drinking sweet oranges

I just drank a sweet Florida orange like I was taught by Barbra, one of my very first Florida friends. For a few moments I was 14 again and it was great!

You may want to try drinking an orange and if you don't know how, here are the steps.

How to Drink a Florida Juice Orange

1. Wash the orange well. Florida oranges are not showroom perfect. They may be dirty and even when they are washed look rusty, but they are some of the sweetest fruit ever!

2. Roll the fruit around on the counter with medium pressure on all sides until soft. Do not break the skin.

3. Take a paring knife and core the stem end of the orange as you would a tomato. Then pare away a small amount of peel around the hole.

4. Holding the orange in your hand, squeeze from the bottom and then sides until juice fills the hole. Suck the sweet juice out of the orange. Repeat and enjoy until orange is dry.

5. Tear apart dry orange and enjoy the pulp, too.

That's the way to drink a Florida orange!

The summer of '67 was a huge year of changes for me. Moving from the north to the south, from densely populated to rural, and leaving my best friends to making new ones, was difficult but often exciting. My friend, Barb, and I drank a lot of oranges and grapefruit from local groves in the summer I was 14. We wandered Clarcona and talked a lot about differences in my former suburban life and her country Florida life. She introduced me to the local postmistress, Mrs Stone and the truant officer, Mrs Damon. We hiked over the local county landfill and visited the local horse farm. I saw baby chicks up close for the very first time and met her faithful Beagle friend, Useless.

I rode a school bus for the first time and changed classes outside! Our school cafeteria had salads and sweet tea and in the back by the Ag classrooms was a smoking area for the seniors. The school day began with a Bible verse and encouragement from our principal, Roger Williams. It was new. It was different. I don't think it was better or worse than where I had been in Michigan...it was just different. I learned a lot of nature-y things and a lot about self-preservation and doing things for myself. There weren't many gators then but there were Florida panthers in the area and spectacular sunsets every evening. It was a good time in my life and I think it helped round out who I am even now.

Wandering around a small country community in the heat of summer wearing flip flops in black sand, stealing oranges for lunch, grabbing a cool drink of water from the hose, meeting the neighbors and discovering another girl's way of life may not sound like a big adventure to most, but for me, it was a good thing and I'm grateful for it.

I had a good time that summer, Lord. Thank you!

Suz