Posted on 07/04/2008 4:41:26 PM PDT by snugs
What does Independence Day mean to you ?
Does it mean the same as it did when you were a child or is it difference now?
What if anything did you do today connected with the holiday? Or have you plans for the weekend?
Do you think that the average American really understands the importance of the holiday or the real meaning and struggle behind it?
Happy 4th July and let us not forget that for some including some singles this will be a sad time as it brings home the fact that they are alone and have no one really special to share it with. If you are one of these people please feel free this weekend to join us here and share with us.
Well today is also my Mom’s birthday. Like Jack Benny, she turns 39 today. :)
For the 11th time I ran in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta GA. WHich might explain why I took a nap this afternoon. LOL!
I just finished read "1776" so Indpendence Day does have a special meaning. Although for he USA 1776 was actually a pretty rough year. Alot of conservatives might chide the American public that what they really love is not independence but rather they love security. THey want to government to take care of them they don't want real independence. A perfect example of this is the majority of people wanting to keep social security that way it is. True independence would be something different.
When I was a kid I was actually afraid of fireworks. I'm OK with it now.
As an aside here in Atlanta alot of the military people were passing thru the Atlanta airport on their way to Afghanistan and they showed on the newscasts the people at the airports applauding them as they left.
RIP Heath Ledger!
Patriot was actually the last movie I ever saw at a movie theatre. I also have the DVD.
Maybe people have complained because it shows that towns really appreciate their service people and support our troops. I in fact did not even realise such parades were actually being held. Sometimes a church service is held at well.
Ate hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, cole slaw, and blackberry cobbler.
I'm about to make some more iced tea in a few minutes.
Now waiting for fireworks. I don't leave home as I can see them from where I live.
We had beautiful weather today. No worry at all of rain on the fireworks.
It is nice to have a holiday on a Friday like this.
I used today as an excuse to get my popcorn maker out and pop some corn.
I then ate 3 small bowls and smoke salmon sandwich for lunch and then was too full to eat my evening meal.
I have the DVD also. Saw movie at theater three times
I get to the movies “a little more” than you do (like 3 times last week!)
I dont do TV but more than make up on sitting on butt time with cinema attendance.
Tonight I am shocked that the Braves have demoted Jeff Francoeur. I wonder if he will really be back. Talk about how you never know what will happen. This reminds me of the old adage - be nice to the people on the way up because you'll be seeing them on the way down.
It's means alot more now, as a kid I had the perception that once a ppl are independent and free it stays that way. Wrong, and that there are many ways one can lose their freedom.
Nothing big planned, though I did look up some info for some WWII veterans who aren't online.
I think many Americans do not understand the importance of the holiday. If they did they would become more active in their govt.
It is up to us to fight the excessive spending and taxes forced on us now a days. But most Americans just accept it. They don't realize that you have to fight hard like the founding fathers did, and often have to sacrifice.
***What does Independence Day mean to you ?
Does it mean the same as it did when you were a child or is it difference now?
What if anything did you do today connected with the holiday? Or have you plans for the weekend?
Do you think that the average American really understands the importance of the holiday or the real meaning and struggle behind it?***
“What does Independence Day mean to you?”
Birth of the greatest nation that God ever gave to mankind.
“Does it mean the same as it did when you were a child or is it difference now?”
It is as different today as is Christmas. As a child Christmas was about great food and presents. Today I understand the true meaning of both holidays and celebrate them accordingly.
“What if anything did you do today connected with the holiday?”
I pulled out my copy of the declaration and read it (again) and plan to reread the constitution tomorrow.
“Do you think that the average American really understands the importance of the holiday or the real meaning and struggle behind it?”
The average American could name for you the last five winners of American Idol but could not name for you 5 signers of the Declaration.
I heard that about Francoeur when I was listening to the Giants game this afternoon. Didn’t give much in the way of circumstances as to why he got sent down....
I thought I’d share this video with the thread at large. This is about a 3 1/2 min. video of me reading to my nephew Tryston. I’m reading a passage from “The Dangerous Book for Boys” and specifically the section about girls. :) Enjoy!
