Just in case you're curious...

[jaunthie]

...it takes a very, very long time to juice several gallons worth of orange juice, particularly when you're using one of the little 'home' juicers that are intended for squeezing maybe a few lemons or oranges at a time, not a tree's worth. But a tree's worth is what my siblings and fisherbear harvested this morning, as we were all here and they needed to be picked. My sister and sister-in-law both climbed up the tree, my brother and fisherbear picked and used the pole-grabber, my mom rounded up oranges into big plastic trash bags and kept an eye on the grandbaby, I juiced and juiced and juiced, my dad took the empty rinds out to the trash., my aunt brought me back for more juicing..it was a full-family operation, and we have the buckets and pails of juice to prove it. It is insanely good juice, and will be frozen and hoarded and drunk for months to come.

Yesterday's party for my dad went very very well, and today had lots of good family time too. I had to work a little more today, and will need to work much more tomorrow (and we still don't have a revised schedule!), but I'm certainly enjoying the sunshine and the family and the change of pace.

Not to mention the fresh-squeezed orange juice, even if juicing all those oranges has turned my cuticles yellow.