Orange Blossoms
Every other Sunday after church I hop into the 911 and head into the hills. We call it my “out of town” day, and is an absolute necessity for me. I need to get away and commune with nature, things that are real, or I start to go a little nuts. The impact of radio waves, car horns, trash trucks, etc. wears on me to a point of saturation, so I drive and unwind till I reach a trail head somewhere in the Laguna or Cuyamaca mountains. I don’t ever have a plan, I just drive till I find a spot that feels right for the day, put on my hiking boots, grab some water and start walking.
It takes a little while before I get into the rhythm and energy of my chosen trail, but after a while of listening to the beating of my feet on the ground, the flow of my breath and the sounds and smells of the trail, I start to let go. I’ll begin a chat with God, commenting on how nicely he’s created such a magnificent day and thanking Him for sharing it with me and for all else I am grateful for. My beautiful family, my friends, my home, the money that flows to us and sustains our lives here. The talents and gifts I’ve been blessed with, anything that comes to mind that I feel happy about in the moment.
One of those things today was the wonderful aroma of orange blossoms I enjoyed as I drove along the winding hills in southwest Escondido. Many, many acres of orange groves abut the twisty mountain roads up there and the trees are full and harvesting is in full swing. I stopped at one of the roadside fruit stands and had a free sample from the large tray of freshly opened giant oranges. Mmmm, so juicy, so sweet, like sugar had been injected into them. I bought a 60 pound box.
The local offerings around our home have been mediocre at best and I wonder where they must be getting their product from. Why don’t they just go up there and get them? The ones here are dense, not too sweet nor very juicy, and they’re overpriced to boot. I paid 35 cents a pound for those beauties today. So sweet they are that when I got home I sat down with Zander, a knife and cutting board and ate till my belly was so round with oranges I waddled when I got up.
I can still smell those blossoms as I sit and write this. That soft, sweet aroma carried along on a warm, southbound Santa Ana air current. So nice.