July 4th just passed seemed an awesome event this year in my life! Great Grandchildren included it was a wonderful summer event. The Rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air (taken of course our Star Spangled Banner song) seem descriptive in the fire picture for this blog. The picture is of an awesome bonfire emboldening a resemblance of an angel looking obliquely to center left from the right side of the fire, angel wings behind and what may be a steed to the left; an earthly visit of sorts–humbling to me as I marvel at the possibilities for messages in acts of nature! A fitting salute and farewell to yet another season in my now 84 trips around our sun.
Our summer this year continues our “random acts of kindness” as we endeavor to find needs and fill them with our ‘labors of love’ helping with small projects around the home and for public efforts to improve our daily life activities. Sometimes we bomb out and have to scuttle our intentions and that is painful, but for the most part we keep on putting one foot in front of he other and try to avoid putting that foot in our mouth! I appreciate the time you are spending to share my thoughtful meandering around the country enjoying people and nature. There are so many wonderful sights to see and our National Parks offer some really great adventures, we have several on our tours and close here at our home station. My Mother lived in Rapid City, SD, the south entrance to the Black Hills of SD–Paha Sapa to the native Indians and at one time was considered a sacred ground and winter home shelter to them. Mom is noted for her wonderment at folks traveling around the globe to discover unique experiences when she found everything that exists in the world of nature to have a bit of it in the Black Hills of SD and she could trip into the Hills and be home for supper the same day having absorbed yet more wonderment of nature and enjoyment! Thanks Mom. Mom passed away at age 90 in 2013 and friends still talk about her when we gather.
Part of my life growing up was on a small farm and ‘convenience store/station where my Dad always held a country 4th of July color movie staged on a portable canvas screen in our pasture followed vy $500 aerial fireworks. My older brother and I did a lot of the firing now done by members of the Fire Departments around the country. My favorites were ‘battle in the clouds’, a 12″ behemoth with continuing loud reports and smoke; the 9″ single ‘booms’; and the ‘American Flag” in silk under a silk parachute lit up by a dangling powder powered light illuminating the flag and providing hot air from combustion to add buoyancy to the setup. There was always a scramble from the young folks in the crowd to try and retrieve this prize!
My wish for you is to enjoy the great and the small and enjoy life and all of us people. Amen
