Orange You Glad

 I have discovered

that one of the best parts 

of living in Arizona 

during the winter 

is

the abundance of 

citrus plants

full of  juicy

mouth watering

oranges

grapefruit

lemons

and 

limes.

 It's January 

and many parts of the

 United States

are blanketed in snow

with freezing temperatures.

It feels quite luxurious

 to look outside

and see sunny skies,

with fruit trees brimming at their peak,

 and daily temperatures hovering in the 60's,

 It seems like just about every household

 has at least one, 

if not many 

citrus trees.

 Quite a few of the

houses in our neighborhood

plant

their grapefruit 

and

orange trees 

right in their front yard.

 We are caring for a friend's orchard

while they are out of town

and they have told us to feel free to pick 

or give away their 

vast amounts of produce.

 Each morning I slice

beautiful pink grapefruit

and tree ripened oranges.

 With such abundance, it is easy to

have fresh juice within minutes.

These are the sweetest oranges I have ever tasted.

Food for the Gods!

Knowing that Mr. Cactus and I cannot possibly 

juice or eat all that these trees hold,

I have made several attempts to give 

away what seems to me 

to be something 

akin to pure gold.

Many neighbors say

 "No Thanks.  We have trees of our own."

Church friends insist they too have plenty.

Work associates back away cautiously, claiming their 

trees are loaded.

It made me think back 

to living in Utah and trying 

to get rid of share zucchini 

from the summer garden.

*I just may resort to

filling grocery bags

with the 

most exquisite

mouth watering 

produce

on this planet

and

doorbell ditch

:)