Happy 4th of July to all of my American friends who are celebrating Independence Day today. This year’s holiday is quite different from last year’s in that there are actually festivities going on! I was afraid that our local 4th of July events would be canceled once again, but everything is on. Well, most things. From what I understand, our huge Milwaukee 3rd of July fireworks were canceled again this year, but not because of Coronavirus this time. Apparently, they couldn’t find enough staff to pull it off. So it looks like everyone — even the fireworks committee — is having a difficult time find help these days.

With the exception of last year, my local city hosts a day of music and food at a nearby park. It used to span several days and was called “Glendale Days,” but over the past few years, it’s been scaled down to one day: the 4th of July. I always wondered how they managed to finance a three-day event like that, especially given that attendance wasn’t all that high (Glendale is a relatively small burb). So this afternoon (when the temperature is about 95 degrees 🥵), I plan on heading down there for a bit. There’s one vendor who makes fantastic Sloppy Joes, so I’ll definitely be partaking of those.

The big hit of “Glendale Day” is the 4th of July fireworks in the park. Though our burb is small, they put on a phenomenal display, one of the best I’ve seen, actually. What’s nice is that the park is only a block away from my house, so all I need to do is grab a lawn chair and walk a bit down the street.

Now in the past, I would always have to apply a generous slather of insect repellent as the mosquitoes in the park — especially at night — were ferocious. This year, however, there are absolutely no mosquitos anywhere to be seen. I sit outside every day (sometimes for hours), and I have yet to see one mosquito, which is really strange. By this time of the summer, they are usually horrendous. But I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and I’m looking forward to enjoying a mosquito-free fireworks display tonight.

Let me finish by wishing everyone who’s celebrating a Happy 4th of July, whether you are pick-nicking, attending a barbecue, going to a party, or hanging out with friends. Be safe and have fun!