Tapioca harvest and me
I have a big announcement to make—but not today. I feel bad about ignoring my blog for so long. I’ve actually been busy with my writing but that’s a poor excuse—since a blog is about writing.
Our little farm is the one thing that brings me back to earth when I don’t seem to have any time. Plants have their own schedule and no manner of prodding, enticing, rushing about or pleading will hurry them along. It’s a lesson I’m trying to learn. As the pressure builds in what I do all I have to do is walk out to our plants and listen. They whisper and chatter and are happy to see me. They ask for nothing but love and care and offer sustenance and beauty in return. I come away from the fields, having left the weight of my problems in the deep rich soil, and I feel relaxed in a way that always makes me smile.
We don’t have some great expanse of land but we use every centimeter in hopes we return goodness back to the earth and gain pleasure in watching neighbors and others enjoy the products of our labors.
If I were better at manipulating my webpage I would offer many more photos of Life on the Farm. I have a way with words—or so I think— but the magic world of the internet is still… magic to me. I seat like a child and watch the wonders of things that seem impossible appear right before my eyes.
Please enjoy a few pictures of some of the things we grow and I hope you can see the contentment on my face.
Julee and the two headed pineapple
- Jackfruit and me
Orchid
Kids love to watch the tapioca being harvested
Dannie C Hill- The writer 
Nice to have you back, Dannie! That is the biggest Jackfruit I have ever seen. Wow! It’s huge! I have heard that it tastes wonderful. I wish I had those orchids sitting in a vase in my office, they are so beautiful. Glad to see you smiling in the pictures. 🙂 Take care of yourself.
Hi Natasha. I’m sorry for the slow reply. One hazzard of living in rural Thailand is the internet is slow and sometimes quits- happened last night. That is a nice jackfruit. It amazes me to watch them grow and grow and grow. They are one of my favorite fruits to eat. A thick, dense yellow seed cover that is sweet, but not too sweet. In one fruit there is at least 100 large seeds.
I do enjoy orchids. We frow several varieties. The yellow and red one is unusual– for it’s color. The good news, for me, is over here it takes very little effort to grow orchids. Never could do it in the States.
Really great to hear from you, Natasha!
nice work:)
You’re a lady of few words, Sheil– but they’re nice words. Thank you, Sweetness!
Thank you for sharing. I had a ‘farm’ in Spain, in the middle of nowhere. It’s ever demanding and totally rewarding. Should I ever be able to come back to Thailand, I’ll holler and visit. Have such good friends there. If you ever get to Chiang Mai, go and eat at ‘Miguel’s Café’ a – would you believe it – Mexican! restaurant in the best part of town. Not tex-mex, real Mexican and delicious food. Run by my friend Mark.
Thank you, Rose. Wow, you have led an interesting life! I enjoy your blog too. In todays world it’s almost impossible to operate a small farm for profit. But that doesn’t play into it much for us. Having fresh produce, fish and fruits and even more just sharing what we have makes the effort worthwhile. I know you understand that. I have been to Chiang Mai several times but never to Miguel’s. I love Mexican food and it is so hard to get here. I love tex-mex food too, lol. Chiang Mai isn’t a big city but it is, for some reason, the hardest town I’ve ever had to drive in. I feel like I’ve entered the twilight zone of never ending streets and circle around for hours. Next time I’ll take a cab, lol.
Wow! is all I can say. Great pictures and I didn’t know tapioca was grow that way. Guess I never thought about where it came from. Wish my garden was as nice as yours 🙂
I am thrilled you have visited my blog, Karen! Very happy you liked it. To be honest, I didn’t have a clue how tapioca grew until I moved to Thailand. I thought it grew on bushes in little balls– seriously. If you want to read a funny earlier post of mine about tapioca and see what the plants look like then read Tapioca- Who Knew?
I just recently found your blog awith your unique style of interview with Eden, Rob and Max. I loved it! Thanks so much for you comments!
Wow, love seeing all the pix of you and Julee, and those adorable little kids – I could eat them up! Nice to see you back, handsome.
xox
eden
Thank you, Eden. I’m touched you have the time to visit with all you are doing! I love your newest book, Spring into Summer and am enjoying the read. I do love kids and in the village they all call me Uncle– which is a lot better than what they use to call me, lol. Tank for your kind words, dear Eden!
Great to see you back in the blogosphere, my friend! I can’t to read about the exciting news you have to share. Don’t be a stranger!
Thanks Rob! I still find it hard to believe there are great people who enjoy my little blog– but I’m glad they never give up hope. Yes I do have exciting news and you can probably guess what kind of news excites a writer– but you’ll have to wait a little while longer. Thanks so much for your support of me and so many others! You’re a good man, Rob!
great photos! Never realized tapioca was so big! 🙂
Thank you so much, Letizia. To be honest, until I came to Thailand to live I though tapioca grew in little balls on a bush. The roots do get big when the soil os good. They don’t take much care but the growing season is at least a year. Thanks again for stopping by!