Here Comes the Rain Again: A Post About Orange Juice and Rain

Hand-squeezed OJ, with separation

I woke up 'naturally' today (meaning no alarm), at a reasonable time for feeding animals, having breakfast myself, and getting to work on time. This is pretty surprising, given that I was up past midnight, listening to what the weather forecasters called "gale-force" winds and rain.

Here comes the rain again

When I opened my refrigerator on this rainy, final day of February, I saw this unusual - but welcome - pitcher of fresh squeezed OJ.

I don't drink OJ in the morning because it gives me an upset stomach. This OJ has been in the fridge since a friend brought over 2 bags of oranges sometime last week. I realized that if I didn't use it soon it might go to waste.

My desire to have some orange juice thus determined my breakfast: half of a banana, cup of tea, half of a bagel with cream cheese, second cup of tea. All things that would counteract the effects of orange juice.

I don't usually have bagels and cream cheese in my house either. One of my own nicknames in my head is "Bagel Whore." I become a raging crazy person when it comes to bagels - I *LOVE* them. I will break laws for a good bagel (though no one has ever before known to use this temptation to bend me to their will). In this case, bagels were on a list of foods my niece liked to eat for breakfast. Somehow there were two bagels left after her stay with us. Maybe I'm getting better.

The banana was eaten as I fed Jeremy-the-Bird and Olieo Dog. Tea was poured, and the bagel was toasting, so I got out my pretty little gilt edged glasses for juice.

Left: Stirred and shaken  Right: Poured off the top

I had several thoughts that I don't ever remember having before as I opened the drawer to extract a long handled wooden spoon for stirring the OJ: 

What if I DON'T stir it?
What will it taste like?
Does juice at the top taste different from juice at the bottom?
Is pulp the only difference?

Seriously if you've already done this experiment, I can't do anything but apologize for wasting your time reading this blog post.
I decided not to stir.


It felt reckless.
I had known my whole life that you MUST stir the orange juice before pouring it out.
Now, suddenly I was considering a taboo act.
The rebel heretic every one who knows me, knows that I am, was going to drink unstirred OJ.

I am gonna try the thin, colorless, unshaken orange juice.

Falling on my head like a memory

I have no memory of ever tasting OJ, but I know what I like.
(Don't I?)

Tasting orange juice isn't exactly like tasting fine wines, or tasting different types of honey. Although the liquid in the two glasses looks quite different, the flavor is more the same than different.

ASIDE: Okay, in THAT way it IS like tasting fine wines. Good wines all taste more like grapes than OJ. But when comparing fine wines to two-buck-chuck I've found myself thinking, Is this even made from grapes?  Some bargain barrel bottles I've tasted do not really resemble wine.

The pale juice with almost no orange color had a consistency like whiskey. Slightly thick. Very silky on my tongue. Huge flavor. I wasn't expecting THAT! It was Taaaaasty! The natural sugar was creating the thin but still syrupy texture. There was a bite of acid, and a HUGE flavor of orange. Tart, but with no bitterness.

In hindsight, I think I assumed the separated top liquid would be tart, bitter, acidic - nasty. Stirring was obviously the way to get a sweet, balanced OJ. Turns out, Noooooooo.

In comparison, the richly colored, "orange" orange juice, with LOTS of pulp (the way I have always THOUGHT I liked it) tastes like an altogether different substance. The heavy pulp content seems to confuse my poor tongue: Ack! Do I swallow or chew?! The chunky liquid is much more bitter, I now assume due to the inclusion of pulp and the higher levels of bitter pith.

Colorless, no-pulp OJ is THE BOMB.

Falling on my head like a new emotion

At 41, I feel like I understand a little secret about orange juice that I've never known. It may be an inconsequential thrill, but it is a thrill, and that thrill is mine!

No one has ever told me this information. Maybe not many other people know either. But you know now. Go forth. Squeeze fresh OJ. Drink the good bit, the pale, clear, not-orange juice. Use the rest for baking or marinating.

And while you are at it, let anything in your life - a wonderful, seasonal rain storm - encourage you to ask questions about anything you've 'always done.' Be that rebel heretic with me, against the most minute of daily practices. Maybe you will see, feel, taste, smell or hear something beautiful, wonderful and special in your day, even if it is just drinking a glass of orange juice.

Rainy Courtyard

Blooming Succulent

Juxtaposition

Do you ever just stop and wonder why any two given things seem juxtaposed? Why it feels like, as humans, our brains cannot make sense out of events without linking them?

Tomorrow is my 41st birthday.

My mother (who I have an extremely difficult relationship with), recently celebrated her 68th birthday.  Today she told me she has been diagnosed with breast cancer (detected early, treatable).

My mammogram is scheduled for next week.

Message from the universe: 

"Good scheduling job, Yvette! See, here's proof: No one wants mammogram results for their birthday."