Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! No plans for today, but hey, I have a day off from work, and after all of the driving I've done lately, that's enough for me. I don't know if there will even be fireworks here tonight, because it's rainy and yuck. Surprise.

We've done all sorts of things, when it comes to fireworks. We've driven downtown with the kids and a blanket, and watched them on the lawn. We saw them once at an Indians game. We've skipped the whole thing more than once, and just set them off at home -- with me in the house, 75 lb dog on lap (he's scared of fireworks) and the phone in my hand, ready to call 911 if the hubby blew himself up. It's never happened, but it pays to be ready for these things.

The most memorable 4th of July for me was in 1989. I was seven months pregnant with Thomas, and we had the bright idea of going downtown and watching the fireworks from the circle -- the exact center of the state, and home to some interesting places, like the symphony, the Soldiers and Sailors monument,the Columbia Club, and a bevy of other places. We went down there, parked, and wandered over to where the action was. There were a lot of people there, of all shapes and sizes, so we milled around for a while, then found a piece of curb to park ourselves on.

Waiting for the fireworks meant there were a lot of bored people, so some people were lighting sparklers, and a few brilliant minds had bottle rockets that they'd shoot off, once in a while. Well, some dingbat shots one off, and it careened into the back hem of someone's shirt, where it went off. The recipient was none too happy, and an altercation broke out. People started taking sides, and the next thing you know, we had a full blown gang war getting ready to happen, with people running by us at full tilt.

Hubby yelled that we needed to get out of there, so he jumped up and stuck out his hand for me. I was stuck -- sitting on the curb, very pregnant, and couldn't get up because of the people running by me. I ended up putting my hands over my head and doubling over to protect myself -- at some point someone jumped right over me. Hubby finally was able to get to me and yank me up, and right as we got ready to take off, we saw a very large car pull up to the curb by us and park.

In the midst of mayhem, an older lady, very plump, in slippers and housecoat, gets out and, oblivious to what's happening around her, walks through the crowd, deposits her light bill in the night depository at the IPL building, then waddles back to her car and drives off through the crowd.

It had to be one of the more surreal moments in my life, but hey, you have to keep the home lights burning, right? These days, hubby takes the two youngest kids up in the church's bell tower, and they watch the fireworks from there. Not one for heights, I just stay home, and that's just fine with me. But if you want something cute to wear for your celebration, grab this cute 60s sailor style culottes pattern from my buddy Jen, at Mom's Patterns. It's perfect for a summer celebration, and just what my mom used to make for us when we were little. So wag your flag folks, it's Independence Day!