The Last Sunday in June 2016

It's the last Sunday in June 2016 with four days left in the month. I have completed 18 out of the 44 stories I committed to writing this year. If I reach 22 stories in July then I will have finished half the stories. I pray that I will complete four more stories by the end of July. 

The name of the next story is The Empty Chalice which is about a woman on a quest. I think I will open the story with her walking through a forest. That is a good way to begin a story, but I could just as easily begin with her walking through the streets of a modern city where she encounters a space-time portal that takes her to another dimension. Perhaps let the portal open onto a forest or a ruined city on another planet. 

I need to finish story 19 on or before July 1 that way I will only have three stories to worry about in July. I also want to write a poem about the 4th of July, but I'm not sure how to approach it. Do I want to describe a memory from my childhood? I have a lot of memories about celebrating Independence Day with my Grandma and Grandpa Newland in Blackwell, Oklahoma. Actually we very seldom celebrated the 4th in Blackwell. Usually we went to The Lake outside of Blackwell or to Lake Carl Blackwell several miles away in another county. I'll decide before Monday, July 4, what to write about. 

Seven Ways to Celebrate Independence Day when You are Alone

1. Pray: Take time during the day to say a prayer for America. I am saying the "Prayer for America" revealed by 'Abdu'l-Baha.

2. Breakfast: Fix something different for breakfast. For instance, today I ate tilapia with watermelon, pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe, and Cole slaw. Usually I eat either an egg or cereal with almond or coconut milk.

3. T.V. News: I watched the CNN News while eating breakfast. I learned that there is a mystery about the Declaration of Independence. The mystery is "Who put the hand print on the Declaration of Independence?" This is something I need to research so that I can write a poem or include it in a short story.

4. Tradition: Practice or follow at least one family tradition during the day. Today I plan to watch "A Capitol Fourth" on PBS. This was a show my mother and I used to watch every year. I got away from the tradition after Mom died in 2012, this year I am going to restart the tradition.

5. Listen: Listen to the neighborhood noises if there are any. My neighborhood is quiet this morning, but I think it has to to with this being July 4 and everyone wants to rest up for the fireworks tonight.

6. Look: Open your blinds or curtains and look outside. There is not a lot of activity this morning. I saw one woman walking her dog and another walking east toward Eastern Avenue.

7. Write: Send a text to your friends or family wishing them a Happy 4th. Compose a blog or journal entry about the way you are celebrating the fourth. Write a short story or poem about a Fourth of July memory.

Happy Independence Day

a cloudy morning

winds blew into Las Vegas

cooler temperature

It was windy and, I thought, cold this morning. It was cooler then normal with clouds and moister. It rained in some parts of Las Vegas; however, my neighborhood did not receive rain. It rained only about 0.03 inches, which was not enough to put a damper on the fireworks displays this evening.

It will be a nice 4^th of July. It was a nice day for Mom and I. We ate hotdogs (all beef), watermelon, mustard potato salad, cherry berry pie and ice cream. Mom had a difficult morning, but her mood changed about noon and then again about 3:00 PM. I think part of the problem was Mom missing her parents. I wished Mom a Happy 4^th of July this morning and then we watched a little television. Overall, it was a nice day. It was a Happy Independence Day.

partly cloudy sky

the wind no longer blowing

fireworks for tonight

The beginning of the week and the beginning of the month

The first of July

Another coincidence

A new week begins

An interest fact about months that begin on Sunday ~ every month that begins on a Sunday has a Friday the thirteenth.

Beautiful Sunday

New beginning and new start

It is a good day

The first thing I need to do is play my Independence Day menu. Mom will be home that day, so I think we will have a traditional Fourth of July meal. I am planning to purchase hotdogs and hotdog buns, with sweet relish and mustard. I also plan to purchase a watermelon because when I was a child we always had a cold watermelon on Independence Day. I think I also want a cherry pie and potato salad.

July holidays

Independence Day fireworks

We plan to stay home

I think I will purchase an individual seedless watermelon. This type of melon is big enough for Mom and I to share without having any leftovers. I don’t mind having leftover hotdogs or hotdog buns, but I do not have room in the refrigerator for a huge watermelon. In addition, I do not want to freeze leftover watermelon, so Mom and I will each have half an individual watermelon for the Fourth of July.

Buy a cherry pie

Good memories from my childhood

Vanilla ice cream

Happy Birthday U.S.A.

It is the Fourth of July. It is Independence Day. It is the birthday of the United States of America. It is the day of parades and fireworks. It is the day of picnics and grilling.

Mom and I stayed home today. We did not eat a watermelon or grill any type of meat. If I had a grill then I would have grilled hot dogs or perhaps hamburgers. However, since I did not have a grill, I fried potatoes in the electric skillet.

The neighbors put their American flag out today. I look out my living room window and I watch the flag as it waves in a slight breeze. This morning there were clouds, but this afternoon the sky is clearing. The clouds are moving west toward the mountains. The sun is shining and it illumines the flag flying across the street.

