Happy 4th of July!

It's kind of a lacking holiday here this year, for many reasons.  Mainly it's the heat and the dry conditions.  We're continuing to have weirdly high temps for our area, and continuing to have very little rain.  Temps have been in the mid to upper 90s for days now and there is no letting up until possibly this weekend.  I'm glad now that I finally caved and bought that dang air conditioner!  Add our near drought conditions to that and many communities have postponed or cancelled their fireworks shows, and are asking the people do not light off fireworks at home.  And then add the fact that the holiday falls right smack in the middle of the week this year.  Bleah all around.

Ty's crew has decided to go ahead and work today so they can have a four day weekend instead.  He normally works four ten-hour days and has Fridays off.  So they asked the boss if they could just work today and instead have their holiday on Thursday, thus giving the four day weekend.  Because first shift (a normal five day crew) is off today, Ty's crew is going in early.  Instead of starting at 4:30pm, they are starting at 12:30pm.  Regardless, he won't be here for our little cookout or our piddly little 'safe' fireworks.

So, my mom is coming over this afternoon and we'll have a little cookout, just a few burgers and brats and some deli side dishes.  She'll probably stay a few hours and chitchat and watch TV.  After she leaves we'll light the handful of cheap little smoke bombs and ash snakes we bought this morning, then kill some time by playing the online game we're hooked on lately . . . and lounge in what comfort our new air conditioner can give us . . . until it's dark enough to light the few tiny 'fountain' fireworks we have.  I've put a big red, white, and blue ribbon on the hook outside the back door and we have a lighted flag thing in the window.  Rather boring for a 4th of July, but at least it's something.

What are you doing on this scorching summer holiday?