Brussels sprouts memories...

I shouldn't complain.  The sun is shining for the moment, at least, and it is Saturday.  I even got to "sleep in" until 6 am, which is a little less thrilling when you consider I stayed up until 1 am reading a book (irresponsible of me with so much to do).  I had to take my 18 year old to work on the way to taking the 16 year old to school to take the PSAT.  I am crossing my fingers that this kid, of all of my four, will have the chance to make National Merit Scholar.  I made it back in my day - they all certainly have the ability.  It's just that the culture on this island is not to take school seriously.  This is one thing that makes me question our decision to move here and do this.  Only one of my four really likes the animal care and the opportunities of living rural, the other three wish we lived in town, and look forward to getting out as soon as they can.

I need to get up and moving: I have approximately 12 loads of laundry to fold, animal housing to clean, bathrooms to clean, and the week's baking to do (bagels, English muffins, banana muffins, and sandwich bread), papers to grade (almost the end of the grading period). And here I am, blogging.  It's been a long week, but since I have the equivalent of three jobs (mom, farmer, teacher), I don't have time to sit around on my okole.

Okay, the least painful thing to do right now is to go outside and check my beans.  Shamefully, I haven't looked at the garden all week, because dealing with penned sheep is pretty time consuming.  At some point soon, I need to pull up all my taro, cook and freeze it all, and replant the huli.  Especially that yellow heirloom variety that I never got the name of.  My aweoweo taro can stay where it is, but I think I am going to lose the old variety if I don't pull and replant it.  The poi made out of it is a strange color (sadly, sort of baby poop color), but it does taste good - so does taro patties made out of it.

I need to get some collards and cabbages in, too.  One unique thing about living here is that collards will grow for years, are almost perennial here.  I didn't eat collards growing up, but after planting them one year, I love them.  Cabbage-y type things grow very well here in the winter months.  I haven't had much luck with broccoli, but everything else is wonderful.  I planted brussels sprouts one year - they grew to 6 feet high!

Through a complicated series of events, we made friends with a local actor turned farmer.  I introduced his wife to brussels sprouts, which she loved.  She decided to plant some of her own, but when I went to visit, she was showing off kale and calling it brussels sprouts.  I quietly mentioned it to her - and she laughed so hard.  That is one of my favorite brussels sprouts memories - and I have to admit it is a weird thing to have - brussels sprouts memories....