Memories of the Fourth of July as a child were anything but elaborate……being in the supermarket business, my father usually worked late and we lived in “the boonies”, well away from any festivities…nevertheless, it was still exciting – my sister and I were thrilled just to light the traditional sparklers once it was dark outside, then in our ‘baby doll pajamas’ to watch the patriotic show and fireworks on TV.  Ginger loved patriotic music, and while she could not carry a tune to save her life, she would always sing ‘God Bless America” – absolutely hilarious!! In later years, my parents bought a condo on Kennebunk beach in Maine, which was 4th of July on steroids!!! Everything was red, white and blue, she and my dad often wore red, white, and blue and their deck overlooked the beach that had the fireworks display……the sparkler tradition lived on with my own children, and they, too were always dressed in the traditional colors….. dinner was usually lobster and steamers at a local family restaurant followed by strawberry shortcake and blueberry pie  – while I make a great blueberry pie, it would not be ‘Ginger approved’  because I use a Pillsbury pie crust (it’s easy and tastes yummy!)…..she always made her crust from scratch from Crisco (dry, heavy)….sorry mom!

Aside from the joy of being with family, my favorite part of the 4th is the patriotic music – I love the sing-a-longs, and I like ’em loud! The ‘1812 Overture’ and ‘God Bless the USA’ give me goose bumps, ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ and ‘This Land is Your Land’ gets my hands clapping and I cry like a baby everytime at ‘God Bless America’………..I can’t wait!!!!                What’s your favorite part of the 4th of July?

Have a safe and happy holiday and God Bless America!!!!!