FIREWORKS
Given that today is Independence Day, I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane & post about my/our prior adventures with fireworks.
* When I was growing up in Concordia, MO, my family used to join with our pastor's family to set off fireworks on the 4th of July. [The parsonage was next to our teacherage.] We actually held Roman candles in our hands! Of course we had sparklers. Our pastor's dachshunds would scamper around like maniacs while we will setting off fireworks, & they would actually end up with scorch marks on their fur. [Fortunately, PETA was not a thing back in the day.]
* One year when we were at my grandparents in Ocheyedan, IA, I took the kids to watch the fireworks being set off on the world-famous Ocheyedan Mound south of town. Mosquitoes were so bad that we had to stay inside the car & keep the windows rolled up, despite the hot & humid temperatures. And the people next to us keep going "ooo" & "ahhh." Couldn't tell if these were actual expressions of awe or merely a parody.
* I recall another time when Lois & I were driving back from Ocheyedan back to Chicago. This was before children. As we drove through the dusk, we were entertained by the many fireworks being shot off from the farms & acreages we were passing.
* Speaking of Chicago, one of the most awesome fireworks display we witnessed was at the lakefront in 1976. The loud booms actually bounced off the high-rises along Lakeshore Drive. I'm sure there were hundreds of thousands if not millions of people there. People actually stopped their vehicles on Lakeshore Drive to watch the display. Consequently, there was a huge traffic jam at the conclusion of the event. Lois & I hadn't brought jackets, failing to consider how cool it would get on the lakefront after dark. We rode public transportation to the lakefront. After the display concluded, CTA buses started arriving, but we had to wait for one of the last buses. It took an hour just to get to Lakeshore Drive, another hour to get to downtown Chicago, & yet another hour to get home. We had to stand next two some inebriated passengers for the first 2 hours, & they were eating fried chicken.
* Finally, we've had some memorable Boomfests at Skyview Lake in Norfolk. Over 20,000 attend the largest fireworks display in Northeast Nebraska, &, according to the Norfolk Daily News, this annual event brings $1 million to our city's economy. There is always music that accompanies the show. We used to listen to the music--timed to the explosions--on the radio, but now it's blasted from speakers located around the lake. One year lasers were part of the show. Another year we were having a family reunion in Omaha, but many family members drove with us back to Norfolk not only for the fireworks display, but also for Bentley's baptism. Those who were still serving in the military or retired from the military were impressed by the patriotism & respect for the flag that were shown. People actually doffed their hats for the invocation & Star Spangled Banner. And at least twice we were bedeviled with thunderstorms. One year David [Lois' brother] & his family had joined us, but a t-storm postponed the display until the following night. Fortunately they had planned to stay anyway, so they got to enjoy it. Unfortunately, Nathan & I were heading to Little Island Lake in northern MN for a fishing trip the next day, so we missed it. Then there was the time when we watched a rapidly advancing storm. Announcements were made that it was hoped the storm would pass around us. They actually started the display, then suddenly announced that we needed to evacuate as soon as possible. We live just a half mile from the lake, so we made it home before the deluge. Well, most of us. Rachel & a friend were on the far side of the lake & got drenched before some kind people took them in while they waited for the storm to abate.
* Now I'm going to grumble a little. People start setting off loud fireworks here already several days before the 4th, even before it's legal. This drives our dog berserk. He cowers in the corner & refuses to go outside to do his business, unless we can get him outdoors before the explosions begin. We've tried everything--even sedatives--with no luck. I've suggested chloroform, but you'd be surprised how hard it is to obtain it. This year we took him to a kennel to let them deal with it.
TRENDING
"SURVEY: 2 in 3 young adults have no idea who USA declared independence from." Drudge Report. My opinion? Our public institutions have concentrated on more important issues, such as abortion rights & the LGBQT agenda.
TRENDING FROM THE BABYLON BEE *
* Actually more trustworthy than CNN, MSNBC, & most drive-by media sources.
