess time isn't willing to slow down just for me...