LUCY BURDETTE: Fourth of July is a big deal in our little historic Connecticut town--we have a big parade with many floats and bands like the one above (video taken in 2019.) John and I always go with whatever visitors we have at the time, and I suspect it will be even longer and more enthusiastic this year because of what we've all been through. The parade starts at the Stop and Shop and marches right through the center of town, past the old town hall and then the green, on which our Congregational church sits. So we'll go to church at 9, and then walk over for a good view of the parade. If I'm successful, I'll persuade John to walk down to the snack bar and snag a tuna melt. Not so good for my waistline, but oh so delicious!
And we will think about how lucky we are to live in this country, even with all its lumps and bumps. And give thanks for the founding fathers (even though founding mothers should have been there too!) who had the foresight to come up with the plans for a new country...
Please check in: Do you have any special plans for the holiday?
Yes, Lucy, we are so fortunate to live here, lumps, bumps and all. Thanks to the Founding Fathers [and Mothers] and all those who have given so much to keep our nation free.
ReplyDeleteWe’re having a quiet celebration . . . church first; John will grill [if the weather permits] . . . . fireworks . . . .
Happy Fourth!
sounds perfect Joan!
DeleteSince it falls on Sunday this year, I'm planning to go to church. In fact, I'm running the Powerpoint, so I'd better be there. :)
ReplyDeleteNo other plans for the day, at least as of now. If I get a last minute invitation, I'll probably go with that. The fireworks in town aren't any fun to try to see (too much traffic getting/leaving) it's been years since I tried to go. Not sure if they are having them this year or not.
We watch them from a distance Mark, as we don't like the crowds either!
DeleteSmall town parades are the best.
ReplyDeleteIt's another chilly rainy day here, so nothing big planned, and I won't be going to the town fireworks tonight. Instead, some writing, some baking, Quaker Meeting, and then walking to a friend's for dinner at the end of the day. Stay warm and dry in Madison, Roberta!
sounds lovely Edith! We hope the mist quits in time for the events...
DeleteI am going to the family cottage on a small lake about 30 miles from here, that I own with a few of my cousins. It's cold and rainy but I do get to see some beloved cousins and the food will be wonderful.
ReplyDeletethat sounds good too Judy. It hasn't been the nicest weather, but when I hear about the drought and heat in western US and Canada, I am very grateful to have rain!
DeleteI agree. Also, thanks for the parade, it'll be the only one I see this year. Happy 4th, everyone!
DeleteUnfortunately our Ohio city once again cancelled our annual parade - I understand they had to make the decision a while ago, but it's disappointing. So the grandkids, three 5-year olds, a 2-year old and a 1-year old will come over early today and we'll have a bike decorating party (where are those baseball cards?) and then our own parade. A backyard lunch of grilled kabobs and fruit salad and everyone will be off for the rest of their day. Happy Fourth of July!
ReplyDeleteYou're making the very best of it Katharine! Enjoy all those babies:)
DeleteHappy Fourth of July to all my American friends !
ReplyDeleteIt is my godmother’s 96th birthday. I haven’t seen her in the last 1-1/2 year but I should be able to visit her a little later this month.
DeleteWow Danielle! 96!
DeleteOMG Danielle, that is so hard. Hope you get to see her soon...
Deleteenjoy your visit when you get there, Danielle. Absence from our elderly loved ones has been so hard during the lockdowns. I'm hoping for a visit with my 93-in-November mother later this summer or maybe the fall...
DeleteWishing all the Reds and Reds-adjacent a glorious Fourth! We plan to cook some corn and have a special treat--a steak, plus some ice-cold watermelon, and maybe spot some fireworks around our place. Very low-key.
ReplyDeleteLow key sounds perfect! (love the Reds-adjacent:)
DeleteNo plans for the day. Will watch the fireworks from the balcony. Not a fan of big crowds.
ReplyDeleteI agree Dru!
DeleteI just heard the most wonderful thing on our local news. Instead of a fireworks display, Rochester is putting on a 15 minute light show over the falls in the middle of the city. It involves drones flying silently, patterns and colors remotely controlled. We've had a lot of sadness and violence this year, and I think the plan for a silent celebration is so appropriate.