Tonight, I will go outside and see the fireworks that the hotel-casinos set off. I may turn on the television for Mom if she does not go to bed early. It is difficult for Mom to stand outside and watch the fireworks. She does have a wheelchair, but she does not like to get out of the house. In fact, Mom usually likes to go to bed early. I think I will write a poem about the Fourth of July tonight.

Happy Fourth of July from Las Vegas

Independence Day
Happy Birthday U.S.A
Old Glory Waving

The neighbors across the street raised their flag today. Right now the wind is blowing and the Old Glory is waving. The wind has blown off and on all day, so the flag has waved part of the day. It is always nice to see the flag wave.

The Fourth of July, Hot Dogs, and Watermelon

Today I went to Smith's Food and Drug store where I bought all beef franks, sweet relish, a small watermelon, and hot dog buns. Tomorrow, on the Fourth of July, I will fix the hot dogs and cut the watermelon for lunch. I have a green salad in the fridge and a couple of bottles of salad dressing.

I associate certain foods with Independence Day because those foods were served on that day when I was a child. Normally, I do not buy hot dog buns when I purchase hot dogs. My normal method of eating a hot dog is to wrap it in a slice of bread; however, I make an exception on the Fourth of July.

As a child, I remember Grandpa grilling hot dogs and hamburgers on the Fourth. Then for desert we would have a cold watermelon from Grandpa's garden. Since I do not plant a garden myself, I have to ge my watermelon from a grocery store. One individual watermelon is enough for my mother and myself, anything larger would force me to find room in my refrigerator for leftovers.

Happy 4th of July 2009

Independence Day 2009.
Happy 4th of July
a day to celebrate
with barbecues,
parades,
fireworks lighting up the night.

I think we should start a new 4th of July tradition,
I think we should tell the story of America's Independence,
I think we need to tell our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren
about the on going struggle for Independence.

Writing a Fourth of July Poem

Istiqlál (Independence), 11 Rahmat (Mercy), 165 BE – Friday, July 4, 2008 about 10:22 AM PDT

How do I write a Fourth of July poem with out sounding trite? I have written several Independence Day poems over the years, but none of them every satisfy me. Some of them sound trite, while others do not capture the spirit of the day. I am not going to stop writing poems on the Fourth of July, but I am going attempt to plan them more, which is the theme of this entry.

There are several events in my family background and my personal history, I could use. However, I am not sure how to incorporate them in the spirit of the day. The Fourth of July is more then just an individual or family celebration. The Fourth of July is the birthday of the country in which I was born and live.

Some family history from my childhood in Blackwell, Oklahoma, I could incorporate in the poem. The three years in a row we went to Lake Carl (I think that is how you spell the name) Blackwell. The events that stand out in my mind are near fatal events that occurred to members of my family. One of my cousins pulled a skillet of hot grease off on her, when breakfast was being prepared. One of my cousins set off a Cherry Bomb and the explosion threw pebbles and sand in his eye. My brother nearly drowned because the life jacket he wore in the water failed.

Other events that standout in my mind occurred at Lake Blackwell, just outside of Blackwell, Oklahoma. Most of those memories concern possible injury causing events as well. I realize that most of my childhood memories of the Fourth of July concern events that injured or had the potential of being fatal. I do have pleasant memories of the Fourth of July, of course. Eating ice-cold watermelon from my grandparents' garden and watching fireworks displays at night.

Writing about the Fourth of July

Fidál (Grace), 8 Rahmat (Mercy), 165 BE – Tuesday, June July 1, 2008 about 5:26 AM PDT

I have come up with several ideas for my Fourth of July blog entry. Most of the ideas have to do with childhood memories and the Fourth of July. When I grew up in Blackwell, Oklahoma, my grandfather always took us to a recreational area for The Fourth. I remember going to Lake Blackwell (I think that was the name of the lake outside of Blackwell) and Lake Carl Blackwell. Those were fun trips, my grandparents enjoyed the way we kids reacted to the pyrotechnic displays.

I am not going anyplace for The Fourth, again this year. From where we live we can see the beautiful displays the hotel casinos put on. There is not any reason to leave the house on the Fourth of July. Some of the neighbors (especially those with kids) put on fireworks displays of their own.

Title Ideas for Fourth of July blog entries

1. The Fourth at Lake Blackwell
2. Incident on the Fourth of July at Lake Carl Blackwell
3. Watching Fireworks in Las Vegas
4. Eating Watermelon on the Fourth of July
5. Independence Day in the 21st Century
6. Listening to Fireworks on July 4
7. The reason we (or I) celebrate the Fourth of July
8. Grandpa and the Roman Candle
9. The Fourth of July is for Family
10. My Grandfather grew his own watermelon
11. Neighborhood Fireworks Displays
12. July 4, 2008
13. Enjoying the Fourth of July
14. Individual Watermelons
15. A Lucky Fourth of July