4th of July Was

+Northfield, Minnesota.
+A striped shirt and red shoes.
+86 humid degrees.
+A walk downtown.
+And then another.
+A flea market, that I wished instead was a farmer's market–with produce and honey and homemade bread.
+Resting in the grass, when I became too tired to stand.
+An old woman offering me her seat.
+Me saying, "No thank you. I prefer the grass."
+A sip of water in a cooled store.
+A perfect pear and a smashed peach.
+One picnic with strangers.
+One picnic with friends.
+(Kindness at both, all of the same.)
+Two conversations with two separate librarians.
+Sloppy joes.
+Bratwurst.
+Watermelon.
+Rice pudding, from a kind woman who kissed my cheek and asked when my baby is due.
+Peach and blueberry pie.
+Missing Provo.
+Missing Spencer.
+Tiny fireflies creating the tiniest, most magical lights.
+Big fireworks creating bigger lights, and louder.
+(We found them by following the sound.)