I might actually be an 86 year old woman, Im not sure.

Last night I went to a fourth of July bbq at friends of my sister’s. In the subdivisions in Plainfield, Illinois, they go nuts for the fourth of July. At some point in August, they start comparing and planning for the upcoming Fourth of July. “Did you see that blue one the Smiths had? We gotta get one.” “Yeah. And the Hacketts aren’t going to have a better show than us this year.”

It is neighbor against neighbor in an unofficial firework competition. Some of the explosions made me want to hit the deck, they were so close and so loud. But I felt like a grandma as I said to anyone who would listen,

“Why would you pay so much money for a house and then put it at such risk for fire damage?”

“Why don’t they light their fireworks a little closer to the retention pond?”

“Look at that garbage can! It is full of empty beer cases and empty firework shells. That explains everything.”

“Don’t they know to stand further away?”

While our hosts don’t condone the act, they take advantage and use the show as an excuse to host a wonderful bbq. It is better than the chicago show, because it is 360 degrees and it goes for hours and hours.