“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (and all women!!) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” And for this 4th of July, we’ll happily picnic with some presidential ghosts, ghastly history, spectral visitations, apparitions with epic “truths” attached, and a “spread” fit for royalty of all walks through the otherworldly parks.
The 4th of July invokes a “freedom” feeling, an air of renewed sense and unsensible dreams, that is the American dream. “Hey now, hey now, don’t dream it’s over”! This overcrowded house believes “the dream is not dead, it has just evolved, set to snooze, or that reoccurring never-ending nightmare, I can’t seem to shake. It doesn’t look the same as it used to, back in the day. The key is to follow your “heart”. Find a way to do what you love, and “earn” a living doing it, and you will find that the American Dream is still here, alive and well, vibrantly kicking and screaming, dusty, tucked away in a corner, or likely hanging out on the foot of your bed.
I’ll keep gettin’ up when I hit the ground”
“The American Dream is a national ethos (“the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations”) of the United States, the set of ideals (democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity and equality) in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.” Thanks Wikipedia, barricades, intricate brocades, and countless employers; still working, marching, still dreaming, still woke or stay woke, something along those lines.
Like the fireworks bursting in air over our heads, my mind awakens each synapse with neuron sparks of red, white, and blue. They say these colors don’t run, but I’ve never been much of a runner anyways. My equivalent is swimming and another perfect summertime, “Sport” for your fourth. Don’t forget your floaties, shades, and sunblock!
“Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes,” and for this special occasion they have silent or quiet fireworks, comparatively speaking and your pup or kittens will appreciate this difference all the while hiding out under your bed. “Silent fireworks are becoming popular for providing all the beauty without the added explosive sounds imitating artillery and warfare that traumatize pets, wildlife, and many humans.”
“Pyrotechnics are energetic systems or components that provide light, sound, smoke, heat or other pyrotechnic effects by the release of their chemical energy during combustion.” “Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition.” “Thar, she blows”, or “Boom goes the dynamite!”
“I find it easy to forgive the man who invented a devilish instrument like dynamite, but how can one ever forgive the diabolical mind that invented the Nobel Prize in Literature?” (George Bernard Shaw quote, and the exceptionally fair works of Pygmalion.)
“The synapse is the point of communication between one neuron and a neighboring neuron (Love thy neighbor), muscle cell or gland cell. It is the site where virtually all-important brain activity emerges. At this gap between the message-relaying axon of one brain cell and the message-receiving dendrites of its neighbor, chemicals called neurotransmitters are released and absorbed in a process of information transmission that spreads throughout extensive networks of cells.”
“There are trillions of synapses in the brain: Each one of our more than 100 billion neurons may be connected to hundreds of other cells by as many as 10,000 synapses. Together they form a complex and flexible instrument upon which the music of our thoughts, behaviors and feelings are played out.” (Source newswise.com, human biology (shout-out to Mr. Gorbach), molecular analysis, summer school, copious amounts of research, sugar, caffeine, Encyclopedia Brittanica, and Wikipedia)
“Franklin “Mouse” Finbar (Kevin Hart) Too bad about that jelly donut.
“Now I’m walking again to the beat of the drum.” I can never get enough of the patriotic festivities, music, the bombs bursting, sparklers and spitfires, picnicking, family, and anything cold and sweet to treat. Let’s not drink till we see stars and stripes this year! “When you’re born, you get a ticket to the freak show;” agreed George, and what a display of freakishness I have before you.
This outdoor or backyard picnic, you are welcomed to attend, anytime on any day, in “imaginary land”, consists of watermelon balls for days, pink lemonade for our thirsty souls, beyond “hotdogs” with spicy or honey mustard, with all the “fixings”, potato salad, and ambrosia for “eternal” and internal “digestion” only. Along with curly fries, celery sticks, carrot and raisin salad, and sweet potato tots will “talk”, histories patriotic mysteries and bake a blueberry pie that’s so sinful, scrumptious, and gooey good, minus the sin. BYO beach towel, frisbee, umbrella, and a colorful mind for this story’s origins are “Lit”.
“Many historians believe that fireworks originally were developed in the second century B.C. in ancient Liuyang, China. It is believed that the first natural “firecrackers” were bamboo stalks that when thrown in a fire, would explode with a bang because of the overheating of the hollow air pockets in the bamboo. The Chinese believed these natural “firecrackers” would ward off evil spirits.” (Source American Pyrotechnics Association, Wikipedia, dragons, magic, ancient and awesome empires, years of warding-off evil, and the 4th of July at the Folsom Rodeo “raining” sparks of fire down upon us.)
