I have a running joke every year that I am going to celebrate surviving another 4th of July with a large number of animals still alive and in one piece by running around with a sparkler on the 5th of July. Don't get me wrong I love the 4th, love my country and am happy to celebrate and for others to celebrate. On the same hand I dread the 4th along with the days before and after it. I have to do my best to make sure a farm full of animals bent on self destruction do not, in fact, self destruct when watching the rockets' red glare and the bombs bursting in air.
Surprisingly there was no lead up to the 4th. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd came and went with no previews, practice sessions or other indicators that anyone within a few miles of the farm had bought fireworks. The 4th itself was relatively tame. We watched a pretty impressive amateur fireworks show from our porch that appeared to be happening about a mile from the farm. Despite the fact whomever was putting on the show had clearly spent an obscene amount of money on fireworks the show was far enough away that the horses didn't care. I sat on the porch and ate caramel sauce straight from the jar courtesy of George's mom and enjoyed the show. Then the show was over and we went to bed. The whole experience felt like a gift.
The next day I commented to Jason that I needed to go buy my sparkler so I could do my celebratory dance that we all survived another 4th of July intact. We got busy and I forgot to buy my sparkler and do my celebratory dance. I was expecting to have to live through the after party shows that night anyway. Surprisingly there were no after parties on the fifth and it appeared that we could officially put another 4th in the history books.
That is until the 6th rolled around. It was a perfectly normal day, even a normal evening. I had just finished posting the blog on Sunday night and was getting ready to wrap up the evening when I heard the familiar booming and popping sounds that one associates with fireworks. Except they sounded a lot closer than they had ever sounded on the 4th. Jason heard them at the same time and we immediately bolted out to the porch to investigate.
It did not make our evening when we realized that some stupid redneck (I can use the term redneck because in many aspects I qualify as one) had set up camp in one of the fields across the street from our farm and was shooting off an impressive collection of fireworks. With this display being so proximate to the farm it definitely had the attention of the horses. Jason stomped off with his spotlight while saying ugly things that I won't repeat to start patrolling the pastures and try to keep the peace if necessary. Thankfully the horses chose to cluster together in groups and watch rather than giving in to their flight instincts.
We have had no more after party fireworks displays since the sixth. I think at this point it would be safe for me to light my sparkler and celebrate the end of another 4th of July. We survived another one!
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Lofty, Lotus and Donneur
Asterik and Gibson
Stormy and Clayton
Toledo, Rocky and Bergie
Walon having a very satisfying roll
Hemi, Elfin and Rip
Lighty and Africa
another morning, another beautiful sunrise (George at the gate, Gibson and Silver playing, Gus looking right at the camera)
Cuff Links and Maisie
Leo and Chance
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