So this happened in our eastside Tucson community on the 4th of July:
Our three dogs, of course, were agitated and upset that evening, running from one end of the house to the other and out into the back yard, barking furiously every time a neighbor set off a loud firework, but it wasn’t as bad as previous Independence Day evenings — at least there was no gunfire. People in this and adjacent subdivisions started setting off fireworks around 8:30 p.m. and apart from one or two late booms, were done by 9:00 p.m.
The lots in our subdivision are just under an acre and not zoned for livestock, but we’re surrounded by ranches and ranchettes, and apparently a horse just across the highway had to be put down after stressing out over the fireworks and injuring itself. So the owners claim, anyway, and I have no reason to disbelieve them. It’s a sad story (though I have to say it’s the first time I’ve heard of a horse dying as a result of fireworks).
So anyhow, fast forward ten days and we’re sitting peaceably at home with our doggies, watching Denzel Washington in Equalizer 3 on Netflix, and BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Then a pause, and BOOM! BOOM! It goes on for more than half an hour, more like 40 minutes this time, longer and louder than the fireworks on the 4th. The dogs of course are frantic, barking themselves hoarse, and Donna and I put the show on pause to comfort them. Later, we see this on our neighborhood Facebook page:
[REDACTED] is not, as you might assume, a 10-year-old boy. He’s a man in his 70s. How childish do you have to be to insist on setting off fireworks ten days after the 4th of July just because you weren’t here for the main event? Never mind that setting off residential fireworks is only legal two nights a year, Independence Day and New Year’s Eve (and even then not strictly legal but officially tolerated).
No one wants to be unpleasant on the neighborhood Facebook page, but people are speaking up anonymously on NextDoor. One example:
Donna, after mulling the risk to neighborhood peace, posted this comment to the Facebook group: “The dogs were unimpressed. Barked the whole time.” Trying to be her equal in bravery, I posted the link to the dead horse story. Will there be fallout? Will a neighbor read this post (I suspect at least a few know of my blog)? We’ll see.
Meanwhile, this provocative question on Twitter — and my reasoned response:
Just because half the people around us are by definition below average does not mean we have to lower our standards!