Happy 75th Birthday

Saturday was my dad’s 75^th birthday.  And while he has had some pretty good birthday parties, this surely was one of the most memorable.  I had purchased a fairly large amount of fireworks for the 4^th of July which I had not been able to light off.  What better occasion to light them off, than my father’s birthday.  And both of my parents had given me permission to do so.  Around 8:30 – 9:00 I started lighting them off, and I have to admit it was a pretty impressive display.  Right afterwards I walked to the house and through the garage to see my father in the driveway talking to one of Waukesha County’s finest Sheriffs.  I felt it was duty to intervene.  I explained to the officer that my father was very hard of hearing and that I the one was responsible for the fireworks.  He informed me that he was going to give me a citation and asked me and my father to follow him down the driveway to his squad car at the end.  As we were walking, the officer informed me that it was a pretty impressive display and that he purposely waited until it was over before he started asking questions. I stopped at my truck to grab my ID.  Of course the first ID I gave him was my fake Gene Simmons ID.  

The Gene Simmons ID didn’t go over quite as well as I had hoped.  The officer ran my ID and my father’s and nothing came up.  I got something of a lecture about fireworks.  He asked if I had a permit, and I said that I did to purchase them, even though I didn’t.  Then he asked if I had a permit to light them off.  I told him that I didn’t and that I had done some research, but to get a permit you need a written letter from both the village president and the fire chief, neither of which would happen.   He mentioned that he had not received any complaints but that the village president lived in a nearby subdivision and wasn’t a fan of fireworks.  He decided to let me off with a warning, which between me, you and the lamppost will not deter me from lighting of fireworks in the future in any way.  But the best part of the party was yet to come.  The officer left, and my dad and I started our triumphant walk back up to the party.  I stopped off to put my ID back in my truck while my dad continued up to the house, where everyone in attendance greeted him by singing “Happy Birthday”.