Another Fourth

 I had a satisfying Fourth of July. 

In the morning I donned my flag hat, flag sunglasses, stars shirt, flag shorts, flag socks, and flag shoes and went to the T-Mobile store to buy a new phone so I wouldn't have to worry about my old one not charging (it wasn't worth getting it fixed). 

I made cherry chocolate chip ice cream using the cherries we picked from my sister's tree.

In the afternoon, we headed to my sister's house to have a fire in our portable firepit. We roasted hot dogs and s'mores, and this year I decided that s'mores are a Fourth of July treat. Since I have now relaxed my movie habits, I watched Independence Day, and then I watched the first half of Jaws on TV but did not have time to finish it, since those both take place at the Fourth of July.

Then we returned to my sister's house in the evening. We opted not to light fireworks this year, thanks to the drought, but her neighbors were lighting them, so we watched them.

Then the rest of the week has not been too eventful—just getting into the Pioneer Day spirit, picking goatheads, working, spending time with my brother's kids, and getting used to my new eyesight. I still haven't gone running with my new vision, which is something I need to do after all the Independence Day treats. 

On Friday my new phone arrived, a Google Pixel 6. It's always an adjustment getting used to a new phone.  The phone seems good, although there are plenty of things that annoy me, especially the fact that it doesn't have an aux port but doesn't work with the aux adapter I have. I don't use the aux port that much these days, but I like to have options, since Bluetooth can be so annoying. Why is that a thing now?!

My brother's kids have enjoyed seeing, petting, and playing with Reggie. Franklin (14) says Reggie makes him want a cat. He is so beautiful and affectionate.

I am very happy that sunflower season has resumed—I love seeing them pop up next to the road and in the sidewalk cracks. In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, sunflowers and sagebrush were seen as a symbol of Pioneer Day. I think we should resurrect that imagery, since I love these flowers. They start blooming now, but they peak in August and September and even last to November.