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=36190326
Love your video .. thanks for posting the link
Plus, July 8th, when the Declaration was first read to the public and celebrated, that’s also my birthday, I turn 42 this year. One interesting fact, my best friend and grade school buddy, his birthday is today.
His batting averge keeps getting closer and closer to .200 or the so-called Mendoza line. And they sent him down to Double A.
Down to AA from the majors? Ouch.
Talking of birthday’s today is my friend’s Phil’s ex wife birthday.
Mine is tomorrow but it’s really just another day to me.
Back in ‘04 or so, the Giants had a reliever named Tyler Walker who was our closer for a good portion of that season. (This was after Robb Nen retired and Tim Worrell signed as a FA with the Phillies). He not only blew more saves than he converted, he went all the way down to San Jose—which is one of the Single A teams (!) in the Giants organization.
He made it all the way back to the parent club this year, which is fine by me as long as it’s not as the closer. The Giants over the past several seasons took a good year or so off my life.
No problem. He was getting a little restless after watching his grandma and mom walk by in that 4 minute span so after I read that to him I handed him off to his mom (my sister) and everything was okay. :)
Worrell may retire soon anyway, since he and Nen are about the same age. All the down to Class A? That’s a career killer unless he is under 25. The Indians are doing the same thing to me after the Twins lit them up like the 4th of July today(ok, bad pun.)
I couldn’t believe we took 2 of 3 from the Tribe in Cleveland at the tail end of Interleague Play. That’s been a free fall, I’m not sure if Minnesota is for real yet in that division though.
Me either, ALCS last year to this, but that’s just how the game is up there in Cleveland.
Walker also hasn’t hit his 30th birthday yet, and we brought him up way too quickly. Unlike more efficiently run baseball franchises, we find things out by trial and error. :(
I’ll only be 26 tomorrow and I always wanted to play in the majors, but physical size(or lack thereof)and past health meant it wasn’t in the cards. Plus, there’s only a 1-in-something chance of making it anyway.
I went shooting this morning, which seems very appropriate given the holiday. My shooting buddy and I took a newbie from work and introduced him to pistol and rifle shooting. Hopefully he came away with a positive impression of guns and gun owners. After that it was backyard BBQ with my brothers family and setting off some safe but illegal (in California) fireworks in the driveway. Happy 4th all!
Does a particular food remind you of the 4th July weekend?
What other food reminds you of other events some national celebrations others private family ones?
If you have the choice would you celebrate an event by a physical activity or do you prefer a quiet meal or gathering of friends either formal or informal?
What fruit and vegetables do you associate with time of the year and what are your favourites.
Happy Birthday!
I shot a lot more when I was younger than I do now. My Dad had the theory many moons ago that something like trap/skeet/or sporting clays shooting was the best way to get a novice into shooting.
My main problem was my vision and that I’m cross-eyed—or at at least it was noticed that I was cross-eyed when I shoot. I’m right handed, but I couldn’t use my left eye very effectively when I shot. Couple that with the fact I either wore glasses or contacts and I always had problems.
Thanks. :)
At least you didn’t bunt in a slow-pitched softball game like...um, somebody I know did. :)
(Look, it’s slow pitch, nobody was expecting me to move runners over, especially when the runners and fielders were inebriated out of their minds. Sometimes strategy works in slow pitched softball!)
LOL, whoops. I played lots of baseball as a kid, ending in a summer of Little League when I was 11. After that things just sorta fell apart.
Definitely watermelon for summer fruit. I love it. I probably eat my weight in watermelon every summer. Honeydew melon and cantaloupe, too. Strawberries. I could live on summer fruits.
Corn on the cob, bbq ribs, burger and hot dogs are all 4th of July foods to me.
As for other holidays, growing up we always had polish sausage with Easter (in addition to ham) because my grandma loved it. One year my mom didn’t make it and my brother and I were just appalled! LOL “It’s not Easter without polish sausage!” My mom put it back on the menu the following year.
