July 6 2024
Each
of us, in our own way, smiles on the Fourth of July. We can’t
help it. We are
the most fortunate citizens of any nation in the world and we
know it.
A bunch of us
in the valley will be down on
the sidewalk watching the parade go by. The bands are nice.
The horses are
great fun to watch, and the military with their stunning stout
vehicles of war
are hard to beat. So are we. We’re hard to beat, too.
My favorite
part of the parade is when the
kids walk by, with a small American flag in one hand and the
end of a leash in
the other. And that leash is attached to a dog. Not a world
champion dog. Not
even a dog who trees ‘coons or points birds.
No, that is the
great American kids’ dog.
Look at each one. The crowd kinda boogers them a little, but
they know they’re
safe because they have that wonderful American kid safely on
the other end of
that leash. Those dogs can’t speak to us in our language, but
we know exactly
what they’re saying: if it weren’t for me, how would this kid
ever become a
full-fledged caring American adult?
We all must do our
share.
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Brought to you by “Whimsy
Castle,” the latest novel by Slim Randles. Buy one for the
lady down the
street, too, okay?