It is July 1 and the temperature this morning was 58 degrees at Moseley Drive. There was no humidity and a slight breeze. It felt as though autumn was in the air instead of being in the throes of a hot humid Mississippi summer. I welcome the weather change however and wish away the days hoping for more of the same.

Dear Don and I had plans for the Independence Day holiday. We made reservations at a B&B that we have come to love in Bay St. Louis. But while checking the weather for the long weekend they are calling for rain and thunderstorms for all three days. Little excites me less than spending days holed up in a room awaiting the sun to make its appearance. This is usually followed by unbearable humidity.

The very things that make bed and breakfasts so charming — no telephones and no televisions — are also the very things you would crave if stuck inside for any length of time. We had to make a decision to go or cancel and we decided to not take a chance on the weather. Twenty years ago we would have gone and had a blast despite the weather.

This leaves us at home for the three days and no plans. This could turn out to be a very good thing. We have ample opportunity to find something to occupy our time. Eating to our hearts’ content from a well-stocked refrigerator is one thing that gets us excited. Checking out the “list” on the DVR is another thing that will quickly bring a smile to our middle-aged faces.

Swimming, tanning and “porchtime” with a carafé of steaming black coffee also brings out the best in us both.

I am equally excited about not contributing to the ever-growing billions that the Oil Company CEOs pocketed from their record breaking quarters.

So staying home and declaring our INDEPENDENCE from gas guzzlin’ seems appropriate.

Many of you have been asking for stories. I so appreciate your interest and thoughtfulness. What started as stories of our life thus far has blossomed into something neither Dear Don nor I could have ever imagined. But the hitch is finding fodder with which to write.

As I have stated many times in the past, (and still there are those naysayers who just refuse to believe that all those stories could be true), I don’t have enough of an imagination to write about something that I don’t have first hand knowledge of. I do know enough about writing to know that you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, but I just did nevertheless. I figure I should write like I talk and I’ve never been one to watch my preposition placement when I talk.

Anyway, it seems as though the two of us have entered into a boring spell, if you will. Nothing funny, unusual or witty happening out our way. That’s not to say that something extraordinary couldn’t happen in the blink of an eye. It’s just not happening now.

The computer spelling and grammar check keeps telling me I am writing in “fragments.”

I am aware of that and it is an idiosyncrasy of mine. Like ending in prepositions, I also talk in fragments. So if you continue to follow our stories you will no doubt be able to keep on highlighting a great many of our flaws, grammatical and otherwise, but the bottom line is the stories are the plain and simple truth.

Declare your Independence this weekend from something that binds you. Remember we are engaged in two wars in the Middle East and say a prayer for our men and women who have volunteered to fight for our freedom. Despite the high prices and mudslinging campaigns, racial disparity, no universal healthcare, poor roads and poorer educational funding, we are above all a free country.

You get the picture.

(Contact Sherry at sherryhopkins@bellsouth.net)