1) I suppose being English I would immediately think of the stereotype foods such as burgers and hot dogs. However when I decided yesterday to have some American type food I choose to pop some corn and have BBQ spare ribs.
2) Immediately comes to mind Turkey and Christmas Pudding for Christmas and rich fruit cake for birthdays.
3) For me a quiet meal at the local Indian or Italian restaurant though I do enjoy the ocassional BBQ on a warm summer's day.
4) My favourite summer fruit and vegetables are (in no particular order) Strawberries Raspberries Apricots Greengages Goooseberries cherries Marrow Peas in the pod British new potatoes
We don't have too many of those here in Idaho, unfortunately.
I ended up moving to a very tiny, provincial town when I was 13 and that ended my own baseball career. (Although puberty didn’t really help matters much). :(
Do boysenberries grow at all in your neck of the woods snugs? We have them up in the mountains out here. Boysenberry pie and jam/jelly is some amazing stuff!
We moved to the dungeon called Youngstown later that year, and that was it for me. My physical health was failing anyway so that was the end of that.
I never had boysenberries but where I grew up we had blackberry bushes in the woods. I used to bring them to my grandmother to bake with.
Yes - hot dogs, watermelon, potato salad. I went vegan earlier this year and hadn't had any veggie hot dogs yet. I found some that taste very good and really satisfied my yen for a hot dog on the 4th.
What other food reminds you of other events some national celebrations others private family ones?
When I was young, we got oranges and nuts in our stockings. This would have been one of the few times during the year that we would have had nuts. We would get a few more oranges during the year, but not as often as apples. I put oranges and nuts in my son's stocking until he asked me why I did that, and to stop - he could get all the oranges and nuts he wanted all year. There was nothing special about them at Christmas. I thought it was sad in a way. It is nice that we can have almost anything we want, whenever we want it, but it is sad that there's nothing special anymore.
If you have the choice would you celebrate an event by a physical activity or do you prefer a quiet meal or gathering of friends either formal or informal?
I'd like to get out more, but it never seems to work out that way. : (
What fruit and vegetables do you associate with time of the year and what are your favourites.
Watermelon, mostly, then strawberries. The cherries were very high this year and I didn't buy any. I think they're gone now.
Something tells me he wasn’t listening...
My brother has that book...it occurs to me that perhaps I’d better take a look at it before he goes much further!
As for the advice on women, it’s interesting. I would never restrict myself to just one joke, though. I’m pretty good at off-the-cuff humor, but then, I’ve never experimented with the effects feminine attraction might have on it...
Thanks for getting the thread, Snugs. I had two internet outages this week, for a combined total of nearly 3 days without internet. Inconceivable!
Most things to me now aren’t as big a deal to me as they were when I was a kid. It’s strange that most kids want to be grown-up, and most grown-ups want to recapture childhood again. When I was little, I couldn’t WAIT for Christmas to arrive, and I think that’s what made it so special. Being able to wait decrease the specialness of it all now.
I can’t say that I spent my 4th in a very significant way. It was rather dreary, which was okay by me. I slept in and spent part of the afternoon cleaning my room up to my satisfaction (including cleaning up the crystallized urine out from under the bed...darn cat) and listening to several Phil Collins albums. I rather like his jazzy sad-sounding tunes.
The food is usually key, of course. Grilled burgers and hot dogs all around, although I find that I like the hot dogs better. Chips are a must, and a recent staple of our Independence Day meal has been a fruit salad concoction my mother makes which has cantaloupe, banana, strawberry and blueberry fruit salad, with marshmallows and creme. The cream topping is all-white, and then blueberries and strawberries make for a field of stars and stripes. I used to HATE strawberries, I’m rather startled to find they’re good now. I still hate cantaloupe, though.
I’ll admit I wasn’t thinking regal thoughts about our military or our founding fathers. Perhaps I should have done more towards that end. I wore a flag shirt, and made sure to put our flag out, but otherwise, I was trying to keep myself occupied.
And yeah, I agree with your last sentence. Sometimes I feel like finding a friendship and then a relationship will be the sweetener that affects every single thing in life, and makes it how it should be.
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