The blue sky is not an illusion. The dawn of the 4th of July view from my patio is not gray this morning. Some blue sky has returned over North Texas.I think this slightly blue sky may be only a temporary respite from rain. The forecast for the 4th of July is a 50% chance of rain. Which usually means it is going to rain a lot.
Rain is in the forecast for each of the next 6 days.
Too much wetness is getting really old. But, I guess it has been a good thing to see brown grass turn back green again.
I think I've said it before, likely on 4th of July last year, but the 4th of July in Texas is so weird. When I moved to Texas, it being the Wild West Cowboy state that it is, I figured the 4th of July would be explosive, with people having way too much fun with fireworks. Much more so than my old location in the refined progressive sophisticated State of Washington.
Where I lived in Mount Vernon (is that not a nice patriotic 4th of July name?) Washington, in a neighborhood called Thunderbird, which was quite hilly, built in a forest of tall cedar and fir trees, the 4th of July was like a war zone.
Neighbors would set up competing fireworks launch zones. Set off a barrage. And then another neighbor would try and top it. There was absolutely nothing forbidding this behavior. In Washington it is very easy to obtain all the explosives you want. All the Indian Reservations have very big Boom Towns.
In Texas I do not believe there are any Boom Towns selling fireworks.
It is the morning of the 4th of July in Texas and I have not heard a single firecracker. The 4th of July will come and go and I likely will not have heard a single firecracker.
I can't help but wonder if in the past some really bad stuff happened here on the 4th of July which led to the repressive firecracker crackdown. It's not like Texans have some sort of innate aversion to things that go boom. Just witness the laidback attitude towards natural gas randomly going boom.
The lack of firecrackers going boom in Texas is very perplexing.
I think your favorite stomping grounds, high atop Tandy 'Mountain', may be a good place to view the fireworks over downtown FW. It's also likely, many other people feel this way too. Your advantage though, is knowing the lay of the land much better than those who'll vacate their cars no further than fifty feet.
ReplyDeleteHere in Washington, every holiday seems to be worshiped, 4th of July, Halloween, Easter. People here actually wear costumes to work on Oct. 31. Very weird to see, as a Texan. They still don't understand the words coniption or hissyfit.
ReplyDeleteThey call me Dr Phil in my office for my usage of Texasonian slang.
Twister, interesting idea to watch the downtown FW fireworks from atop Mount Tandy. It is far enough away that I'd hear no booming. I guess I would not know that til I try.
ReplyDeleteMLK, in recent years, here in Texas, I have seen some adults do the costume thing at work on Halloween, definitely not to the level of WA, though. It is coming up on 4 on the afternoon of the 4th and I've yet to hear a firecracker. How many have you heard by now, up in WA, and for how many days now?
Just got back from doing some visiting of husband's relatives, and someone in the distance set off some black-cat-type firecrackers. Here at home, I have heard a few booms of larger fireworks. We have the Puyallup Indians selling fireworks all over near Tacoma, Fife and Puyallup.
ReplyDeleteI plan to stay home tonight. MAYBE 58 degrees out. My choice of linen tunic and sandals was not a good one. Came back home and was freezing. No Vespa riding today.
MLK, 90 degrees here. Past 5 on the 4th of July afternoon. And I have still not heard a single firecracker boom of any sort. Maybe the Puyallup should invade Texas and set up some Boom Towns to sell these quiet Texans some 4th of July noise.
ReplyDeleteAnd dress warmer. You are living in a very frigid climate now. A linen tunic and sandals might work in Texas, but not where you are currently.