It was that time again, July 4^th, time to celebrate our hard-won and -defended independence.

Every year, I hold a July 4^th party. This year was no exception, but it certainly was different! Note for context: I live in a quiet, desirable neighborhood, where crime is still fairly unusual. If you're not familiar with the particulars of my annual party, I submit that some of the following might make more sense if you click on this year's party link above, and read the details.

• This year, there were two large busts of illegal fireworks in my neighborhood. This made me concerned that the local illegal fireworks show would not happen as planned.

• I worked from home on Friday, and I guess it was good that I did, because I suddenly heard a loud rattling sound coming from upstairs. I dashed up. Some persistent birds had managed to break through the chicken wire I had put over the attic vents to prevent them from making nests in there, and they had pushed a sturdy branch between a pair of vents and the spinning fan blade. Downstairs I went, but the sound stopped while I was in the basement, and about to throw the fan breaker. Back upstairs to the third floor. The fan was still running. Good, it broke the stick and didn't burn out the motor, right? Nope. Some time later the fan shut off, and it hasn't been back since, though the attic is quite hot. Well, I had work to do, and a party in a few hours. This was no time to worry about the fan. And it was too late to do anything about the dishwasher.

• The dishwasher had broken during a week-long visit from Renate's parents and sister Jutta. It had been on its way out for a long time, so this was no surprise, and with so many people helping, it wasn't much trouble, either. We shopped carefully, and found a store that promised to deliver our new one on Thursday, the scheduled date of the party this year.

• But they didn't. No delivery on Friday, either. We finally got the washer on Saturday. I felt like a sinner: using paper plates and plasticware. It sure made clean up easier, though. Sorry, Mom!

• The West Haven fireworks were washed out on Thursday night. Perfect! The party would not be on a week night, although the variable weather had us in doubt about Friday right up to almost the time of the party.

• But the party happened, people showed up, and Sue and Nancy came early, to help set up. We got a good crowd. People were eating and laughing and talking and mingling.

• So many people were happily munching that Renate decided that we needed another table outside, so she went into the basement to see if she could find something to use. Downstairs she went...

• And it was at that exact time that a valve on the water heater decided to break. Renate, uncharacteristically, screamed my name. I called out for someone to watch the grill, and leapt inside, and downstairs. I immediately shut off the main water supply to the house. We didn't have too much of a flood, but if no one had been downstairs at the exact right time... Ever see a water heater's holding tank empty its guts? I have, and I can tell you that the cleanup is not fun.

• Marc found the valve that led to the water heater, shut it off, and I was able to send water back into the house.

• Unfortunately, not all of the house. We had no hot water, no running water in the kitchen sink, and no showers or baths for 3 days. Luckily, we still had a lot of paper plates and plasicware.

• West Haven put on a nice fireworks show, but there were no fireworks from our neighbors on Friday night.

• They had their show and competition on their customary date of July 3^rd. Until the neighbors started calling the cops. As much as I love fireworks, and as much as I like having my own personal show that I can watch from a folding chair in my driveway, I have to agree with the disgruntled neighbors. Their yards were getting ruined. And, even though I live across the street, I brought out a couple of fire extinguishers, dragged the hose to the front of the house, and turned on the main valve. If you feel that you have to do that, perhaps you are a little too close to the action. So, after about 20 or 30 minutes, the fireworks from both houses abruptly stopped, without the usual grand finale from either. The theory in the neighborhood was that A Phone Call had been made, because no police showed up.

• Well, not for the fireworks, anyway. I went to bed earlier than this, but one of my neighbors said that sometime between 11:00 and midnight, the people from one "fireworks house" marched noisily down the street, heading for the park at the end of it. "All right," she thought, "the show is going to resume, and in a more appropriate place!" She headed down to the park to watch.

• OK, there were fireworks, but of an entirely different kind than she had expected. The energetic (and, by this time, well-fueled-up) young lads had headed to the park for a grand and merry brawl in front of the sea wall! I'm told that the punchfest ended when they heard sirens approaching, and that the party broke up then.

Oh, yeah, the stove. One of its 4 burners has decided to go on strike.

How was your Fourth of July?