Fireworks

Back in the olden days, when you could walk the edge of danger and get back safely, I remember being in Granny's house. It seemed like an older, country kind of house, the living room dimly lit (I always remember that living room without much light, but shadowy, like underwater. Very nice), and it was night. Grand-daddy Pappa was sitting in his chair next to the fireplace. The floors were wooden. All at once there was noise outside in the cold, and Terrells erupted into the living room, laughing and roiling like Tasmanin Devils. The fun had begun. The boys came in lighting fireworks and sticking them under people's feet and throwing them with abandon INSIDE THE HOUSE. (Children, do not try this at home! Times were different then)

Aunt Margie (who happened to be my mother) always said they had fireworks at New Years and not the fourth of July,because nobody had money in the summer. All money had gone to putting the crops in the field and there would be no money until after they were harvested, so they only had fireworks for New Years. And we always did, when we were growing up. Fourth of July fireworks came later. But to tell the truth, in Mississippi, winter was the best time for fireworks...no misquitoes and no sweat.

We had sparklers and firecrackers, and the boys liked to light their firecrackers (180 pack?) all at once. Some kid always burned a hand on the sparklers. We had roman candles, but usually dads had to help you hold them. I know Jake and Elizabeth had roman candles explode in their hands.

The fireworks got more elaborate and we eventually moved New Year's to Deering Street in Cleveland. Every year I thought we were going to burn the neighbors houses.

And Michael LOVED fireworks. He got them for the Fourth of July and for Christmas. And he had a batch when we stopped on Skeeter Robinson Road, and we (I) let him shoot them off in the back yard. He had put his stash on the ground next to the utlity room door, and began shooting. Only the spark, oh, the spark, and they all went off and scortched the back wall and maybe killed the ac unit next door, and maybe the elderly lady in the house next door, too. Franklin will have to tell you that story.



I remeber shooting fireworks on New Year's at Grandmother's (Imogene) with Elizabeth and Melanie. I'm sure there were many more people (there always was) , but Melanie ended up falling into the huge ditch out front and being so upset because she had on her new clothes that she had just gotten for Christmas!

~elise

from Scarlett
I thought the inside fireworks came a little later in the day. I didn't think they came in lighting them. But when everybody was there and getting ready to do fireworks, then the inside fireworks would be set off.
I also remember several years, I think both New Year's (or Christmas) and the Fourth of July after some parents got a little concerned about their children shooting fireworks (on down the line from the first or even second group of cousins), Jean would have bought what seemed like a whole stand of fireworks and would spearhead shooting them off at the old farmstead. Several carloads would trek out to the country for Jean's fireworks. But we were usually in Ruleville--not Cleveland--so we continued to worry about the Deering neighbors' houses when we were in Cleveland.
Jean would put a fireworks display on