Here I sit.....

listening to fireworks from the festival that's going on at the lake about 3 blocks from me right now. The grand finale will be at 11 p.m. and its LOUD and constant for almost a full two minutes when it happens. It used to get my other dog so upset she was beside herself so I had to tranquilize her on the day of the festival.

Its been sprinkling for the last several hours but not enough to stop this celebration. Seems like every year they get bigger and louder. Sigh - I guess I'm showing my age. I don't bother fighting the crowd to go down there and see them any more. Actually I can see a lot of them from my deck. Some of them are so powerful that it vibrates the pictures on my walls. Personally I think its really over done....I say this silently every year and have sort of labeled myself a 'grumpy old woman'.....I don't voice this opinion to very many people because of that. I thought maybe this year it would be a bit more subdued because of the economy but the Association that puts it on are all members who live in lakefront homes and money is the least of their worries.

When I was a kid, I looked forward to seeing the fireworks because it was a rarity. They only had them one weekend, the one closest to the fourth as possible....and that was IT. You enjoy something so much more when you have to wait a whole year to see it again. I've been listening to fireworks since the last week of June and past experience tells me that I will continue to hear them up until the end of August. Some people just don't know when to stop.

My daughter is down there with my granddaughter who hasn't seen too many fireworks displays at her young age. To her, this is really special and I'm glad she's able to watch them.

I haven't had much to write about and I'm glad really. Its sort of nice to have life slow down for a while. My computer is running so s-l-o-w, it is maddening. I have purchased the things needed for my new one and my computer guy picked them up today. He will assemble it during this week and next weekend pick up this one and begin the transfer process. I am apprehensive....afraid I will have to do a lot of things over. You know, you have everything set up just like you like it and then if you have to reinstall, then you're back to square one again. I know my photos are safe as I have them backed up on an external hard drive. Well, actually my whole hard drive is backed up, but its no guarantee that the programs will work once the transfer is finished as I'm upgrading to XP. I'm using Win2000 right now. So, I'm kinda stressed out over that. I have paid all the bills that are due up to August 8....so hopefully I'll be back in business way before then.

One good thing did happen. My daughter received notice that she WON her disability case. I can't begin to tell you what a relief this is to us. Things have been so difficult since she lost her job because she was unable to do the work any longer. We've waited for 2 years and 5 months. All that time with no money coming in and fighting to get what she's entitled to. Now we wait another 30-60 days before she finds out the rest of the particulars from her local social security office.

Keep smilin'

Our forefathers never planned all this.....

I hope everyone had a safe Fourth...but its not over yet. It won't be over around here until September.

I have great memories of when I was a kid and ONCE a year my family and I went to see the fireworks, which were put on ONCE in a park with free admission. It was thrilling and an event we all looked forward to. I don't know when the transformation happened. Somewhere along the line fireworks and the displays got totally out of hand.

Needless to say they are more powerful now. The sonic booms actually rock my knick-knacks on their shelves. I can imagine 90% of the canine population are under the beds if they fit or else behind the couch, resembling quivering pools of jello, absolutely out of their minds with fear. What a time for a break-in.....most dogs are either petrified or else tranquilized so they can live through the weekend. Been there, done that. My dog I now have, however, could care less. For that I am extremely grateful because it will be a nightly ordeal until September or so.

Ever heard the term, "less is more"? Of course you have. Well, its true. When we just get a little of something, we can't wait for it to happen again. Fireworks and the displays of them are on overkill. I don't care much about them anymore and have learned to put the earbuds of my mp3 player in my ears so to drown out the booms. I had to go to sleep like that last night because some simpleton or maybe more than one simpleton thought it would be clever to continue shooting them off until 4:30 a.m. Yes, you read right. I can't understand why the neighbors of these idiots don't turn them in or shoot them. I can't tell where they are coming from but its relatively close-by. Where's the police you say? Well, since I used to work for them, I know exactly what they are doing....breaking up drunken brawls, domestic fights and rushing people to E.R. with blown off fingers. An afternoon shift dispatch log in our small town will have at least a hundred fireworks complaint type calls. Tis not a happy time for police and fire/EMS workers.

So, I've put my two cents in about the fireworks. I certainly wish someone would wise up before the whole celebration is ruined and people are immune to the beauty of a well-planned fireworks display and the meaning that goes along with it. Bet hardly anyone thinks about THAT as they are watching.

Sigh.....I guess maybe I'm showing my age....dagnabbit. Oh yeah....and one of these days I'll tell you about the neighbor kid that has gotten NEW speakers for his vehicle....I think the speakers are bigger than the car. I can hear this little jerk coming from a mile away and when he drives by you just have to pause your conversation or your fillings may vibrate out. Gee, I bet his folks are proud.