ReplyDeleteLots of fireworks going off last night, but our dogs seem to be unimpressed. However, the mayor's little boys let their ball get away and it landed in our back yard. Their mother walked them all the way around the block and up our driveway to get it. And the dogs went mad. But it was a good opportunity to tell her how happy we were that her husband won the primary -- unopposed in the general election this fall. We need him so much. Our current mayor is under indictment for misuse of campaign funds. Life is exciting around here.
Ann: I didn't realize the new mayor is your backyard neighbour. That's great. And so is the fact his wife brought their boys over for an old-fashioned oops-sorry-about-the-ball-in-your-yard conversation. Love that!
DeleteThe light show sounds fantastic!
Deleteit all sounds good Ann!
DeleteThe light show sounds great. Kenai has only recently begun to show that he hates thunder and fireworks. Until this winter, he seemed unmoved, now he is very restless if he hears either. Someone in our neighborhood sets them off all of the time these days.
DeleteAnn, the silent “fireworks” are wonderful Happy Fourth with peace and quiet.
DeleteI would be very curious to see this light show Ann, it should be beautiful.
DeleteHappy Fourth of July to all my American friends!
ReplyDeletethanks Amanda!
DeleteNo 10K walk/run this year, village fireworks cancelled. We'll catch some fireworks from the next town at a distance and try to keep a lid on our terrified dogs. I love Ann's description of the drone light show!
ReplyDeleteit sounds so lovely, doesn't it? Our first Aussie had valium prescribed because he freaked out at the sound of fireworks and thunder, poor guy.
DeleteI'm going to guess few of you were awakened at 11:30 pm on July 3 by a frantic phone call from your tech director saying, "OMG, I forgot to pick up the flag!" So part of my July 4 will be spent in pursuit of a 20' x 30' Stars and Stripes to drop for the dramatic finale of our July 4 concert. It's always something. In the end, I will spend my July 4 backstage in air conditioned comfort with a guy dressed in an Uncle Sam costume and about 20 fully loaded streamer cannons. Today's concert will be the first time the whole 50-musician ensemble and conductor have played together since February 13, 2020. We'll all be a little misty-eyed. If you want to see how we manage it, go to dallaswinds dot org where you can watch the livestream
ReplyDeleteWhatever you do, have a great July 4, everybody!
this is so cool Gigi, congratulations!
DeleteGigi, a friend just posted the 94 piccolos 2017 Stars and Stripes Forever…immediately thought of you making concerts happen. Thank you, thank you. Wonderful that all will be playing together again. Stay cool, find the flag, and celebrate!
DeleteGigi, I wish you the best concert 🎵 !
DeleteI'm home--the concert was at 1pm.--and everything went off like we are all professionals and know what we're doing. The tech director prevailed on the flag store lady to open up for the 5 minutes it would take him to get the flag. We're sending her flowers on July 6, when she reopens for real. Remember the backstage mantra: If it looks good to the audience, it's all good. The audience loved it.
DeleteNow I want Mexican food!
Happy 4th all - Lucy - I haven't had breakfast yet, now I'm craving a tuna melt and a parade! We're having Nashville Hots chicken sandwiches and potato salad. It's very cloudy here in the crown of Maine and rather cool (51) so it's an indoor kind of day.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th, everyone! We're having a low-key kind of day--the littlest one is off to his mother's to celebrate. We'll maybe have sloppy joes or hot dogs and potato salad later, then try to settle the cats when all the neighbors start shooting off their fireworks tonight.
ReplyDeleteI read this story online last night: a man had repeatedly asked his neighbors not to shoot off fireworks in the middle of the night, but they ignored him. So one night they were awakened in the middle of the night by this man running past their house shouting "Firecracker! Boom! Boom!". When the neighbors opened the window to complain, he said "Now you know how I feel! Firecracker! Boom! Boom!" I wouldn't do it myself, but I've had those kinds of neighbors in my life and can sympathize!
