Balancing the 4th

The 4th of July has always been a favorite holiday. I have memories of my mom waking the family to a spirited rendition of "You're a Grand Old Flag." An afternoon of swimming, watermelon and cheesepuffs followed the morning parade.
In the evening, the parents shuttled all us kids to the local high school, where we danced and danced to the live band that always played our request for "Wild Thing." When the sun went down the fireworks began and ended too soon, but the party didn't stop. We shuttled back to the pool for more swimming, interrupted only by the handing out of sparklers and the slicing of the red, white and blue dessert, always white cake with strawberries squished in the middle.

This morning, while "God Bless America" played through fuzzy speakers at the start of the parade route, all I could think of was, "God bless our parents for keeping up with us every 4th of July."

As a hu-mom with a fearful dog, the 4th has become a holiday of management. While I still curse fireworks, this year I wanted to enjoy the holiday celebration. Kona and I started the morning with a ridge run.

Despite the heat, I added an extra leg to our run. It's always easier for Kona to relax, or hide out in her crate, when she's tired. The sun painted a golden landscape in the still morning.
Back at home, we sneaked in some outside play before the sun slowed us down. With a tired Kona dog, I shut the windows, turned on the noisy fan and turned up some music. With my buffering background noise in place, I hopped on my bike to catch the neighborhood parade, like old times.

As I type this, I'm watching fireworks on T.V. and getting ready for the Kona Hideout Countdown. We got a round-one practice last night with our local park's firework show. Before 8:30, Kona will be in her crate, her usual sleeping spot. I'll turn on the air conditioner, two fans and Canine Calming Music. While I try not to turn into a popsicle, Kona will fall asleep.

Tomorrow morning, we'll have quiet back.
Happy 4th everyone!