American Pie....And Other Stuff

I did a lot of cooking today - for tomorrow. 

When my sister-in-law Jan, who is the host of our 4th of July food and fireworks bash,  asked me what kind of pie I was bringing, that song, American Pie, leaped into my mind. and now it is my ear worm and constant companion. 

But the answer is cherry pie and triple berry pie. Triple berry: red raspberry, blue berry and, well, blackberries. The flour and sugar were white. 

I also made brownies, because chocolate has to be at every party, and my requested potato salad. 

We'll start off the day with a parade party at a teacher friend's house, and then we'll watch the neighborhood Normandy Park Parade. Later in the day we will go to Jan's to spend the evening and watch fireworks after dark, which will be about 10:15. I'll take photos, but they will look about the same as last year's. We have a tradition now, a relatively new tradition, formed after our kids came back from Colorado to live here.  

What other stuff? 

Well, Tom's brugmansia is blooming. That's new for us. He finally broke down and bought one this spring when he found a cheap little one in a four inch pot. It grew!

Usually, around these parts, summer doesn't really start until after the rains end about the 5th of July. That is not the case this year. For the first time ever, we have zucchini ready to eat out of the garden. Does this mean we'll have mounds of it by the middle of July?

 And we have sunflowers in bloom already!

Yesterday I picked my first official summer bouquet, of dahlias, daisies and lady's mantle. 

After we got back from eating out this evening - no, I didn't cook dinner too - we hung the flag outside. Inside too. 

Now we are ready to celebrate Independence Day, independence not only from the mother country, but independence for each and every one of us who make this nation our home. As we celebrate , we should remember to honor and cherish our freedoms, and  commit ourselves anew to protecting those freedoms for all of us to enjoy now and in the future. 

Happy Independence Day! Let freedom ring!