Have You Noticed The Shrinkage?
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DAVE’S WORLD
By David Howell
I could tell from the long face that Allen Rogers had bad news when he stopped by the office Tuesday afternoon.
Jolene didn’t make it through the long, hot days of late summer, the tedious span that separates the good ones from the great ones. That is the trick with Carolina Cross melons. While the variety is generally listed at about 100 days to maturity, growers trying to produce the giants can keep them going as long as 130 days. The trick is keeping them alive and healthy during the muggy Mississippi days, and it ain’t easy.
And what makes it even sadder is Jolene’s measurements tracked bigger than Josephine, Allen’s 274-pound state-record melon that grew for 104 days in 2024.
Allen puts a lot of hours into these melons, and it’s good publicity for the community. Thanks, Allen, for all you do to keep Water Valley the Watermelon Metropolis of the World!
And while Allen is trying his best to make watermelons bigger it seems like everybody else is trying to make everything smaller and charge us more for it. After a few observations during the last week, I have decided that inflation may be the next great weight-loss plan.
My theory stems from an observation over the weekend when my wife was putting her fine “China” in the cabinet and something didn’t line up. Same brand, same color, but the new paper plates were just a tad smaller.
She would have never noticed it, but she had a few of the old ones still in the cabinet. When she put the new ones on top, there was an obvious difference.
Just think, an eighth of an inch this month, whittle them down a little more next month and pretty soon we will be eating on saucer-sized plates.
One day last week, I pulled out a crisp $20 bill to pay for lunch and had to dig a little deeper. It was a fine meal and worth it, but ouch!
Then Monday morning rolled around. Mrs. Betty always said Labor Day is for laboring if you are in the newspaper business, and I tend to follow orders.
Around late morning, I was ready for a bite to eat and ultimately settled on three chicken tenders at a convenience store.
I pulled out a $10 bill and was shocked when it didn’t cover them. I needed another quarter, and just think, I was expecting some change.
I may have to settle for one chicken tender next time, and I promise, it won’t hurt me to cut back.
Apparently three chicken tenders have become a luxury item.
Maybe we will all cut back on our meals and be a little healthier.
Thanks, but no thanks.
The older I get, the more I like to eat.
