Happy...

...Independence Day...and happy 239th Birthday, America!

Few words rise to the level of holy writ, but these penned by Thomas Jefferson in our Declaration of Independence come close:

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Our rights come from God, not government; government is subordinate to the will of the people, and acts only with the consent of the governed.

Or so it should be...how far from these truths we have strayed when our founding fathers signed that singular document and joined the battle for our freedoms, pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their Sacred Honor.

I've quoted him before, but his words increase in meaning with each passing day of our country's growing weakness and timidity on the world stage: "Freedom is not long entrusted to the timid or the weak" - Dwight D. Eisenhower

We are warned; will we listen?

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My youngest son Benjamin and his wife Brooke graced us with their presence this holiday weekend, and it was delightful having them visit for a few days.  They occupied our loft and relaxed in our little backyard paradise...

We ate a lot of delicious food prepared by Karen, 

enjoyed sparkling conversation,

lounged in and around the pool,

rooted for the Tigers,

and of course, watched fireworks on the big day...

ok, so we did not go to New York and see the Statue of Liberty against the backdrop of an amazing fireworks extravaganza.  Instead we sat in our backyard by the pool and enjoyed "fireworks in the round"...virtually everyone around us shot off fireworks from 10 pm until midnight, some of them quite loud and very impressive...a good time was had by all, especially when it was over and all we had to do was walk inside and get into bed instead of fight the traffic and drive for an hour to get home.

We sprouted a few more daises this past week...

...and were surprised with our first morning glory...

Alas, all good things...

sunset over Lamar Park...

...and tomorrow it's back into the fray...

Later, mcm fans...