31 thoughts on “Happy Fourth, BRB”

1. Enjoy the break away from screens! (Except sunscreen if you’re outside, definitely use that.)

   Happy Independence Day for the US folks!

   I’m happy for the day off! Now, I’m going to quilt and hope I have something to share on Wed.

2. It is hard to believe in our country right now, isn’t it? I keep waiting for Congress to say “Hey! That’s illegal! That’s unconstitutional!” And then do something about it. But it doesn’t happen, over and over. I don’t trust our leaders, I don’t trust our government.

   Oddly enough, Governor Abbot (Texas, where I currently live) has closed things down again and yesterday HE MANDATED MASKS for the state! I am truly surprised. And glad. But he’s a Trump groupie, so I’m shocked. I guess being the governor of one of the three top states for increases in COVID cases matters after all.

   Maybe I’ll find Independence Day (the one with Will Smith — swoon!) and watch that tomorrow. We need a president like Bill Pullman’s character.

   1. We watch Independence Day every year. 🙂

3. Happy Fourth, everyone. I’m expecting a lot of fireworks. People around here have been holding off for some reason and so will probably let loose on the weekend.

   Brought my tower in to be replaced. My computer guy, after just a glance, said, “Yes, you need a new one” . The new one is about 1/4 the size of the old one. And I have a camera which I have to figure out.

   All this tech stuff stresses me out. Maybe I’ll order some craft supplies. And books. Definately, books.

   1. So glad you posted this! It inspired me to check my local computer shop, which is now taking PCs for repair (mine won’t finish booting) after a 4-day quarantine period. I would THINK that wiping down the case ought to be adequate to the purpose, but at this point I won’t complain . . . .

4. Sending calming vibes. And ⚡ power (cables).

   Today I listened to the singing bowls with intent. After, a problematic person arrived and was problematic. I kept my cool. I’m so grateful for these good parts of the internet. Lifesaving.

5. All firework displays for the 4th have been cancelled around here. The only ones going off are the ones people bought and have been setting off nightly for the past few weeks. I will be glad when the holiday is over and there are no more fireworks. People have no consideration for animals that are sensitive to the loud noises (and for people with ptsd!). One of my co-workers bought a thunder shirt for her dog, which does help, but not fully; and other friends are complaining about the nightly, nonstop deluge of fireworks being set off affecting their pets.

6. I am excited that we will be attending a small outside gathering for the 4th. After much research, the hosts determined that serving utensils are the most likely source of concern, and so are providing as many disposable gloves as necessary to keep everyone safe and comfortable. Socially distant games will be played! Conversations will be had! Plants will be admired!

   I have made ginger cookies. I have prepped pasta salad. I will make peach muffins on the day. Yes, I know this is overkill, but gee – party!!!!!

7. I will be spending the weekend doing such wild and crazy things as cleaning the house and writing. Whoop it up, everyone. Or not.

   Stay safe, Argh people.

   1. I cleared out my storage/ coat closet earlier to see if I had given away something I wanted to use so now I need to put it all away. While I was unloading all the mess, I told myself that I would rearrange and bring order to the closet, not to mention an aisle. Although I now know exactly what I have in the front closet there is still too much of it. And until I put some shelving in there, it will still be a problem.

   2. I too am cleaning my house! I started today and made some good progress but there’s a lot left to do. I’m giving everything I can a good scrub – walls, floors, baseboards. I bought the most amazing scrub brush. It’s perfect for cleaning under taps and getting into corners. I looked on Amazon and didn’t see one like it but this is the link so you can see (some days it’s the little things that get you through, I don’t care how pathetic and uncool it is). Yes, it really is only a buck and a half.

      https://www.homehardware.ca/en/75-flex-cleaning-brush/p/5495820?page=search-results%20page

      Happy 4th, American Argh people.

      1. That looks SO useful! I totally agree. A great scrub brush, a clean & shiny car windshield, a new brand of potato chips you love — these are everyday things that can make life just a little more wonderful.

      2. I bought something much like that less than a week ago, thinking it would be perfect for scrubbing the grout between the bathroom tiles.I carefully put it away until the weather cooled off a bit so I could open the windows enough to use the mold remover without dying from the fumes. And now I not only can’t find the brush, but I also can’t remember where I bought it. I hate the fact that I keep doing this to myself.

      3. We get flexible toothbrushes. Old ones of those work well for scrubbing awkward corners. Not that I scrub the awkward corners anything like as often as they need.

