And you thought this would be a 4th of July post!
Well, technically, that’s what it is. Here’s the deal . . .
Reading up on the history of our country’s birth pangs, I discovered that our independence was actually declared by those dusty forefathers of ours—not on the 4th—but on the 2nd of July. I probably should have learned this in middle school (and probably did), but somehow it was not saved in my internal hard drive, aka, brain.
We celebrate our independence on July 4th, the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed.
All that to ask you TKZers: What is your favorite part of celebrating the 4th (or 2nd) of July?
My favorite part is giving thanks (since we all take our freedom too much for granted) for being able to live in a free nation. And a beautiful nation–from the beautiful desertscapes to the Rocky Mountains to the shores of both coasts to the fertile midwest and even the chilly but beautiful Alaska. And giving thanks for the wisdom of a Constitutional Republic (may we always be wise enough to maintain it).
Least favorite — unlike most, while I love LOOKING at fireworks as they go off, I don’t care for all the racket of fireworks, especially since people in my apartment complex cannot contain themselves & set off fireworks way too close.
Happy July 4th, all!
Good morning, Brenda.
Agree with all of your “giving thanks” points. Another thing I’m grateful for is the family who cares for me, and who I care for. Being able to share our wonderful country’s birthday with loved ones is such a privilege–one that many others don’t enjoy.
I agree about the noise of the fireworks. When we had Hoka, she was always so scared. We live out in the boonies and folks out here are, shall we say, enthusiastic about their celebrations. I hated seeing her so scared. But, this Fourth will be different without her. We’re sad, but glad that she won’t have to endure all that from where she is now.
Thanks for stopping by, and happy Fourth!
Telling the grandboys stories about the founding, heroism, the meaning of the Declaration, and the American trinity on our coinage: In God We Trust, Liberty, E Pluribus Unum. Splashing around with them in the pool. Hot dogs, cake. And we can see from my yard most of the fireworks show at a civic park. And watching this:
Love Cagney, Jim! Thanks for this appropriate remembrance.
👍👍👍
Morning, Jim! Happy Fourth to you and yours…
Telling the next generation is so very important. If we don’t, it’ll be lost.
Great clip, BTW. I can’t remember the name, but I recall seeing it a long time ago.
We live on top of a hill about 12 miles west from the center of town, where sits our fairgrounds. There’s always a huge fireworks display, and we have an eagle’s eye view of the show. I wouldn’t want to be down there among ’em…seeing it from our east-facing deck is perfect.
Happy splashing and hot dogging, Sir!
Yankee Doodle Dandy!
Oscar for Cagney. What a talent.
Good grief…of course! 😉
James Cagney was an explosive dancer with all that coiled energy and sudden movement. I was always fascinated by the difference between him, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly, and the way they used their energy.
I agree, Marilyn.
And they just don’t make ’em like them anymore…
Spending time with my husband, kids, and grandkids, eating, playing, and laughing, knowing this isn’t a privilege all people get to enjoy and appreciating how fragile it is.
Hi Kelly…
I agree. Seems like the longer I live on this planet, the more important gratitude is.
Have a good weekend, my friend!
I love the Fourth of July, partly because my sister was born on that day…although that wasn’t always the case. When she turned 1 I was 5 and more than a little put out that EVERYONE was celebrating her birthday. After an hour of my sour face, my mother asked me what was wrong and I replied,
“Everybody likes Barbara better than me.”
“My mother: What are you talking about?”
Me: EVERYBODY gets the day off and we’re going on a picnic and nobody ever does anything for my birthday.” (That last ended in a wail and was probably true since my birthday fell in January and no one had any money after Christmas.)
Then my mother explained July 4th was Independence Day and that’s what everyone was celebrating, not my sister’s birthday.
Still not sure I believed her.
Happy 4th Everyone!
Hi Patricia!
Now, why couldn’t your parents have had the grace to have your sister on a different day, I ask you? 🙂
Funny story, though. It’s a good thing most of us grow out of those “it’s all about me” attitudes. I have a granddaughter–she has 8 siblings–and she has a very difficult time with others’ birthdays, according to her parents. They have to deal with it 8 times a year… 🙂
Have a good Fourth!
