Yesterday and Past Fourths

I hope that all of my other American friends and relatives had a wonderful Independence Day celebration yesterday!  I spent it quietly, running from home to home to home, and tending to a variety of cats, dogs, fish, bees, and chickens - not to mention gardens.  In the middle of the afternoon, I stopped at the supermarket, because I realized that I didn't have any potato chips and I wanted a few with my supper.  I was amazed - there were so many people shopping at 3 in the afternoon; singles and whole families.
  There were two oddly-acting male college students (drunk? high?) almost jogging in the area of the meat and seafood displays.  They were almost, but not quite, yelling about looking for hot dogs - and they used quite a few descriptive terms regarding said hot dogs, that I didn't think small children and older adults wanted to, or should, hear.  So I yelled - "Hey, guys!  Follow me to the luncheon meat aisle, and I'll show you the hot dogs and the brats..."  They were so effusive with their thanks that it was embarrassing - maybe because they had been so obnoxious to begin with?
  Then I really paused when I saw five full, different families standing in line in front of a RedBox DVD kiosk.  Three in the afternoon, on a holiday that's a Friday, and the best these folks can do is rent a movie to watch?  Why not a picnic?  Why not a hike?  Why not a swim?  Why not the Arts festival that had free admission? No one in any of the families looked ill, hurt, injured, or disabled.  (I am very well aware that 50% of disabilities are not visible ones - but this was ridiculous!)  If you didn't do things outside on the Fourth of July when I was growing up, the only excuse was the weather - a lightning storm - or being so ill that you were at home, in your bed, under the covers.
  Our family, and family friends and/or neighbors, that we invited over, wandered in and out of the house, the porch, and the car port - Dad ran the grill, and the charcoal was first fired up at 9 a.m. (this was before fancy propane gas grills) - we had all kinds of cold foods to go with the meat from the grill, as well as plenty of beverages.  Everyone participated in playing games and doing activities - we usually had a game of tag football, played badminton, built teepees for us kids to play in, and we played games - word games, card games, and memory games.  We told wild and crazy stories - sometimes one person started the tale, and then each person sitting there, listening, joined in with their part of the story. The stories could be very funny, or adventurous, or full of family love…  We didn't sit around a TV and watch it as if our lives depended upon it….
   Today, I have taken care of three homes and all the resident critters, plus I took my friend Beatrice in to her job.   I played with and loved on my kits, and I went in search of freeze-dried bison and turkey to feed to Boo - she ate a little of both kinds I provided…  Plus I ordered a pound of freeze-dried turkey hearts to be delivered to Boo's home.  I hope she continues to want to eat them!