Happy Fourth of July!

I've always loved the Fourth of July. Growing up the holiday was a really big deal for my family. Dad was an aficionado of parades and our town had a huge July 4th parade.  After that, our neighborhood always got together for a picnic, swimming, games, tons of food, and back then the trees were small enough we could sit in the yard when it got dark and see our town's fireworks without having to fight the crowds.

I still like the day, though it isn't like it used to be. I still like a good parade, but since Dad died, I've found that no one else does and I can't ever get anyone to go. We took our kids and grandkids a few years back and there was so much complaining..."It's hot. I'm thirsty. I'm hungry. How much longer? I'm bored." Our youngest grands have never been to the parade. I'd love to take them, but there is no way I can handle all that walking right now.

The neighbors have died, grown up, and moved away. They've been replaced by new people who are probably very nice, but it's not a "family" anymore and everyone is busy with their own thing.

This year is particularly challenging. Watching the news and the election shenanigans makes it hard to be proud of our country right now. It can sometimes seem like we've all gone off our rockers. Then my mom announced she and my stepdad would not be getting together to picnic as she scheduled a colonoscopy for July 4 and will be prepping for it on the 4th.

Today Tim stayed home from work saying he thought he had the flu. I asked our daughter to check in on him since I had to work. She called me later in the morning to say they were at the ER. I guess she really pushed him and got him to tell all he was feeling and she called his doctor. They told her to take him to the ER. She said he was not looking very good and they were thinking it was either a kidney infection or sepsis. Yikes! I got permission to leave work and headed to the hospital.

Three hours later, after all the tests came back negative and the sonogram and chest x-ray didn't show anything, they said they were going to give him an antibiotic and ibuprofen and send him home. Basically, they don't know what's wrong with him. They said he's "presenting" like he has an infection but nothing is showing up. They sent a culture to the lab to see if bacteria grows in it, but said it's also possible he has a viral infection and it has to run its course. He's mostly been sleeping since he came home.

Obviously, we aren't going to be doing any partying. Our daughter and her kids will be around (her husband has to work afternoon shift) so we'll throw some burgers and hotdogs on the grill, maybe swim in the pool (rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast), or I told the kids if the weather is bad we can go see a movie. Tim didn't want to see that anyway.

Friday it's back to work for both of us. Well, Tim says it is. He's insisting he has to go no matter how he feels, but that he can put his guys to work and stay in his office trailer.

Wherever you are and whatever you're doing tomorrow, I hope you have a safe and happy Fourth!