By DAVID GILLASPY

Do you love to go on picnics? I do. I can’t wait to feel the freedom of sprawling out on a blanket and feeling the warmth of the sun on my cheeks as I eat my favorite food. I have always wondered though, “Why does everything always taste better at a picnic than is does at home?” I can eat the very same French potato salad sitting at my kitchen table that I eat outside on my red-and-white-checked blanket, it just doesn’t taste the same.

My love of picnics actually started when I was a young married adult. My mother would provide my family with Sunday evening picnics that were fabulous. It didn’t matter if we had a bonfire and wieners, or a fancy picnic spread, those family memories have lasted a lifetime.

The only time I remotely dislike picnics is when I go to spread the butter and there is no knife or when my taste buds are longing for that refreshing lemonade only to find there aren’t any glasses. This is how a highly anticipated event can turn into frustration if you don’t plan ahead. Has this ever happened to you?

Well, if it has, you have come to the right place. For those of you who don’t know me I am the resident holiday planner at the Anderson Public Library. One of my more obscure duties is to make sure everyone knows how to plan their special celebrations — and on a budget too! Please join me at Picnic Planning 101 this Wednesday, May 21, from 1 to 2 p.m. on the third floor of the library to learn to host the perfect picnic for these wonderful summer holidays.

Just bring your lunch and, if you want, copies of some of your favorite recipes for a recipe swap and we can all go home with new ways to impress our family and friends. Bring your taste buds, too. I’ll probably bring a “little something” to nibble on while we visit.

David Gillaspy works for The Anderson Public Library.