Happy Fourth

What a lovely day it was - sun shining, no threat of rain, happy gatherings of local clans. Having no local clan to gather, I focused on getting ready for the arrival of the grandkidlets, Hannah and Luke, and let my own fireworks take place in the form of a lovely sunset. They are flying in today for their annual summer vacation on the farm. Annie tells me they are anxious to come, and have no qualms about leaving the brick palace and pool in the fancy Dallas suburb. Their pool is as warm as a bath tub now with the daily 100 plus heat. Cool mornings on the farm with dips in the cold pond will be quite a switch. Luke marched in a 4th of July parade with his Cub Scout pack. Last year he and Hannah rode on a float in the Brookfield parade. It was 104 that day - more like Dallas than the northern Appalachians. Not quite so hot here this summer. We watched the fireworks on TV last night. It was very pleasant and I missed my kids, who are spread out all over the country. I once asked my GED class in school what country we won our independence from. Their eyes darted back and forth, sneaking glances at each other for clues, and they offered no answer. I finally said What language are we speaking? Then they came up with English, but still didn't really make the connection. Now my class is very basic, but I can't help but think the same hesitancy might happen in a regular education high school. History is not a favorite subject with the young folks, but I raised my own kids differently. When I once told my class the British came back after the Revolution and burned down the White House - well, that got a rise out of them quickly. WHAT??? they said indignantly. Quite frankly, I don't know why the English even tried to hold on to those bothersome colonials. But then, it took a thousand trees to build an English war ship, and North America had trees from sea to shining sea. All those years of "benign neglect" produced some very independent and testy colonists, who didn't want to be told what to do or how to do it. I think King George was better rid of them, and, as a consolation prize, he still had the Canadian trees.