4th of July on the Mountain

HAPPY JULY 4TH FROM THE APPALACHIANS!

Though we live 8 miles from "town", we are secluded yet not isolated. Our little town had signs up all week advertising their July 4th celebration and fireworks show at a small lake near downtown. I really hadn't intended on going as Sissy had to work and someone needs to be home with our animals (3 dogs, 1 kitty cat). They are still adjusting to the new environment and we try not to leave them alone more than necessary.

When we lived at the coast, the 4th was hectic and noisy. A tourist area, it was insanely busy on holidays and the locals knew better than to venture far from home. Rather than attend the local fireworks display, people chose to do their own little shows at home...and our particular street, being close to the college, was no exception. Fireworks rang out starting the day before almost non-stop until the 5th, often times until the wee hours of the morning. At first it's all good, but after hours of non-stop booms, it gets a little old. Even worse, one of our dogs is terrified of loud noises and we actually had to tranquilize her during such events. One year it was so bad I had to call the police to put an end to it at 3am (which only made the culprits carry on more).

So when we moved up here to our quiet little hideaway, we were relieved in the assumption that no one would dare shoot off fireworks. The nearest fire hydrant is 4 miles away. Surly no one would jeopardize the mountains and homes by inadvertently starting a fire! Well, you know what they say about assuming....

They started at 9pm last night. It was like dueling fireworks. They started up the mountain and then came from below. Everything echos up here so one loud boom sounds like a dozen. I have no idea what kind of fireworks these are, but it sounds like a re-enactment of the Civil War! These are not the run-of-the-mill firework! KABOOM!! ...and no pretty lights that I can see. Just thunderous booms. The poor dog is having a melt down. Can you give a dog Xanax?

Anyway, duly noted. Hope everyone has a great Independence Day!