natsukashii

It's the 4th of July...well it will be when most of you read this.

It's actually July 3rd...but it's the 4th of July in Lexington. Today's the day Lexington had its fireworks because it doesn't want to compete with the big show in Boston tomorrow.

There's also a carnival in town and all day long I could hear the music and the kids. I could feel bustle of energy about town and I'm taken "joyously back to fond memories" of my childhood.  I don't long for those days....I just really appreciate them...especially the good times we had on the 4th of July. 

It's not that I'm a rah rah celebrate America kind of person...I'm fond of the 4th of July because of the memories attached to it. I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. Most of our entertainment was in our own back yard...or at the lake or the river...or in the fields or the haymow.  We didn't get out much. We didn't need to.

But the 4th of July was different. It was the only day of the year that my dad took almost the whole day off. Other than feeding the pigs or the steers....he didn't work. We spent the day at my grandmother's house at the edge of town. We picnicked, played in the yard, and swung in the hammock.  It was the day we paid to swim at the town pool and we would go to the tractor pulls and other festivities at the city park.  We would picnic some more and play in the yard all evening with sparklers then pile in the car and go to the fireworks.

I remember exactly how it felt. It was a big deal. 

Paul indulged me tonight...and we walked into town and watched the fireworks.

natsukashii

Rich was just a baby so didn't make it into this picture from 1964.  But here we are....on the 4th of July at grandma's house...ready to go to the town pool. Can you pick me out? I was number 7 of 9....if that helps.