I had a pleasant holiday. I spent the 4th with Carol and the 5th with Erin's extended family in Westville. Weather both days was hot and muggy, requiring me to walk Zeke early in the morning when there was still a semblance of a breeze.
Fireworks had been going off since June 30th. The city ordinance stipulates that fireworks can be launched through Sunday, after 5pm and up to two hours after sunset. While residents around Carol's neighborhood generally followed that ordinance, there were a few rebels all week long lighting up. Indiana is very liberal with fireworks. Everything is allowed, from sparklers and Roman candles, to rockets and loud bangs. It only gets illegal when property is damaged or people are injured or killed. Vendors selling fireworks had been open on street corners since I got here on the 8th of June.
Weather had been predicted to be rainy and I didn't want to be on the wet roads with drunks, so I stayed with Carol. After my morning walk and a stop at Sips Coffee shop by the courthouse square, I stayed inside and watched reruns of Bones and NCIS, shows that Carol enjoys watching. I asked her about life with her dad, a truck driver for the steel mill who divorced her mom after eight kids. It was a quiet, intimate day with my stepmom, who always has been easy to talk to. I fried up the remaining pierogies and together we watched Trump's speech at the Lincoln Memorial.
Fireworks promptly went off shortly after 6pm in town. Two hours later, when it started getting dark, I went outside with Zeke to watch the fireworks launched from the county fairgrounds two miles away. The lightning bugs floating above the lawn were just as impressive as the fireworks. I stayed as long as I could tolerate the mosquitoes, but then went inside. By midnight it was quiet.
Friday was a repeat of Thursday. I walked Zeke around the 'hood, then stayed inside until mid-afternoon to write Amazon reviews while watching TV with Carol. I was invited to join Erin's in-laws for a neighborhood fireworks display. All the neighbors joined in at 5pm, had burgers and hotdogs and hung out by their swimming pool, then the big show started at dark.
There were more fireworks, and these were loud as they were right above us. Zeke didn't mind the small-arms fire, but he got nervous when the mortars, rockets and bombs went off. I put him inside to calm down and stayed within his sight so that he wouldn't panic. Little Ben was nervous, too. There was a lot of sulphur in the air when the fireworks were finally depleted.
At 10pm I left to drive back to Crown Point. I got home exhausted and went to bed shortly after walking in.
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