Aunt Karen's Orange Tree

Braden with the orange tree!

Last year when we were in Mesa for Thanksgiving, Keanna was extremely interested in aunt Karen's orange tree.  To educate all of you who don't live in areas where citrus grows.  Blossoms come on the trees in March but the fruit isn't ready to pick until Christmas time.  You can leave the fruit on the tree until the next blossoms come (someone please correct me if I'm wrong).  Keanna really wanted to pick the fruit last year but it would not have tasted good at all.  She was so excited to be able to pick her own orange.  My granny was also so excited -- she is 83 years old and this was the first time in her whole life that she got an orange right off of the tree.  For those of you that don't know, the trunk of the tree is painted white to keep it from getting sunburned.  While I was on a field trip with Kyler to the red barn this fall I noticed that they had painted the trunks of their trees as well.  I asked one of the employees about it and he said it was to stop the sunburn as well - but for during the winter.  They have done samples from the trees in the winter to measure the temperature of the trunk.  On the North side of the trunk it was 20 degrees but the south side was 110 degrees.  I told myself that I was going to get the trunks of our fruit trees painted but I kind of forgot.  Maybe I best work on that.
This is one of my new favorite pictures!  When Andy and I started dating he let me know how much his Aunt Karen means to him.  She is always doing good and helping others.  I was excited to get a picture of them together.  Today we went to church in Aunt Karen's ward.  I do have to admit that it was quite the experience.  For a few minutes during relief society we had a joint practice for a men and women's choir number to be song during sacrament meeting.  The gentleman/conductor was quite out of control.  I wished I had a camcorder to film the whole experience.  One of his quotes was "In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints free agency always exists except when I conduct the music."  He also conducted a mens number and I must admit that even though he was quite crazy it was one of the most beautiful numbers I have ever heard.