On the the 250th anniversary of the U.S., caught between a firecracker and a snake in the grass

By: Tamara Moots

Outlets: Kansas Reflector

Published: July 4, 2026

Words: 516

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 5 days ago

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One of my earliest memories of America is lighting a firecracker on a picnic table bench across the yard from my watching parents and aunts and uncles on July 4.

Picture a little towheaded tomboy in a sundress around 6 years old in the 1980s. As a rule, I refused to wear dresses. But it was a holiday, and my mom insisted. The firecrackers and homemade strawberry ice cream after were to celebrate America’s birthday. …

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