Think we're missing something? Clue us in.

My wife, the Divine Ms. C., and I enjoyed last night's controlled pyromania fired off from the Lakewood Country Club in fine style and from a great viewing vantage point.

We parked her Isuzu Rodeo, read gate facing the country club, at the parking lot outside Ali Baba. To secure a spot, we arrive about 7:30 p.m. for what turned out to be the 9:30-ish start.

We walked around the corner, had a couple of adult beverages, and returned about 15 minutes before showtime. We fired up WRR-FM, listened to music portraying the themes of America's birthday — although, as much as I love Beatles music, I did a double take at the choice of "Birthday" — and patriotism, and enjoyed a pretty spectacular display.

We dined on homemade rosemary fried chicken and a dessert of world-class snickerdoodle cookies, made from scratch by Her Divineness. The rosemary came from her garden, too.

The parking lot afforded a great view of the fireworks. If you struggled to find a good spot, consider this one next year. Just don't take our parking space of there'll be no snickerdoodles for you.

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Here's hoping you have a delightful Fourth of July holiday weekend.

We all should stop for a moment, remember the reasons we celebrate our freedom, and pay mental homage to the Founding Fathers who drafted our independence and all the brave souls who've protected that freedom for 232 years.

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I'm not typically one to pass around viral Web videos, but this one caught my attention in, of all things, a management newsletter I get.

Matt's "job" for the last couple of years has been to travel to dozens of countries and dance.

Not dance as in ballet or jazz or hip-hop, just dance. Pretty poorly, in fact, though slightly better than I.

If you've got a down moment this weekend, check out Matt's Web site and video. I dare you not to smile.

Hey, maybe we can get Matt to come dance in our neighborhoods ... 

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The city of Dallas launches its first major attack of the season on mosquitoes Thursday night and into Friday morning. The spraying will occur west of Central Expressway, so it really doesn't concern us. Yet.

Eventually, though, we're bound to have a bug-spray truck cruising through the area, spewing out controlled levels of poison. But maybe we can forestall the inevitable.

Make sure outdoor flower pots are free of standing water in those little plate thingies on the bottom. Check the rain gutters to make sure they're not harboring a mosquito maternity ward.

And — this from personal experience — drop a mosquito dunk under the grate of French drains.

Last year, one of our French drain lines backed up — dear god, the mess. After it was free-flowing again, I checked on it the next day. I raised the grate and was shocked, shocked, I tell you, to see a teeming swarm of mosquito larvae in the stagnant water directly below the grate.

French drains evidently don't completely, uh, drain.

No telling how many blood-sucking babies we sired. Oh, the shame.

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A few lucky folks in the neighborhood have a nice vantage point in their front- or backyards from which to watch the Lakewood Country Club July 4 fireworks display, which takes place at 9:15 p.m. Friday.

Most of us don't, though, because of rooflines and tree lines, and sightlines, so we look around for a nice public place to set out a blanket or lawn chair.

Last year, the folks at Whole Foods kinda gave us an unofficial invitation to use the vacant Whole Minyard parking lot for fireworks watching. This year, though, with all the construction going on and all the fences that are up, it's not such a viable spot.

Or is it?

Thus spake Karen Lukin, a spokeswoman with Whole Foods: "The north side of the lot is gated off, there is heavy equipment and is where current work is taking place. However, the southern-most tip — the "peninsula" — has low gates, is completely fenced off from the construction portion, and some people might consider it a good place for pedestrian traffic, blankets, and picnic baskets to see fireworks on the 4th."

Anyone know of a good place to lay out a blanket or set up a lawn chair now?

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