Firecrackers

Each summer in late June (for the 4th of July) and each winter after Christmas, (for New Years) fireworks stands would pop up around Beaumont like mushrooms after a rain (or crawdads after a rain). As little kids we were only allowed sparklers, but eventually I reached the age of ‘responsibility’ and allowed to have firecrackers. My dad thought they were stupid, just burning money, but I loved them.

They probably contributed to my hearing loss.

We would light them and throw them, light them on the ground, put them in ant hills and demolish worn out plastic models.

I just recall once that a firecracker did not go off and I tried to shove the fuse back into the body of the firecracker. At that point it went off. Wow! It really hurt, I was sure my fingers were split open, but God takes care of fools and the pain subsided and soon I was back hard at ‘burning my allowance’.