John Larson

My head spins when I go to read the news lately, what with wars and floods and political shenanigans, and to be honest, I can see some appeal in the proposition, “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise.” Although we’ve all had that thought for varying reasons, it happens to be, in fact, the gist of a poem by 18th-century poet Thomas Gray, who contemplates entering the grown-up world and pines for the carefree years of youth. Ah, youth! Let me sit and think on that for a while.

Just my luck. I stepped on some chewing gum last Thursday, and stepping on gum in June is like stepping on mucilage glue. It really sinks into the treads of your shoe and hard as you might work to clean it out, for the rest of the day each step you take makes a clicky noise from little bits of grit stuck in there. Most of it has rubbed off by now, but this being July and the first day of the Dog Days of Summer, I might not go outside again until September.

If it’s true that the key to happiness is having something to look forward to, you’ve got no worries because we’re in the midst of the triple crown of summer festivities, the trifecta of fun and food, you might say. It’s said that good things come in threes, and the Kelly Fiesta last weekend was the first of this triumvirate. Next week is New Mexico Tech’s big 4th of July blowout, but before that is Magdalena’s Annual Frontier Days all day Saturday.