Heart of Florida

As a native son of the state of Florida, I have stood by while developers have paved over the most beautiful memories I hold. Since the 1960s, America has rushed to this paradise. Everyone wants a part of her: a vacation home, a condominium, a patio home on the golf course. At the very least, a week-long stay in a hotel on the beach. Florida never had a chance, and her days are numbered.

Then, in 2013, I learned of the deadly citrus “greening disease,” while reading a New York Times article (Click Here). For those of you who may not be aware, greening is responsible for killing millions of Florida citrus trees, and single-handedly threatens the very future of Florida’s citrus industry. Greening is also known by its Chinese name, huanglongbing, or HLB, alias, “the yellow dragon disease.” The culprit is a tiny moth, no bigger than the head of a sharpened pencil, named the Asian citrus psyllid, which arrived in Florida, among other worldwide citrus-growing regions, via Chinese cargo shipments.

Learning of this grave threat, I was at once shocked, angry – and oddly emboldened to do something about it. Possibly, my reaction was born of a sense of guilt for not joining the ranks of crusading environmentalists, grabbing a protest sign and picketing any number of development projects, or, at the very least, speaking out about the tragedy at hand – something I have always failed to do.

Regardless of my motivations though, reading The Times article spurred me into action. Orange trees and the globes of their fruit played a big part in shaping my view of the world. As a young boy, I climbed in their branches, picked and ate their fruit, and retreated to their canopy of leaves when I was lonely, frightened, or simply needed solace. I feel attuned to them, aligned with them, and, yes, finally, willing to take a stand – or, at least, a step – on their behalf. Like Jake or Ellwood, I am now on a mission from God.

This mission involves a passionate hobby of mine, homeopathy. Upon reading that article, I had a bit of a sit down with myself. “Self,” I said, “how might I use homeopathic remedies to help the orange trees recover?”

The stories you’ll find here are about how I went about trying to discover the answer to that question.