It’s a grand old flag.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!! ( a day late)

Today’s Chronicle is about previous fourth of Julys.

Growing up my family would always wait in anticipation for the holiday to come. We would spend the week prepping, picking out the menu, buying new pool games, finding new decorations, we were festive! The day before the 4th, would almost be as exciting as the actual day. We would prep all the good food that we could prep the day before. Then, that night we would go to the park and go to the free concerts and activities they had going on in our town. We would get home late and sometimes stay up and watch a movie, go for a night swim in the pool, or be so exhausted we would go straight to bed.

Then the 4th came. We would start cooking early. Everything was homemade and delicious, mac n cheese, pasta salad, german potato salad ( yum!) Red hot jello, chips, brats, hot dogs, fluffy burgers, everything grilled. Then we would have some kind of ice cream and festive desserts. We would start the day as early as we could and spend it in the pool, out of the pool, lunch, go to the parade, pool, supper, pool. Then we would go to the fire works.

Now, some years were different and we would go to my uncle’s and do the same thing with his much larger pool.

Did I mention we would get in the pool?!

My husband, Jerry, tells me I’m an aquatic human, and he is right. I love swimming, and would spend all summer in the pool if I could.

There would even be times we would get home late from the fireworks and beg mom and dad to let us go for a night swim. I say beg, but they always let us. We would swim while our neighbors would have firework competitions with each other and we would watch from the pool. It was amazing.

As my siblings and I have grown up and moved out, I think the holiday has become sad for my parents. They spent every summer making sure us kids had fantastic memories, and we do! But now, as we make our own plans, live in different towns, we all feel a little lost. It’s sad that things change and everyone can’t make it places to celebrate. However, as much as I miss it, I cherish every memory of the 4th of July with my family.

” There’s a feeling comes a stealing and it sets my brain a reeling … simply sets me off my noodle it’s the patriotic something that no one else can understand!! ”

America, mom, dad, you are all grand old flags!! Thanks for the memories 🙂