Did I mention that our pool was deemed swimmable on Monday? Yup. You know who has been taking advantage of it twice a day since! The summer’s already half over, so I have to slip into the water as many times and for as long as I can stand it (until my fingers prune) to make up for all the lost time. I already feel better—happier, healthier, stronger. I’m a Cancer, a water-baby, and summer isn’t summer until I’m in the pool.

Today’s the 4th! Happy Independence Day to everyone in the U.S.! We don’t have any big plans here on the farm. We don’t do fireworks other than sparklers and the like because we can’t freak out the animals. When we had a very excitable horse, she’d careen around the fields as though the world were ending when the explosions occurred. Our remaining horse is more placid (she’s 39), but we don’t want to stress her, the goats, or the chickens—to say nothing of the rest of the wildlife that lives in our backyard. If the kids are dying to see fireworks, they’ll head to the reservoir to see the big fireworks show. The 10-year-old would likely stay behind because she doesn’t like big bangs. I remember having to miss the displays when she was younger, so we could sit inside and watch a Barbie movie turned up loud to soothe her. Back in those days, before my dd’s family moved to the farm, they had some big-deal fireworks they’d set off in the yard.

What am I doing for the day? Duh. I’m working. I have a book to write and other books to edit. My job is seven days a week. No wussy 40-hours for me. I’ll break for meals and swims, but the rest of the time I’ll be parked in front of my PC. *sigh*

So, I have a puzzle for you. It’s a sliding picture one. The last time I did one of these, half the people loved it and half were frustrated. I was frustrated because I could never complete it. I think you have to possess the Rubik’s Cube gene to strategize how to get to the end.

So, solve the puzzle, or at least give it a try! Then tell me whether you like fireworks, set your own off in the yard for fun, or love the big fireworks extravaganzas for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!