Stars-and-Stripe today!

Wow, I am stupid. I had set my watch wrong with the time zones, and had misplaced the fourth of July. I thought it was tomorrow, but it was today.
Anyhow, I had a lovely Independence Day, and can proudly say I can still remember all the words to the National Anthem and My Nation 'Tis of Thee and Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The morning I spent at Kira's, still talking about school for the most part. I have given a suitably glowing report of life at Macleans, and before that Buckalnds Beach Intermediate, and she says if she could, she would move back with me! She says our school sounds much more supportive, and she wants a place where bullies are taken care of immediately and the teachers are not allowed to pick poualar kids for everything all the time, even if an outcast is better at it.
Then, we had been given tickets by the DiRocco's friend, Carmen, to accompany him and them to the City Island Ball Park, home of the Harrisburg Senators Baseball team, to see - of all things - a Fourth of July concert by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and the best seats in all of the city for the fireworks display the city does every year.
It was fantastic! The concert was amazing, and the horn section was brilliant (yes, of course I noticed that!). There was a trumpet solo piece, Toriador, from the opera Carmen (perfect for our lovely host), several other opera pieces that I recognized, a hilarious jazz account of the French Revolution (sung by the conductor), the Olympic Theme from 1960, a drum solo piece, the themes to the different branches of the US Armed Forces, and the 1812 Overture with festive red-white-and-blue fireworks instead of the traditional cannons to name a few! I did better with the 1812. When I first heard it in concert at age 2, I was so scared by the cannons that I was a shaking mess for a good long time after. But, I loved the whole concert, and was so grateful to be able to go!!!
The fireworks were amazing, over the Susquahanna River, just the most fantastic, brilliant display one has ever seen, but because we were just across the river from the city, the bangs echoed among the buildings, and it was deafening.
Bennett and Danielle were tired and grouchy, so I read them a short story from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes book, The Case of the Speckled Band and the beginning of A Scandal in Bohemia, which went over well. They said it was cool and liked the funny voices I did for each character, and how I read it in a British accent, as Holmes and Watson - who narrates - live in London. I was glad that I could keep them entertained and out of trouble, and that they liked it, as I expected them to not really get the story because of the long words and complicated manner of speech, and I am not above admitting the fact that some of the stories have had me running to get a dictionary!
It's nearly one in the morning here - there was a traffic jam and we got home quite late - so I better get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow... but that's another post.
Au revoir,
Rachel