#MicroblogMondays 149: Fireworks

by Mel

23 comments

1 TasIVFer { 07.03.17 at 5:44 am }

Yeah, sorry, for me it’s just Tuesday! I like watching fireworks but also can’t get over feeling like they’re a lot of money to spend.

2 Beth { 07.03.17 at 5:49 am }

We go to a big family picnic/BBQ at a park. I have gone to this same picnic since I was born and it was going on for years before that. It’s in a new location, a park with a pool and water slides, and I love that my kids get to experience the fun that I did growing up. 7 years ago we didn’t go, the only time
I’ve missed. I had just miscarried after IVF and we went away with friends instead. Nobody knew what had happened and I knew I couldn’t take all the happy family moments. The following year, the 4th was my preemie’s first official outing. She was cleared for being around lots of people and we got to introduce her to everyone. And then 3 years ago, we had been matched with our birth mother, who was at that point 2 days overdue. Again, most of the people there didn’t know – we were keeping her to ourselves until we knew more – but I obsessively checked my phone, waiting for the call. And tomorrow we will go with our two girls who will make s’mores and play games with cousins and swim and make memories just as I did. So I guess this picnic is pretty special to me.

3 Turia { 07.03.17 at 6:47 am }

So tomorrow is just Tuesday for me, but Saturday was a big deal because it marked 150 years since Confederation. And yet, because I’m down under, I completely missed the day. I feel like we should have celebrated, but at the same time it would have been a ridiculous year to go to Ottawa and watch the fireworks and the concert on Parliament Hill (which was my tradition as a teenager). But I do wish I hadn’t actually forgotten about it until it was already the 2nd.

4 Mali { 07.03.17 at 7:04 am }

Yep, Tuesday. Though we can never escape it, given the connected nature of the world today. Enjoy your day.

5 a { 07.03.17 at 8:19 am }

Growing up in Chicago, fireworks was not a symbol of the sounds of war. It was “any excuse is a good one for an explosion!” 4th of July? Sure! Venetian Night (boat parade on the lakefront)? Absolutely! White Sox scored by home run? Bring it on! Then it was an every weekend show that I could juuust see in between a couple buildings from my roof deck. So, I don’t really have that war association thing at all…

6 Middle Girl { 07.03.17 at 9:14 am }

Yes, in Chicago fireworks are pretty constant. I live outsife Chicago now and some other towns and many neighbors shot theirs off last nigjt.

7 torthuil { 07.03.17 at 9:50 am }

We have fireworks for Canada day (I didn’t watch; I wanted to be home in bed). It has nothing to do with war, just the spectacle and excitement. There are also fireworks every night of the Calgary Satanpede. One thing that’s different about Canada from other places I’ve lived is that at least in urban areas, and some rural areas (not sure about all places) fireworks displays are always professional because it’s illegal to buy or set them off yourself. In England and Greece people would buy and set off fireworks for every other religious festival and political holiday. Even in the big cities they did this, which I found pretty weird. It wasn’t just one day either it went on for weeks before and after. I didn’t realize the states had similar traditions.

8 torthuil { 07.03.17 at 5:38 pm }

WTF, autocorrect? Calgary Stampede, not Satanpede! So much for educating people on Canada. There are no fireworks for Satan here that I know of, just to clarify. ? ?

9 Lori Lavender Luz { 07.03.17 at 9:51 am }

We have extended family time and the expected BBQ food, then watch the town fireworks together. All that’s cool because it’s contained.

But for about 2 weeks before the holiday and after, people are lighting their own fireworks (illegal) and it freaks out all the dogs. And some of the people. Not cool.

10 Jess { 07.03.17 at 10:45 am }

I’ve been hearing fireworks all around us for days, and I keep thinking it’s thunder. We aren’t going to them this year, so many people. Usually our neighborhood has fireworks (totally illegal) across the street and it’s a private show that’s gotten bigger and bigger, but the family that does it had a difficult year and just didn’t want to do it this year. Which I can understand. It was nice though, to have all the booms and colors without the crowds. And yeah, interesting to be like, “Happy independence! Here’s some simulations of bombs and cannonfire that killed a bunch of people! Woo hoooooo!” It is odd when you think on it.

11 Parul Thakur { 07.03.17 at 10:47 am }

I know what you mean. When I watched the fireworks in Hong Kong on the New Year eve, I was stunned by the amazing show but I also felt how much pollution that meant. How many tons of gases were pumped in the air! That’s a food for thought, Mel.

12 Jivf { 07.03.17 at 10:56 am }

I love the firework displays and prefer to watch from a balcony or on TV rather than sitting in the heat and fighting the crowds.

