I promised myself that, despite my increasing terror over the future of this country—and our democratic "experiment"—I would keep politics more or less out of these posts. God only knows I could write rants all day and night that gave voice to my Trumpian fears, but I'll save these for other venues. For now, I'll concentrate on wishing this country, which is still, more or less, my country, a happy 241st birthday, with the hope for many, many more. And to celebrate, we did what we often do: take any kid available to the fabulous fireworks display that emanates from Old Mountain Field in Wakefield, Rhode Island, bring a picnic, meet friends and family, and thoroughly enjoy the show. This year, we had my granddaughter in tow, and, thanks to perfect weather, a fine time was had by all. There was even a counterpoint added by some cooperative fireflies.