Lemons in Winter

Winter in Seattle is so damp, cold, and dark. The back of my jeans are always get wet from tromping in the rain. You'd think people would wear brighter colors but somehow in Seattle, dark and dreary clothes go with the weather. The wintery weather up here feels so oppressive to me. It weighs heavy on my heart. Part of me wants to stay curled up in bed with my cozy down comforter pulled up over my head. I love to sleep on my side with my feathery light blanket resting lightly against my cheek. I'd love to stay there cocooned all winter (and part of spring) but there are things that I have to do that limit my love of lounging.

I'm always looking for ways to bring more light and joy into the darkness of winter. I have a happy light that I use when I read. It's so bright and annoying though that I find it difficult to get happy when I use it, mostly it pesters me and I end up turning it off. Some happy light. Usually, I can cook up something warm and delicious but I haven't felt like cooking much lately. One year, we had a bacon party and that was delicious fun. I began taking Vitamin D and fish oil, that seems to have helped. Lately, I've been thinking about lemons and tangerines. I love both. In California, the lemons and tangerines are the best during the fall and winter months.

Growing up in San Jose, CA, we had a tangerine tree in our backyard. In winter, I'd go sit in the tree and eat bushels of tangerines. I'd be up there (with the ants) eating as many tangerines as I could. I'd climb and search the tree for perfectly ripe tangerines. I could tell a tangerine's perfect ripeness by the smell and the feel of the fruit. And, when I found the perfect one, I'd snap it up. I remember resting on my favorite limb with tangerines in both hands and more in my pockets. I'd stare up at the blue sky, rest my head, and peel my fruit. Sun warmed my skin and dappled on my body through the branches and I dropped the peels into a heap on the ground. It was a happy moment.

Lemons and tangerines look amazing on a tree. Their bright color contrasts with the deep glossy green leaves. Lemons were everywhere when I was a kid. Being from California, I just expected every place to have such luscious and tantalizing fruit hanging everywhere. Surprise! Yes, I was disappointed when I found out that lemons and tangerines wouldn't grow in cold climates. But, hey, we all have to grow up sometime, right?

When it's cold out, when the sun barely makes its way over the horizon and the wind slaps me sideways, I think of tangerines and lemons. Their bright color and intense citrusy smell brings me back to my childhood tangerine tree. I think of moments spent sitting in my tree, smelling the rich soil mixed with the tang of the peel, and how completely happy I was in that moment. These thoughts help me make it to Spring.

Yes, this winter weather depresses me, and I am constantly planning my move to San Diego, Mexico, the equator, or the south of France but the thought of lemons and tangerines helps me face the endless chill of Seattle winters. Oh yeah, and when I move south, I am tossing ALL my gloves, hats, and down jackets because I plan to stay where it is warm. If I ever do visit Seattle again, it'll be in the summer or early fall.