Since everyone and their uncle’s brother on social media seems to share what they’re eating, I’ll join the mob by telling you I had two hot dogs for supper last night and plan on having two more in about nine minutes for lunch.
Then it’s over to my son’s house around five p.m. to have catfish, coleslaw, and roasted spuds for the evening meal. Followed by movie night with him and my grandson. If stomachs start growling during the movie, we’ll hit the pause icon and pop us some popcorn.
After the movie, I’ll drive home… and if I’m hungry, I may have two more hot dogs.
In the interest of transparency, I plan on not consuming the entire bag of peanut M&Ms that was on sale at the grocery this morning when I drove over for cabbage to make coleslaw.
That’s always the plan re: peanut M&Ms. It rarely works out.
Anyway, be careful and stay safe if you’re doing fireworks, firecrackers, cherry bombs, or (hopefully not) M80’s under trash cans. I’m not going to be so transparent here re: a partially misspent youth.
Given my advanced years, it dawned on me just as I started to post the above, that I didn’t know if one could still shoot off cherry bombs and M80’s. So I did a little research and learned that the Feds had banned both!
Banned when some of you were still wearing diapers. Of course, at my age, it’s not always funny to write about diapers. It kind of Depends. Sorry. Sometimes I can’t resist writing stupid, silly stuff.
Grok Raps About Cherry Bombs!
Anyway, for those who share my curiosity about celebratory July 4th explosives, one of my AI friends named Grok tells us this…
Cherry bombs and M-80s, historically known as powerful firecrackers, aren’t as popular today as they were decades ago, largely due to legal restrictions and safety concerns. These devices were iconic in mid-20th century celebrations, especially around the 4th of July, for their loud bangs and flashy effects. However, their high explosive power—cherry bombs often contained flash powder, and M-80s had up to 3 grams of pyrotechnic powder—led to widespread bans in the U.S. under the Child Safety Act of 1966 and subsequent regulations. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) classifies them as illegal “display fireworks” or homemade explosives when exceeding 50 milligrams of flash powder, making their legal use rare.
That said, in some circles, particularly in less regulated areas or among enthusiasts, cherry bombs and M-80s (or their homemade equivalents) still have a cult following for their raw power. But compared to the widespread backyard use of yesteryears, they’re more of a niche, risky throwback than a mainstream choice. People now lean toward legal, professionally managed displays or safer consumer options for the 4th.
In closing, I hope everyone has a safe and fun-filled 4th of July weekend with friends and family. (That sentence came from my river of words and not Grok’s!)
And if you’re stuck at home, alone, with nothing to do, hungry and feeling sad, you can always eat two hot dogs and/or make yourself (and me) feel better by dropping $5 on one of my many books. Just click right here to do so now!