Bored out of my mind...need suggestions for July 4th merriment

[jmbar2]

Everything is cancelled or closed in my little town. Friends and neighbors looking for fun stuff to do on the fourth besides just eat/drink.

What interesting activities are you planning?

[avebury]

1. Hamilton

I picked up 1 month of Disney Plus so that I can watch Hamilton. I saw a live production of it last fall and loved it.

Plan on turning my phones off and decompressing. Yes I did say phone plural. I telework does I generally have my personal cell phone and work cell phone with me at all times. I am taking a 4 day weekend and I don’t want to even think about work.

[jmbar2]

3. very cool idea

[chia]

8. Planning to watch Hamilton here too! Can't wait

[Phoenix61]

2. Giant Bubbles!

https://musthavemom.com/giant-bubble-recipe-25-amazon-gift-card-prize-pack-giveaway/

Ridiculously fun. I don’t know what’s better watching or making. I’d suggest several wands.

[jmbar2]

4. OMG - love this

where do you get guar gum?

[Phoenix61]

5. Health food store or where they have flour

substitutes. Don’t substitute anything, especially the dish soap. You can get the 100% cotton string at Home Depot. I’d make it the day before.

[handmade34]

6. you can come on over

to my little town... the fireworks are on the lake across the road from my house...

and then you can come out back to wrestle the BIG bear that's been getting into my garden and bees and everything else

[Jirel]

7. Also live in a small town.

I WISH everything would be closing down. But no, they’re still hoping to bring plague rats in for a diminished celebration.

We’re planning our 4th on the 3rd since we have a volunteer gig at a critter rehabilitation facility on the 4th. But, the theme of our celebration is a socially distanced couple days with our quaranteam, all of whom trust each other’s judgement and precautions.

Friday is for the two of us to chill out by the pool and maybe play a few games, throw a few items on the potter’s wheel, and read. Q-team member #1 is coming over In the afternoon for the same - we’ll have nosh outside, and enjoy all those things separately but together. I also will be BBQing a 4-H giant chicken. We expect to introduce all 3 kittens, 1 by 1, to the outdoors, since we’re all critter people.

Q-team member #2 comes over in the evening, and we’ll all do dinner, swimming, and games.

Q-team members #3-6, who live and work together a block away, come over Saturday while we’re gone to do anything they want in our pool. We’ll be back late, so we’ll probably have distanced drinks out back, then some fireworks.

[jmbar2]

9. Sounds like so much fun.

[csziggy]

10. My husband, a helper, and I will be building storage shelves

As part of converting the old living/dining room into an archive and studio. For the last week we've been sanding, varnishing, sanding, and varnishing the pieces. I can't wait until they are up!

[thinkingagain]

11. Planning a small neighborhood parade

My neighbor has been doing it for 30 years she was looking forward to doing it a bit bigger.
Normally since I’ve lived here kids adults decorate bikes, pets , selves. Play some patriot music and parade down our short few blocks. Some neighbors come out and join in. Then we end up at my house have cool drinks, cookies and the original treat of popcicicles. A few years there has been potlucks.
Everyone gathers, chats for a bit, get to know anyone new etc.
This year we are having to change it.
Group together as family, mask (decorated if want) social distancing we will Hand out popsicles and say happy 4th no real gathering. Kinda sad. It’s usually so fun for the kids.
Then my immediate family will stay around to be together. We had to give up trying to avoid each other as one I for care for the grandkids. Plus some others stuff do we just be caustious as possible for a larger family.
We actually do pretty good at distancing and most of it will be outside.

[jmbar2]

14. how sweet...

[jmowreader]

12. Planning my parents' burial ceremony

Dad died in January 2019, and we cremated him. We talked Mom into waiting until after her death to do the burial, so we only needed to pay to open the grave once. (It's a Catholic thing.)

She died in May 2020. We were originally thinking about holding the burial ceremony on July 3 (I work Saturday through Wednesday) but my sister who lives in Texas looked into plane tickets up here and it was half price to wait a week. So, we're waiting a week.

After the ceremony we are going to converge on one of my sister's houses and have a dinner together. I am the family chef, so I'm going to do all the cooking. I'm going to go to a restaurant supply store and buy a beef knuckle (google it, they're great) then take it to her house and smoke it the day before the event. I will then chill it, slice it thin and serve it on sourdough with a sauce containing horseradish and hot pepper sauce.

[jmbar2]

13. This is certainly an unusual plan, but also beautiful

I thought that Catholics didn't cremate. Your parents would be proud of how creatively you have planned this.

I don't have any dead folks to deal with, so it's back to social distancing parades and BBQs. Unless I murder someone..... joking....

[jmowreader]

15. Catholics used to not, but times have changed

Now they can cremate but the urn must be buried.