In which my most patriotic act during the 4th of July weekend is neither decorating my house, nor throwing a party for those who didn’t have other plans, nor painting a small series of horses with flags, but rather telling the kids in the Airbnb next door that if they set out fireworks I will call the cops. The kids went night fishing instead. A much better and safer option for everyone involved (except possibly the fish). They were reasonable kids, after all, and when I explained that Galveston is very vulnerable to fire, what with very old wooden houses being built close together, they seemed to get it. The kids left the Island happy. They caught ten fish and threw them back because they were too small. All in all, not the most absurd thing I heard this weekend.
Not nearly as absurd as my 100-year-old tree being hit by a big truck carrying frozen shrimp (to an Island! Where we have our own very good and very fresh shrimp, but, alas, frozen shrimp is cheaper). In addition to being vulnerable to fire and thus ill suited to DIY fireworks, the Island is also notoriously sun scorched in summer and very much in need of shade. Most of its trees have been destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008. Why can’t we treasure the ones we have left? I daresay we need trees a lot more than we need frozen shrimp. Actually, let me rephrase that, because we actually don’t need frozen shrimp at all, but trees are pretty vital.
Meanwhile, the same weekend, the richest woman in the world (or if she’s not the richest, she’s definitely up there), married her sweetheart at Madison Square Garden. She could have had a wedding in a castle or on a beautiful beach. She could have had a whole procession of Lipizzaner horses in Vienna, or a boat parade down the Nile like Cleopatra, but she chose Madison Square Garden on the 4th of July because that’s giving Vegas wedding but with an unlimited budget. Do you think they served frozen shrimp?
Ok, ok, I love being snarky. What do I have to say that’s actually positive? Hm… I’m working on a new large-ish painting and I’m reading a book where the MC went to a fancy party in the Hamptons and stole a miniature horse statue for absolutely no reason. Obviously now I’m very excited to read the rest of the book.
Also, I kinda want to go night fishing. It sounds very atmospheric and cool. And what’s the point of living on an Island and dealing with rogue fireworks and aggressive frozen food trucks if you don’t?
