Satsumas, Say What?????

Sounds like a sumo Japanese wrestler's name! We'll tell you what it is in a minute. Have to pique your interest first, so you'll check out the blog today, dontcha know?

Out today for another exploration drive to a town nearby. We had heard from reliable sources (thanks, Jan and Greg White) that had an interesting, cute little downtown main street shopping center full of antique stores, ice cream places, knick-knack shops, AND a yarn store....(AHA! I KNEW there was a specific reason we headed there today! Sparky is NOT a cutesy little shop shopper, folks! I just knew she had an ulterior motive!) Yup! I was not impressed with the Yarn Cottage, a very small yarn shop.....kind of a mish-mash of yarns, and the needle section was poorly organized, BUT---I did find a couple of things I needed to make a pair of sox for my youngest daughter.

At any rate, the town was crowded, parking was a problem on the narrow streets, so we decided not to get out and window shop other stores today, Sparky's mission was accomplished!...(That's one thing I love about Sparky--she doesn't like to dilly dally in and out of every single store that she walks by...whew! We got out of there in record time!) And I'm glad Eldo doesn't like to shop every single store, too! Now, if it's a GOLF shop, he's IN! And it might be awhile... But no longer than I would be in a Michael's, or a Hobby Lobby, or a JoAnn's......Eldy is really nodding his head in agreement. :-)

On the way back, we saw at least two signs that said, "SATSUMAS"....We wondered what the heck is that?  It looked like a lady was selling something out of the back of her car, they looked like teeny oranges, so we stopped. And here's what she was selling.....satsumas! You mean just small oranges...Well, yes, sort of... Really, they are a mandarin orange that has been imported from Japan. They grow on tree like bushes. First, they turn a slight yellow blush on the skin, then they turn completely yellow, then, bright orange when they are ripe. They are VERY easy to peel. People grow them around here a LOT!  The climate must be really good for them, as we saw at least two different selling locations right around a single spot near highway 59 in Summerdale. The lady selling them said, "Here, try one!" And they were seedless and super sweet! Delicious! We chatted a bit and found out she was a former RVer for 14 years. Now that she is in her seventies, she came off the road and built a cabin in Wisconsin with her husband. She spends part of the year down here in Alabama and has the satsumas trees growing on her farm. Let's compare apples to oranges here.....

Satsumas are cute little things!

We bought a 5 pound bag of them...nothing like fresh mandarin oranges, maybe cut up with a banana to start your day in the morning with a cup of coffee and a bagel.....That's what we are going to have for breakfast in the morning! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving...We'll take time to count our blessings, share a wonderful meal with other travelers here at the park and call our families to wish them a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and may you all have many blessings in your life to be thankful for......Jeannie and Eldy