Was the Fourth of July weird for you this year? It was for us up here in Mahoosuc Mills, with no parade or fireworks. But we celebrated anyways up to Dot and Tommy’s camp. It was a great solution to the physical distancing thing. It’s easy to spread out up there. It was the usual suspects: Celeste and Bud, Rita and Smitty, Betty and Pat, Dot and Tommy (of course), Shirley and Junior, and me and Charlie.
We were smart about it, and followed the game plan us girls come up with. We all took our temperatures before we went. BYOB. There was hand sanitizer on the food table. When you got near the food you had to wear a mask and spritz your hands before you touched the serving utensils. We decided we had to be all in on this or it wouldn’t work, and we were. It was wicked fun to finally do something that felt kind of normal, if you ignored the way we looked wearing masks, which we did.
I almost called this blog “A Fourth of July to Forget,” but I think it’s good we remember this time. Once this is over, it would be real easy to get Covid-19 amnesia. You can see it happening already. I don’t know about you, but I’m learning a lot about myself right now, and I don’t want to waste it.
Anyhoo, we had a great time up to camp. It’s such a special place filled with memories. 
Now, this summer is part of the story. The food was delish. And God, didn’t we crack each other up after a few drinks, taking photos of us wearing masks while doing what we usually do up to camp: floating in the water, in kayaks, sitting ‘round the campfire toasting marshmallows, with sparklers.
We even took a panorama shot of all us couples with masks on standing six feet part from each other. We were laughing while we did it, and it’ll be good to have, but that picture doesn’t capture this time like those other shots. Because you know what? Our cookout (and a lot of things right now) kind of have the feeling of camaraderie you get when the power’s out or there’s a big snow storm. Neighbors looking out for neighbors. Folks being extra friendly. An appreciation for what we took for granted before. And that does my heart good.
Happy belated Fourth, everyone. Here’s to creating new ways to connect and celebrate.
That’s it for now. Stay safe, and catch you on the flip side!
Hear Ida Tell It: A Fourth of July to Remember
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