I can't ever see this guy's display because of the trees. Being in the country, there's no smoke or anything...we're too far spread out.
As an adult, I did a canoe weekend on the Shenandoah River and someone brought bottle rockets so we could have naval battles. It was all fun until a rocket hit some shirtless guy in the chest and just kinda drilled into it (did not glance off) until it went *POP*! He wasn't hurt, but it took the edge off of things. I agree with you that this holiday in this atmosphere does not feel right, but I'm trying to get myself in a "The bastards are not gonna win this easily" state of mind. After all, it's not what's happening to us, it's what's being done to us. We should be more pissed than depressed. And I think that SCOTUS is taking action to try to give us back our Republic, FWIW at this point. First there were positive 2A rulings, then putting abortion back to the states, then trimming back the EPA's regulatory powers. But they can only rule on cases that are brought before them. My state senator is showing "2000 Mules" in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping to get reinvigorated and maybe hook up with some like-minded people. We have men and women who have given their lives for our freedoms, from the onset throughout history. When Trump took office, you could sense many around the world feel the noose on their necks loosen just a little, meaning there are more people on the side of this nation and what she stands for than ever before. Sadly, it has taken repression by nearly every country's "leaders" to put a fine point on how precious everyone's freedoms are. Those who are trying to destroy us are not smart, and they certainly don't have "right" on their side. I recall people saying we would never recover from Obama and look at what happened...and it happened real quickly. Lots more to say, but this is not over. It's not good, but it's not done.
I plan on just resting and watching a car race maybe 2 if there is an F1 also. Finally heard from my sister in law who is recuperating from cataract surgery. Mounted two large plastic boxes for the cats. They were having trouble jumping one to the other tipping them over. I have them on top of a roller cabinet and now they are happy. I have one cat that made ACE this afternoon killing his 5th mouse. My other 2 are lazy and just lay around and play all day. Rained a little today but not enough to please me. Still looking like rain up until middle of the coming week. My neighbor in front of me usually is out there popping those dang firecrackers. I guess he is pretty sick now, never see him any more. He is on a wait list for a heart transplant. He is in his 50s, 2 years ago he was working very hard and I wondered then where he got all his energy. Crack, they busted him driving the cable truck one evening, he was fired and went downhill from there. He isn't a bad person he just don't have any brains, nor a good heart any longer.
3rd - church picnic at township park in Wallace, Michigan 4th - one of my other brothers is having a family picnic at another park in Menominee 5th - younger brother's funeral
No particular plans for the 4th; we'll probably grill steaks and I'll grumble about the morons and fireworks.
My grumbling started last night. I didn't get much sleep. Fireworks and dogs barking until 1 PM. Even with windows closed and AC on, it was loud because it was next door and also a couple of houses down.
Without trying to be snarky and make their behaviour your problem...I've occasionally used foam ear plugs to sleep. It sucks, but it beats being sleep-deprived.
Being deaf in one ear, I can usually turn my good ear into the pillow and muffle out the sound. Last night my neck was bad and wouldn't allow sleeping that way. I could use a foam plug, but then I would have nothing to grumble about. Besides some of those blasts shake the ground and I can feel my bed move. They get some really powerful illegal fireworks around here and way too many all over the area for the police to respond to all of them. I heard several police sirens last night. I also heard one ambulance and one firetruck.
We have actually , so far at least, had a fairly quiet weekend here in our little part of Huntsville. We have had some firecrackers, and a few of those awful cannon-like ones; but overall, it has not been as bad as usual. Most years, it starts in June, whenever they set up the fireworks stands, and goes all of the way through July. The dogs especially hate it. Poor Marco Poodle is terrified of any loud noises, and makes a dash for my lap when he thinks it is going to be serious. Since Robin is not here, holidays are pretty much like every other day for us, just more traffic and crazy drivers, so we stay home as much as possible. I will be in and out, doing little stuff in the yard and garden, but it is way too hot and humid to be out there for very long, at least for me.