esrosedotblog

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE!

Independence Day. A big deal. Although I have to admit we aren't doing a whole lot about it.

When I was a kid there were picnics. We couldn't buy fireworks so we bought caps--gun powder in paper strips--and hit the large rolls with a hammer. It was a pretty big bang.

Then off to Skytop Lodge where the rich had a private resort and golf club. We could park along the road next to the links and see the show that they put on every year. Small by today's standards but big for us. We had nothing to compare it to.

No picnics this year. No caps. No fireworks.

We managed to move very close to ground zero for Palm Springs fireworks show and last year, without thinking, nearly drove Booker nuts with the "show" that went on. He and I spent the time in the inner bathroom, door closed, in and out of the bathtub.

This year we will bundle ourselves into the Volvo about 845, crank up the classical music and drive away from the fireworks into the desert mountains so we miss the whole thing. Hopefully.

I am sure there will be some stray bangs. He is OK with those if he doesn't have to be outside. Maybe we will be up some in the night to pet and comfort.

It is a small price to pay. He is a great guy.

And we have seen a lot of fireworks.

But how about the day?

It is a time to reflect. I have been all over the world and there is no place like this country. At its best, there is no comparison that is apt. It is America.

At its worst, it is a reflection of our plurality and the struggle to maintain the balances necessary to keep the Republic vibrant and alive.

I am a flag waver. Unashamed.

Labels: America, Booker, holidays, patriotism