THE FOURTH OF JULY. My favorite secular holiday. Hot and sweltering and lots of things going bang and flash. Basically the perfect holiday. It rained, and rained, and rained, and then cleared up right on schedule. Shamed and Roo held a great party, as always, though Tepper was much missed; then we walked over to the fireworks and I lost myself in the booming and the lights. I really adore fireworks: cascades of light, crackling bursts, glittering showers, I like all of ’em. (Except for gimmicky stuff like happy-face and peace-sign fireworks, both notably absent this year.) I did wish we’d been able to make it onto the actual Mall, rather than a nearby street, since hearing the speakers play “Moon River” before the show had been a highlight of last year’s Fourth. Still, we had a great view, and, I mean, nothing beats liberty, justice, and loud bright explosions.