1. Often, the crackling and booming sounds of firecrackers and fireworks get underway in advance of July 4th. I am grateful that July 3rd came and went here on the west end of Cameron Avenue and I only heard one crackle and bang. I admit it: I prefer quiet, understated, even humble expressions of gratitude on the 4th of July. Within myself, on the 4th, I'll think about the USA in a way akin to silent prayer. A good time for such reflection will be when I hike the trail behind the hospital. An acoustic blues guitarist, John Kelley, will be playing at the park in the afternoon. I might ride my bicycle over and listen to him. But, I might stay home and write and enjoy the freedom assured us by the First Amendment and listen to music. As dusk approaches and as the Silver Valley sky reverberates with the rocket's red glare and bombs bursting in air, I'll close up the house and be with Charly. Last year, according to my blog, she trembled for three and a half hours during the evening of the 4th of July, and, unless she's lost some hearing over the last year, I expect much the same this year.
2. I spent the day freshening up my material existence here at home. I laundered my bedding, got caught up laundering my clothes, cleaned up the kitchen after filling four containers with more crab stock, and actually started preparing for the family dinner I will host on Sunday. I went down to the vet's office to pick up a refill for Charly's medicine and made a grooming appointment. Not long after I got home, the vet's office called to see if I could bring Charly in on Friday the 5th -- they'd had a cancellation. My answer was an emphatic, "You bet!". I made a quick trip to Yoke's and, before long, the main event of the day got underway.
3. The main event? Christy hosted a birthday party for Everett (89) and Carol (56) in hers and Everett's back yard. We had a good turnout: Laurie, Pat, Zoe, and Jason were in attendance along with family dinner regulars Carol, Paul, Christy, Everett, and me. We started the evening with a shrimp cocktail appetizer and Christy mixed the crowd a very refreshing cocktail built upon a mixture of prosecco, limoncello, mint, and a lemon slice (and maybe another ingredient or two). For dinner, Christy prepared a perfect chicken dish called Crispy Mustard-Roasted Chicken. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a chicken recipe this much. I brought over the rice salad I made on Tuesday and two fruit plates were also available. Christy baked a superb dessert: Peach Slab Pie, a la mode.
Since we had a lot of people with long histories in Kellogg present, we did a lot of reminiscing about the past in Kellogg and quite a bit of piecing together of different family trees and who lived where in the East Portland neighborhood where Pat lived as a young person and where Christy and I also lived until we moved to West Cameron in 1962.
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