is not the same as seeing what goes on in the orange groves in person. Interesting but sad.

This is the situation across the street from my house.











While I was there so were 5 or 6 vultures. I kept thinking I'd find a dead body.




As I was leaving, 3 noisy little birds showed up. They were screaming at me and weren't happy I was in their space. One stuck around and I think it's something called a Killdeer. If so, it will be a new bird sighting for me.





Just one other thing............... It's Freakin cold out there!!!

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Yeah my heart was breaking seeing the ice on the trees when I went to retrieve my car from the hospital in Winter Haven it just brings it home how much Florida depends on these crops to keep jobs, I live down the street a mile or two from the Floridas Natural Plant and I worry about what happens if they lose the crop how many are they going lay off. Its bad enough here in Polk County seeing mom and pops closed down etc.

Yeah its cold but I can deal since I am a native Northern Girl from DC been running in just a hoodie since the cold snap hit, When I was in SC for New Years I was in shorts and a tank top on one of their coldest nights doesnt phase me yet but probably will in a few years not that I am sticking around in FL much longer Im going to SC after tax season is over.

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~ Christine ~
Grammie to Trinity Lorayne Jean Keens Born June 9, 2011 Loving my awesome guitar picking 100% Country Boy boyfriend Kenny !
RIP Daddy~ 01/24/1930-06/01/2007 I miss you !
Dont Think you Can .. know you can ~ Jeff Hardy

It is sad this is happening. I'm thinking OJ prices will go sky high soon. Does OJ in the carton freeze well? Does anyone know? I guess I may run to the store and buy the frozen kind that you add water to and stock the freezer while the prices are still low.

I feel really sorry for the growers and for the consumers.

wow. We were just talking about getting some Fl. oranges at church today. My DH and another guy are truck drivers and we were wanting them to pick some up while they are down there this week. Will the prices be higher I wonder?

The bird does look like a killdeer. We have them here in MI. They were probably throwing a fit because you were near their nests. They nest on the ground and act like that to keep you away from them.

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Melissa

Wow its sad to see the trees like that :-(

It looks like the growers sprayed the trees. I've read they do this ahead of time to protect the trees / fruit. Strange, but true. Farming is such a weather dependent lifestyle / business that one has any control over.

dl

I'm very sorry for everyone whose living depends on the citrus crop.

I'm just glad that I hate OJ and am not a huge fan of fresh oranges.

Is it true that farmers spray water on the oranges to get a layer of ice that then protects them from harsher cold?

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Jesus SAVES by shopping smartly and using double coupons!

When I was checking out today in Kroger, the cashier who was helping me said to be sure to stock up on OJ now before the price goes way, way up due to the freezing temps. ~Lisa

Interesting things I've learned since I've lived in Florida. The farmers spray the trees to keep the fruit at 32 degrees. Citrus trees can stand temps down to around 28 degrees for up to 4 hours before some trees (usually the young ones) will suffer damage.

Tonight will be the real test. The low temp around here is suppose to be 24 degrees.

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Incredible pictures looks like the midwest or something.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

That was very nice of her to mention this to you.
What irritates me though is that the last time there was a freeze and OJ went up, it never went back down. I've been paying high prices for several years now and it's going to go higher. Grape juice just went up recently. Apple juice is still very reasonable. However, I drink OJ and so does DH. We're cash strapped enough as it is without having to pay even higher prices for OJ.
BTW, my definition of high OJ prices is this; I shop at the grocery store with the cheapest prices. The generic brand is $2.20, I buy Dole which is $2.28 and all the rest is over $3. This is for a half gallon.

Very nice pictures of the Killdeer birds. They're so much fun to watch on those long legs running here and there. Last week during the cold snap here, my dad said there were several in his front yard that he enjoyed watching.

My suggestion is to drink water. Apple juice and grape juice are the least nutritious of the juices because of their high sugar content. And it's possible they contain HFCS which is basically poison to your digestive system and makes people fatter.
Orange juice is more nutritious because of the vitamin C however it still is a "want" item not a "need" item.
I am afraid that people will start feeding their children more of the crap "juice products" now that the price of OJ is going up. Basically people are paying for sugar water when they buy these items.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Water for breakfast? I don't think so. The whole family drinks water with at least one meal a day. I realize that apple and grape juice aren't the best. DD is lactose intolerant and her favorite is apple juice so I indulge her as she drinks about a half cup for breakfast. With the price of grape juice going up, DS may have to switch back to OJ until it goes higher than grape juice. I buy only 100% juices and usually buy grape/cranberry. My children know how to read the labels and say Ewww...that's sugar water. So many people think Sunny D is 100% juice.