TulsaPets Magazine May 2022

May/June 2022 • TulsaPets 17 by Karen Dugan Holman, B.S., B.S.E., M.S. W hen I was growing up in rural Broken Arrow, Fourth of July celebrations were full of life lessons and lasting memories. I not only learned from my mother how to prepare a meal for 50 people with love and joy, my father also instilled in me the hard work and dedication necessary to accomplish anything worthwhile. But things can still go wrong, and animals and fireworks are not a good combination. All year long, my cousins, sisters, and I brainstormed to devise a plan to spend our “chore” money on the greatest fireworks spectacle imaginable. We invited family and friends and worked hard to set up our house for the grand Fourth of July festivities. We had a plan, a very organized plan, which was crucial for a safe, smooth-sailing fireworks display. We mowed the grass very short and watered it as much as possible to prevent a spark from developing into a full- blown grass fire. We perfectly aligned the tables with the pond, enabling our fireworks to offer reflection on the water. We wanted to have our display close enough to the patio for all of our family and friends to enjoy but far enough away to be safe. We had buckets and the garden hose ready in case of a fire. We would play Marco Polo for hours in the pool, eating several times while anticipating the dark to come. The wait was grueling. Never Forget Those Special Fourths Most years, everything would go without a hitch, but there are always those special memories. There was the time we watched a tree go “poof” when a parachute firework slowly drifted with the south wind and nes- tled inside the drought-ridden loblolly pine. We watched in amazement at the speed of the “poof” as we held our buckets and hose. None of us can forget the whistling chaser that flew with lightning speed across the patio and right up Aunt Edna’s dress, leaving a lovely scar on her leg to prove it had happened. It was truly amazing and quite humorous until we realized she wasn’t laughing, and neither were our parents. I never remember Aunt Edna in shorts. Wearing a dress was much cooler in the Oklahoma summer than pants, providing a path of no resistance up her poor leg. I think whistling chasers are outlawed now. There must have been other innocent vic- tims in their paths over the years. Then there was Chips, our sweet dog Chips. Fourth of July is when I first witnessed a well-trained, mild-mannered dog com- Fourth of July and Your Pets Not a Good Combination!