Saturday, May 30, 2009

Playing With Fire


When I was a kid growing up in Kansas we lived just outside the city limits so we could burn leaves, sticks, trash, have fireworks.. all those fun things you can't do in an urban area. It wasn't long though, before we were taken into the city and those things were banned. We all lit the fireworks anyway, hoping not to get caught. But it wasn't the same.

In each place I've lived since leaves were mulched or bagged, fireworks were watched from a parking lot and set off by professionals with accompanying music on the radio. Nifty titles for the events like "Go 4th" .....

Then we moved to the Michigan countryside. It's like being a kid again. Piles of leaves get burned at the curb or in yards, almost everyone has a fire pit to enjoy any evening, roasting hot dogs or just enjoying the flames with friends. Fireworks are sold in the local grocery store. Tonight as I sat on my deck I saw a brilliant display of colored light above the trees in the distance and wondered out loud who was putting on a show this early. My husband said "probably in someones backyard", and he's probably right. Our lake association puts on a wonderful fireworks show each year and after it's over backyard shows continue late into the night. It's spectacular!!

Living in the country has many benefits, and playing "safely" with fire is one.





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