Announcing

Monday started a new month! I always get excited with new months. I like every month except January and February.

Tuesday was my day off, so I ran up North Canyon. It was a hot day, but it was uneventful. On my way back, on the dirt road, I saw a snake in the road, so I stopped dead in my tracks. I went over to the other side of the road and walked past, looking for a rattle on the tail. Sure thing, there was a rattle, and it rattled at me! Eek! I had never seen a rattlesnake there.

On Wednesday, I took my niece and nephews up to North Salt Lake's annual fireworks after getting them shaved ice. I love this tradition. I love that everyone can gather for this community event and have fun on a summer evening.

I had to work on July 4, but there are worse places to work on the Fourth. And in some ways, I'd rather be working on the holiday than doing nothing. They have a tradition of firing an anvil. They put an anvil on the ground, put gunpowder on it, then put another anvil on top, then light a fuse. The first time they did it, there was an explosion, but the anvil didn't launch, so they did it again. The second time, my coworker was running away when it went off prematurely! Fortunately, no one was hurt.

It was a rainy day. I don't ever recall a rainy Fourth of July (though it rained on July 5, 2012). I came home and roasted hot dogs on the grill; I wanted to roast star-shaped marshmallows, but I didn't have the patience.

 I also made cherry chocolate crisp.

Then we went to my sister's house to light fireworks. I love lighting fireworks because it's such a traditional part of the holiday, and I love that the entire street is having one giant pyrotechnic party, but I don't love the fireworks themselves. I don't get why people illegally light them at other times of the year.

Also, it infuriates me that people light fireworks where they aren't supposed to. What entitled jerks! I hope they get hefty fines and minor burns.

You all know how I feel about holiday-themed treats, and unfortunately, this has been a terrible year for patriotic candy. Shopko usually had the best selection, but they don't exist anymore. Many of the old standbys have been either discontinued or impossible to find (such as patriotic Twizzlers, Trader Joe's Shooting Stars, Tootsie Roll Pops, Baskin Robbins America's Birthday Cake, and more). Oh well. There are a few things that are still around.

Now that the Fourth of July is over, we have entered the Pioneer Day season. I love the sunflowers that spring up spontaneously at this time of year. One of the best things about sunflowers is that they have a very long season.

 I am really annoyed that this kitten calendar I have lists Nunavut Day on July 9, but it does not list Pioneer Day. Nunavut has less than forty thousand people. Utah has more than three million. What idiot is making this calendar?!

And now I am announcing on my blog a project I have been working on. Last year, I read a book on the history of Thanksgiving. Then in July, I thought, "Next I should read a book on the history of Pioneer Day. But there is no such book. Someone should write one. And that someone could be me."

So, over the past year, I have done a lot of research. In the spring, I often went downtown to the Church History Library to look at their sources. (My nineteenth-century research was in the public domain and could be done online, but most of the twentieth century is too old to have originated online, but too recent to be in the public domain.) I have learned something about nearly every Pioneer Day from its beginnings in 1849 to the present. I have begun drafting some of the book chapters. But last month, I visited with some of my colleagues, and they suggested that I could write a journal article first, then a book later. So I have already written a very, very early draft of the article. I haven't wanted to announce this on the internet before now, because I wasn't committed, and I didn't want anyone to steal my idea. But now I have made so much progress that I feel more comfortable talking about it. When I'm in the print shop at work, I'm allowed to use the computer to work on my research. In fact, I might know more about Pioneer Day than anyone else in the world.

Still, I don't want to talk too much about my findings because I don't want anyone to steal my research.

My project is still a long ways out. But I'm really happy with the progress I have made.

Do you have any questions about Pioneer Day that you think I should address in my book?