Johnny tremain

It's a bit late in the game on Independence Day. Most of the day I've been working on projects for Jimmy's big boy bedroom. This morning Jim painted the dresser that I've been nagging him to do for the last week, and so I'm pushing to get all the necessary projects done for the room to be ready this Saturday. For the last little while I've been listening to the fireworks outside and trying to find relief from the heat (it's been 100 degrees here most of the afternoon) as I cut fabric for a bedskirt.

I was going to skip blogging today but then I got thinking about how much I love Independence Day. A lot of that love comes from being a history buff and being fascinated with the American Revolution, how an amalgamation of contradictory personalities came together and wrought such a remarkable chain of events. With a bit of embarassment, I have to admit that my favorite book about the Revolution is actually fictitious (oh, the shame)—but I've loved it since I was a kid and I just can't help myself. If you haven't, I highly recommend that you read Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. It's a great story, imaginitively told, and is one of my all-time faves. That, and it's a much easier read than 1776 (which I also love and highly recommend, but which is hard-core history and not for the easily bored).