"Running short on funds for a 4th of July barbecue, man opens the family safe to retrieve the 16 cents he saved last year."
"Adam & Eve getting kicked out of Eden was due to cancel culture."
"Screaming liberals run in terror as pride flags replaced with American flags."
"Sunday School teachers' union goes on strike to demand shorter sermons."
BEST SANDWICHES *
"Compliments of Reader's Digest, July/Aug 2022
The other day I posted best sandwiches from the states where our relatives live. Today I'm posting sandwiches from other states. Some I've sampled, some I have not, but they sound intriguing.
> HAWAII: Kalua pork. Pit-smoked pork falls apart & joins tangy cabbage slaw & an optional ring of grilled pineapple on a Hawaiian bun. I've sampled kalua pork, but not with tangy cabbage slaw & a ring of grilled pineapple. It's delicious, even without these accoutrements.
> IDAHO: Huckleberry PB & J. I've had huckleberry in jam & ice cream, but never as part of a PB & J.
> ILLINOIS: Italian beef. One of our favorite sandwiches when we lived in Chicago.
> INDIANA: Pork tenderloin. One of my favorite sandwiches, most recently sampled in a bar & grill in Long Pine, NE.
> MAINE: Lobster roll. I've had one in FL, & it's delicious.
> MARYLAND: Crab cakes. I've enjoyed crab cakes in FL, but never as a sandwich.
> MISSISSIPPI: Slugburder. "Don't let the name deter you: A 'slug' was once slang for a nickel, which is what these burgers originally cost. The patties consist (partly or entirely) of extenders such as flour or beans, dating back to a Depression-era need to stretch limited supplies of ground." Never had one. Love to try one.
> MISSOURI: Burnt ends. It's the "fattier edge pieces of beef brisket." Never had one in MO, but I've had them in other states. Delicious!
> NEVADA: Patty melt. "Grilled onions & melted Swiss cheese sizzle atop a hamburger patty & are traditionally served on rye toast." Never had one in Nevada, but I've enjoyed them in NE, most recently at a Freddie's in Columbus.
> PENNSYLVANIA: Cheeseteak. Love this sandwich. Never had one in Pennsylvania, but most recently indulged in one from a food truck at an outdoor concert in Fresno, CA, where I was listening to a band that my brother-in-law John plays in.
> SOUTH DAKOTA: Pheasant salad. Never had one. Love to try it.
> WISCONSIN: Beer brat. Of course I love these, although I've never had one in WI. Boil brats in beer, then finish them on the grill. You won't be sorry.
> WYOMING: Bison burger. Can't remember if I've ever had one in WY, but I've enjoyed them in Norfolk & other locales.
AMERICA THE AWESOME
"For all the pomp and circumstance of its presentation, there is something admirably humble about America’s national anthem . . .
"There are more stars on the flag than there once were, but, 245 years after its debut, it still waves across the land. Under its carapace, the United States has grown into the freest, most innovative, and most prosperous nation that the world has ever seen. America dominates the world’s culture, remains the most popular destination for immigrants, and enjoys unmatched military superiority. As ever, we have our problems — as must any place that is governed by men. But, thanks to our foundational laws and the traditions to which we have fallen heir, we possess the means, the ingenuity, and the fortitude to solve them. If asked before birth where on the globe he hoped to end up, only a fool would look outside of America.
"Alas, the last few years have brought with them a surfeit of self-flagellation that the more grounded among the citizenry would do well to resist. It is not incumbent upon a free people to ignore the ugly parts of their history, to pretend that what is destructive is virtuous, or to indulge in unthinking, Panglossian optimism about the country in which they live. But there is criticism and then there is nihilism, and the most prominent of America’s revisionists have often veered dangerously toward the latter course. Speaking on July 4, 1926, Calvin Coolidge observed that while those who cast America’s founding ideals as a brittle ruse were typically “sincere,” that did not mean that they were “well informed.” In fact, Coolidge concluded, when properly examined, “very little of just criticism can attach to the theories and principles of our institutions.”
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