TheBanyanTree: The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Nothing is better than waking up on the 4th of July with the sun’s rays
slipping through the cracks in the blinds and a soft breeze tickling me as I
throw back the covers.  The weather is usually wonderful for most
Independence Days and this year is no exception.  The highs will be in the
middle 80s, no rain, and a gentle wind.

I wish the state of our country was as positive, but I’ll take the high road
today since it is our country’s 231st birthday and reflect on the good
things about the United States rather than the negatives.  We have had some
dark times in the past and somehow the United States moves through them
intact.  It will be resilient again.  Just a year and a half to go before we
will have an opportunity to bring a breath of fresh air to our country.

It’s awkward the 4th is on a Wednesday this year.  I feel like it’s Saturday
and I can sleep in tomorrow.  But no, I’ll be back at work tomorrow morning
waiting for the second Friday of the week to get here.  I decided not to
worry about WHEN I’ll get to work tomorrow, I’ll get there when I get there,
so I’ll just sleep in until I wake up.

My interview went well yesterday.  I think I’ll be offered a job, but I don’
t want to count on anything until it’s final, for sure, in the bag, and I
get a salary offer.  He told me not to worry if I don’t hear anything for a
few days because of the 4th of July holiday.  Duh!  Everything kind of shuts
down during this week because so many people are on vacation.  I can wait.

Well, we have a lot planned for the holiday.  It’s time to get moving.  I
need to get the food ready for the grill.  Bake brownies.  Put out the 4th
of July tablecloth and get out the 4th of July paper plates.  I need to pick
up the dog poop in the back yard.  See if I need to drag some hoses around
and water the gardens, although we did get some rain yesterday.

Then everyone will come over and we’ll play a competitive and spirited game
of croquet.  We’ll roast marshmallows and make s’mores.  Then we’ll wait for
it to get kind of dark and shoot off our legal and illegal fireworks.
Finally, we’ll head over to my son’s new home and watch the BIG fireworks
from the Taste of Minnesota from the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi.
Bug spray will be needed.

And with the rockets’ red glare all around me, I’ll try to get some sleep so
I can get up for work tomorrow.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net
margaret.kramer at polarispublications.com
The summer night is like a perfection of thought.
~Wallace Stevens