Rue the day

Rue in history & literature:
Shakespeare wrote about rue in several of his books. Rue was planted by the gardener in “Richard II” to mark the spot where the Queen wept upon hearing news of Richard's capture.
He wrote:
    "Here did she fall a tear, here in this place
      I'll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace."


"You’ll Rue the Day... a Tale of Two Plants”
by Linda Thoman

When I first moved to Lake Oconee, little did I know what meaning these words would have for me. I did know the word, the herb, but not the how and why. Use of the herb goes back to ancient times when it was used as a condiment for food. Rue or (ruta graveolens) has been replaced by more palatable spices, like black pepper. Rue’s culinary use in cooking is limited by it’s bitterness and potential toxicity. For the brave and curious only: a tiny pinch of rue can be used as flavoring in a salad dressing.


Rue is a plant that should be approached with caution. Rue is known to cause contact dermatitis from handling the fresh leaves of the plant. From what I’ve read poisoning by ingestion of rue is mostly historical interest or fiction. I still wouldn’t eat it in any but the smallest quantity.

Common rue comes from the family Rutaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and parts of Asia. It is a beautiful perennial plant, usually growing only 2 feet tall with blue green, smoothly rounded, lacy leaflets. It needs well drained soil and full sun, ideally. Rue may not look anything like plants that bear citrus fruit, but it comes from the same botanical family. Species of this family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents. It’s a diverse family that range in form and size from herbs to shrubs and small trees.

Here’s how I used the rue I grew in my container garden.  I dried the rue, combined it with dried rosemary and sewed it into a “sachet”. I gave them to my friend who had rude, but beloved cats in her home When placed strategically, the smell from the sachets so offended the rude cats that they kept their distance from whatever nice furniture they wanted to violate.

Okay, back to “rue”ing the day....when I first moved to our Lake Oconee home, I suffered in the garden. My skin is sensitive- poison ivy gets me itching just to look at it. No matter what I did: don garden battle armor, use topical antidotes and shower immediately after gardening, I wasn’t always safe from the effects of contact dermatitis. On the lookout before any digging ensues, I found out that the native Virginia creeper that I loved was an irritant. I tried to dig in the early spring, before the volatile oils of these plants roots really rev up. Still, something always got me. I learned it was the roots of a beautiful little native plant (about 6-9" tall) with a graceful white flower that grows on our steep woodland slope. It is an early perennial which appears in March and has a long blooming period. After blooming, the whole plant dies back and is dormant until the next Spring. The name of this plant originates from the similarity of this plant to a windflower (a small anemone) and another plant that can irritate the skin (you guessed it): Rue Anemone, (Thalictrum thalictroides).

Atlanta Woodworking and DIY Show

Dan & I visited the Woodworking and DIY Show on March 6th. It filled the North Atlanta Trade Center with more than just the scent of freshly made sawdust. We saw everything and more that a woodworker could want to fill the shop: new and better tools & woodworking supplies, fine quality wood, instructional books and great values. The commercial venues offered many educational programs and demonstrations. For more than I can write about the show check out TheWoodworkingShows.com.  I’ll detail the high points for me and share some internet resources:

Peachtree Woodworking (www.ptreeusa.com) showcased the work of Jack Morse who had nearly completed a daring attempt to turn a very large (36") bowl, in public! Jack hand built the lathe for this big project with salvage material. The bowl was created out of a red maple tree crotch harvested in Doraville, GA. Jack’s very fine woodworking can be found at the Watson Gallery’s website.

I loved that the Studios of Bradley R.M. showcased the work of Bradley McCalister Artist & Craftsman. Wondering in print: Does the R.M in his company name stand for renaissance man? That may explain his diversity: he does sculpture, furniture, woodturning and painting. Also, Bradley likes to use reclaimed materials. As an environmental steward and volunteer, I love to see people reusing things that would otherwise end up in a landfill or burn pile. In Bradley’s case we’d call it upcycling, turning trash to treasure. You can find his work in various stages of completion on his website.

Chidwick School Of Fine Woodworking (www.custommade.com/by/chidwickschool) featured the work of Andy Chidwick, sculptural chair builder, extraordinaire. He creates unique custom-tailored chairs to the exact specifications of his clientele, but also finds great joy in teaching others to approach sculpted furniture with confidence. Prepare to be inspired by his on the web gallery.

Dan spent quite a bit of time speaking with Craig from Easy Wood Tools (www.easywoodtools.com)
about using his tools not only for turning wood but also stone.  Craig told Dan he had a new micro bevel cutter developed for stone and that he could try one if he would provide some feedback.  Of course Dan took him up on the deal.  Dan has been using his ‘easy rougher’ and ‘easy finisher’ for about a month now turning large wood bowls (over 16 inches) and smaller alabaster bowls.  He thinks these tools will help his students get over the ‘fear factor’ of bowl turning because they won’t be using a bowl gouge.

More than a buyfest opportunity, what I really loved about this show was the involvement of the woodworking community. Local craftspeople and their work were everywhere you turned.

The American Association of Woodturners (www.woodturner.org had strong presence and at least 16 member Guilds were represented. Dan & I enjoyed talking to kindred spirits who share their love of woodturning with others. Woodturning is alive and growing, thanks to this great organization. Why not show your support and become a member today?

The Atlanta Woodcarvers Club (www.atlantawoodcarvers.com) had demonstrators to inspire one to sharpen knives and take on a project. Many women carve, and it was great to see one demonstrating the art to others. Women with Knives, such a cute slogan that it inspired another carving club's name- are everywhere.  

Gwinnett Woodworkers Association (www.gwinnettwoodworkers.com) is a diverse group of amateur and professional woodworkers who share their knowledge of woodworking, embracing all skills including home building, fine wood crafting, woodturning, furniture and carving to help folks create anything they could imagine from wood. Their informativee web page is a great out reach to the community.

The Woodworkers Guild of Georgia (www.woodworkersguildofga.org) is an even larger group of multi-discipline woodworkers. We enjoyed stopping by to see Mickey Hudspeth’s chip carving work. As Mickey was demonstrating, Dan asked how he transferred the ornate design he onto his project. Mickey not only shared his secret, but referred us to a publication article (that he had written, natch) for more information. If you want to learn some of his master chip carving secrets, check out the current issue of the organization’s newsletter on their website.  

Ansel Adams

We were able to visit the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia and see the Ansel Adams exhibit.  I've always enjoyed his work but to see his prints first hand was amazing.  The exhibition contained over 130 original prints, as well as, some of his darkroom equipment including his horizontal enlarger.   This collection was purchased from the Sierra Club by a private collector and loaned to the museum for several months.  The exhibit will close by the end of March and these works of art will no longer be available to the public.  What a shame.   Hopefully, the collector will continue to be as generous as he has in the past and in the future allow the exhibit to travel to other museums .

I'm not a fan of western art but the Booth Museum is worth a visit.  Expect to spend several hours viewing the extensive collection.  The museum is much larger than I expected, around 120,000 square feet. 

It's a cold, wet dreary Saturday, so how about a bunch of daffodils from Linda's flower garden (the entire yard) to brighten the day.