The Joe's Pond Fireworks went off in spite of showers immediately preceding them. It must have been a nail biter for Don Sherwood, VP of Joe's Pond Association. I'm thinking there is some thunder out there now - so the window of opportunity was probably pretty narrow and we lucked out.

We thought the display started off incredibly slowly - but no doubt there was a reason that Northstar Fireworks people did it that way. After the first five or ten minutes of really not much excitement (in fact, I thought the fire flies were putting on a better show), the real deal got underway and it was impressive. Not only were the fireworks beautiful and plentiful - the whole show lasted longer than we'd expected. I'd have to say, "Good Show!" I hope there were lots of people watching to fully appreciate it.

I want to  mention again how important it is for people to keep their dogs on a leash or a run. Yesterday we had occasion to stop by a cottage off of Route 2 and because I was unsure of which driveway or road I needed to take, I pulled off  to the side of the highway and was immediately met by a beautiful German shepherd type dog that was very curious about our car and as I was getting ready to pull back out onto the highway, the dog circled around the car to the driver's side, obviously expecting someone to get out - but also in danger from traffic on Route 2. The best I could do was get away as quickly as possible so the dog would go back to whatever camp was home. Perhaps the dog was "street wise," but I  was very worried and wondered if he/she will make it through the summer, being on busy Route 2. Please, if you love your dog, keep it safe. There is a leash law in both Danville and Cabot, and animals should not be allowed to run free. We often hear about dogs being "lost," and that's because their owners don't pay attention to the laws and let them roam. They get confused or spooked or wander off and can get into serious trouble or worse.

This is going to be an unusual Fourth of July, but hopefully by next year everything will be back to normal, or nearly normal. Some things may never be quite the same, and some of us will be a bit skittish about crowds; and probably less likely to greet friends with a big hug. It would be nice to have the option of going to a concert, a play or roam through a store without the worry of being infected with a bad bug. I have to believe we'll be celebrating  July Fourth wholeheartedly with parades and barbecues "like normal" next year.