Terror on the 4th of July

It's the end of the day as I write this, and the fireworks are still booming outside. Indiana allows some pretty big at-home pyrotechnics, and at least four of our neighbors are enthusiastically firing off the kinds of displays that are usually sponsored by cities and parks.

We ourselves had some minor fireworks that I found in the garage. They have to be at least two years old, remnants of when our sons would go to Shelton Fireworks over by Covington and bring home grocery bags of the stuff. They must've forgotten them when they married and moved.

So, we decided we would just go ahead and use them.

As we sat on our patio, setting ours off while watching the neighbors' displays light up the sky, I became aware of some background noise. A constant chittering was coming from the woods. I suspected I knew what I was hearing, but googled it, just in case. I was correct - the woods was full of disturbed raccoons who were voicing their fears, terrified at the loud bangs and whistles (a few of those bangs rattled our walls and windows. It is LOUD outside!)

Poor things. I can only imagine their terror as the fireworks explode all around them.