Miracles

We purchased 2 citrus trees from Costco about 6 years ago. (Growing up in a neighborhood scattered with citrus trees, I longed to pick my own again.) I was so excited! . . . until Randy informed me they were dwarf trees. Boo! Disappointed is the key word here.

They were still pretty and green - just midgets. We built little planters around them though, to hold in needed water. The wind blew their weakling branches and leaves. If you listened real close, you could almost hear them rustling. They did love the sun. And a dry leaf was never to be found.

They were planted where our old, outgrown trampoline used to stand - in our back yard's prime space. Had we known we'd only be looking at 2 small bush/like plants, we might have left the tramp in. (We could have used the exercise!) And heaven knows we could have used some shade around here, but no.
So every day we were reminded of their "almost but not quite" state. After all, in Arizona, green is good.

Last December, a wondrous miracle happened. We noticed there were big yellow fruit clusters growing up and down the branches of one of the trees. Grapefruit! We couldn't believe our eyes. We left it hanging for the whole season, just to make sure those dwarfs drank in every last bit of nourishment. We took pictures in every angle, developed into 8 x 10 glossies to show our unbelieving friends.

This morning was a landmark day. I refrigerated one over night and crossed my shaking fingers as I cut it open for a taste. No words can describe the heavenly deliciousness! The beautiful pink color was also a bonus.

I have since looked upon the trees with admiration, recalling their previously small size and probable nonperformance. Because of the illegible tags hanging around their twigs when we purchased them, I did not see their majestic potential coming. But there they stand. Strong, scrawny trunks that proudly lift their branches to nearly 8 feet high.

Do miracles happen? Oh, yes!

I will be anxiously awaiting next years crop from the other orange tree. (We'll let it off the hook this year, since I'm sure it is purposely waiting for its own private performance.) If it grows avocados, I'll probably die!