Memories of July 4th

The fireworks they sell nowadays can’t hold a candle to the fireworks I remember as a kid. We had the good stuff, even if it meant driving across state lines to buy fireworks that were illegal in our state.

My earliest memories of fireworks were watching my older brother, and older neighborhood kids have all the fun. I enjoyed watching the dazzling showers of sparks, but the loud noises hurt my ears. They seemed to be having fun, though. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to participate. That seems to be a running theme of childhood — waiting to become old enough to do things.

When I was old enough to get in on the action, I was restricted to the fireworks deemed safe for “kiddies.” The first ones I tried were snap caps, which were the little white balls with tails you threw on the ground. I got to twirl around sparklers and light smoke bombs that spewed different colored smoke. I would light those black pellets that turned into snakes on the sidewalk or driveway. There were cool to watch, but the wind blew them away quickly and they gave off a horrible stench. The snakes left nasty black marks on the sidewalk, and the adults were none too pleased.

I eventually graduated to lighting larger and more powerful fireworks under supervision. We used a punk — a thin stick that resembled incense that stayed lit at the end. This allowed us to keep more distance…