4th of July

I am aware that today is not the fourth of July. I wrote this then but didn't publish it because I was on vacation and my family doesn't tell when we're on vacation--safety thing. Either way, enjoy!

~~~

Happy Independence Day, to all my American friends! Today was the 235^th birthday of the lovely little country I was born and raised in, Happy Birthday.

I spent my day like this:

Woke up to my first morning in New Hampshire this summer.

Wrote a letter to dear Ms. Carolyn

Ventured from mine and Sarah’s pull-out bed

Ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and English muffins with my family and grandparents

Took a shower

Went on a boat ride

            (At this point I saw several things of beauty, the first being three adult loons, the second being five baby loons [the adults are much more impressive to behold, unlike most animals where the baby is cuter and therefore more pleasing to the eye], multiple large, bright yellow butterflies fluttering across the lake, and short, tree-covered mountains [or were they simply large hills?]. The wind felt very nice too but I did not see that.)

sat on the dock and tanned

ate lunch

went inside to read The Loon and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, worked on a belt, texted, pulled weeds from the little beach, ate dinner, I’m not sure which of these things came in which order.

At some point it got dark and we went to the neighbors’ to watch the fireworks. The show was very nice over the lake, but the neighbor, or perhaps she was friends with the neighbors, hooted and hollered the whole darn time, saying “WOOOOAHHHH!” and “BEAYOOTEEFUL!”  and in general just making unnecessary ruckus and not letting the fireworks speak for themselves, which they were fully capable of doing. I was glad when they drowned her out with their powerful booms. She made me chuckle, even though I was annoyed. Maybe I am too uptight.

Nevertheless, the show was lovely, at times almost breathtaking, as fireworks can be. Toward the end, though I was still watching, my mind was on Forrest Gump and his encounter with the man making a speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial who was dressed in an American flag and “liked to use the F-word”. And I remembered how that movie made Tom Hanks my favorite actor.

After that, there was a little party inside the neighbor’s house. There was wine, but, thinking my mom wouldn’t allow me to drink any, as I am only 19 years old, I left the party to work on making belts some more. I made the most fantastic one I have ever made in my life; I used all my colored pop tops to make a rainbow belt. It is simply lovely. I am unreasonably proud of it and excited to wear it. [Publishing this days later: I have worn this belt every day since I made it. I am ridiculous, I know.]

That was my Fourth of July. Fascinating, right? Well, it was good enough for me.


God bless