Attention Georgia lawmakers! Rotten tomatoes are flat headed your way! That’s right y’all! The Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, farmers and other ag groups requested that the University of Georgia’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development conduct a study on the impact of Georgia’s immigration law (parts of which went into effect this year) and the results are in: Hundreds of millions of dollars in crop losses and thousands of jobs lost in Georgia! Some estimates predict a $391 million economic loss and a loss of as many as 3,260 jobs! Just what in the Sam Hill are y’all drinkin’ over at the state Capitol? I mean really! In one of the biggest economic downturns of our lifetime, y’all are shrinkin’ our number one, $68.8 billion industry! Now that’s ‘bout as smart as a back pocket on a shirt! Fix this thing!

Whew! Now Momma’s fit to be tied! She needs to refocus. Calm her mind. Build her body back into its youthful self! I’m talkin’ all ‘bout Yoga honey and you can try it out at Uptown Athletic Club located right smack above the Madison ChopHouse Grille in downtown Madison! Yay! OK so here’s the deal! Victoria Faust teaches each Tuesday afternoon at 5:30 p.m.! Plus another class will be added on Fridays beginning Oct. 14 with Ginny Parker at 8:30 a.m. Ginny has taught yoga for years and formerly taught at the YMCA and the Omni Fitness Center in Beaufort, S.C., prior to movin’ to fabulous Madison! Y’all check out both of these classes! Vicki Starr over at Uptown Athletic Club would flat love to see you! Y’all call Vicki for more info at (706) 752-1680! Hey and visit www.uptownathleticmadison.com for the entire class schedule! Namaste y’all! Check out Uptown’s ad in this week’s "Citizen!" Love it!

I love, love, love this fabulous fall weather! It flat puts a bounce in my step and honey we’re gonna be jumpin’ like crazy on Oct. 13! That’s ‘cause Vickie Hunt, owner of Barkin’ Dogs Shoe Co., located at 172 South Main Street, in downtown Madison right smack next to Morgan County’s most fantastic women’s clothing and accessory shop Amelia’s, is fixin’ to CELEBRATE! I’m talkin’ Barkin’ Dogs is hostin’ its third birthday with a BASH! OK so here are all the details and nothin’ but! Thursday, Oct. 13 from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. y’all had best walk your dogs over to Barkin’ Dogs! Trust me: Vickie knows how to throw a party! There will be fun door prizes, fabulous wine and goodies and the first 25 people who buy a new pair of shoes will get a free T-shirt! Hey and did I mention that you get 20 percent OFF! Ding Dang! Those Frye boots sure look better at 20 percent off I can tell you that! I’ll see all y’all at this great shop next week! What a fun way to shop LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL!  Check out the Barkin’ Dogs ad for in this newspaper you’re holdin’ in your shoppin’ hands for more info! Can’t wait!

Who’s on the phone? Shoot fire! It’s Beth Scott, the managing director of the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center! She just called and wants me to remind all y’all to come to the Center’s annual Cultural Clays event this Saturday, Oct. 8 at Burge Plantation! Shoot y’all! After the shootin’ there’s gonna be a fab party with cocktails, chow, a hayride and more! It’s $50 per person for the party and you can call the Center at (706) 342-4743 for reservations! Check out www.mmcc-arts.org for more intel!

Oh and  y’all don’t forget ‘bout the Sixth Annual Firefighters’ Fall 5K and 10K run this Saturday, Oct. 8! OK so here’s the deal! The action begins behind the "Morgan County Citizen" office .. . Race starts on Academy Street. Anyhow the 5K begins at 7:30 a.m. and the 10K begins at 8:30 a.m.! Ding dang y’all! Momma just might show out and run both! Check out Madison Main Street’s very cool Web site to register online at www.mainstreetmadisonga.com or just show up early and register Saturday morning! But, know this: T-shirts are only guaranteed for pre-registered runners! Love it!

Hey and don’t forget the Madison Fitness Triathlon on Sunday! Call Greg Stewart at Madison Fitness Center at (706) 342-9200 for more intel!

Oh my gosh y’all! The autumn issue of "Lake Oconee Living" magazine in on the stands and it’s THE BEST EVER! Check out stories by our very own Morgan County writers Elizabeth Leighton Jones and Jamie Miles and illustrations by our own Jeremy Harris! Find it in fine shops and stores all over the Lake Oconee region!

Shasta! Outta space. Outta time! Momma and I have flat got to head out on a LOCAL shoppin’ spree! But don’t y’all worry none ‘cause we’ll see all y’all again next week:  Same time. Same Number One Weekly Newspaper in the Great State of Georgia!

Printed in the October 6, 2011 edition