Fourth of July Party

Let the celebration begin!

It is extra hot this summer, but that won’t stop us from having fun. Nibbles and I are going all out this year. We are throwing a party with food and fun for our closest friends! Yes, you are definitely invited!

First on our shopping list is “fun” and a time-honored pyrotechnic tradition. What’s the 4th of July without fireworks? We visited Fireworks World just off the interstate near our house. You have probably seen it: the white building with the giant inflatable orange gorilla sitting on top.

THE MAX greeted us as we walked in. 8000 grams of gunpowder! Is that a lot? I’m not really up on the tech. But $1000 is out of our price range, so we moved on.

We visited every bin on every aisle. There was so much to see!

One section of the store scared Nibbles. I held his hand as we walked through.

There was so much to learn about. We consulted a fellow shopper who explained the subtle differences between the red and purple grenades.

My favorite was the motorcycle. I can see myself flying down the road, spewing fire behind me! Nibbles liked the tanks. He wanted to build an army to defend against the “Black Cat” on aisle 14.

We made some new friends.

After much consideration, I went with a gross of plain old bottle rockets—a brand called Moon Travelers—because that’s what we are. Nibbles got a pack of neon sparklers.

The nice family that owns the store bagged our goodies and thanked us for shopping with them. They even threw in a couple of punk lighter sticks for free! We need to google what to do with those.

Next, we went to Walmart for holiday decorations and fun party attire. I went with a festive pair of glasses. Nibbles chose a patriotic headband to accent his large ears.

We bought three sets of bubble sticks because who doesn’t love bubbles?

For food, we stuck with our three favorites: corn, watermelon, and ice cream.

I showed Nibbles the proper way to select the best bi-color ears of corn. Then we dove into the bin of watermelons. One was already broken. We stayed away from that one!

There were so many flavors of ice cream to choose from. We ended up buying one of every kind, so come to the party hungry!

My favorite part of shopping is riding the checkout conveyor belt. I like to ride in backwards, hiding behind something. Then, at the last minute, I jump around and shout, “Surprise!” You should see the look on their faces! I don’t care who you are—that’s good, clean fun right there!

We had originally planned our party for the night of the fourth, but several friends on the invite list already had plans to cower in fear that night. Loud explosions, like fireworks and thunder, can be terrifying to critters with sensitive ears.

Nibbles and I had a Zoom call with four of our closest friends to discuss how they dealt with the pops and bangs.

Angie told us about her Thunder Shirt. She says it works for every stressful situation — especially thunder and fireworks.

“The gentle pressure all around is calming. Think about it: humans swaddle their babies to make them feel secure. And adult humans love weighted blankets. My Thunder Shirt is the same thing.”

Miss Daisy has turned her garage into her own doggie-apartment hideaway.

“When the popping starts, I run to my garage and close the door. I dive into my bed and hold my paws over my ears until morning. There is no shame in hiding!”

Sam stays indoors right beside his people during the fireworks. He says that soothing music and special treats help.

“The day after the fireworks is worse than the day itself,” he explains. “My muscles are all tense and knotted up from fear and worry. On the day after, I schedule a session with Piggie’s brother, Walter, who gives amazing stress-relieving neck massages. We follow that up with an hour of pig yoga, and I’m like: what fireworks?”

Rocko runs to his unique hiding spot when he hears the first pop.

“The toilet has always been my safe place! When I was a puppy, I could hide completely behind it. Now, if I can just get my head back there, I feel safe. I know I look a bit like an ostrich, but whatever works, right?”

Nibbles and I scheduled the party for a week after the fourth. That gives the kids in our neighborhood plenty of time to get the fireworks all shot up. Our friends assured us that sparklers were OK—just no loud pops. What about all these bottle rockets I bought?

Nibbles showed me how to “de-pop” them. He said to use a small drill bit to dig into the tip of the rocket until you see gunpowder. That opens up the “popper” so that the gas fizzles out the top instead of popping. I have my doubts, but he is a rocket scientist, after all.

There will be lots of fun, lots of food, and lots of friends! We promise there will be no “popping”—except for the bubbles, which pop quietly. It will be an awesome party, and we expect you to be there! Just to be safe, you should bring your Thunder Shirt and/or blanket in case the party gets out of hand. Nibbles gets a little rowdy when he’s hyped up on Kool-Aid.