This isn't so much about money, but about the ebb and flow of the different seasons of my year. I have the thrill and the luxury of owning restaurants at busy seasonal theme parks. This allows me the manic push of high-volume foodservice, and then big chunks of decompression time, leading up to another manic season.
It feels a lot like baking breads. Deadlines have to be met, then one can rest while the chemistry takes control of the next bit of work. Sugar - yeast - water, then wait for the right 'look' to the mix, then flour until the right 'texture' is reached, then waiting ... then doing something, then waiting ...
I usually say "We don't get a day off between April 1st, and December 10th." This is mostly true, although I have different roles and responsibilities at each of the festivals where we have our multiple businesses. I'm trying on different ways to look at these time segments as I hold on to the tools I'll call "Healthy Habits" during the times of year when I'm working 85 hours a week. It's winter, and I have this luxury of dealing with nothing *but* my "Healthy Habits", much like I've taken a retreat. It's not really "Compartmentalization" so much as perhaps an "Assemblage" of skills, roles, and responsibilities.
I've crafted a great life here ... I guess what I'm working on is staying healthy enough to enjoy it for a very long time.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
First farmer's market of 2010
It was January 2nd to be exact, and since we're on the TX/MX border ... there were *lots* of fresh vegetables and tropical fruits available at the Brownsville Farmer's Market.
Here's my haul:
Honey Oranges, Zipper-Skin Tangerines, Star Fruit, Chico Sapodillas and Black Sapotes all came from our friends at River's End Nursery. They specialize in organic hard-to-find edibles, both as nursery plants, and as crops. The rest of the pile came from a variety of vendors. We got Broccoli Sprouts, and a blend including herb sprouts, which they call French Garden. Radishes, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi (both purple and green), Green Beans, Purple Hull Beans, a Rutabaga, a Leek, and some crazy bitter tangerines, that I used to make a great salad dressing.
I'm failing with the tiny bitter tangerines, because I didn't get the variety. I'll get back with that soon, including the *amazing* salad dressing it inspired.
I also got a "Winter Melon". It's in the background, behind the teapot, and near the tiny bananas that came from our back yard here. I'm told that fresh it's like cucumber, but it's often used in Asian soups.
Hopefully the freeze tonight won't be quite as cold as expected, and we'll continue the bounty over the winter. It's possible these farmers will be out of business for the season if it gets too cold.
Here's my haul:
Honey Oranges, Zipper-Skin Tangerines, Star Fruit, Chico Sapodillas and Black Sapotes all came from our friends at River's End Nursery. They specialize in organic hard-to-find edibles, both as nursery plants, and as crops. The rest of the pile came from a variety of vendors. We got Broccoli Sprouts, and a blend including herb sprouts, which they call French Garden. Radishes, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi (both purple and green), Green Beans, Purple Hull Beans, a Rutabaga, a Leek, and some crazy bitter tangerines, that I used to make a great salad dressing.
I'm failing with the tiny bitter tangerines, because I didn't get the variety. I'll get back with that soon, including the *amazing* salad dressing it inspired.
I also got a "Winter Melon". It's in the background, behind the teapot, and near the tiny bananas that came from our back yard here. I'm told that fresh it's like cucumber, but it's often used in Asian soups.
Hopefully the freeze tonight won't be quite as cold as expected, and we'll continue the bounty over the winter. It's possible these farmers will be out of business for the season if it gets too cold.
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