A touch of Mellencampia

Fourth of July. State Fair. Eat the Bird. Winter. That is how Richard Russo described the seasons of upstate New York. Winter being all that time between eating the bird and Fourth of July.

Spending the holidays here at home - our first Christmas in our entire married life together (14 years!) not spent in transit - left StraightMan and me feeling a touch of Mellencampia:

Got nothing against a big town
But my bed is in a small town
Oh, that's good enough for me

Yesterday, Beanie and I marched in the First Night parade! She and her friend Pants each operated an arm of the golden Sun King puppet, which Pants' father carried.

When I say puppet, think more like Big Bird, not Elmo. I helped Beanie and Pants and Pants Pater to navigate low branches and New Year's drivers and to operate the arms.







All along Main Street, neighbors and friends and teachers called out to us. Afterward, Beanie said she wanted to march again next year.

Small town values :)