July 4th Past and Present: Remember to Cut the Grass!

~ snakesinthegrass2014
I had just ONE job!

Put on your party hats, kiddies. It’s time to stuff our faces and be patriotic.

We’re in the middle of an extended Fourth of July holiday weekend right now in the U.S. The actual holiday isn’t until Tuesday, but that isn’t stopping my email box from filling up with messages about closures and operating hours from all sorts of entities. So far I’ve heard from my bank, my mutual fund, our public library, and also the management staff of our condo association. Even our dentist got into the act. In his case I’m betting it’s more about self-preservation: he wants enjoy some time off without one of us interrupting his own holiday over something as trivial as a bottom molar. Corn on the cob anyone?

Traditionally the Fourth of July is a day to celebrate the great outdoors. Well, if your idea of the outdoors is the backyard. This is when we all collectively acknowledge that in spite of our many differences, we can bond over the grilling of steaks, burgers, chickens, and hot dogs. It’s also a day for buckets of beer to be consumed, which helps to explain why so many people later get sick to their stomachs, not necessarily from the beer, but instead because they became so tipsy that they left the potato salad out in the sun.

The hot dog, by the way, is particularly dubious choice. The other 364 days of the year it never interests me. No matter the promises of Hebrew National, I’m never quite confident about what goes in those babies. All of those worries disappear on July 4th, though. For me, the Independence Day hotdog is a required delicacy, completely slathered with mustard, onions and relish, and hopefully at least 25% of it charred from the coals. You might prefer yours differently, I don’t know or care. Just don’t mess with mine.

My family always enjoyed backyard picnics on the Fourth. It was an opportunity for my dad to prove that his uncovered charcoal grill, which always sat exposed to the elements twelve months of the year, didn’t need replacing in spite of the fact that its legs were now rusted and supported only by grit and denial. On the day prior, he would use a little elbow grease with steel wool pads to scrub the cooking surface, and then follow that up by hosing it all down. Ditto for our ancient picnic table back then, which I can still see from the old pictures has bathroom hand towels covering its benches to hide whatever might have concerned my mom.

Although we saw our cousins throughout the year, and Thanksgiving was always the favored get-together, the summer backyard feasts were always the most fun. Free to roam around outside, jump on bikes, etc., there was more spontaneity involved. The adults generally lost track of us, which I suppose also speaks to a period where kids generally could wander unsupervised for a couple of hours without fears of abduction.

Your humble blogger on the right, horsing around outside with his cousin David.

As I got older, I began to assume lawn duties. I absolutely hated mowing that backyard. In fact it only took about 20 minutes to complete, but it always felt like two hours. I desperately needed the Walkman, Diskman, iPhone, and earbuds that hadn’t yet been invented. I’m pretty sure Dad later went over everything I did because I tended to forgot to overlap my cutting passes, which then resulted in habitual grass strips sticking up after I finished.

There are so many reasons why I now live in a condo.

Ah yes, the electric Sears Kenmore percolated coffee maker. Certainly not considered “vintage” at the time.

I’m also seeing those open windows in the back of our house in that July afternoon. My parents didn’t get central air until sometime in the eighties. The summer temperature was felt both inside and out. We had portable fans blowing on us in the living room during the evenings when we gathered to watch TV. I can still remember my dad shooting me a look of pique after I deigned to speak over the roar of those fan blades, and him missing dialogue spoken on whatever show was airing at that very moment. The horror!

I was never one for going to fireworks. I later lived in Washington, DC for twenty years and never once ventured to the Capitol Mall to see the annual Fourth of July spectacle. I hated crowds then and I still do. But back in the sixties and seventies, we did enjoy lighting sparklers. Every year I somehow managed to singe a finger or thumb with them, and amazingly in hindsight my mother still allowed them to be lit each summer. She somehow had faith in me.

Fast forward to today, St. Augustine’s fireworks are mostly viewable from our screened-in patio. We can’t see all of them, but the highest ones, including the grand finale, are always easy to “ooh” and “ahh” from the comfort of our outdoor furniture. This year, my eighties celebrity crush Belinda Carlisle will be one of the stars featured on PBS’s “A Capitol Fourth,” and I’ll do my best to ignore Gorgeous’ watchful eye on me during her performance.

However YOU celebrate this year, please stay safe, wear some sunscreen, don’t over-indulge, and do remember to cut the grass. Amidst all the hoopla, it’s good to remember that we’re celebrating our nation’s independence. And to our friends just across the pond, no hard feelings right?

Until next time…

33 thoughts on “July 4th Past and Present: Remember to Cut the Grass!”

  3. LOL to that martini on the grill – the answer to why it’s there is so obvious: close at hand and easy to reach between flips of various proteins! Dodging the occasional fire flareup counts as exercise, as do the flips, ya know?
    😉
    Cousins, holidays (and spumoni) go hand-in-hand in remembrance of times past for me, too!
    Happy 4th to you and Gorgeous!

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  4. OMG! The photos. They could be of my family. We had that percolator in the same color! Our family get together was yesterday. It’s the last time I’m hosting. It’s a lot of work. Today I am all nostalgic. Not sure if it’s too much sugar or the margaritas or just missing my family members who have passed. We can’t see fireworks but we’ll sure be able to hear them! Enjoy the 4th and get that martini before it blows up!

