HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

 LET THE FIREWORKS BEGIN!!  Yeah, not so much since nowadays instead of sparklers they set off M80 explosions, enough to rattle your windows and scare the heck out of any critters.  I think this year however, those people must have either moved out of my area or are in jail.  Hopefully the latter.

There were a few here and there, but mostly in this area you hear gunfire.  It quit about 10:00, so not too bad.  Tonight will be a completely different story, I'm sure.

I began yesterday with a breakfast of champions.  Cheesecake!! That's the one good thing about getting old.  You can eat any darn thing you want and no one yells at you.  On the ranch we rarely had dessert.   It was too expensive to make, but when we did, you were only allowed a small portion and only AFTER dinner.  I don't think that was because it wasn't good for you, I think we couldn't afford it.  Besides that, everything was from scratch, and even a small cake took forever to make.

First up ... drive the van one last time.  I'm hoping this makes 15 cold starts.  Oh but WAIT ... I check the particulate level and I'm at 96%. AAAGGGGHHHHH!!!  It's going to go into regen mode and I won't be able to smog it again until I do all that driving.  This stupid smog stuff is causing me an ENTIRE TANK OF FUEL!!!  I kicked the tires and went inside.

That's when I found Kitters latest Amazon delivery.  I'm surprised she was not more interested.  I gave her the catnip filled mouse and all she was interested in was the tail.  Finally she got a whiff and paid more attention.

She rubbed her face on it a bit, but really could care less.  It's still on the floor where she dropped it.  So much for those $$$.

It got hot pretty quickly, so I hung out inside and watched the Calgary Stampede Rodeo.  It's worth it just to watch these kids.  This is something I would have done if they had this contest when I was young.  These kids are maybe 8 to 13 years old and have to wrangle a wild pony until one jumps on and rides for two seconds.  

Completely wild and crazy these ponies.  The biggest kid tries to control the head so the second in line can jump on.  

But first, they have to STOP the pony.  Not the best pictures of my TV, but this team got him wrangled ......

While the second kid jumped on ... not the easiest thing to do when you are short ......

Then try to RIDE the bucking pony for two seconds with nothing to hold on to but a little mane.  Only three teams rode the pony, and this team won.  It will make you laugh a LOT!  Worst case, they hang on to the rope for dear life and get drug around the entire arena.  That brings a standing ovation from the crowd and the kids love it!!

That's when I got to work.  I've been looking for someone to prune this tree so long the branches were touching the ground.  I finally got out my big pruning shears and went to work.  Won't the gardener be surprised to find all the trimmings on the lawn.

And there's more back by the fence.  There's still more work to do, but I can't reach it.  I spent the next hour in the sweltering sun cutting about 1/4 of the branches up into tiny pieces so they would fit in my bin.  No worries, that HUGE blister will go away in six months or so.

That's when I got the phone call.  I'm going to a Fourth of July barbecue late today and they need help ASAP setting up all the tables and chairs.  This gal and her husband are great friends, and I would do anything to help them.  

It took about 90 minutes to set up five big easy-ups, six tables and 36 chairs.  I think I was hotter than ever in my life by the time I got home.  The oven in Central Cal has been turned on and is heating up to broiling.  I'm thinking the party tonight won't last long.

In the meantime, I have to make dozens of appetizers ... Ortega chilis, cheese and mayo spread on crusty bread pieces and broiled.  It's delicious!!

And so ended another day.  I only cried maybe four times.  Just when I think it might be getting better, it's not.

So Happy Fourth of July!!!  We The People need to continue to keep our country free from the communism that seems to be raising its ugly head.  We need to fight this my friends, or we will be in the same boat as Venezuela was.  

Say a prayer and raise your glass to 250 years of FREEDOM .... where nothing is free and you have to WORK for everything you have and hold dear.  Happy 4th!!!