“During the period 600-900 AD, legends say that a Chinese alchemist mixed potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal to produce a black, flaky powder: the first “gunpowder”. Then the powder was poured into hollowed out bamboo sticks (and later stiff paper tubes) forming the first man-made fireworks.” You think your kitchen mishaps are deadly?
All who love are blind
Ohhhhhhh, when your heart’s on fire
You must realize
Smoke gets in your eyes …”
Top 10 Fireworks according to Bing (bang boom), Jakes fireworks, and the names overheard from the “firecracker” selling out from a highly flammable wooden shed:
One Bad Mother: (Not going to test)
500g Finale Cake is another perennial customer favorite. (Give me liberty and cake!)
Loyal to None: Loyal to None is an exciting finale firework with 33 shots and lasts well over a minute. (Oohs and Awes) …
Zeus Fluorescent Artillery Shells: Very popular artillery firework kit. (Sounds thunderous) …
Excalibur Fireworks Artillery Shells … (Oh hay Merlin)
Hot Dog. (Yum) …
Chasing Booty. (No thanks, but I’ve watched my brother-in-law Benjamin run like hell from one) …
America’s Glory. (Forevermore, God willing) …
My actual favorites are the glittery chandeliers in every color, and the ones that swirl and twirl raining awesome spirals of colors in the glorious night sky. The ancient stars our audience. More include, but not limited to, novelty fireworks, smoke bombs, Roman candles, fountains, ground spinners, ground flowers, sparklers, piccolo “peeps” or Pete (told ya hearing impaired and it’s loud! What?), poppers, magic snakes, missiles, rockets, parachutes, peony, chrysanthemums, flying fish, comets, willow, crossette, and skyrockets. There’s more and forever and anything else, there’s a master card on someone’s expense account.
Pertaining to this story’s ghosts and haunted presidents; we must address with reverence and dear respect. Nothing better by the campfire than smore’s, “illuminations”, and more ghost stories.
“There is freedom within, there is freedom without; try to catch the deluge in a paper cup.
There’s a battle ahead, many battles are lost; but you’ll never see the end of the road
while you’re traveling with me.” And we’ll travel this 4th of July by air force one. Normally, I’d say, “road trip” with a ton of “interstellar” enthusiasm, but “jetting” through cotton-candy, friendly parades, circus nebulas in circles, crystal blue skies with you in air conditioning sounds way more fun!
“Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote US Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president and a metonym for the primary presidential aircraft, VC-25 (Boeing 747), although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.”
There are approximately 2,692 golden miles between the most famous address in this beautiful and bountiful country and exactly where our 40th President of these United States witnessed an unidentified flying object. Of course, I’m speaking of Bakersfield, California and not 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. Bakersfield is a whole notha story and day trekking through the abyss, mountain dew, heinous statistics, the desert, gas-stations, fire balls, glorious skies, blaring rock-n-roll, Denny’s restaurants, “Funyuns” chips and “Twizzlers” candy.
Make my old memories come alive.
Take me away and turn back the years,
Sing Me Back Home before I die.”
We’ve reached our first destination, lay-over, or this portion of the story, we’ll travel back in time and oh so long ago, the groovy 70’s; “One night in 1974, from a Cessna Citation aircraft, one of America’s most famous citizens saw a UFO.”
“There were four persons aboard the plane: pilot Bill Paynter, two security guards, and the governor of California, Ronald Reagan. As the airplane approached Bakersfield, California, the passengers called Paynter’s attention to a strange object to their rear. “It appeared to be several hundred yards away,” Paynter recalled. “It was a fairly steady light until it began to accelerate. Then it appeared to elongate. Then the light took off. It went up at a 45-degree angle-at a high rate of speed. Everyone on the plane was surprised . . . . The UFO went from a normal cruise speed to a fantastic speed instantly. (What is warp-speed for 500 Alex) If you give an airplane power, it will accelerate-but not like a hot rod, and that’s what this was like.”
“A week later Reagan recounted the sighting to Norman C. Miller, then Washington bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. Reagan told Miller, “We followed it for several minutes. It was a bright white light. We followed it to Bakersfield, and all of a sudden to our utter amazement it went straight up into the heavens.” When Miller expressed some doubt, a “look of horror came over (Reagan). It suddenly dawned on him . . . that he was talking to a reporter.” Immediately afterward, according to Miller, Reagan “clammed up”.” (Source howstuffworks.com, “inside-sources”, government eyes, Ancient Aliens, Bakersfield rumors and rumblings, California lingo, patrol, and while in limbo.) In the words of President Ronald Wilson Reagan; “We are never defeated unless we give up on God.”
