Explode-y Things

All over the Cape, starting in April, tents, enormous tents... the kind used for revivals started appearing. They have stood there, empty, for months.  After returning from a spring mini vacation, I was amazed to find that they were all selling fireworks.  Now, for the record the area has been in a drought for 5 years.. you know the kind with watering restrictions up the wazoo, AND ABSOLUTELY EVERY TYPE OF FIREWORK IS ILLEGAL. The police have even issued a plea for people not to use fireworks at home because they are inundated with calls from neighbors complaining about the noise, the fires, the barking dogs, the crying babies, etc. If the police and Fire are responding to backyard fireworks who does that leave for real emergencies. 
The really big question?????? If all this is illegal, why are the shacks allowed to sell the stuff?????? 
I guiltily went ahead and purchased a box of sparklers because I can remember their smell and the fun that ensued with them as a little girl in La. My kids, the 3 youngest, have never had that experience; Jesse is crazed by them, twirling and twirling until he drops it (lets hope in a wet area or at least not on furniture, beloved toys, Max’s tree frogs or a sibling; Andy is non-chalant. This was pure Mommy delight.
Rumor had it that for the right price, you can get nearly any type of firework you wanted here in your own corner of swfl. 
In Colorado, Jon would be one of those pyromaniacs stealthily meandering into Wyoming to bring the exploding big-boy toys home, “for the boys fun.”  Here, in FL you really can buy ANYTHING. If Jon were still alive, I’m sure he’d have been at the biggest shack buying up the entire selection. Since he was Navy and at sea for most of his tours of duty, he didn’t get to play with all the fun exploding devices of the Army.
This year, we were invited to a little coastal community Yacht Club, about 50 miles North, South Gulf Cove, by Port Charlotte, for a community kids parade, you know where the kids all dress up festively and their bikes are decorated brilliantly, mommys and daddys walk along side the littlest.  There was a harbor boat parade and HUGH BBQ, games and fun for the kids... high-school jazz bands, teen (wanna-be) bands, dancing all for no charge. 
The community has been hosting this blow out fourth of July party for the past few years. It is a relatively small, slightly competitive, on  the water (between the Harbor and the Gulf) community.  As soon as it gets dark, which is around 9, everyone heads to find a place to sit at the beach.  All the men gather the kids (pretty much all but mine) and start blowing things up. This goes on for at least an hour and I’m told is magnificent.  Mine are all asleep by then and hate the loud thunderous booms anyway.
I’m not exactly sure why we, as a nation, choose to celebrate with fireworks.  Perhaps it has something to do with Sir Frances Scott Key’s words “and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air….”
Then again, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that we just like setting fire to things…. and little boys grow into men who still like exploding things. Keeping your little boys away from Army men, war-games, etc. isn’t going to change this.
Happy 4th to our troops, may we all remember “FREEDOM ISN’T FREE.”
Happy Birthday to our Nation.  I hope you had a great Fourth.