Writing in Snow

My Plans for the Fourth of July

Word count: 523

I do not think we will go anywhere on the Fourth of July. I would prefer to stay home and watch the celebration on television. Some of the casinos sponsor fireworks display or rather pyrotechnic shows. Most of those I can see from my yard or on T.V.

Yesterday, I told someone the reason I stay home on the Fourth of July was that my neighbors set off illegal fireworks. This morning I am not sure that is the true reason. I think I just want to stay home and enjoy the show put on by the neighbors and the city.

I enjoyed the Fourth of July celebrations when I was a child. Grandpa Newland would take us to Lake Blackwell, where we grilled food outside and set off firecrackers during the day. Then at night, he and some of the other adults would set off the beautiful fireworks.

The Fourth of July celebration was fun. As an adult, I stopped celebrating Independence Day. Instead of going out to see pyrotechnic displays, I stayed home and did housework. Sometimes I would turn the T.V. on to watch America celebrate the Day, but that was it.

I have not gone to a Fourth of July picnic in a long time. I doubt that I will go to one this year for several reasons. First, I do not know anyone who is having a picnic on that day. Second, I am not feeling well and I just do not want to deal with the heat.

I may go to the store and get some hot dogs or hamburger patties and maybe a watermelon. The three foods I associate with the Fourth of July are hot dogs, watermelon, and potato salad. Grandpa raised watermelons and so we always had a fresh picked melon to eat on the Independence Day.

Grandma would make German potato salad and regular potato salad for the picnic. She also baked pies for desert. I remember eating cherry pie with ice cream on the Fourth of July.

Sometimes instead of going to Lake Blackwell, we went to Lake Carl Blackwell where we swim, ate, and set off fireworks. The three trips to Lake Carl Blackwell were disasters. Well, perhaps not disasters but there were two incidents that caused injury and one that could have ended in the death of my youngest brother. Because of those incidents, which occurred in three consecutive years, we stopped going to Lake Carl Blackwell and went to Lake Blackwell.

Thinking about those incidents, I realize they would each make a good subject for a short story or a slice of life essay. Those three incidents are the only bad memories I have from the Fourth of July celebrations.

At the Fourth of July celebrations, we never talked about the reason we were celebrating. We learned the reasons in school, but the subject never came up on the day itself. As a child, I understood we were celebrating America’s birthday because I received that information in school. This was just one of those holidays we celebrated when the subject of the reason never came up at the celebration.