Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.
Dear Journal:
It was the Fourth of July already. Where is time going? We put up a flag on the house and lit a small amount of fireworks with the kids. They loved it, and I’m glad they’re young enough to still be excited about $40 worth of poppers and sparklers. We barbequed hamburgers and had fruit salad and a fire in the firepit for s’mores. I think they both ate their weight in marshmallows and chocolate. We watched other people’s fireworks from a distance and the kids sugar crashed and passed out way past their bedtime, for about the third night in a row.
The big booms and screeching seem to be over now, but they continued all around us for days. Better than my friend in NYC who’s been hearing impromptu fireworks for the past month. It seemed a lot more than usual this year and I felt really sorry for dogs and people with PTSD. I wish we could see the pretty light shows without the noise of a warzone. Call me a scrooge, but blowing up a bucketful of money doesn’t do anything for me. Bah humbug.
A question occurred to me though, with all the hundreds of dollars, or more, that people around us must have spent for an hour’s worth of entertainment: Are some people feeling more affluent than usual this year? Or is it more a sign of being stuck at home for months and celebrating the economy reopening, and wanting some excitement no matter how much it costs? I hope people wore masks when they got together at barbeques and packed beaches, because Covid numbers are shooting up again nearly as fast as the fireworks, but I doubt it. I guess I don’t have a lot of faith right now in Americans caring about protecting one another. A lot of people apparently still think it’s all a hoax. I guess they won’t believe it’s necessary until it happens to them or someone they love. Yeah, I’m not feeling super optimistic right now.
But, take a breath Karen. In spite of all my worries for the future, we had a great family day. Perhaps what I need is to focus on the simple joys of summer, sparklers, and family time. The kids were happy, we made memories together, and somehow roasting marshmallows makes everything better, for a while.
Song of the day: The Star Spangled Banner, Jimi Hendrix version
Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.
