Inevitable Independence Day Friday Five

I'm trying the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five -- a few hours late. Oops.

In the U.S., we're heading into a holiday weekend as we prepare to celebrate Independence Day. Although the topic of this meme may be inevitable, independence never is, so it couldn't hurt to stop and think for a minute about independence in a general way and holidays in a more trivial way.

1) Do you celebrate 4th of July (or some other holiday representing independence?)

Sure do -- with an evening cookout and lots of friends at our place, and the city fireworks at a distance (we sit along our suburban sidewalk; the fireworks are several miles away). I'm gonna watch some History Channel shows about the beginnings of the USA with the kids that morning (little do they know). Between now and then I'm gonna browse through my favorite topical books, Freedom: The History of US and The Democracy Reader; maybe a little of Lincoln's papers as well if I get enough reading time with plenty of good coffee.

2) When was the first time you felt independent, if ever?

I think it was when I was seven or eight and planning to run away from home by hiding out at my beloved Montessori school to stay there at night and be there for school during the day. My plans for that version of independence were elaborate, I tell you!

3) If you're hosting a cookout, what's on the grill?

Burgers and sausages, whatever other people bring, probably sliced onions and sweet bell peppers, perhaps peaches, and either spider bread in a cast iron skillet or a fruit cobbler in some sort of pan that I may end up buying at the hardware store.

4) Strawberry Shortcake -- biscuit or sponge cake? Discuss.

Biscuit. No discussion! Though I could imagine either vanilla ice cream or cream being substituted for the whipped cream of my childhood.

5) Fireworks -- best and worst experience

Best experience: Driving home from a holiday weekend on an island with friends; it was dusk, and there were town and backyard fireworks popping off all along the route. Then I parked near my apartment and walked a block onto a very high bridge in my fair city and joined many, many people watching the big city fireworks above the lake. They seemed sooo close to us. Seattle, about 1988.

Worst experience: A tie. First, the time as an early teen when I went with a friend's family to the big city fireworks over an urban lake, and burned the palm of my hand on a discarded yet still hot cigarette butt in the dark (upon leaning back to oooh and ahhh from our blanket spread on the grass). Ouch. Second, the time dear fiance and I visited his very good friends in the Boston area and we went to see the fireworks near Lexington or some other cool historic location, but they were so loud that their little boy had a total meltdown and we left. The fireworks were soooo loud!