Valencia

ABC Wednesday
The letter is V
For Valencia

In this little run through the alphabet where my theme has been fruit and vegetables we have talked about the Clementine, and the Mandarin, and now we talk about the sweetest orange of all - the Valencia.

It is the 'summer' orange, - the only orange that bears new fruit and mature fruit at the same time.  Thus we find it in the marketplace from March  until the end of summer.

The orange bears seeds - six or seven - in contrast to the Navel and other seedless oranges, and it has the brightest of juices,   The deep orange and the sweetness makes it most attractive on the breakfast table, - or whenever you drink your orange juice -  and you will find that most juices are made from Valencia oranges.

Wikipedia tells me that William Wolfskill, an American who became a Mexican citizen, hybridized the Valencia orange and named it after the Spanish city known for the sweetness of its fruit.

For more interesting facts about the letter V visit here at ABC Wednesday, with thanks to the Veritable Roger and the Vivid Denise and all their Vivacious helpers....

Update on Christmas

It comes upon me that the time is upon us, - the very merry cheery time of getting ready for Christmas, while holding Advent close in a little still place amidst all the hustle and bustle.

Today I tended to the printer as it turned out three complete albums to distribute to the 'children' in memory of their sweet, sweet father (the other three are already done....)

And then I went in and opened the Christmas trunk, wherein is stashed all the little gifts I have picked up during the year, and inspected the shelves that serve the same purpose. and almost came completely undone.  Of course I think of who these gifts would delight when I buy or make them, but somehow the enormity of it all escapes me when I look at them now, and then at my list...........

And I think about the other ninety year old lady who I had coffee with at our Christmas Bake Sale yesterday, and what she said about putting money in an envelope and handing it around and then blithely enjoying a relaxing run up to Christmas.  But somehow that seems to take the magic away, even if it is more practical.  I don't even feel comfortable with stashing unwrapped Christmas gifts into bags with a bow and a To .... with love.......!  Somehow a prettily wrapped present with a nice ribbon around it extends the pleasure  - but then I won't be ninety until the day after Father Time declares it to be 2015!

So, I got the big red bag of Christmas wrappings and seals and ribbons and bows out of the closet
(where I had put them when F brought them up from their summer sojourn in the basement) - and I cleared off a card table, which doesn't seem anywere near big enough for the job - but tomorrow I will get at it and by the 15th of the month hopefully I will be standing in line at the Post Office with all the parcels that have to brave the Postal System.

Yesterday, the day of our bake sale, started off with streets and sidewalks coated with frozen rain, which then turned to enormous wet flakes of snow.  This somewhat affected attendance, but not the pleasant time enjoyed by bakers and bakee buyers alike!  Some people arrived before opening time and stayed until the very end!!!

 There was a lot going on in town, it being Light Up Weekend, - parades and craft fairs and Santa's breakfast...... the little ones were over the moon, - all except the littlest one of all and he viewed Santa with some trepidition!!

But the bigger kids loved making snowmen out of cupcakes and big marshmallows!