Knee High By The 4th of July

As I was driving home yesterday, those words popped into my brain.

Knee high by the 4th of July supposedly is the measurement of how tall a corn stalk is should be by this time of year.

I travel 45 minutes to work and then back home each day and pass miles and miles of fields.

In this part of Indiana, we have had an abundance of rain, so much that some farmers are late in planting their crops.  I’ve seen some fields partially planted because ponds have developed due to all the extra rainwater.

As I pulled over to snap that picture of corn that is nearly 5 feet tall in some fields, well beyond the knee high measurement, I was reflecting not on corn or farming, but on the celebrations and festivities that we take part in on this day.

The reason we celebrate the 4th of July is it is recognized as the birthdate of our country, the United States of America.  Back in 1776, a handful of men signed the Declaration of Independence and it was ratified on July 4th.  Most Americans are clueless about the details of this part of our history, so take some time and do some research or read this from Wikipedia.

Many folks have the day off.  Many others don’t. Depends on what type of work you do.  Work in an office, you might even have Friday off too. Work in retail or restaurants and it’s a work day.  Full time parents never get a paid holiday off and those farmers I mentioned earlier, they have their daily chores no matter what day the calendar says it is, or if their corn is knee high today.

Observe, learn, celebrate and have fun.