Another Holiday Weekend is upon us!

Another weekend, not just "another" but a holiday one is upon us.  That, of course, makes it a long weekend.  The nation celebrates its 235th birthday Monday.

The weather forecasts this morning indicate it will be a relatively nice weekend, too.  Part of it will probably be rather humid, which this old bod absolutely dislikes, and there are some chances of some periodic showers or thundershowers in various parts of the area.  But it appears the sunshine will mostly prevail making this a good family weekend.

I'd bet Saturday will reverberate with the sounds of lawn mowers and the like in much of the area.  We, and that includes the Gator Clan, will probably do much of the necessary yard work Saturday so that families can spend as much nice summer time Sunday and Monday together.  Unfortunately for Gator Wife, like a lot of other Mainers, she will have to work Monday morning.  At least her job is a parttime one so she'll only be putting in a half a day to help other locals and visitors with their cookout needs.

I just heard a report on the morning news that the cost of a cookout will be about 12% higher this year than last.  I wonder how much of that can be traced to the forced use of ethanol in gas.  Ethanol has taken a goodly portion of the corn crop, which supplies much food to people and animals (perhaps I should say, "used to supply. . .") out of the food chain and into gasoline. 

This could be the last "quiet" Fourth of July Weekend in Maine.  The Maine Legislature has passed a law which will allow the use of fireworks after January first next year.  Mainers will be able to legally buy and use many of the things, both on the ground and in the air.  That also means that Mainers who travel to New Hampshire or pick up the noisemakers on their travels in other states will not have to worry about having them confiscated, possibly their cars taken, and huge fines when they return to Maine. 

I'd suspect that many Maine neighborhoods will be celebrating noisily next year.  The same suspicion includes the probability that none will originate on the swamp.  I'm not opposed to them; it's just that I think my age and mobility will prevent my using them for safety issues.  However, I do have memories of a happy youth many, many years ago when we could shoot them off legally. 

Since I do have some neighbors within a few hundred yards of the swamp that have set off "roaming" fireworks every Fourth since we moved here, I'd be surprised if we didn't hear any again this year.  It could be a real blowout next year, though.

I hope your Holiday Weekend is a fantastic and safe one.

Gator