I love fireworks. I grew up in IL where, every year, more and more restrictions were placed on fireworks. When I was young, we had witch's whistles and even in high school I could still by the ones that simply spun and shot up into the air. By the time I graduated college, you were lucky to find snakes and sparklers. The evening news would lead with local PD bragging about confiscating little bottle rockets or Chinese firecrackers. We would drive to IN and load up with illegal fireworks, and then try not to get caught. Never did.
When I moved to NOLA and later FL, I spent hundreds of dollars annually on fireworks - mortars, spinning fireballs, etc. However, the dog I rescued in 2011 hated fireworks. The second dog we adopted in 2015 hated them even more. They would cry and whine horrifically when I went out into the backyard to light them off. Now, even though we're spread out by a couple of acres, everyone around me has multiple dogs, most medium - large in size, who all lose their minds with fireworks. Add in the slight the drought, an area prone to brush fires with lots of FL pine scrub, and I decided to pass on buying fireworks this year. Then they cancelled all fireworks displays. I am still not going to be "that guy" setting off mortars, disturbing your calm, setting off your dogs, and risking a local brush fire; but this Independence Day will just have to be marked with some world class grilling.
Local news this morning, though, has reported record fireworks sales in response to the cancelled city shows AND the governor's order making fireworks legal only on a select couple of days. I think I'll get quite a show, regardless, and will just have to hope noone's dogs panic themselves to injury. Where's the rest of the board on home fireworks displays?
Went up to New Hampshire last weekend with my brother and bought a bunch. Of course they're illegal in Massachusetts (no surprise there). I'm not worried. We'll show my niece and nephew a good time on the 4th.