Independence Day

Happy 4th of July, y'all! It is about to rain here. Again. I heard the thunder to warn us a few minutes ago. We're hanging out around the house today, taking a break. We are waiting for NASA to "light the candle" as my husband says. How cool to launch on the 4th. The astronauts area brave, risk taking humans and my scientist/engineer husband would love to be going up with them.

Our subdivision has lots of flags waving today. The realtors usually place little flags on the curbside of each homes and that looks good. Our flag is mounted on the front of the house, next to a picture window. One of our neighbors has a flagpole, but I think that's a bit much for our lot sizes here in the city. To each his own.

I am proud that I am related to some of the founding fathers that signed the original document declaring our independence. One of my cousins has traced my mother's side of the family back to Great Britian. Good stuff.

I have a flag that flew over a military base in Afghanistan. It is folded and put up for future generations. It'll go to my son when he is off on his own and begins the next generation of our family. A certificate is with it proclaiming my son as the flag's owner and signed by the officer that flew it. I was able to receive the flag as a winner of a lottery drawing that the site Books for Soldiers.com did almost 2 years ago. As the first front of the war on terrorism began in Afghanistan I was looking for a way to show support to the troops performing so admirably in such miserable terrain. Through the site I was able to connect with a soldier and send her packages of goodies and books and magazines. I chose a female deliberately as I figured women needed things a little different than the men needed. Girl stuff. Good soap, lotion, Crystal Light mix, herbal tea bags, items along that line. This soldier requested some of the magazines you see at the checkout counter in the grocery store. She sent me some great postcards from Afghanistan and some digital photos from the base and Kabul. She sent photos from a local open air market and of local children. It was a great experience. She's back home now with her husband and three children.

Thanks to the bravery and sacrifices of our military in the past and present, people like Cindy Sheehan and Susan Sarandon are free today to launch their hunger strike which is their vehicle of dissent to our country's war on terror. While they do not show the full level of conviction that our military does, they are doing a "rolling" hunger strike. The celebs like Danny Glover and Sean Penn are not eating for 24 hours to show their anti-war sentiments. I'll take the character of our voluntary military over the pompous jet set anyday. The military shows how silly a 24 hour committment truly is.

Pass the chicken.