Texas. I’ve
never been there, but there are many things I like about Texas. They say everything is big in Texas. I don’t know
about that. When I was a teenager, I used to read Westerns. There was a series
about Texas Rangers, which I especially loved. A Texas Ranger and his fast gun,
taking on the outlaws. The stuff of legends and wonderful stories.
However, this is not about Texas and Rangers. This is about grapefruit. I
know it’s not as exciting as reading about Texas Rangers, but we love the
grapefruit from Texas.
We don’t buy anything else. They are sweet and juicy. In fact, I’ve eaten
oranges that were nothing like that. We’ve bought grapefruit from California but didn’t
care much for them. They did not measure up. They were not nearly as sweet and
juicy as the ones from Texas.
I’m not saying California
doesn’t have any good grapefruit. They may have, but the ones we’ve been buying
at odd times in the stores weren’t that great. Maybe they don’t export the good
ones, like the practice of winegrowers in other parts of the world. They keep
the better stuff at home.
This year, we’ve been lucky again. Texas grapefruit were available for most of
the season and we try to eat one every day. One is big enough for two people.
After all, they are from Texas.
The snow is nearly all gone now…again. Let’s hope it stays
away from now on. Today I saw many flocks of geese flying over our house. I
love the honking of the geese. It surely heralds the arrival of springtime.
Easter is in one week. Early this year. We don’t have any tulips growing yet,
but the catkins on the willows are plentiful and beautiful. There is hope for
winter to come to an end for good.
The peppers I seeded in my basement have all sprouted and
are already a couple of inches tall. I keep them under a fluorescent light over
my large aquarium and they’re doing okay. I put them close to the light in
order to prevent them from becoming too leggy and I water them every day. The
seed pots are small and dry out quickly. Once they are tall enough, I have to cull
them to one plant per pot. I always find that difficult to do. I hate pulling
out healthy looking plants and just throwing them into the garbage, but if I
want tall plants, I have to do that. I’ll probably transplant some into other
pots. There is always room for more pepper plants in my garden.
I have the same problem with my guppies. They multiply
quickly and can overcrowd a tank in a very short time, but I cannot get myself
to just kill them. Each guppy in my tank is precious to me, but if I don’t want
them to die because the tank is becoming overcrowded and polluted, then I have
to remove some of them. I try to give them away. One time I gave one of my
friends 75 guppies. I just dipped the net into the tank and scooped them out,
never counting them. He told me later how many he got. I still had plenty left.
Of course, I could always sell them, but so far I’ve always found somebody who
wanted some. Giving them away seems to make me happier, because that way I now where they are.
Speaking of overcrowding. Our planet is in danger of
becoming overcrowded. Unfortunately, the explosion of the human race is
happening in parts of the world where it shouldn’t be happening. When I see
pictures of children who are skeletal and obviously starving, I cannot understand
why people who cannot feed themselves have so many children. It is cruel,
stupid, and irresponsible.
And I don’t believe sending food and aid to these countries
is going to be beneficial for the future of our planet. We are only adding to
the problem. There may come a time when there won’t be enough food to feed all
the people. What will we do then? There is a shortage of food already in some
countries. Something needs to be done now. We can’t start killing people, even
though the terrorists and other groups seem to make that their agenda. We can’t
send the overflow to other planets, the way I solve my problem with an
overcrowded guppy tank by transferring my guppies to another tank or give them
to a friend. No, it must be done at the source…to limit the number of children
being born worldwide. The birthrate needs to be controlled. They did that in China. If
people are not smart or willing enough to do it for themselves, governments
will have to force them to do it. Women need to either use methods to prevent
becoming pregnant. If they refuse, they will be sterilized. Men need to use protection.
Again, if they refuse, they will have to have a vasectomy or get castrated.
Single women are not allowed to have children. Homosexual couples are not
allowed to adopt children (the whole reason for homosexuals being born is to
keep birthrates down.) Should people have more than one child, they will get
government support for only one child. In fact, if they have more than one
child, they will be penalized. Of course, if they can’t feed their children
they are already punished. If couples cannot afford to properly feed and clothe
their child but go ahead and have one anyway, they will be charged with a
criminal offense: neglect to provide the necessary basic needs for a child.
This may sound cruel and heartless. They are not the
conditions I would support with good conscience, but it is the future I see and
we will have no choice, because the alternative will be even crueler. The
Universe is a cruel, cold place without mercy and compassion. There will be
much opposition. Certain interest groups will protest; they always do.
Religious leaders will protest. The human rights group will protest. The
governments of our world will have to become dictatorships. Not an ideal future to look forward to.
Of course, Mother Nature may have things under control. If
we refuse to do it voluntarily, it will be done by other methods. The human
race may become decimated by deadly plagues, by destructive conflicts between
nations, by natural disasters like floods, super storms and tornadoes, tsunamis,
by a cosmic disaster, by women and men becoming sterile, by a worldwide spread
of homosexuality (you need a male and a female to produce offspring!), or by
other means I can’t think of. The Universe somehow seems to solve all the
problems; unfortunately, it may not be in our best interest. The planet Earth
will survive. Will the human race?
I have no idea how this blogpost ended up this way. I just
wanted to write about grapefruit. But that’s how it usually goes with me. Till
next time.
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