         1. Toothbrushes are the BEST cleaning tools for all sorts of things. Soft ones for delicate stuff (jewelry), stiffer ones for other jobs. It’s amazing how handy they are!

      4. For all the house-cleaners out there (unlike me, who’s a slob), has anyone tried an electric scrubber like this: https://www.amazon.com/YOUKADA-Electric-Scrubber-Replaceable-Extension/dp/B07S6M7FWH/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2YYRTIN7IIRT3&dchild=1&keywords=electric+brush+cleaner+for+bathroom&qid=1593892739&sprefix=electric+brush%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-6

         Rubbermaid has a smaller, cheaper one, but it’s battery-operated, and I don’t like dealing with disposable batteries. Plus, the handle is short, and what I really need help with is reaching things because I can’t bend down to the floor (or crawl around on the floor, not if I ever want to get back on my feet).

8. I did that exact thing – subscribed to Disney+ so we can see ‘Hamilton.’ We’re gearing up for it by watching the Captain America movies. 🙂 Meanwhile, our neighborhood continues to explode (fireworks), but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was earlier this month so maybe the cops are getting ahead of it. We’ll see what it’s like tomorrow.

9. I’ve seen a lot of fireworks over the years, but the absolute best was the 200th anniversary celebration of The Battle of Groton Heights aka the Massacre of Fort Griswold, September 6, 1981. It was done in various styles, seemed to last forever, and was the first fireworks my newborn son witnessed. His eyes were huge! But he didn’t cry, or we’d have gone home (about 300 yards – very convenient.)

10. Have a great weekend, all of you! And please stay safe.

11. Not a holiday here in Germany, obviously! We celebrate Oct 3rd (Reunification Day).

    So, today is normal. On the other side of the Rhine from us, Birkenstock has administrative offices and its outlet store. My hubby has worn out his “house and garden” pair, so we’re going to hop on our bikes, ride down to the ferry and go over to check out what they have in stock. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find something too, although to be honest, I have a pretty wild collection already… Not that it would stop me! 😂

    On the way back we may stop for lunch. I have to dead head my roses, plant some more campanula that I bought, move some plants around that aren’t happy where they are, and replant a beautiful yellow tea rose that was nearly dead but I revived by severe pruning, putting in a pot of good soil, adding lots of mycorrhizal root fungus and lots of TLC. It went from dead to fab within a couple of weeks (yay!).

    I am, of course, ignoring the work stuff that I ignored yesterday too. But it may rain later, so I can do it then. Maybe. Or not. 🤪

12. I’ve been listening to podcasts on how to help people who fall into conspiracy theory spirals. Many talk about mega-conspiracies – how by their nature, conspiracy theories join usually unrelated dots, so joining more unrelated dots is natural progression. It leads to significant mental health issues, not least because the people most likely to be caught up are those who are already afraid (for themselves, the world, their kids etc), anxious or angry, and with unstable self esteem and/or ego issues. The theories feed off these things, (as well as the inbuilt human need to seek answers, and in the case of overwhelm – easy answers) and then make them worse so it becomes very hard to break out of – especially as being less skilled in critical analysis and being swamped with data is another factor.

    Anyway, in these times, it’s easy to focus on how things are broken. Hang in there. We find our way through rational thinking, finding joy, and filling our lives with things that make us happy, and remembering progress. Go happiness post.

    On the flip side, a journo I like wrote this “I’ve got some emails since the story was published. One had the subject line “Lying cunt”…one called me a “progressive revolutionary feminist redistributionist equity championing sjw” so swings and roundabouts.”

    I live for the day someone calls me that (obviously, not the lying cunt bit). Nothing but good times (and school holidays, books, visits to see my mum, baking, art, music…) ahead. Getting my happiness post in early!

    1. That’s a fantastic thing to be called, except for the lying bit.

13. I decided we could use technology to help us out with a floor that doesn’t get vacuumed enough, and a back that often hurts. So it was a moderately priced robo vacuum for Fathers Day (he’s supposed to do the vacuuming, and he does, every 3 weeks whether it needs it of not). So my siblings and I purchased one and I set it up. I’ve spent the morning following it around to see what it can do, also watching the cat (why we have to vacuum more than every three weeks) figure out what the heck that weird animal is.
    It works OK, and will be nice to have around, especially when it gets hot.

