{"id":1853,"date":"2013-07-30T12:02:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-30T12:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2013\/07\/and-to-prove-our-july-4th-celebrations.html"},"modified":"2013-07-30T12:02:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-30T12:02:00","slug":"and-to-prove-our-july-4th-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2013\/07\/and-to-prove-our-july-4th-celebrations.html","title":{"rendered":"And to prove our July 4th celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Well, they weren\u2019t as festive as in years gone by. \u00a0Our neighbors used to set off rather illegal fireworks while our town\u2019s fireworks display was going on. \u00a0They were quite impressive. \u00a0And quite dangerous. \u00a0I mean, I\u2019ve seen smaller displays in large cities. \u00a0A couple times the rockets didn\u2019t get high enough, and I thought we were going to have a conflagration on our hands. \u00a0It was a guilty pleasure.<\/p>\n

This year, rain kept everything subdued. \u00a0And again, our nation\u2019s vibrant recovery seems to have caused folks to rethink priorities when it comes to spending loot on things that eventually explode away. \u00a0Plus, people move. \u00a0Neighbors come and go. \u00a0Time passes. \u00a0Since it was raining, it was too wet to do much. \u00a0The rain stopped in time for our town\u2019s display, but we\u2019ve only gone there once, me not being a fan of large crowds and it being located in a pretty jam-packed location. \u00a0Not to mention we couldn\u2019t even cook out, an annual event much anticipated.<\/p>\n

We still bought the smokers, but in keeping with the trend of the modern free market, there were fewer to a pack that cost more. \u00a0So we had less to work with. \u00a0Still, we did do our nightly run around the house at night, chasing each other with sparklers amid the backyard trees and betwixt them and the garden cornstalks.<\/p>\n

The national fireworks were a bit of a drag, and except for a rousing Neil Diamond at the Washington performance, and some heartfelt tributes to our forgotten veterans of our forgotten wars, they were less than stellar. \u00a0Some, like New York, set to hip-hop and modern sex and narcissism music, made me realize how far away our country is from the greatness this day is to celebrate. \u00a0So a day of mixed experiences. \u00a0But as always, the boys manage to bring about some good feelings and a bit o\u2019fun.<\/p>\n

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He gets into the act, lighting legal fireworks, otherwise known as smokers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Somehow he has a knack for making everything look exciting and adventerous<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Our oldest, on the other hand, has a typically subdued approach<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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The smoke lit, the boys kick into action<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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And then marvel at the expected choking fit that comes from running about in a smoke cloud<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, they weren\u2019t as festive as in years gone by. \u00a0Our neighbors used to set off rather illegal fireworks while our town\u2019s fireworks display was going on. \u00a0They were quite impressive. \u00a0And quite dangerous. \u00a0I mean, I\u2019ve seen smaller displays in large cities. \u00a0A couple times the rockets didn\u2019t get high enough, and I thought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2805,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAnd to prove our July 4th celebrations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Well, they weren't as festive as in years gone by.  Our neighbors used to set off rather illegal fireworks while our town's fireworks display was\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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