The Gardener’s Prayer

George Clark

Our fava and tart endiven

Fallowed be thy bane

Thy kingdom’s sun makes roots grow long

In earth as it does in raised beds

Give us this day our daily veggies

And forgive us our pests as we forgive our weevils

Lead us not to temptation but deliver us from Walmart

For thine is the kingdom, the kale and garbanzos forever

(R)amen

George Clark, Eureka

April 2026 - Laughing Matters, News

The Value of Humor

By Mark Lamers

April 1, 2026

We usually have a hard time finding good things to say about a person we find humorless. Beyond acknowledging that he or she is, perhaps, “hardworking” or “dependable as the day is long,” we end up at a descriptive loss for these folks pretty quickly. Since we know, as Thumper the rabbit used to say, if you d...

April 2026 - Laughing Matters, News

Tedtalks: Foolish Frogs!

By Ted Pease

April 1, 2026

Just saying “April Fools’ Day” makes me smile. In my life, every day is already pretty darn foolish. But it’s nice to have a special day to laugh — an especially rare commodity over the past year or so, given that the world feels like it’s going to hell in a handbasket. I never did understand that saying, but...

TechGov Orders National Happiness: Kick Back & Party!

April 2026 - Laughing Matters, News

COMING SOON! April 1, 2028

TechGov Orders National Happiness: Kick Back & Party!

By John Ash

April 1, 2026

The announcement arrived quietly, the way fog rolls into Humboldt Bay — soft at first, then everywhere. At exactly 9:00 a.m., every screen lit up with a cheerful message from TechGov, the benevolent administrative intelligence that now managed the nation’s well-being. Congratulations, citizens. Artificial Int...

April 2026 - Laughing Matters, News

Spring Break Adventures: On the Road in ’61

By Doug Ingold

April 1, 2026

It’s 1961. Lewy, Larry, Gene and I are leaving Illinois for Florida. Maybe we’ll get to Fort Lauderdale where we imagine the beaches are lined with bikini-clad coeds. We will travel in Lewy’s well-primered ’52 Plymouth, which runs fine but needs regular refills of oil. We have virtually no money. We’ll be sle...