Somehow I picture him naked, except for a cape. That probably says more about me than about him, but it would create a neighborhood disturbance.
DeleteOur parade, which sounds a lot like Lucy's town's, was yesterday, and our fireworks last night. The parade route used to run right by our house and we could sit in our front yard to watch it, but unfortunately they have changed the route. The fireworks we skipped, too. One of our dogs is firework-phobic, so we try to keep music or TV on loudly enough in the house so that she doesn't hear the bangs.
ReplyDeleteVery low key day today. Grilling some hotdogs from the local butcher, a real treat. Oh, and I'll be watching Gigi's Dallas Winds concert livestream this afternoon. Such fun--I highly recommend!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Deb. Alas, Elizabeth, no Piccolo Army this year.
DeleteI love the idea of Ann's town's light show--beautiful, silent, safe for people, and not bad for the environment!
ReplyDeleteI've put out my flag for the first time in three years. I didn't have a place when I was in the apartment. I have been greeted by a lovely, wet fog, in the SF Bay Area, this morning. So grateful to see the wet steps outside my backdoor just now. I'm accepting any kind of air and ground moisture, as long as it doesn't involve thunder and lightening.
ReplyDeleteNo large fireworks displays, at the fairgrounds, this year and it's illegal to sell or use them any individual "safe and sane" fireworks in almost all the county. Of course that doesn't stop a few from bringing some in and setting them off. I remember to whack off my finger nails this week, so I won't be digging them too far into my palms. I feel for the animals and people with Post Traumatic Stress.
After church, I'll make a little potato salad, I bought a large russet potato yesterday and plan on a burger this evening. I just heard of a program I can watch from Dallas, so if I can get my time zones correct and I'll try to watch it. I would love to see live concert again. Bring on the Souza marches! Stay safe everyone.
I just made potato salad too--this recipe, sort of: https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2016/01/sally-bells-potato-salad-knockoff.html
DeleteIn Martinez there will be lighted kite show instead of fireworks.
ReplyDeleteDeana, what a splendid idea! I confess, I ADORE fireworks, but I know how they affect little kids and dogs, and lately I've been seeing information about how disruptive they can be to other animals and birds. A lighted kite show sounds like an amazing alternative.
DeleteI forgot that this was a holiday weekend. No special plans, but that’s okay. My knee replacement surgery was on June 15, and I haven’t left the house yet, except to see the surgeon a few days ago to have the staples removed. Today will be spent reading, doing my exercises, and watching Netflix. There will possibly be a short trip out to Stop and Shop to pick up some small items. I’m still eating the food that my sisters prepared for me, so I don’t even need to cook.
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Here's to a speedy recovery!
DeleteSo glad you're on the other side of that DebRo! get well soon xox
DeleteDeana and Lucy/Roberta,
DeleteThank you for the good wishes!
It's a quiet (well until later when our neighbor will no doubt set off fireworks) Fourth of July for us. I'm on our back screened-in porch right now, but it will probably get too warm this afternoon, even with fans. But, I've spent a lot of time out here on the porch this past week, with our new rescue dog Lulu wanting to spend time in the fenced-in back yard. She's having adjustment problems, and it's been a hard week for all. We usually at least have 4th menu food, but today I've thawed out a chicken noodle casserole from the freezer. Our adult children have their own plans, so I expect I will get in some good reading. That's always a win for me.
ReplyDeleteKathy, I hope Lulu handles the fireworks okay. They can be stressful even to the most laid-back pups.
DeleteYou are angels Kathy, and I hope she settles in quickly!
DeleteNo plans this year, mainly due to weather. We're in a rain/thunderstorm pattern and will be for a few days more. The city is hosting a fireworks display but I don't think we'll walk down the road to watch from a distance this year. I believe musical entertainment is still on but will probably be video-ed in rather than live on site. It will all be televised so we can catch it on TV maybe. Our flag is out front and flying. Happy Fourth of July!
ReplyDeleteSame to you Pat!
DeleteNo plans really for me.
