How to decorate for Independence Day

I feel a little sorry for my parents.  Mostly because they have me for a daughter.

The day started out beautifully, with sunshine and birds chirping and little bunnies eating weeds outside my window.  Then I drove to Starbucks and ordered my usual tall brewed coffee with cream and they gave it to me for free because it is Independence Day.  Next I drove down to Oregon and picked up my parents, taking them over to my sister's and brother-in-law's house for a barbecue for which we did not need the outdoor heater.

My mother is a parade person and was feeling lost without attending one, so I whipped out my Kindle Fire and played the 4th of July Flash Mob video at the Stop & Shop in Cape Cod.  We found a couple of other  4th of July Flash Mob videos and soon we were in the right mood.  My dad got out his harmonica and played several patriotic songs.  The barbecue spilled the smoky aroma of braised steak.  Corn on the cob sizzled on the grill.

But it was on the way back to their house when I decided I really liked all the flags lining the streets.  I was just about to pull out onto the highway when I said, "Don't you like all these flags?  Doesn't it give you a good Independence Day feeling?"

"Yes, it is the way it should be," my mother said.

Naturally, I decided I should do this instructional blog, showing people of America how to decorate  neighborhoods for the 4th of July.

I rammed the car into the left lane, hung an illegal U-turn, came about helm's hard a-lee, stomped on the brake and grabbed my mother's ankle, all while both parents shrieked in dismay, clutching their seatbelts.  Finally my hand found the camera by my mother's heel and whipped it out.

"You can't stop here," my father barked from the backseat.  "You're blocking the lane.  There is no shoulder."

"Shhhhh," my mother said, glancing over her shoulder to see if we were in danger of being hit.  "She's a writer.  She can do this if she wants."

Decorating for Independence Day

So, people of America, next year, this is a very nice way to decorate for the 4th of July.  You might have to click on the picture to make it bigger.  You'll notice we are going zero miles per hour.  But it is okay because I'm a writer.

Happy Independence Day.