Shakedown:

[jrittenhouse]

My mom bought us a chest freezer as a present many years ago, and while I’m usually very ‘don’t toss it until it’s broke’, it was obvious that a replacement was in the cards, and Susan was strongly pushing for an upright freezer.  I have my own objections to such things, mostly because they’ve always seemed energy-wasteful, but she and I dug up one

Comments

[marklafon]

Both ground ivy and rhubarb can be difficult to eradacate. If the wild rhubarb is anything like its domestic cousins you may find it marking the property after the house is gone. As to the ground ivy, can you make it a friend by encouraging it to grow where you want it? Just keep it trimmed back. ISTR that ground ivy likes shade, so trimming the trees might help control it.

My grandfather on my mother's side had a chest freezer. He said it was good for large hunks of meat. He hunted and raised his own hogs so I hope he was talking about them. He was also the "sane" side of the family. Great-great-aunt Em, on the other side, she of the unmarked graves behind the barn, would have worried me if she had a freezer.

Burdock, possibly

[jade6]

Your rubarb sounds like it might actually be Burdock.

http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/~vista/html_pubs/WEEDS/187.html

http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/arfmi.htm

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARCTI