The Girl with the Sprout Tattoo

Warning: this blog is not actually about plants. But I figure, only a few friends and family actually read it, so why not share my fun news? I got a tattoo last night! It's been 14 years since my last one, and I've been thinking about an addition the whole time. This tattoo has been in the works for at least 6 months. I know it looks like I have a sick addiction to sprouts, and I kind of do. I think they are super pretty and cute and elegant looking. But this tattoo is special for a couple of reasons, other than just the fact that I love sprouts. First of all, Adam designed it. We spent days walking around Oregon, picking all the sprouts we could find and examining them: the roots, the seed, the leaves. He has a sketchbook filled with different sprout designs. Secondly, this is the perfect time in my life to get a sprout image. I just turned 30, finished my Ph.D., and started working and my adult life here in Hawaii. It is a time for new opportunities and growth, starting fresh out of the ground, excited about whatever adventures lie ahead!

Pineapple Crazy

I have been amazed at how easy it is to grow tomatoes, peppers and avocados here in Hawaii as compared to Tennessee. I have also had a good deal of success with growing native and tropical plants. One fruit that I was particularly interested in sprouting is the pineapple. The steps to doing this are fairly interesting. You take a pineapple fruit with the stem still attached. Make a fruit salad, or soak the fruit in vodka and mix with tonic water--whatever you do to enjoy it. Meanwhile, you take the detached stem and plant it in some soil. Water it and give it lots of sun. Legend has it that after three years you will have a baby pineapple. The fruit grows up out of the stem (with another stem attached, it is kind of fractal in nature).

I had planted a pineapple stem back in August. I was beginning to tire of waiting for it to grow and mature. I began to despair that I would never be able to wait the three years required to grow my own pineapple. I even considered uprooting it and using the pot to plant something else.

That is, until I brought home a pineapple from the store. I compared the stem of the freshly purchased fruit to the stem I had planted. It is evident that the stem I planted has grown considerably! How could I have forgotten that slow and steady wins the race? My hope and optimism are completely renewed and now I can't wait until August 2014-ish when my baby pineapple emerges. I have also been spurred on by walks around my 'hood where I spy neighbors who are working on the same pineapple project, and whose fruit are more mature than my own. Seeing the future of the pineapple sure is exciting!