SIDE SALAD - Everything crunchy is good.

BIG, BANG, BOOM

I was going to get all weepy about the Fourth of July and what liberty means within the context of the past two years and how freedom is precious and how my family hasn't even been in this country for a century and yet only four generations later I enjoy a life of prosperity and happiness that would be envied around the world.

And then I thought, "Why bore the crap out of people?"

Why not show them a cool picture and wish them a happy and healthy Fourth.

So there.

I'm making corn on the cob for our neighborhood street party today. It's a bring-your-own-meat gathering where everyone gets to grill their own, drink their coldest beer and watch their kids run themselves into a sweaty mess.

If that isn't freedom, I don't know what is.