Fourth of July Family and Freedom🇱🇷

 

 

 

As I look back on our little Fourth of July celebration I think mostly of how quiet and peaceful it was. It was a raging hot day in Northern New Hampshire. It was unusual to have less car traffic zooming by our home but nice to have some quiet. Probably many people traveled away for the holiday or stayed put for a cook out, like we did.

 

It was a day of family and food, of course!  It was nothing fancy or booming spectacular like many Americans indulge in, but that’s okay with me! A morning of reflection and sunshine was well needed. My husband left briefly to tend to a neighborhood pool, as I set my fine blue Willow plates out on our outside table. I thought of using paper plates for our cook out but immediately decided that it was a special occasion and why not use the fine dishes?

 

 

 

Dylan and his sweet girlfriend Lexie arrived just before noon. With cold raspberry lemonade in hand and a cold beer for my husband, we walked the yard with Lexie’s dog Nugget. He was fascinated with this new place and smelled every inch of it! It was great having a dog around, as we just have cats and they stay inside.

 

The young men and Lexie played a quiet non competitive game of croquet. Nugget rested in the cool shade of the picnic table. Tom worked the grill with a beer in tow, as I finished up cooking our corn on the cob. As Tom joked about how a deer ate my garden, He said, ” Well, there he is right now!” Lexie and I thought he was joking and laughed giddily but when we looked, there was a pristine deer crossing the road from our pond. It was so peaceful and was meant to share in our day! 

 

We all sat at the table with the hot sun cooking us as we ate. It was so steamy hot that the butter on the butter dish melted instantly and we all laughed that it would spread easier now! Cheeseburgers and black bean burgers charred from the grill, macaroni salad, German potato salad ( the first time I made it and it was delicious!), pickles, chips, fresh fruit salad were all on the menu. A big part of July Fourth parties is the scrumptious food, so we ate with vigor  and it was all so good! 

 

 Dylan and Lexie left to go for a hike. An afternoon of leisure and naps were upon us. Later we hopped into the car and rode to Bretton Woods to see the fireworks. In recent years the Mount Washington Hotel put them off but we think that may have been Saturday and this display was separate. We sat in camp chairs by the side of a busy road watching red, white and blue fireworks paint the sky. With a few crackling pops and splashes of vivid color, it was over within minutes. 

Long gone are neighborhood parties where we lounged all day or floated in the pool. I  brought my crockpot brimming with chili and our family stayed for night fireworks and a fire at Tom’s sister’s house. Although we all miss those fun times and reminisce about them, this  celebration was still symbolic of our freedom. A quiet day was simple, yet meaningful. It was a day to remember everything that is great about our country, land of the free and brave. America isn’t perfect nor its politicians, but it’s home, my home and I feel blessed to be here.

 

All My Best,

Heart and Soul 🇱🇷❤️