Ahh Sweetness!

For those of you who may not know what that picture is of, it is an orange blossom. They are divine & filling the 15 trees in my parents yard. The smell, combined with the cool, crisp air of morning, is heavenly! Gold Canyon Candles have tried to bottle it for enjoyment year round & it is a close replication, but nothing compares to the smell of millions of orange blossoms in bloom. It is truly one of my favorite things. I always remember them blooming over Spring Break & when we would come home from our trip we'd all roll down the windows as we drove through the groves on our way home...soaking in the splendor. This morning, Zack & I gave our noses a treat on our morning walk through the orange trees. Love spring!

Oranges!

I love this time of year for several reasons...one, it's not blazing hot (although I did have the a/c on in my car today)...winter lawn (it's the greenest & softest), good holiday mail & best of all, ORANGES. My parents have about 10 mature (really mature) orange trees that produce quite a harvest. In the spring they blossom & it smells heavenly. That smell is one of the things I missed the most when we weren't living in Mesa...let alone in the middle of the groves. In the fall the oranges are ripe and many a day is spent outside eating oranges fresh off the trees.

Today I enjoyed all three of my favorite things. Sitting on the lawn with my mom & Zack, eating an orange & sorting through the holiday mail. I've decided that sorting through holiday mail is much more fun at my parent's house. They seem to get cards & treats from gobs of people...and I love it when a card comes from someone I grew up with years ago. It is fun to catch up & see how everyone is doing.

Zack loves to crawl around outside & today he experienced his first orange...which resulted in several squished slices, but he loved it all the same, so I suppose that counts! :)

If you want some delicious home-grown oranges, email my brother Kevin at: kevyoboyer@yahoo.com. He sells bags of oranges for $10/ea. Each bag contains about 10-15 oranges. He'll deliver them if you live local (Phoenix metro area). Right now, the oranges are extra juicy, but aren't super sweet. As winter progresses & they hang on the tree longer, they will get sweeter & sweeter. They are typically good through about February...when they are almost too sweet.