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    1. As you usually do, Kate, I think your writing about your get together was the impetus for this post. I was aware of your planning for it, and it made me think of the gatherings we had when I was growing up. I’m glad yours went off well, and I’m looking forward to reading about it (I was too busy preparing this one to read anyone else’s posts today!). You’re right: that martini needs to be removed from the coals already. 😆

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  5. Great memories and accompanying pics, Marty. My 4th of Julys were from the 50s and early 60s, but your trip down memory lane brought them all back. Our neighborhood gatherings were usually at the local beach, but the food and sparklers sure were the same. Such seemingly carefree days. Happy 4th of July!

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  6. Hi Marty. I’m a big fan of fireworks. My wife and I went to a pre-4th fireworks display last night on the Philadelphia waterfront. We watched from the river’s edge, as close to the action as you can get. It was great, one of the best I’ve ever seen. Take care. Neil

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  7. Wonderful pictures of those old family backyard gatherings. Your post brought me lots of smiles – from your humor and my own summer memories. So many of us have similar memories. And yes, that was a time when kids were told to go outside and play. It didn’t matter where we went, just be home when the street lights came on. Growing up, we went to the VP Fair to watch the fireworks by the St. Louis Arch. My dad wouldn’t pay to park, so it seemed we walked for miles. Afterwards, we didn’t have to worry about traffic by the time we got back to the car. Now, while we have a traditional house, there’s no grass for us either (shrubs in front and in the small side yard, no back yard – alley) except for the small strip between the sidewalk and the street. It’s amazing how long we can actually let that go. My husband’s son used to run when he cut the grass growing up. He hated it and wanted to get it done fast. He doesn’t have grass to cut now either. As far as hot dogs go, I’ll take the occasional one at Costco for $1.50. Happy fourth of July, Marty! Just be sure not to burn that martini!

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    1. Oh, you made me laugh with that anecdote about your dad and parking, Betty. My dad was the same. That generation didn’t believe in parking fees for events (who could have blamed them?!). I remember my dad taking me down to a Tiger’s game in Detroit when I was growing up, and he would park in the neighborhood around the stadium. I wasn’t fearful of our safety back then because there were plenty of people about, but I did think he was nuts that he thought his car would still be there later. Or the wheels! On our last ball game together after I moved away, I drove and we paid for parking at a staffed lot. He didn’t say anything. 😆

      Great memories we all have thankfully. Have a happy Fourth!

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  8. So many childhood memories flooded in while looking at your photos! So classic.

    We can see 4 – 5 firework displays from our deck but they are far enough away that the booms aren’t too bad (I was the kid plugging her ears when I was young… okay, I still do).

    Your martini – grilled, not stirred – looks like a great way to celebrate the 4th!

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    1. lol. “Grilled, not stirred.” You win for the best comment on that silly picture, Janis! 😆 Yes, isn’t it funny how old family pictures, even those of other people, can touch the memory banks? I’m amazed by that myself. Glad I was able to do that for you. Happy Fourth!

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  9. So, Laurie said try the reader, and here I am commenting. I love the photos and the memories they invoke of a simpler time when kids could disappear for a couple of hours and it didn’t result in a an Amber Alert. I like the idea of sitting in your own comfy outdoor chair watching the fireworks. It sure beats finding a parking space and dragging a chair. I hope the show is spectacular.

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    1. Ah yes, the faithful Reader. That is a way around WP’s ridiculous snags.

      The photos were fun to find and scan. I sent them to all my sisters and they all commented on the bathroom hand towels covering the picnic table bench. 😅

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      1. Our ancestors were resourceful folks and used what they had rather than run out to a store and look for new sets of stuff. I remember my grandparents having this big ugly green thermos that held about a gallon of liquid which was usually Kool Aid. Remember drinking that? Love those photos.

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  13. I enjoyed this so much. Brought back memories, although I can’t think of one time that my dad grilled. Huh, Just realized that in our household, no BBQing occurred. But lots of 4th of July get togethers and picnics and fun fun fun for us kids. Catching lightning bugs, playing flashlight tag, eating lots of potato salad. No AC for us either, but we just figured that’s the way summer is. Smiled at your note that you live in a condo for a reason. My brother got to mow the lawn – my job was to pick the weeds out of the brick patio. I thought he had the better job.

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    1. Ha, he may have had the better job. I hated pulling weeds! So funny everyone had different traditions. I can’t think of one time that we caught lightning bugs and played flashlight tag. I want a do over! 😆. Hope your summer is going well, Pam!

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      1. Interestingly, no lightning bugs here this summer. (If there were, I would still catch one, but I wouldn’t put it in a bottle, I’d catch and release). 🙂 I read that there are much fewer of them because of climate change. Sad. Okay, I have to go outside and pull some weeds. 🙂

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  14. Your memories and photos of July 4th are great, nostalgic, but in a good way. I am instantly reminded of watermelon and s’mores when I think back on the Independence Days of my youth. Lots of lightning bugs and those webbed folding outdoor chairs, too. Never liked fireworks, either.

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  15. I enjoyed reading your reflections on July 4th past and present. You have a great way of weaving humor and nostalgia into your writing. I could relate to your memories of celebrating Independence Day as a kid and as an adult. I also liked your perspective on the current state of the country and the world. You made some valid points and observations. I agree that we should appreciate what we have and do our best to make things better. And yes, don’t forget to cut the grass! Thank you for this thoughtful and amusing article.

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