There’s a very good chance that tomorrow is going to be a noisy night. Depending on what sort of person you are you will either be outside admiring the pretty fireworks or hunkered down inside with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Then again, maybe you’re someone like me who, when it comes to fireworks, can take them or leave them.
If you’re a dog, you probably really detest fireworks, and if you are a dog and you are reading this, then consider me very, very impressed. Of course, if you’re an owner of a fireworks-hating canine you have my full sympathy. My parents’ golden retriever Winston hated fireworks and thunder as many dogs do. When the sky started booming he would go immediately into the bathroom, climb into the tub, and just stand in there waiting out the scariness.
This would happen even if he wasn’t at home. One time when my grandfather got rushed to the hospital suddenly my family all went down to visit and stay at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The one night there was a thunderstorm, and Winston found the bathtub and climbed in. As it happens my uncle got up in the middle of the night to pee and as he was standing there in the bathroom he heard the sound of heavy breathing. A bit alarmed, he peeked behind the shower curtain to see an 85-pound golden retriever standing there panting.
My dog Jack was scared and freaked out by many, many things. Chief among them was strangers touching him. Vet visits were an absolute nightmare. Weirdly one thing that didn’t trouble him at all was thunderstorms or fireworks, that is, the sky booms didn’t bother him at all until he was much older and lost his hearing. Then he became absolutely terrified of them. I don’t believe he ever climbed into the bathtub, but if he was home alone when the sky started to explode he would proceed to the bathroom and shut himself inside it. I guess there’s something about a bathroom that makes a dog feel safe.
We do not personally buy and shoot off any fireworks here. I mean, first of all it’s illegal in New Jersey. (Not that you would know this from our neighbors.) Second of all, while I might not be scared of the sounds of fireworks like many dogs, I am not a huge fan of having close physical contact with fiery exploding things. They are not especially safe, just ask any emergency room staff who has ever worked a Fourth of July shift.
When I was a kid I remember my parents giving us lit sparklers to hold and ooh and ahh over on July 4th. I was nervous about even those sparking sticks. They’re safer than fireworks, for sure, but also once my mom nearly set our dining room table on fire when she decided to stick some of those sparklers on top of a birthday cake. The scorched tablecloth remained in their linen closet for years.
So, however you will be celebrating Independence Day I urge you to be careful. Maybe just observe the fireworks from afar instead of getting up close and personal with them, and learn from Mom’s mistake and absolutely do not use sparklers indoors. I wish you all a safe and happy Fourth of July!
— Alissa
Weekly Inspiration
What I’m Reading: Finding a Likeness: How I Got Somewhat Better at Art by Nicholson Baker
What I’m Watching: Raising Hope
What I’m Listening to: “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” – Bruce Springsteen
Find out more about my books at alissagrosso.com
Find out more about my digital art at alissacarin.com
My apologies for the typos and such this post is almost certainly riddled with.
Creativity and Contentment 
8 responses to “Happy Sky Boom Day”
Yup, folks aren’t always playing with a full deck around the Fourth. Read a newspaper story this morning about a rocket scientist up in Fort Kent who let his kids ignite sparklers inside the house and it burned flat. Probably why personal possession of tactical nukes is generally frowned upon. Happy Fourth. We’ll be enjoying family at my sister Kate’s cottage in Harpswell.
My cousin just got married in Harpswell. Alas, I wasn’t able to make it up for that celebration. Hope you have a beautiful weekend!
Ahh the memories! 😬😳😱Hope everyone has a safe holiday! 🎆
Relate well to this. I can take or leave fireworks. Mostly I leave them. I can see a few from my condo patio from local display. Not too loud. Not too close. Thx for the short fun informative essays. I read somewhere we just want to get to know each other. Like friendly neighbors. That’s what personal essays do. That’s how I started writing. Personal essays which I began to sell. Lots of fun. BW
You’re always so kind! I hope it’s a nice holiday for you!
They don’t mix well with alcohol !
Ain’t that the truth!
I can certainly relate to a dog during this time. As a kid, the sound hurt my ears. No matter how deep I stuck my fingers in my ears , the sound still hurt. To counteract this, I would hum a song out loud that corresponded when the “boom” would go off. Unfortunately, the song was not Independence Day associative. Jingle Bells was my go to anthem Something about that tune would offset the rumbling.
I can take it or leave it now for fireworks. I no longer need to hum anything , as I’m can’t hear half the time anyway. But that’s from my teen years of blasting my stereo in my room and the car.
Hope everyone has a safe and joyous 4th!!!