The Queen's Birthday

"The 24th of May is the Queen's Birthday - if we don't get a holiday, we'll all run away!"
I can't go through the May long weekend without hearing that childhood refrain. It was such a strong family tradition to have fireworks on that night. When I was a kid, my mom and dad would buy the fireworks and set them off in our backyard, with sparklers for all the kids, and the snakes and schoolhouses to burn before the sun went down to stave off our impatience.

One tragic day, just before the long weekend, or maybe it was on that Saturday, my dad was burning brush off the back lot behind our house. He had cleared one large parcel the day before, and had soaked the blackened earth with the hose. But there must have been a bit of peat smoldering just below the surface, for as we kids ran about the new play area, my little sister's frayed jeans caught fire. I tackled her and sent a friend for my dad who was working just over a rise. He rushed up, smothered the flames with his hands, and tore the pant leg off. My mom knew enough to run icy cold water in the tub to cool her burned calf immediately, and then they were off to the hospital. Unfortunately, they faced a long wait. A young boy had thrown a 'cannon' firecracker into an empty oil barrel, which had blasted back at him and burned over 60% of his body. In our small town, all of the doctors were working over him. My sister lay across my mom's lap in the emergency room for hours. At last she was seen, and her burned leg was dressed. But a few months later, she had to have a skin graft to repair the damage.

Needless to say, we were never allowed anything more dangerous than a sparkler. But the celebrations went on, and grew into neighbourhood cooperative efforts which continued with my own children when they were small. As they grew older, we opted for public displays. I have another story about that which I will write some other time. The odd thing is, that while I was always very cautious around fire with my children, and rarely ever light candles in the house, my little sister fills her house with lit candles, and seems to have no fear of fire at all.