Pop Goes the Fourth with the Boston Pops. The wife and I watch every year. Way better than fighting the crowds for the local firework displays.
Hi Douglas!
Oh, so agree with you…crowds and I have an agreement: You stay away from me and I’ll stay away from you. 🙂
Sorry to say, I have never seen that production. I might have to remedy that this year. Thanks for the tip!
Have a good one.
Good morning, Deb.
I always enjoy getting together with family for a barbecue–usually hamburgers and/or hotdogs, potato salad, etc. This day reminds me that freedom isn’t free, and that so many others, sacrificed so we could have the freedom and independence from tyranny.
As for fireworks, I love a good official show, but am not as much a fan of all the unofficial ones that will be going off her tonight (the fusillade actually began last night).
Hope you have wonderful day! Happy Fourth!
Happy Fourth, Dale!
Ditto on the family barbecue, etc. This year, my daughter and son-in-law will be here this weekend and into next week for a visit. They live in Mississippi. That’ll be good.
Our redneck fireworks enthusiasts actually started on Tuesday or Wednesday night. It seemed to be coming from the foothills north of our house–where there is nothing but dry weeds and sagebrush. And there was a stiff wind blowing. Knuckleheads! Glad they didn’t start a wildfire…
Have a safe celebration and lots of family fun!
Very thankful to live in the US. And I’m especially grateful to my ancestors who bore the burden and paid the price to come to this country. I owe my wonderful life to them.
Happy 4th to all!
Hi Kay!
Indeed, we owe so much to those who built this wonderful country and fought to keep it–way before we made an appearance. May we be brave enough and stubborn enough to do the same for those coming after us.
Have a great weekend, my friend!
As a child, I remember my parents buying fireworks kits. My kid brother was afraid of the noise, so he watched from inside. Later, when we’d moved to our house, fire was a danger, so it was mostly barbecues. After that, when my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary by buying a boat for waterskiing, we had barbecues at the lake. When I had kids, we always made vanilla ice cream on the 4th (except for the year when I was trying to get rid of the abundance of mangoes from our trees, and I made mango sorbet–that was vetoes in a hurry.) When we moved to Orlando, we’d go out in the driveway and watch the fireworks from all the Disney Parks and Universal Studios.
Hi Terry! Happy Fourth…
You brought up a delicious memory for me–thanks! When I was little we often went to my grandparents’ (did I do that apostrophe right, Debbie?) house for the Fourth. My grandpa would do two things that were always a hit with us kiddos. He had a stash of very small firecrackers somewhere in his shed. He’d put some in his pocket and bring one out and light one off, throwing it away from the crowd, and taking care that we were not paying attention to him when he did it. Made us jump and squeal every.single.time.
And, he’d make ice cream, letting each of us turn the crank at least once. He was always a stern guy, except on the Fourth.
Thanks for popping in today!
The Fourth means a lot symbolically to me, proud to be an American, but I’ve never really done any big celebrations. Not a fan of large, sweaty crowds and concussive noise. I’ll watch the fireworks on TV switching between PBS and the NYC fireworks. Years ago, the former mall a mile away had a big event with bands and fireworks. I would watch the fireworks from my yard. One year, we had a huge thunderstorm to the north, and fireworks going off which set off every car alarm in the area, then, somehow, the emergency alert sirens started going off, too. I could barely hear the fireworks and the alarms through the thunder. Nature would not be outdone. Very funny.
Good morning, Marilyn!
I’m with you on large, sweaty crowds and concussive noise. I like where we are–away from it, but can still participate from our deck. And, actually, here in the PNW it looks like we might get some rain tonight, maybe a storm too–that’d be fun!
Have a good day!
Enjoyed your blog, Deb. I like to watch the fireworks from my balcony. We’re up high enough we get 180-degree view.
Speaking of fireworks, John Adams predicted in a letter that the Fourth of July would be celebrated “with illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward, forevermore.” Since we spend a billion dollars a year on fireworks, John was definitely right.
Happy July 4th everyone!
Thanks, Elaine, and good morning…
I’ve never run across that quote from Adams, but like many things from our wise forefathers, he nailed that one for sure. Thanks for sharing that. One thing we Americans do well is spend money, right? 🙂
Have a good one, and have fun watching the light show!