HAPPY JULY 4TH!

[agate]

Time to break out the watermelon, ice cream in vanilla, strawberry, and blueberry flavors, and whatever else should be on the menu. Happy Independence Day!

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[jingle]

Thank you! Wishing you a good, safe time - remember why we celebrate the 4th.

[Lazarus]

Same to you! Looking forward to watching “The Capitol Fourth” tonight. I watch it on PBS

[funnylegs4]

Happy 4th of July to all at Braintalk!

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

What is everyone doing today to celebrate?

I don't have the energy to make potato salad and a veggie burger, so I'm making tacos.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I'm looking forward to this day, as every holiday feels lonely now. Also, I won't get any sleep tonight, because there are thousands of fireworks all around me from various amusement parks and stadiums. Our city allowed personal fireworks again, so neighbors have been exploding them all day. This will probably continue until 2 or 3 in the morning. It's what I would imagine it feels like in a war zone.

Thanks to the drought, I will be stressing about fires. Thanks to COVID, I will be stressing about people gathering unmasked and the potential increase in cases as a result.

Wishing everyone a much better day than I'm having!

Love & Light,

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Rose

*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!


THANKS!

[agate]

People are a large part of the problem. Maybe people are THE problem. Though I live alone and can steer clear of people for the most part, I can see people's heads from my windows as they go about their backyard preparations for a real bangup July 4, as they do every year. This year and last year for some reason they didn't start quite as early but they did start a few days ago. Sometimes the explosions rock my apartment and jolt me almost out of my skin.

Is this zeal for fireworks a west coast thing? I don't remember it as much of a problem in Chicago or in MA but it's been quite a problem in WA and now in OR.

Typically the fireworks start a couple of weeks before the 4th and go on for a couple of weeks after it. Christmas and New Year's inspire fireworks too.

There will some excitement in this building's yard this week because several trees will be taken down. I'm bracing myself for that by resting up until it happens (Wednesday and Thursday). Several of them are right outside where I look at them, and so I'll have a ringside seat. It promises to be noisy and messy.

[Lazarus]

As it turns out I have had a great day. An old friend called early this morning and came by to visit. We sat outside on my little porch so I did not secretly fret about how messy my farmhouse is! She brought cookies she made and some strawberry jam that is superb! I gave her a book choy we did not sell yesterday and she was thrilled. I gave her a plant growing pigeon peas and she was thrilled. It was just an easy, friendly visit.and the day got off to a good start.

I also finished Stacy Abrams new fiction book …something about justice sleeps?…I forget the title…I looked it up. (While Justice Sleeps) Actually I listened on audible and the reading was so bad it almost ruined the book. I was really shocked and did a Google search on the book’s title and audible reader and, sure enough, lots of people had reacted to the same thing. Generally people were advising to read the book and skip audible because the reading ruined the book! I did finish listening and it turns out that it is a good book…I am glad I got good at ignoring the reader.

[Howie]

The church right down the road use to put on a pretty good fireworks show, but I doubt they will this year because of the virus. At least I haven't heard any yet.

I'm going with my sister tomorrow, to get my pay lease straightened out. I don't really understand it, but this will be a onetime deal. She will be down around noon. My dear ol' sister to the rescue....again. I would be lost without her help.

Have a good 4th of July evening.

[jingle]

It's 8:37 PM in this small town and the fireworks are booming - the family with 5 small kids are really going wild. My poor cats are already under the bed. I might join them.

[Howie]

Well, the church down the road DID have a fireworks show. It started at 9:00, and is still going on. I did go to the church where you can really see the fireworks one year, but now I just listen.

[agate]

jingle, I know what you mean. I really feel sorry for the pets during these times--and for all of us who find loud sudden noises hard to take.

Not sure why a celebration needs to involve this much noise in neighborhoods.

In Chicago I remember only public fireworks displays in designated areas like a public arena where you probably paid for admission, and you sat and watched the display at certain times on the evening of July 4. They were very spectacular displays and a bit loud but they were contained and not very near anywhere where people lived.

Howie, could you see the fireworks from your windows?

[Howie]

No, only hear them.

[Sunshine 2]

So, today, July 5th, all of my doc offices are closed! I get why government fffices are closed, but this is silly. Retail stores are open, Veterinary offices are open. GEESH

[agate]

It's one of those Monday holidays, I guess. This building's management office is closed too. Nothing is done on one of these holidays, and there's a campaign promoting even more holidays.

US workers don't get nearly as much vacation time as they do in Europe, where a month's vacation is common. Maybe adding extra holidays will help in a way to close that gap.

People don't want to work as hard as they've been doing. They want more free time.

Which is a great idea in general but people who need services shouldn't have to do without them, and that seems to be what's happening.

Sunshine, doctors often have an after-hours number you can call if needed. I hope your doctors are like that.

[Virginia]

Well, due to extreme fatigue I didn't get on here until this evening. None of this is due to fireworks. Last night about 9 or 9:30 I thought I heard some in the distance, but if I did it was not at all disturbing and didn't last long. My neighborhood was as usual very quiet.

I was sorry that Linda seemed to be the only one who really enjoyed this year's 4th of July. Agate's it seemed was so/so and also Howie's. Rose's was not good and Sunshine's doesn't sound that great. Jingle's was loud, so that's not so good.

My 4th was fine. I went to my Niece's for a cook-out. It was good to see her, her husband and her MIL. Both brothers were there and both SILs. So it was quiet, but nice. The food was good. My SIL who is a really good cook made a lot of dishes including mac and cheese, slaw, baked beans, chili, and a couple other things that I couldn't get around to. There was cantaloupe and water melon. For desert there was banana pudding, cheese cake and some little round things in little cups. The appetizer she made was a cheese spread that was really good.

My Niece's husband cooked hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. The rest of us stayed in the house out of the heat.

It was good to ride down with my youngest brother who tries to take good care of me by holding my hand tightly or taking me by the arm. He must feel very responsible for me when I am with him because that's the way he treats me.

Actually, the excitement was today!!! My Niece's husband had to have her at the hospital by 10:30 this morning for a 12:30 c-section to get the latest addition to our family. He was born at 1:15 today. My brother called me and even though he was not supposed to he sent me a picture - it is precious. His eyes were open and he looked alert, but he still had his hands over his ears like he did in the pictures they took while he was in the wound. I am sure the proud parents wanted to be the ones to show him off to the rest of the world and that is the reason I was not supposed to post the picture of him.

I think he is going to be a clothes horse. I went in to see the nursery and my Niece showed me inside his closet. I have never seen so many little boy outfits in my life. She showed me a little light blue onesy type outfit that has his initials on it. They went all the way up to 12 months. That one was the cutest jogging suit. My SIL bought a lot, but my Niece would see things she couldn't resist. So the nursery is all set up, but for awhile he will be in the room with them.

My Niece jokingly said yesterday that Brian, her husband had only one job and that was if they tried to hand him to her before they cleaned him up he was to take him and do it. She was joking, but I am sure they did clean him before they gave him to her