Highest regards and in regard to the most famous house in America and let’s face it, most haunted; “The modern-day White House complex includes the Executive Residence, the West Wing, the East Wing, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (the former State Department, which now houses offices for the president’s staff and the vice president) and Blair House, a guest residence. The Executive Residence is made up of six stories: the Ground Floor, State Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor, as well as a two-story basement. The property is a National Heritage Site owned by the National Park Service and is part of the President’s Park. In 2007, it was ranked second on the American Institute of Architects list of “America’s Favorite Architecture”.”
I said if I can’t feel it then how can it be
No, no magic could happen to me
And then I saw you”
Now, I’ve never been “personally” or “formally” invited, as of yet, the year or day is still young, something along those lines, and it’s always, never out-of-the question. Goals are good to have, and I seriously doubt, I’d decline, but definitely invite you as my plus one. Rather have the famous, extravagant, exquisite dinner or decorate for the holidays, but the nosey me has to check out the laundry room situation. How do the presidents wash their “drawers”? “White House staff have reported seeing the ghost of first lady Abigail Adams hanging laundry to dry in the East Room. Staff also reported smelling wet clothes and lavender laundry soap in addition to the ghost sightings, according to the White House Historical Association.” (Source insider.com and Spanish lavender smells amazing and lavender (mint family) has incredible properties to aid in R&R.
“First ladies Grace Coolidge, Lady Bird Johnson, and Jacqueline Kennedy, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands all said they encountered the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, or “felt” his presence, in the White House.”
“First lady Eleanor Roosevelt also stated “feeling” Lincoln’s presence as she worked in her office in the Lincoln Bedroom. As if he were peering over her shoulder.” Maybe some residual energy or black magic induced by then, “First lady Mary Todd Lincoln who held séances in the Red Room of the White House and is said to have communed with President Andrew Jackson’s ghost.”
“Margaret Truman, in a 1986 biography of her mother, said she and her mom were skeptical of the existence of ghosts, presidential or otherwise, and she wrote her father saying so. In his reply, he said, “I’m sure they’re here, and I’m not so much alarmed at meeting up with any of them.” (Thanks washingtonpost.com, History, and my morbid curiosity and utter fascination with the White House)
Speaking of Truman, “America’s 33rd president; in June 1945, just two months into his first term, Harry Truman wrote to his wife Bess of the spooky quality of his new residence: “I sit here in this old house and work on foreign affairs, read reports, and work on speeches, all the while listening to the ghosts walk up and down the hallway and even right in here in the study. The floors pop and the drapes move back and forth; I can just imagine old Andy (Jackson) and Teddy (Roosevelt) having an argument over Franklin (Roosevelt).” (Source history.com and one haunted house in El Dorado Hills.)
That’s why it’s called the present.”
Either be spectral presidential children running about, stomping from nowhere, disembodied laughter in hallways, or opera singing and 1920s piano music coming out of a fireplace, the White House is “where it’s at”, the place to be or be seen, and histories unfathomable mysteries.
Stand beside her, And guide her
Through the night with a light from above”
“Despite being the home of the most powerful person in the world, the President of the United States of America, Washington DC for the most part has a strange feeling within it. Now it has been claimed that in fact, there is a Satanic portal, situated above the White House and that it is visible to the naked eye, especially at night.” “The Secret White House: The tour now includes a trip down to the White House basement where you will enter an unmarked storage closet that leads to the secret White House tunnel system.”
“Visitors will have access to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) which is located within a hardened bunker deep below the East Wing.” (Source: It is rumored and whitehouse.gov, “Well, word gets around in a small, small town.”) I’ve even heard tales this far away about the “Kraken” being submerged under the most infamous haunted house in America. Wait this is the 4th of July and not Halloween, but still spooky!
“One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation evermore!” “As we celebrate our 4th of July, we honor the courageous men and women dedicated to preserving it.” “America is a tune. It must be sung together.” God Bless America and God Bless this Earth, home sweet home!
With the beloved Martina Mcbride’s gorgeous “presence”, imagine her “belting” her angelic voice from here:
He was dressed as a bag of leaves”
“Let freedom ring
Let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today,
Is the day of a reckoning
Let the weak be strong
Let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away
Let the guilty pay
It’s Independence Day!”
Before we depart this story, “vessel”, I must thank you for “flying” along with me. I could write a book about the 4th of July and spend more time writing another book about the love I have for this country and all who dwell in it. Whatever the 4th means to you, I hope you spend the coming days and the next half of this year happy, healthy, Godly, and stealthy.
Beyond Sirius Sea 