ReplyDeleteI thought about going to this one store that still carries CDs and doing a search through their bins for stuff I don't have but want. But the place is in a mall and the entire food court is gone. I'd hoped to get lunch at this place called Charley's Philly Cheesesteaks but it has close up shop with the rest of the food court. So I'm not sure I want to bother with the drive.
Besides offering some feedback I was asked for and doing a load of laundry, I don't really have to do much at all for the rest of the day.
But I did get some sort of great news. You all remember how I've talked about the ethereally beautiful waitress that I'm besotted with? Well, she has no time for me because I'm old and ugly but we're friendly nonetheless and when I messaged her this morning she'd said it had been a long morning already because....she had her baby! The young'un will now have their birthday celebrated by the entire nation for the entirety of her life. So I did the only thing I could besides congratulating the new mom by ordering the kid's first teddy bear for them. I was told "I'm so sweet". (As if I didn't know that already, LOL)
Anyway with that accomplished, the only task now is to figure out what I want to eat for lunch and dinner. And dread the arrival of the next round of idiots setting off M80's all night long.
Jay, you are so sweet! :-)
DeleteJay, you are a very sweet man disguised as a curmudgeon. What an amazing day to be born on - themed birthday parties for the rest of her life!
DeleteWhat Julia said:)
DeleteYou ARE so sweet!
DeleteWhat they said - AND you give great feedback - just saying!
DeleteWell, I can be nice when I want to. But otherwise I do prefer my curmudgeon attitude.
DeleteLucy, this weekend is going to be very low key. Not a big fan of the 4th of July with the fireworks frightening the dogs. Though I do love small town parades. My college boyfriend's mom was the mayor of the small town and his family was in the parade on the 4th of July.
ReplyDeletePerhaps someday we can visit Martha's Vineyard on the 4th of July. I would love to visit MV during that time of the year. It is on my bucket list.
Diana
Sounds like fun Diana!
DeleteUsually we do it up; in the early afternoon, we have our annual viewing of INDEPENDENCE DAY and then head up to Portland's Munjoy Hill to join friends at their 4th of July party. Around 8pm, we walk to the Eastern Prom with picnic blankets, bug dope and some cold beers to listen to the Portland Symphony Orchestra and see the fireworks.
ReplyDeleteThis year: no party, no PSO, it's 58F and raining, and the Maine Millennial is working until 7pm. But they can't stop our 8pm watch party of Roland Emmerich's classic! "This...will be...our Independence Day!"
It's always a party at your house Julia:)
DeleteWhat? It’s 81 now heading for 87, clear and hot sun! Oh, wait, you’re in the other Portland. 😊 we’re just hoping for small noise tonight.
DeleteAh, the difference founding mothers would have made. When my Am. Lit. students, juniors, read Abigail Adams' letters with "remember the ladies," I'd ask how long it took for women to get the equality she was proposing. Some said 1920s, nope, just the vote. Finally, they were appalled to realize the Equal Rights Amendment still hadn't (and still hasn't) passed.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th aka Ungrateful Upstart Colonists Day ;-)
May we grant all the freedom we celebrate. <3
YAY! The whole gang and the baby children are here, and we are hoping for a little sun. Joshua just jumped into the pool, and it was so cold it spit him right back out. :-) Corn later, and hamburgers and steaks and hot dogs for Josh. Love to you all!
ReplyDeleteGreat fun Hank, hurray!
DeleteLet's hear it for family!
DeleteHappy Independence Day to all!
ReplyDeleteIt’s gonna be another hot one here in Portland, but at least not back in the 90s until Tuesday. Fireworks are banned in the city and county, but fools will ignore the rules and dangers anyway. Our cats will likely spend the late afternoon and night under the bed. We’ll have burgers, potato salad and homemade pies for dessert, we made both rhubarb and key lime. And we’ll have lots of sun tea.
It's so cold here in New England that for the first 4th in awhile we'll be able to sleep with the windows closed, which is fortunate because folks near us (and drive-bys) seem to like to set off their explosives in the middle of the night.
ReplyDeleteMMM key lime pie. That sounds like the perfect July 4 treat.