Today is my birthday. Sometimes it gets lost in the shuffle of the holiday but one of the grand things about having my birthday today is that sometimes the world gives me fireworks. Some would say the fireworks are not really for me but I don�t care. If others want to feel patriotic watching the rocket�s red glare, it�s fine with me. I know the truth. The whole city is celebrating my birthday.

Tonight was particularly special. We had some of the best seats in the house. Mr. Philately�s office overlooks Lake Michigan and Milwaukee holds its fireworks over the lake. And what fireworks they were. The ordinary fireworks had as many rockets and explosions in them as the finales of most of the fireworks I�ve seen. There were lights shooting up to the sky, some sparkly and some that looked like tadpoles (or something else if you get my drift). There were whistlers and screamers and boomers. There were the ones that look like dandelion fluff, the ones that come out like white stars, and the ones that radiate right toward you. There were blue ones and green ones and yellow ones and red ones, all at once.

It was supposed to rain tonight but it was clear for the fireworks�and for me. The lightening show waited until the trip home. We sat up on Mr. Philately�s balcony, drank soda, ate the traditional birthday twinkies,* felt the breeze, talked, listened to horns honking below, and watched the fireworks. I felt like the queen above her throngs or the pope above the Catholic masses.

A few of the towns around here will be more traditional and have their fireworks tomorrow. They�re spoilsports. They want to be sure that some little firecracker like me doesn�t get the wrong idea. But tonight I can be generous. Milwaukee gave me my due. Those other towns just have fireworks the way some people buy the chocolate bunnies after Easter because they are cheaper.

So if you have fireworks in your town on the Fourth know that they got it all wrong. Those fireworks are for me and they�re late. Happy birthday to me!

*Because we are usually on vacation on my birthday, tradition calls for a twinkie with a candle in a hotel room.

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