Happy 4th of July! Got earplugs?

We're enjoying a lazy morning around the house, and I thought I'd blog a line or twenty.... in my nightgown, if you wondered. Hey, what's the hurry? In honor of our men and women who have served our country, I'm embracing my bathrobe. It's my own personal way of celebrating....

I'll dress in my Betsy Ross garb and grab my powdered wig in time to join the fireworks extravaganza at dark -- when our usually cozy, quiet cul-de-sac eerily begins to resemble a war zone. It's about as close to Baghdad as you'll ever get in the States.

I've never seen people so serious about their fireworks arsenal as they are here in Kansas! Folks are practically mortgaging their homes for a supply of explosives that would put the Taliban to shame. Sweet little grandmas who are usually busy kneading pie crust have blown their Metamucil money on bottle rockets and yelling, "THERE SHE BLOWS -- FIRE IN THE HOLE" and diving head-first into bunkers, knee highs-a-flappin' in the wind. Gotta love the enthusiasm, even if I'm sore from instinctively hitting the deck constantly while my neighbors play "Front Yard Fallujah".

On a serious note ..... Isn't America great?! I'm truly grateful for our freedom and for all the men and women who have served and sacrificed to preserve that liberty. May God richly bless you and yours. Happy 4th!!