Watermelon babies

I was enjoying some watermelon this morning and it reminded me of a funny story from my mother’s childhood. The family was gathered around, enjoying slices of watermelon when one of my mother’s older siblings warned the others to be careful not to swallow a watermelon seed, otherwise they’d grow a watermelon baby inside their tummy.

While the rest of the family got the joke, my mother did not. She began to worry that she had accidentally swallowed a watermelon seed. She became upset enough that she went to her mother who set the record straight and assured her there were no dangers of melon babies. Nowadays, kids could just Google it or ask Alexa.

The extreme and unusual heat wave that struck parts of the U.S. and Canada recently serves as a reminder to check in on our elder loved ones and make sure they have sufficient relief from the summer heat. Here in the Deep South, we tend to take air conditioning as a standard necessity, but other parts of the country that typically have moderate summer temperatures don’t always have AC units. I learned that the hard way at my parents’ condo in New Mexico. Even with a modern, high-powered fan, it was miserable. While it was merely uncomfortable for me, for those who are older or with certain health conditions, the heat can be life-threatening.

I hope you have a peaceful and pleasant Fourth of July and get to spend time with loved ones.