October 16, 2010

The drive from Cobb County to Tallapoosa is a beautiful one these days. The trees are in a state of change. I found out a week or so ago that cooler temperatures had nothing to do with the leaves changing into the bright reds and yellows of autumn. I discoved that the leaves begin changing due to the days becoming shorter and that sunlight or the lack of it causes the leaves to turn. My Tallapoosa neighbors have a big giant oak tree that is dying and if you have a chain saw and life insurance you are welcome to cut it down and haul it off. I asked a tree surgeon for an estimate on cutting it down. You can get a cardiac or an orthopedic surgeon cheaper than a tree surgeon these days. I love going outside on a cool night in Tallapoosa and smell leaves burning on days it is permitted. It just smells like fall of the year. A friend of mine from Cherokee County is headed to Ellijay this weekend for the annual apple festival and invited me to come along. I said I'd pass because I'm going to go to the Piggly Wiggly and stand around the apples in the produce section and save me a tank of gas. It is hard to believe that Halloween in two weeks away and that Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be here before you know it. This coming Tuesday my youngest Callie will be 6 years old. She wants me to take her to Chuck E. Cheese's. The last time I was at the Chuck E. Cheese's in Douglasville it dawned on me that the pizza and arcade emporium is basically Las Vegas for kindergartners. Callie wants to invite Justin Beiber, Selena Gomez, and the cast of Drake and Josh to her party. Justin Beiber is the hottest act in show business today among the young ones and is on a one boy quest to make dads and moms go broke buying his music, videos, and posters. There doesn't seem to be a cure for "Bieber Fever." I got mail on last week's column and it seems I got under some folk's skin. Politics seems to be a hot button and I stand by my statements of last week about the governor's race. I am voting for the man who I feel is best suited to lead Georgia and to get us out of the economic doldrums that has led to job losses and cuts in education. If you missed it, you can go to www.tallapoosa-journal.com and click on columns. I am glad the election is just a little over two weeks away. New York has the bitterest of the race for the governorship of the Empire State. Republican candidate Carl Paladino is saying some crazy things, like just the other day he picked the Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl early next year. Did you all hear about the study by researchers at Ohio State University that persistent exposure to light at night may lead to weight gain, even without changing physical activity or eating more food. Researchers found that mice exposed to even dim light at night gained weight. I have found that my weight problem stems from constant exposure to the refrigerator light and by consumption of Mayfield Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream. I buy it now in the 55 gallon drum. The Ohio State University study also found that people that left their lights on on all night had higher power bills than people who turned lights off. Isn't science great? Go Buckeyes! Last Monday night we saw the end of the Bobby Cox era with the Atlanta Braves. Bobby Cox was not only the best manager in Major League Baseball, he is an animal lover and has given tens of thousands of dollars to rescue dogs and cats in Georgia. The Braves have some tremendous shoes to fill by spring training in Orlando.

Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native and a member of the faculty and serves as Director of Special Projects at Kennesaw State University. He also is a regular contributor to www.wearepolitics.com Comments? Send them to P.O. Box 1001, Tallapoosa, GA 30176 or via email at rhubarbjones@aol.com or professorrhubarb@gmail.com