"The Bombs Bursting In Air!"

  Let's face it. Fireworks and the
4th of July are like ham and eggs,
hot dogs and picnics, love and
marriage. As the song reminds us
"You can't have one without the
other!"
 Of course the very best way to
enjoy fireworks is to let
somebody else set them off!
 Lest you think this is just some
old newsman who's done too many
stories about fireworks accidents
or police busts of illegal sales
let me tell you that I've had
some first hand dealings with
these explosives over the years.
 The first was really fun.
 Back in the days when my friends
and I used to play 'Army' I had
a toy that looked like one of
those machine guns that mount
on a small tripod to mow down
the enemy when they charge.
  A bunch of us kids were in
a wooded area playing our game.
  Each had to simulate the
sound of a gun going off as we
pretended to fire at each other.
  I was on top of a small hill when
the others came to get me.
  They didn't know much about
my model machine gun. And they
sure didn't know about the row
of firecrackers I was lighting
as they ran towards me!
 I never saw the other kids jump
so high or hide so quickly!
 Yea, those fireworks were fun.
 On the other hand...there was
another holiday when I lit the
'Cherry Bombs' inside my Mom and
Dad's house then slipped them out
through the mail slot onto the
front porch.
 None of the neighbors could
tell when the celebratory
blasts were coming from.
 That was cool too...until the
door to the slot closed while
I was trying to toss the bomb
outside!
 As I calculate the story by way
of my memory it takes about
1.4 seconds to reopen a hinged
mail slot door and about 1.3
seconds for a cherry bomb fuse
to burn to the detonation point.
  You can do the math.
  I nearly got it open again
before it went off!
  The key word here is 'nearly.'
  It was, at least, a few inches
out of my hand when this 'bomb
bursting in air' burst in the
air of our dining room!
  The smoke cleared after a few
minutes and the hand healed after
a few days but other than an
occasional sparkler I don't
actually handle fireworks
anymore!
   As they say..you live and
learn.
   I hope you'll have a happy
4th of July and enjoy a professional
fireworks display a safe distance
from any fuse you have to light
yourself!
  I'm also hoping, as usual, that
all your NEWS is good!