Well summer is here, and here’s hoping everyone is enjoying the summer with family and friends.  Hopefully you are finding ways to beat this Oklahoma heat.  Whatever you’re doing, take proper precautions to avoid over exposure to the sun and heat.  Most of us like to “have fun in the sun,” but we need to observe some common sense precautions.  A quick internet search will give you a lot of ideas and tips on coping with the heat and cost saving ideas. 

            I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4^th of July.  From my childhood, the 4^th of July has always been a special holiday.  Family, fireworks, hotdogs, lemonade, apple pie and the American Flag are all part of my memories.  I was raised on a dairy farm; growing up my Dad would always make a 10 gallon can of pink lemonade for the 4^th.  We sold our milk in 10 gallon cans to the milk processors.  That just shows how old I must be getting.   Probably a lot of you have never seen a 10 gallon milk can.

It is still a very special day and I always pause to think of the sacrifices our Fore Fathers made in laying the foundation of this great nation of ours.  Certainly we all can appreciate the sacrifices they made, but their wisdom that is reflected in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution is timeless.  Certainly the principles they espoused are some that we need to continually remind ourselves of.  The principles of hard work, self reliance, and minimal government intrusion are principles that will serve us well even in these times.