Did you Know...

that the Continental Congress actually declared "that these United States are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States" on July 2, 1776?  It is a true, but little known fact.  Our founding fathers were cooped up behind closed doors, suffering in the summer heat, as they committed the greatest act of treason in recorded history.  These noble men could have been executed for their boldness in declaring independence. As John Hancock struck pen to paper, signing his name with a magnificent flourish, he made the comment that they must "all hang together."  Benjamin Franklin was quoted as replying, "Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."  John Adams wrote to his wife on July 3, saying: "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.--I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.  It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by Solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.  It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfire and Illuminations from one end of the Continent to the other from this time forward and forever more."

And so, it is in honor of our Founding Fathers, especially John Adams, who wanted to see our nation celebrate on this day, that we set out to solemnize July 2 with pomp, bonfire, and illumination.
Dear Reed:  Today we celebrated the 2nd of July.  We bought fireworks and snaps.  
We let the kids play with matches as they threw firecrackers and smoke bombs into the air.
There were anywhere from seven to nine kids involved in our daytime pyromania.  The snakes, which I remember fondly from my childhood, were complete duds.  They required a lot of matches, and because of this we went through A LOT of matches.
The good news is that only 5 of the 7 kids were burned, and of those, only two required additional medical treatment.  One kid, ours, was burned twice.  He was not figured into the original number.  Niki and I rated the day as a complete success.  Don't worry about the burns, we took care of them.  We even put mustard on one.  It's what the computer told us to do.  The burns were actually fortuitous because now the kids know the danger of playing with matches and fireworks.  It was a lesson learned.  Two lessons actually.  I mean we learned a little history, and we learned fire safety, what more can you ask for?  

Love - Nat

Happy 2nd of July everybody!