Wrapping up the Holiday Weekend

1. So Independence Day has technically come and gone but the War for Darwin’s Basement continues in full swing as guys named Lefty, Claw, and Stump spend their next few mortgage payments on fireworks to try to outdo the official city display. Tonight, for example, someone to the southeast of us put on a show that lasted at least fifteen minutes and probably cost them over five thousand dollars. It was, admittedly, quite a show.

2. Our Little Town, like most towns around here, held their official fireworks on the last Saturday in June for some reason, and since Grandma and Grandpa’s town also held their fireworks that day we ended up driving up there for our cookout and show. We had the full ‘MURCA experience – burgers, dogs, hanging out, a few fireworks of our own, and then the official ones which their town set off over the lake to the north but which were clearly visible from their house so we piled into the boat parked on the side of the house and watched from there. A good time was had by all!

3. For the actual Independence Day we were planning to have a small grill out, just me, Kim, and Oliver, as Lauren had plans with friends, but our friends Heidi and Travis joined us as well and … wait for it … ANOTHER good time was had by all. I KNOW! I didn't take pictures, so you will just have to trust me on this one. Hey – just because the world is on fire doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice evening now and then.

4. I’m actually surprised Lefty, Claw, and Stump had anything left for tonight, as Thursday night the entire city reverted to its usual post-fireworks condition – the air was grey and smelled of cordite and the whole town sounded like the inside of a popcorn machine. Things have been slowly calming down over the last few days, with only the occasional barrage until the show really started an hour ago.

5. Why people insist on shooting off fireworks in broad daylight I do not know. Wait until it gets dark, people!

6. Our holiday weekend has been pretty quiet, all told, although we did prevail upon Oliver to use his Tech-Fu to pirate some of the Euros. We got to watch Spain beat Germany in a match that got better as it went along, and England somehow beat Switzerland in a match that nobody really seemed interested in playing as far as I could tell. But it was enjoyable to watch, for those of us who enjoy watching that sort of thing. The Olympics start soon, and my won’t that be an adventure for all sorts of reasons.

7. I also mowed the lawn today, which normally isn’t anything I care to mark here except that it is the first time I’ve been able to do that since early May. My wrist felt fine, and the usual dismay I have about undertaking that particular task was at least softened by the fact that I could in fact undertake that task.

8. Technically we still have another 26 hours of the holiday weekend, so who knows what else will happen. Even as I type, there are still fireworks going off, if not at the frenetic pace they were an hour ago. Usually the War for Darwin’s Basement doesn’t really peter out until Bastille Day or so.

9. No word on whether we hit the over/under on garage fires this year. This is the down side to not subscribing to the local newspaper anymore.

10. Watching the UK throw off the shackles of abusive right-wing misrule this week does give me some small hope that perhaps we here in the former colonies can learn from that for November and prevent our own abusive right-wing former rulers from coming back like the plague they are. You never know. Could happen.