Well spring has sprung and the routine continues here on the
farm…our orange trees are now in bloom and the bees are starting to get busy
making orange blossom honey. Soon the
petals will fall off the blooms exposing the new little “baby” oranges which
will be this fall’s crop. We have been
disking down weeds in between the rows of trees, and I must say it sure makes
the groves look a lot nicer. We are now
beginning to irrigate the trees again and of course fertilizer and pest control
is also a must this time of season. It
won’t be long before summer gets here with the searing summer valley heat that
helps this area produce the sweetest and most flavorful navel oranges on the
planet.
It’s funny how we believe that we as humans are unique in
how we approach life. But when you see
life through the eyes of nature, we are merely predictable creatures of habit
ourselves…kinda’ like orange trees. Sure,
we like to believe that we are masters of our own universe, but are we
really? As we stand in line at Starbucks
along with everyone else waiting to get our daily, morning, coffee, we think
about how we “take” ours. Cream, sugar,
black or maybe with a little soy milk…but no matter how you drink it, it’s
pretty much the same every morning, isn’t it? When we get in our cars to drive,
we do the same routine, put the keys in the ignition, put on our seat belts (hopefully), maybe check a mirror or two, put it in gear
and away we go without much thought. Ah
yes, creatures of habit are we, bound by routine and conditioning. So perhaps were not as unique as we thought
we were. Maybe we are more like orange trees…living organisms that survive
through routine by both Mother Nature’s clock and the farmer’s. But then again, we do have a certain ability
that the trees do not…choice. Yes the
simple word that has lead us to decisions about starting families, choosing
between a pc or a mac, boxers or briefs, and more consequentially, conquering
kingdoms and going to the moon! I think that it is important for all of us to
always remember that we do have choices in this life. And like the beauty and the fruit that an
orange tree bears, so too can be the choices we make in life. A healthy tree never squanders the
opportunity to grow and produce, for it knows no other way. So a lesson from nature’s magnificence we
should take and never miss the chance to grow into something which in turn we
can give to others…something good, unforced and natural. The way it was always supposed to be.
Wow…pretty “deep” thoughts from a farmer I suppose, but then
again maybe watching the cycle of the orange trees and observing the newness of
spring as it arrives to the fields makes one realize that every day brings a
new hope for growth and all that is good.
Thanks for reading,
I’ll see you in the groves.
-Tony
