A Wabi Sabi Fourth

Well....it's our first Fourth of July as a herd.  And so far, it's not going very well.
I feel un-patriotic when I say things like this, but I find this Holiday to be a bit much....maybe it's not so much that I dislike what the Fourth stands for....it's that I think I love my creatures more.
And so last night as the sun was setting....the rockets red flare and the bombs bursting in air started here on our bay.  I went to see the girls and the seemed to be doing fine....Corky was unfazed.  Which is funny because he used to be afraid of loud noises.  Maybe it's his rides on the ferry and sticking his head out of the car because he knows fellow riders and ferry workers will pet him and give him treats....but this year he wasn't upset.
So Charley and I played frisbee, which helps him get through anything....and I kept an eye on the girls.
So the noise got louder and Charley, Corky and I went inside, Charley laying next to me on the couch, my arm wrapped around him.  I wasn't telling him it was going to be OK or giving into his fear, I was just putting my calmness on him.
The noises got louder, and so I went out to see how the girls were.  They were huddled in the farthest corner of their area....scrunched  together.....and so I sat with them and petted them as I saw Charley looking out at me through the front door window.
Gordon came home with a beer and asked if I wanted to go see the fireworks from the restaurant.  And so I went...and we watched with his staff....and it was fun....and I kept thinking about my little herd and how this holiday is so hard on them.
When it was over, we went back to the house and the dogs were OK, we went to the barn and the girls were still huddled in their corner.....absolutely freaked out.
I made Gordon his patriotic dinner ending with blueberry pie with ice cream and went to bed.  Charley, who really doesn't like to lay on our bed when we're there was huddled next to me.  And then the booms started. Charley scooched up closer, up to my shoulder and put his head on my head, which isn't what he normally does.  I started going to sleep and the the super big booms started.  I asked Gordon to check on the girls, Charley left, and I secretly wished for the sirens to go off which would indicate that the person who lit that bomb,which couldn't be legal, had blown off their hand.
No such luck.  I fell asleep with wishes that my girls could be inside, or that we could find another way to celebrate the freedoms we have, which include raising goats and dogs......running a restaurant.....and yes....blowing off your fingers if you see fit.
And it's only the Third......Happy Birthday, America!!!!!!