Best Time?

Once I asked my dad what his favorite month was.

He thought about it and said, “Probably June.”

I found that I agreed with him. June in Indiana is a beautiful time of year. Late spring, early summer. School’s out, vacation begins. Even if you’re not in school, it’s easy to get a nostalgic whiff of that summertime magic.

Now that I live 800 miles to the south, June comes a little earlier. May in Louisiana equals June in Indiana, more or less.

It’s still a pretty good candidate for the best time of year. After a rainy and suprisingly cold weekend, this week has been sunny and cloudless, cool in the mornings and evenings, getting a little warmer eash day.

Yesterday it was so beautiful that I actually took off for lunch (I usually just work right through) and rode my bike uptown, where I had the best oyster po-boy ever at Frankie and Johnnie’s, washed down with a beer, and picked up a book order from my favorite neighborhood bookstore. It was a very enjoyable ride.

This time of year is also nice if you work in the higher ed biz. Here at the university, faculty get more stressed and depressed as the semester goes on. Don’t ask “How are you doing?” late in the semester unless you want to hear a litany of grief. Then, in early May, finals are over, grades are turned in, and summer vacation has begun. Suddenly all the profs are walking around with smiles on their faces — if you see them at all.