HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

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Happy Independence Day, everyone! If you were reading my blog last October, you know how much I love vintage holiday postcards. Fourth of July postcards are more expensive than some other holiday cards, like Easter or Thanksgiving cards. I personally own only the card shown directly below. In searching the Internet for Fourth of July postcards, I found a preponderance of cards featuring children and fireworks! It's also interesting to see how many girls are pictured. When I was a kid, firecrackers were pretty much a boy thing.

I have to laugh that all these kids are playing with (or walking through) fireworks, totally unsupervised. And some of those firecrackers are ginormous! The little boy in the sailor suit has a real arsenal!

My own experience with fireworks wasn't so pleasant. When I was about four, my mom and aunt took me to the fireworks display at the Divide County Fair. All I remember from that evening is huddling beside a car, trying to escape from the horrid noise. The noise still bothers me but I can force myself to sit still at public fireworks shows and not make a spectacle of myself.

My brothers saved their allowance for a year to buy firecrackers. They set a bunch off during the Fourth, to be sure, but they kept a bunch more in reserve to use the rest of the year. And of course, my mom was frantic with worry that they would shoot out an eye or lose a hand. As for me, I was content to have a box of sparklers. I loved to write my name with the sparkler wand and see it hang in the air for a few seconds.

Here in Bismarck, the Fourth is celebrated with a symphony performance (with rousing patriotic tunes) and a fireworks display on the Capitol grounds. We've gone a number of times and it is a fun evening. Across the river in Mandan, they do the Fourth up big, with a huge parade, a rodeo, fireworks, and Art in the Park. My sister and I are going to Art in the Park this afternoon, for all the delicious food as well as the crafts. Dan and I may go to the Capitol this evening, or, since we are so close, we may just sit on our deck and enjoy the music and the fireworks from a SAFE distance. Have a great one, everyone!~

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