Big Dang Experiment And Goings-on!

My previous post was written after a series of grass-fires erupted within a few hours of each other and were presumed to result from mischief or goings-on. Here in the Vineyard area we may briefly tolerate mischief but roundly disapprove of goings-on. We're not quite clear on what the difference is but we're against it. It wasn't until I was pulled up at a traffic light that an explanation occurred to me that did not involve firecrackers and firebugs. I saw several cars nearby with hands sticking out holding cigarettes and tapping ashes to the pavement. When the light turned green, some stubs simply dropped to roll wherever the breeze might take them. I suddenly remembered cars have not been equipped with ash trays for many years. There are no ground-level combustibles in the city or suburbs, but  rural roads are bordered by ditches full of dry grass and fields that suffer from this automotive omission. I will take the theory to the community and see if it qualifies as mischief or goings-on, but will first repost this patriotic specimen  from the archives:  
                      
                          [Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team]

I depart from the usual course of these essays to comment on the photograph above. Norma didn't take this one, Hubble did. It is a picture of one tiny rectangle of deep space. Deep space means anything outside our solar system, but to uncounted trillions of solar systems we are in deep space too, a planet at the arm of this galaxy pinwheeling in eternity. Looks like fireworks doesn't it?

I've read a lot of blogs about July 4th today and found them moving, thought-provoking, reflecting upon this 239-year-old experiment in democracy with favor, concern, worry, hope and celebration. The interests of those who produced the Declaration Of Independence are our interests too. Who are we? We are the artists, writers, gardeners, musicians, scientists, engineers, leaders and laborers certainly, every personality, every mother and father, everybody that accepts the awesome responsibility of bringing something new into the world.

The picture above might easily contain a billion worlds. Fireworks indeed. I wish them luck.

Us too. Happy 4th!