We need more Wee Wisdom

Somewhere, in some filing cabinet in the offices of the Warren County Board of Education, I can only assume there is some piece of paper that marks me as what I am.

My name is Jennifer Peebles. And technically, I'm a high school dropout.

But that doesn't mean I'm an uneducated person. I am actually a highly educated, cultured and learned person.

That's because I am a graduate of Wee Wisdom Kindergarten.

And I have the proof to back it up.

Cross-posting: The rise, and mostly fall, of Blundale, Ga.

This is just a quick note to say that I've written a post about my father's hometown in Emanuel County -- it's on my non-Warrenton blog. You can see it at this link if you're interested.

Back from a quick trip to Warrenton

I made a very quick trip to Warrenton for the July 4 weekend and can report that things seemed pretty quiet. Mimi and I watched the fireworks on TV on Friday night, and on Saturday I went to Emanuel County to visit my father's relatives at their annual Independence Day gathering. Some observations:

• Gurley's put up a big sign on the Wrens Road saying, "GURLEY'S IGA - HOME OF THE CHEAPEST ICE IN TOWN." So, as I drove by the store, I slowed down to see just how cheap this incredibly cheap ice would be. The cost? $1 per bag. Just like everywhere else in America. What gives?
• The Clipper had a front-page story about a man who received second-degree burns after his wife poured scalding hot water on him while he was lying in bed, after observing that if she couldn't have him, no one else could.
• I never noticed before that there's a YIELD sign where the Wrens Road crosses the Martin-Marietta rail spur. A "yield" sign. Not a stop sign. A "yield" sign. As though it's somehow optional for you to stop for the train.
  

Where'd I-20 go?

If you're in my generation, you can't remember a time when there was no Interstate 20 running through Warren County. So it was strange to see the map I came across in my grandmother's attic -- an old Union 76 road map of Georgia. Looks funny to me. The date on it is 1970.

Trying, and failing, to catch up

Sorry I've been out of touch for a while, faithful readers. My desktop PC's been in the shop, and its entire hard drive had to be wiped clean -- no telling what I've lost. (Don't ever use Norton GoBack. That's my lesson.)

Meanwhile, yesterday, May 26, would have been the 85th birthday of my granddad, James Langford Sr. of Warrenton. I think about him every day.

Car hits mom, son, while pushing motorized car uphill

They're recovering, WJBF-Channel 6 reports.

Warrenton's Jamie Ellis appears on 'Good Morning America'

Jamie Ellis, who grew up about three houses around the corner from me in Warrenton and is the brother of my dear friend Amanda Ellis Wilkerson, was on Good Morning America's March 13 broadcast with 15,000 bees. He's a bee expert at the University of Florida, and he helped GMA weatherman Sam Champion with the show's bee-themed Fear Factor-like segment called "I Dare You." In terms of national television exposure, this officially trumps my own appearance on Jeopardy a few years ago (I'm glad -- my 15 minutes of fame were ready to run out anyhow). There's a picture and a short write up at this link on the UF Web site.