With snow flying from Florida to Maine, as the calendar turned to 2018, what a comfort it’s been to have a corner of my enclosed porch in Washington, D.C., filled with lemon radiance. The contradiction this morning of the single-digit temperatures on one side of the glass and the voluptuous citrus atmosphere on the other is nearly too much to bear. The potted Meyer lemon tree has been going about its fragrant labor all year, silently producing orbs of illumination. Three of the season’s five fruits were harvested on Christmas, the juice squeezed and combined with rosemary to flavor an effervescent drink and the rind sliced for a tarty tint to a dish of Brussels sprouts. With the tree still suspending leftover lemons, along with clusters of new blooms, I can only marvel at the worth of its creativity compared to my puny investment. Photo Credit: John A. Bray