A Glorious Fourth

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore. -- John Adams, writing to Abigail Adams

I just came inside after enjoying my neighbors' annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration. I live on a large, serpentine lake, and every year some of the summer people on the other side of the water throw what amounts to a two-evening block party, complete with hours of dee-jayed party music and magnificent fireworks that rival the nearest municipal Fourth of July observances.

During holidays like this my pathos-meter tends to be racheted up into the whiny zone -- frankly, it sucks to be not only sweet-baboo-less but without a general peer group in my neighborhood to pal around with. And this morning at church our pastor's sermon had some rather sobering observations about the rapid restructuring of the world's economy, our increasing class stratification, and the fact that our future looks a lot poorer and scarier than it did to our elders. I found myself pondering how long we'll have a "cottage culture" here in northern Michigan -- middle-class downstaters with enough money to afford an up-north weekend getaway, and local people who can find work allowing them to live here. I was feeling like a pretty glum chum at suppertime, despite celebratory picnic vittles.

But tonight, sitting in my backyard with an iced tea, watching the sky light up in technicolor, grooving to a delightfully eclectic mix of par-tay tunes, living in the moment and being grateful for that, was not a bad way to spend a summer evening. And this year I experienced the added excitement of almost getting run over by a whitetail who'd been spooked by M-80s and came crashing through the woods right at me...there's nothing like a near-collision with a large, crazed wild animal to clear one's mind powerfully.

So...anyway...lifting my glass of tea to all my online friends...have a happy Independence Day, and watch out for deer.

A reasonable fascimile of the fireworks over our lake. (Thanks, Wikipedia )