    Happy Fourth!

    1. I had one that I programmed to go to work in the middle of the night and that was brilliant until the one night I didn’t close the bedroom door and the dog and I were startled awake by demon noises and flashing lights coming down the hallway. It scared the bejeebers out of me and Charlie.

14. 1976 the Bicentennial, our family walked up the hill behind our house to watch the Parade of Tall Ships out of Boston Harbor. Back then the trees weren’t as overgrown as they are now so we could get a good view. The USS Constitution was towed out to the edge of the harbor and it was quite a sight among all the ships, many with sails unfurled. When our children were small we took them on a tour and also our grandchildren, still can’t believe the living conditions and cramped spaces. Later on it was back up the hill for the fireworks out of Boston. Even living were we do you could not miss the boom and spectacle of the display. Now it seems everyone has to showcase their skills with fireworks. Backyard terrorists with hardly a clue as to what they are doing, I’m always afraid my roof is going to get hit because they do not know how to direct the fireworks. Maybe they can’t. Over the water would be fine. Our neighboring town puts their fireworks on a barge on their side of the harbor for all to enjoy or they would if it wasn’t cancelled. I also remember sitting on the floor petting our dog to calm him down on some nights.

15. Happy fourth everyone who celebrates. Play safe.

16. I walked over to a friend’s house (well, front porch) to watch the neighborhood parade, which this year was some fire trucks and vintage cars. One was a 1919 something. I am impressed that there are 101-year-old cars still extant. And running.

    Now I’m going to watch the end of Hamilton so I can get my cry in and then watch whatever is next in the Marvel marathon.

    Hamilton is completely worth paying for a month of Disney+. Having Marvel and Star Wars and my childhood favorites available is worth a year subscription for me!

17. Hi Jenny. This has absolutely nothing to do with any blog post, but since the home page said to just leave any comments/questions here, that’s what I’m doing. I just wanted to thank you. In the early weeks of the pandemic, when everything was falling apart faster than we could have imagined, I realized that I needed reading to be an escape. I needed books that were fast and fun and familiar, but not so familiar that I remembered everything. I needed books that would make me laugh and take me to a world where I knew things would work out, where everyone was smart and witty and just good damned people. So I pulled out all of your category novels and worked my way through them once again, and dear Heaven, they were exactly the respite I needed. They grabbed me and sucked me back in just like they did the first (and second, and third) time I read them, and damned if they weren’t the only thing that could drag me away from CNN. Your books gave me hope and laughter and relief in a truly terrifying time, and I wanted you to know how very grateful I am for them. Many, many thanks.

18. Happy 4th! We are doing a very low key celebration with sparklers and a few colorful but quiet fireworks. I know my neighborhood will have plenty of noise to go around though.

    Highly recommend Hamilton, I haven’t been on Twitter or the news sites nearly as much since yesterday, and my husband says I have a silly smile on my face every time he sees me watching. It’s worth Disney+ for a month.

19. We just watched Hamilton on Disney and while I did like it, I don’t think it will restore your faith in the country! Except maybe to realize the USA has lived through the sordid at every step along the way.

    In Denver 74 out of 75 firework displays were cancelled and the last one seemed to be going forward despite having been warned that they had oversold tickets for the event (big trucks rally) and we’re out of coronavirus compliance. No matter. Coloradans turn into blissful pyromaniacs for the fourth. We sat on a ridge and saw probably 50 displays all put on privately, without permits, and with fireworks as large as most municipal shows. It was a glorious sight and I won’t apologize for enjoying it. I was glad it had rained (just in time for dinner BBQs) and so the ground was damper than usual.

    Colorado is a funny place where it generally isn’t legal for private citizens to put off aerial fireworks but it is legal to sell them. Sometimes they ask you to tell them you are taking them to Wyoming where I guess it is legal but not very often.

    I don’t know what officials thought was going to happen when they cancelled the public displays but it was predictable as can be. But hey, when you see the local policemen and firemen lighting illegal fireworks every year on the 4th, you need to realize we are just reaching back to our cowboy roots. It is good to celebrate.

20. Re Hamilton: I find it ironic that the musical with rap and a cast full of minorities was priced such that most of the people who could see it in the theaters were white. Reducing the price to a $6.99 month subscription per household is probably the best bit of equitable adjustment we have seen recently, no matter how unintentional.

    Of course I’d like to see more meaningful changes in equity….

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