This reminds me of a yard sign making rounds on social media, “Combat veteran lives here, please be courteous with fireworks.” It was interesting to see someone literally airing their issues on the front lawn and asking for others to be considerate.

13 Lori Shandle-Fox { 07.03.17 at 11:15 am }

I love to watch fireworks. They always seem magical to me. I also have good memories because I was at the end of my pregnancy during July 4th and still went to see them that year. We’ll try to get to a display if the weather holds up. The kids decided they each want their own birthday celebration day this year and we’ll be doing them this week. Each kid gets to have a day where they make all the decisions (within reason) about activity, lunch, TV shows etc

14 Traci York { 07.03.17 at 11:16 am }

Growing up, we always did the Horribles Parade (a Gloucester, MA tradition) and fireworks on the 3rd (local towns staggered the date so marching bands and such could participate in multiple parades). Now we’re content to hang at home and watch Pop Goes the Fourth on TV.

15 Charlotte { 07.03.17 at 11:42 am }

Since my birthday is today, we always went to the fireworks for my birthday. Growing up near Fort McHenry where everything happened, it was always taught that fireworks were the biggest celebration you could have.

I will be going to the town we used to live in, as they have the biggest and best display around (even compared to D.C., which I used to go to every year, the Freedom Fest at 22nd and Constitution. I even waded in the Washington Memorial watching them once)
Anyway, we sit so close you can see them light them, here the fire catch,and feel the boom, and it is freaking amazing! They play patriotic music and it is hard to not just feel…grateful. Even giving everything going on, that we are free to celebrate in this way.

16 Modern Gypsy { 07.03.17 at 11:52 am }

Interesting, I never really thought of it from this perspective. But I do understand what you’re saying. Hope you have a peaceful 4th of July!

17 loribeth { 07.03.17 at 12:59 pm }

Also just Tuesday here, although a lot of people have today off, since Canada Day (July 1st) fell on a Saturday this year. I’ve always enjoyed fireworks… although I recognize that they can be frightening for pets, vets, refugees, etc. As Torthuil noted, fireworks for personal use are illegal in a lot of places in Canada — but here in Ontario, you can buy them around the Victoria Day in May & Canada Day in July (which took some getting used to for me!), and people tend to set them off all weekend long, not just on the day itself (which can get a little annoying…!). We can usually see some of the neighbourhood displays over the treetops from the balcony of our condo — although I must say, I was disappointed with the Canada 150 fireworks — we could hear a lot all around us, but none close by. We saw more over the Victoria Day long weekend in May.

18 loribeth { 07.03.17 at 1:00 pm }

Oops, just realized I posted my blog entry twice. Feel free to remove the extra one. 🙂

19 Jill A. { 07.03.17 at 1:46 pm }

As a country, we in the US do not do reflection very well. I remember reading in one of Little House on the Prairie books that when the family went into town for the 4th of July celebration, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to the crowd.

The 4th has become a tradition of celebration, not remembrance. Whether that is good or bad, I don’t know. Once, it was a celebration of the price paid for establishing this country. Now, it is a celebration that we exist as a country. Maybe that is just the way time goes.

20 chris { 07.03.17 at 3:02 pm }

Well, I’m in the states but it’s also kind of “just Tuesday” since DH and I both will be working. We worked today and we’ll work tomorrow. Granted, we do both work from home, but neither of us are getting a holiday out of it so…it’s just seeming like a quiet start to the week. We might go bbq at my sister’s house tomorrow and watch fireworks with my nieces. I personally despise the things, and they are pretty much illegal in California but it doesn’t stop anyone. Still, I like Mel’s idea of celebrating quietly with music and backrubs….. When I was a kid we always had a pool party and bbq which was lots of fun, I could go for that too. 🙂

21 Working mom of 2 { 07.03.17 at 3:40 pm }

Our town has a little parade, then lawn party, and we attend that. Fireworks are banned (drought, fire danger) (although some neighboring areas allow them, which is annoying, bc people here still set them off). I remember using them as a child (before the ban). Our town used to do a big fireworks show but that was discontinued during the recession–rightfully so–I’d rather my tax dollars go to helping the homeless, etc.

22 Inexplicably Missing { 07.03.17 at 6:05 pm }

I’m in Australia, but it’s the same here for big events… For some reason, a love of expensive, noisy, pretty sparks in the night sky runs deep in the human psyche. Perhaps the fleeting few moments of excitement and colour fading in to blackness is a metaphor for our own mortality.

23 Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) { 07.04.17 at 2:19 pm }

I guess it has something to so with the battle and celebratory feeling they have. I know a lot of people (and dogs!) don’t like them. It would be nice if some cities offered an alternative type of celebration. Maybe with soft music and back rubs. 🙂