Tuesday 4: Independence Day and more!

 

Independence Day, July 4, 1776


Happy 4th of July and a warm welcome to Tuesday 4 from the land of the free and the home of the brave!


Let's talk about the day....

1. What is your tradition for July 4th? Do you read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights?

No, we have never made it a tradition to read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights on July 4th, but I think it would be a good thing for everyone to do.  It seems as though our younger generation has no clue what either of those documents say, and it apparently is not being taught in our schools anymore, at least not correctly. So yes, it would be a good thing to begin as a new tradition if not already done.  

Regarding our own traditions....well, I know I've shared this before...our family has usually always gotten together for a cookout and also to make home-made ice-cream. This year our extended family isn't able to travel here since my brother in law recently had surgery and isn't quite ready to make the 2 hour trip to our house yet.  But yesterday (Sunday), our immediate family came here after church for a BBQ dinner...but we didn't make ice cream. It's just too HOT to be outside that long!  We are still under a heat advisory and so we are limiting outdoor activities as much as possible.  Here's some pictures from our dinner yesterday:

Our sweet kids Benton and Rose, Scott, and hubby John all waiting to fill their plates...

What started out to be just a simple grilling of hamburgers and hot dogs turned out to be quite a feast, thanks to our DIL Rose bringing potato salad, deviled eggs, fruit, and cupcakes.  I did the coleslaw (with Rose's help!) and baked beans...

And Scott grilled the burgers and hot dogs:  

Here's my plate. It was so good!  (I was trying not to overdo it, but I did end up having another hotdog...

Here's hubby and me after we finished eating, relaxing and enjoying visiting with the kids.

That's what freedom is...the ability to spend time with our family and friends and live in peace and harmony without fear of government intrusion and control of our every move. We are blessed to be able to worship God freely and openly, without fear of reprisal or retaliation by the government. Many people in this world do not have that freedom...and I pray that we will not take our freedoms for granted because there are forces out there who are trying their best to wipe out Christianity and all forms of conservative, Godly belief and choices. May we continue to stand strong and be diligent to protect these freedoms before it's too late.

Here's some memories from family celebrations in the past.

2. Does your town do it up big for the holiday?

Our little town does have a nice day in the park, with lots of activities and food, vendor booths, etc.  They culminate in an evening of fireworks out over the lakefront.   Here's the event listing for this year's activities:

Sounds like fun. We may go visit some of the activities during the day, and then we plan to watch the fireworks, but maybe from a bit of a distance so as not to get tangled up in traffic.

3. Do you fly the flag?

Always. We put our flag up every day, weather permitting.

4. Have you visited Philadelphia, Pennsylvania our first capital? What did you see there?

No, I have never visited Philadelphia.  But I was born in Clarion, Pennsylvania....does that count? However, we moved to Florida before I was six, so I never had the chance to go to Philadelphia.

Here you can hear the real liberty bell rung in Liberty Square, Philadelphia Pa.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful 4th of July celebration in some way that is special for you. 

Now for a continuation of the Bluebird Saga...  If you recall in my last post HERE a few days ago,

Bluebird couple #2 had come back to inspect Bluebird house #2 to determine if it was suitable for setting up housekeeping and preparing for their 2nd brood of babies this year.  They seemed quite taken with that house and I was certain they would be moving in right away.   Well, they seem to have had a change in plans.   You know I had told you that Bluebird couple #1 had abandoned their nest in house #1 a week or so ago, and they had not been back at all.  So, Friday evening when Rose and Benton were here for a spaghetti supper (oh, I haven't told you about that one yet...I thought we were just going to order pizza from Domino's, but Rose brought over a full spaghetti dinner instead and then we played a game of Dominoes instead of eating Domino's. LOL.)  

Anyway, Rose and I went outside to check the bird house and decided to open up house #1 and check the nest.  Sure enough, the nest had been abandoned with 3 little blue eggs still there tucked way down inside.  So we gingerly pulled out the nest and I laid it down in the garden beneath the birdhouse.  I felt really sad for the little birdies who never hatched, but either it was just too hot for them, or for whatever reason these eggs were not fertilized or some other problem.  That seems to happen more often than not with the 2nd batch of eggs, which this was for couple #1.

So, anyway, we cleaned out the birdhouse and left it alone.

The next day Bluebird couple #2 shows up supposedly ready to move into house #2.  But for some strange reason, Mr. Bluebird decided to give house #1 another look. He had looked into last week, but seeing the old nest still in there he moved on to house #2.  However now, he looked inside and found house #1 all neat and clean...and then he started calling to Mrs. Bluebird and telling her to come quickly and check out this house!!

There she goes, inside the house to check it out! All the while Mr. Bluebird is chattering away at her, telling her all the merits of this house as opposed to house #2. This house seems to be more stable, because it is attached to a metal pole and does not sway in the wind as much as house #2, which is attached to a PVC pole and is a bit more flexible.

Mrs. Bluebird came back outside and talked to her mate quite excitedly...I am sure I heard her say, "Oh I love this house so much more than the other one! It seems so much more secure, and it has so much character!  Oh, I do think we should take this house instead of the other one! What do you think, dear?"

He seemed to agree, and ever since the two of them have been bringing straw and sticks and have already started building their new nest in this house!  So I will keep you posted on further developments!  (My kids think I am a bit crazy when I start telling them how the birds talk to each other back and forth. Of course I try to talk in bird language just like they do, and the kids just shake their heads and give little looks at each other like "yep, she's losing it..."  LOL.

If you want to hear the sounds they make, click here, and turn on the video of the Bluebird singing. This sounds a lot like our bluebirds, but imagine them talking back and forth to each other like this.

Speaking of houses...I turned the page on my calendars this week since it is now July, and here is the picture found on the Thomas Kindade calendar...isn't it beautiful?

I love every detail of that picture, and would gladly choose this house if I had a choice. Love the swans and the ducks on the pond, and the bunnies on the lawn, and is that a cat on the bench? I'm not sure..., yes it is. I had to get my magnifying glass to check it out!  And I love the Bible verse up on the corner of the picture from Joshua 24:15. One of my favorites.

That is a strong statement to make in this day and time, and thankfully we still have the freedom to say it and believe it and act upon it.  I pray that the day will never come that we are forced to make a choice as to whether or not we will bow down to the "gods of this world" or to worship Almighty God. If so, may we always have the courage to say what Joshua said above, regardless of the consequences.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

In God we trust!

God bless America!

Let Freedom Ring!!

Amen.

Now let us go check out what our other friends are sharing over at Tuesday 4 for today.  

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Happy 4th of July from Lily Grace and Bailey!