Happy 4th of July. Hope everyone had a great time, an American great time. Which may include any of the following activities I remember from my young days.
The day long celebrations would start by the family loading up the family station wagon at drive to some othersmall town’s parade with bands, fire trucks, military honor guards, kids and dogs marching down main street to the town square. Friends and family visiting at the summer cottage for an in-ground all-day clam bake cookout, swimming in the pond playing mad-dad ball (a family game like polo only played in waist high water cause Dad couldn’t swim) till the food was ready. Then the highlight of the day was going to a field (baseball?) to watch some incredibly noisy fireworks just over our heads. Public safety was just a woosy word back then.
I have tried to re-capture those fun days of summer with my family, but time have changed and so have I. The small town parades have grown and become to political (and not toward my bent) which leaves a sour taste from the morning ’s celebration. The cottage and pond are no longer available to us, the cottage sold years ago. We still get to get with friends and family and have good times. The highlight of the day remains the community fireworks celebration. Last night’s Gasworks display sponsored by Chase Bank (was WAMU, was Fratelli, was…) was up to snuff. Great in other words. Well worth the crush and rush.
I love the 4th of July holiday and all it’s trappings, except one…and here is my little soapbox. Opposing views and rants welcomed.
Private, in the neighborhood fireworks/crackers. I dislike them for several reasons.
1. Too noisy and the perps don’t clean up after themselves. The litter remains for months.
2. Safety issues to the neighbors’ errant trajectories despite all the best intentions. A roman candle exploded way too close to our car last nice, set off by a neighbor friend of ours, and we were still in the car. The noise and air pollution is very damaging.
3. Fire issues. We are in the midst of an extremely dry period. ground cover, and other flora is dry and very combustible.
4. Have the perps of fireworks/crackers given thoughts to their neighbors’ infant,s, children who are in bed and trying to sleep after a cranky evening from a tiring day? How about the dogs and cats and there are lots of them, are frightened witless from the loud explosions? Just ask any animal shelter how the number of run aways and strays increase after the fourth from pets who get so scared they run from their homes, sometimes injuring themselves in the process.
5. As a pediatric nurse, I’ve seen too many children injured from fireworks/crackers, even sparklers due to kid/parent stupidity or lack of common sense. No child should be nicknamed Lefty or Joe Two Fingers or worse.
6. Lastly, Fireworks are illegal for a reason. They are expensive for a reason. Don’t allow the destructive id in you to rule. There are safe alternatives. Liters of soda and mentos are a great example.
Tags: fire crackers, fireworks, july 4th
