Foo Dogs, the Pope, Elephants and Kitty Litter

Foo Dogs

 So how am I going to get  Foo dogs, the Pope, elephants and kitty litter scoops into a garden column?  Pay attention, everyone.

Off to Chicago’s annual Flower & Garden show at Navy Pier with a friend, we found  it somewhat disappointing.  As usual the water features were great – beautiful koi and falls but of course these were companies with something to sell.  All of the other exhibits’ plantings seemed a little sparse and fairly tired.  Vignettes:

           - Charming students from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences speaking of their school's curriculum, their garden at the show and their sister school in Japan (which some Chicago kids visit and vice versa).

            - A rather confused docent at one exhibit asking ME about plants in a neighboring exhibit:  "And what are those big yellow flowers, sir?"  "Those would be tree peonies, miss.  They're perfectly hardy here but don't cut that little three foot trunk down."  "And what're those big grey flowers behind them?"  "Umm, miss, those would be Chinese stone Foo dog statues."  "I think I need new glasses, sir."

           - "Good lord, Sheila!  Look at this tree.  Young man [?!!], can you read the label up there?"  "It looks like it says 'Wilt Siberian Maple', miss."  [The amazing critter had green and white vertical stripes on its bark.]

           - My friend , much disappointed that the vendor selling exotic dried fruits, veggies and nuts was not there this year.

            - They saw 'SUCKER" practically tatooed on my forehead when I passed the plant sale section.  I bought two crinum lilies (one for my sister in Kansas) mainly because I really wanted a bulb that was 15 inches long weighing as much as a small baby.  (Crinums have pink/purple blossoms and can be kept as house plants.)  Also snagged some tall purple alliums, fancy daylilies and some pink lily-of-the-valley.

           - I bought a subscription to Chicago Gardening Magazine (& got freebie copies of sister mags from Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan).

Canadian Restaurant Closed Due to Homophobic Remarks

Dave Claringbould courtesy Morris Mirror

Pots N Hands Closes in the Midst of Mennonite Homophobia and Mennonite Silence
edited 02:00 am, 03 April, 2013, certain material excluded 

   The closure of gay-owned restaurant Pots N Hands in Morris, Manitoba, brings to light the difficulties and potential discrimination often faced by adult gays and lesbians in strongly traditional Mennonite and Hutterite-influenced communities.

    Morris, Manitoba, is located between the two historic Mennonite and Hutterite Reserves in southern Manitoba.  Often referred to as the buckle of Manitoba’s Bible Belt, Morris is about 12% faith Mennonite in town and heavily dominated outside of town by ethnic Anabaptist farms, communities and corporate communities.

    Steinbach, Manitoba, located some 30 miles to the northeast, has recently made national headlines in its fight against Manitoba’s proposed anti-bullying legislation, referred to as Bill-18.  Mennonite politicians from Steinbach’s Sue Penner to Canada’s Vic Toews have weighed in against the bill stating that it threatens the religious freedom and independence of Manitoba’s Mennonite community and that it is in fact, unnecessary.  

    Chef Dave Claringbould and his partner, Matt Rietze, recently of Morris, might beg to differ.

    After being open since only December, 2012, Claringbould and Rietze have notified the community that they are closing Pots N Hands due to the town's demonstrated bigotry and constant anti-gay insults. 

    Arguably, Claringbould and Rietze knew what they were getting into.  Claringould is a trained chef with fourteen years of experience, having received his degree from the Culinary Institute of Canada in Prince Edward Island and working in kitchens in New Brunswick, British Columbia and Manitoba.  In 2010, Claringbould and Rietze moved to the small prairie town of Morris where Claringbould taught cooking lessons.