VGNO: Laid-Back and Independent Edition

Come blog-hopping with me! Time for another Virtual Girls Night Out (VGNO), hosted by the lovely Ann over at Ann Again...and Again. Go over to Ann's blog, find out about the VGNO, and sign Mister Linky to join in on all the fun!

Tomorrow, as you all know, is the 4th of July, the American Independence Day. Ann wants to know how we're celebrating. I'm taking the laid-back route this year; I'm not going anywhere because I have a housesitting gig. Fortunately, the owner, who is also a good friend of mine, has a pool, so you know where I'll be! Usually the 4th is a family affair: I go up to the Cat Homestead and meet the rents and lil' sis, and we all go to a fireworks display. Picnicking is often involved, as well as a lot of games of cards before the first firework goes off.

I can't believe that last year I was in Washington, DC for the 4th. I was attending a conference, and I could see the glimmers of light from the Mall, where the fireworks were set off, but sadly, not the bursts themselves. No one wanted to go to the crowded Mall, and no one knew anyone who knew someone with a "dee-lux apartment in the sky" so we could watch the spectacle free from crowds. Sooo...I watched them the way millions of Americans watched them: on TV. So close, yet so far away.

I really like the idea of a laid-back 4th. No crowds, no worries about the weather affecting our plans, nothing of that sort. Besides, over the past five or six weeks we've had almost nothing but rain here in the Nutmeg State. For the past week we've had thunderstorms and flash floods so nasty that some towns and cities had between seven and nine inches of water within an hour or two. It wasn't pretty. And one town had a tornado last week and is still cleaning up. Scary thing is, I don't live far from that town. Spooky.

Before I go, let me give a shout-out to my Canadian readers: Hope you all had a great Canada Day! How did you celebrate? And for my American readers, how are you celebrating the 4th?

See ya tomorrow! I'm going blog-hopping now! Happy VGNO!