July Fourth Fizzle

My original plans for today involved me sharing with you our small-town Fourth of July parade. (Which is actually held on the evening of July 3, so as not to interfere with the fireworks on the Fourth. It makes complete sense, in a twisted kind of way.) The parade is Americana incarnate, complete with politicians, tractors and floats of the local YMCA kids pelting the bystanders with candy. My kids love it, naturally, and my five-year-old daughter has been looking forward to it for about three months.

Problem is, about five minutes after the kids and I had settled ourselves on a curb Tuesday night near the end of the parade route, the tornado sirens went off.

"Uh-oh," I thought to myself. "That's not a good sign."

And sure enough, five minutes later, the police drove by and announced that there was a tornado warning for our county, so the parade was canceled and everyone should "seek shelter."

My daughter, bless her heart, managed to help me pick up the blanket and our picnic basket before bursting into tears.

So, in memory of happier times, let me share a few pictures of last year's parade. Because there's nothing like being in a small town for the Fourth of July.

The kid waiting for the parade to begin.
















Our son may have had too much candy.
















































Our daughter, doing the "girl thing" (which is, looking cute and not as hyper as her brother). Please notice the myriad of tractors in the background.





















One final touch of Americana.





















Before I make y'all feel too sorry for us, last night's fireworks made up for the lack of a parade. So it was a happy Fourth after all. Maybe just one with a little less sugar than last year. And that's not always a bad thing.