Small Town Freak-Out #2:

The standard wisdom is that people in small towns are nice, much friendlier than the grumps who live in big cities. The people in Santa Fe do seem pleasant, though I didn’t have many problems with the residents of Santa Monica or Washington, D.C. However, I now have evidence that the folks here are a step up on the latter of kindness-- the Santa Fe Public Library does not charge late fees! I have never been to a public library that doesn’t charge you for being forgetful and lazy. It’s usually a small amount, 20 cents per day or so, but it seems like a just punishment for my absentmindedness. I guess the citizens of Santa Fe are so nice that they probably think it’s rude to charge (and they probably are generous enough to sustain the library through donations). I’m going to have to write a check just out of guilt for the overdue books sitting on my desk.