Kayla's Graduation and other Ramblings

The Pre-K Class of 2008 has graduated from La Petite of Cleveland, TN. Our grand daughter, Kayla was one of the 20 or so graduates and goes off the "big" school next year.

They even get a diploma and wear the cap and gown. What will be left for high school?

Of course, she is the one waving to the crowd!

Before the ceremony, we took the girls to the park. This is Brooklyn going down the slide. She wore herself out running back to the steps to go again.

This is a deer outside Debbie's friend's home who lives near Ellijay. The deer would run off when I went out the door but did not go too far. This is just a sample of the wildlife in her subdivision.

Was out riding bicycles on Friday after doing the graduation thing on Thursday and bringing the grand dog home to doggy sit while Kyle and the family went to the beach. Nice field of sunflowers on Highway 52 between Quillian's Corner and Lula.


Rode again Saturday morning and finished up by going through a canopied street at the edge of Gillsville. Who says Tallahassee, FL is the only place with canopy covered streets?

Finally, why I like my yellow jacket trap from Lowe's. It has been a bad yellow jacket season so far with the little rascals all over my front and back yard. Have not spotted the nest but with the helo of raw chicken, I have attraced several hundred into the trap. This is not to cast any dispersion on those who may support a certain college team of the same name. I bet some schools wished they knew how to trap those Yellow Jackets!

There are 107 yellow jackets in this pile plus one red wasp who failed to mind his own business.

Watermelon Shortage Imminent - Viagra Sales Down

For those of us who love watermelon, I am predicting a watermelon shortage that will make the supply problems with gasoline look like a minor issue. After you read the link, I am sure you will agree. This is a major crisis.

I am predicting that the price of watermelons will be somewhere in the $20 to $40 each range within a year. I am also predicting that the major pharmaceutical companies will take over corporate watermelon farms as a way to further drive up the price and limit availability which means that within 2 to 3 years, a good watermelon may well cost you as much as $100. I do not think that you will be able to have generic watermelons developed. Will Medicare pay for the watermelons? Will they be covered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield?

The commodities markets are seeing an increase in the buying and selling of watermelon futures which means the market is now being cornered by speculators which is much like what has happened in oil futures, soybean futures, etc. I am calling for a congressional investigation into watermelon speculation!!

It is time to start growing watermelons in undeveloped areas of the country. At least, a watermelon is somewhat environmentally correct and provides food to animals if just a few are left unharvested.

I fear that a black market will develop in watermelons. Before you know it, it will be illegal to sell watermelons without a prescription. This will lead to the creation of Watermelon Awareness and Resistance programs (WAR). You will have to pry my watermelon from my cold dead fingers one older American has been quoted as saying.

I am already hearing that elder adult retirement communities are seeing a large increase in the disposal of watermelon rinds which is causing a juicy problem for the collectors of refuse or for the sewage treatment system for those with disposalls. This is also leading to the using up of landfills much quicker than anticipated by the local governments which means a large tax increase will be needed to develop more landfill capacity.

I will keep you posted on this growing problem as more information becomes available.

John's New Bike

John Carroll, a recent transplant from Alabama via Baton Rouge, got his new bike yesterday. It is a Zurich Madone (subject to correction). We rode from Chestatee Middle School for a quick 16 miles. Then, it was off to a Mexican meal up by Kroger where John got the pleasure of meeting Debbie, my bride of 33 years.

John is shameless. He left me on the hills but then, everyone leaves me on the hills. Well, maybe not everybody but I have not met them yet.

We broke up the ride by going into Bolding Mill Park just off Cool Springs Road. Well, there ain't much activity at the park and the Corp of Engineers has closed the campground there. As you can see by the next couple of pictures, the oysters and mussels on the Appalachicola River must be continuing to live well since the water is so low up here in the headwaters area on Lake Lanier.

Just a question that no one has yet answered - what did the folks along the Apalachicola do before the dams were built? Obviously, the oysters did not all die off and the mussels did not either since they are still there. If the dams were not here, there would be no water to release and the rivers would be mostly running dry.