mr. gatch's magic oranges

MAGIC ORANGES

My neighbor's name is Mr. Gatch. He is very old. He could be as young as 75, but he is probably older than that. He tells me great stories about the old days in Florida whenever I go to visit him. I have good intentions to visit him more often that I do, because I enjoy him very much, sadly they are only good intentions at this point.

This time of year, I see Mr. Gatch on a regular basis. That is because he sells magic oranges. He grows them in the groves on his property, and he sells them for $3 a bushel. That would be $3 for about 40 or 50 oranges. He tends the trees all year, along with all the other growing fruits and vegetables that he takes care of on his property. He doesn't walk very well and when I see him with a rickety old ladder leaned against a tree with a saw in hand and he is like 8 or 9 feet in the air, it scares the living daylights out of me. He has probably been doing that for about 65 years and so he probably thinks he is just fine!

I was feeling especially tired this morning...was I coming down with something or was I just exhausted from the week behind me? Nethermind...I will go and buy some magic oranges and I will feel great!

"Hello, Mr. Gatch!"

"You come huntin' oranges."

"Yes, Mr. Gatch. I would like juice oranges."

(You need to know that he posts a sign in his front yard advertising navel oranges for sell.)

"I don't have any juice oranges picked."

(Silence.)

Then Mr. Gatch says, "I guess I could go pick some."

(I jump out of the car.)

"I'll help you."

(We pick oranges together. He pulls 5 for every 1 that I pull. He tells me a story about how in the olden days they made them cut the oranges from the trees with clippers. Sometimes the orange clipper people didn't cut right next to the orange so that there was a little bit of stem. The stems would sometimes poke another orange and then people wouldn't want to buy it because it was damaged. Some man came to him and learned about pulling oranges and now all oranges are pulled--as opposed to picked or clipped. I get this story because I pulled an orange and managed to leave a little bit of stem endangering my bushel!)

(We are back at the car now and he is loading my oranges into the backseat.)

He says, "If I don't see you before Christmas, have a merry one!"

"Oh you'll see me before Christmas."

"Well, don't come back too soon."

(I laugh and leave.)

I've had three glasses of magic orange juice today. It turns out that I am trying to get sick. The magic oranges are fighting brazenly. Nevertheless, I sent my husband to the Temple alone tonight and Brianna joined the Bishop's family for the ward Christmas party. I stayed home with my magic oranges and read a book that one of my guests wrote and gave to me last night. Then I made some soup from a recipe that was included in her book. It's done now, my oranges are waiting and Brianna has just come in to tell me the tales of her evening.