Learn me: giants sticks of dynamite idiot neighbors are blowing off.

Next year I’m not going to be annoyed at the local knuckleheads with these window rattling bombs and I’m joining in.

What do I need to buy? M80’s? M100’s?  Half sticks of dynamite?  

Do I need to go to Tennessee to get better stuff than Indiana?  

I find 3"titanium mortars do a good job. If they see it as a challenge, 5"mortars will put a quick end to it, but may attract unwanted attention. 

Ask around, surely you'll find a guy that knows a guy, that's how I found mine until he got busted. Finally used up all my reserves last year and I'm stuck with those toys Phantom and the like sell this year. Not nearly as fun or as loud as commercial grade.

I do sell hoses to a few rock quarries- don’t they have dynamite laying around?

I prefer to buy from legitimate fireworks tents.  

Large balloons, like the kind you sit and bounce on.

Filled with Oxy acetylene from the cutting torch.

Rotary backfires.

It's not Independence Day until you set fire to your neighbor's shrubbery, three doors down. 

Remember that for those who suffer from PTSD, this holiday is a literal nightmare. 

Be considerate, don’t set them off at random intervals, and let the neighbors know you plan to do it. 

Yeah, I don’t get the allure.  I like watching professional displays, but the local yokels can go eff themselves with that noise.

Not only do PTSD sufferers struggle (please check on your fellow humans who might be suffering), pets and babies do as well.  Thank goodness for sound machines or my daughter wouldn’t sleep at all this week and neither would we.

Oh and let’s not forget all of the beautiful forest that was burned last year due to a dumbass teenager who threw fireworks into a dry gorge.

I’d just find another way to celebrate.

I'm sitting here unable to do anything about my dog who is shaking violently and turning herself inside out in a futile attempt to find spot where she won't be terrified of the noise. She's probably not going to get any sleep tonight, and it won't be much better for the rest of us.

One big shared fireworks display that's half an hour of awesome for many thousands of people to enjoy is one thing. Making a bunch of noise for the amusement of yourself and the few people in your group at random times for days around The Day while scaring the E36 M3 out of dogs for a mile around is utterly inexcusable, and I'm sitting here having really, really bad thoughts about the people nearby (but no so near I can find them) who are lighting this E36 M3 off.

And I can't even imagine what it's like for folks with PTSD.

Don't. berkeleying. Do. It.

I think what you're looking for are the honkey lighters.

I'm with the others though. I don't see the allure. You're literally just burning money to make a bunch of loud noises. I like the big local shows as much as the next guy but doing it in the back yard, at all hours is just inconsiderate. Around here, it doesn't get dark until 10pm, so I'll probably get to sleep when the explosions stop around 2am.

People here will be out at dawn, staking off their claims on the beach. By nightfall it will look and sound like a scene from Apocalypse Now. Hopefully the wind changes direction, because last night it was blowing straight off the gulf, meaning everything will be flying over/onto our house. At least it’s rained quite a bit the last 3 days. 

I believe 7.62 is your answer.

I don’t mind it ON JULY berkeleyING FOURTH, but the week-long blowing up of E36 M3 is starting to get on my nerves a little.

That said, my girls have been stoked to see fireworks and I’m looking forward to tonight.

There are far better ways to convert dollar bills into noise and smoke.

Gents.  Sarcasm is high on my list.  

I will not be messing with these bombs next year besides these type fireworks are illegal in Illinois.  

mtn said:

Remember that for those who suffer from PTSD, this holiday is a literal nightmare. 

Be considerate, don’t set them off at random intervals, and let the neighbors know you plan to do it. 

I had never thought about this until I talked some guys who it bothered a lot.  Shame they can’t feel safe their own home.  

This past weekend I was at a champ car race and there were two different fireworks displays outside of the track as the race was ongoing. I assumed they were pros but on my way home there was another even more magnificent display not far from the road. I slowed down to see what appeared to be a family shooting off this stuff.  There were cars and buildings way too close to where this stuff was being ignited for my comfort. Ppl are nuts!

I hate to see dogs suffer through this, especially since there are effective options to alleviate the anxiety.

See your veterinarian about a short term antianxiety medication for your dogs with noise phobia. 

If they offer a sedative, decline the offer and find another vet. The sedative we would offer is acepromazine, or ace. It sensitizes dogs to noise, so even though they look like they aren't reacting, their anxiety is worse. I only use a sedative for dogs that are going to be in danger of hurting themselves, like jumping through a closed window.

A dog on appropriate meds should act about the same as normally, just be able to tolerate the noise better.

I always recommend a trial dose at home on a quiet day (I know, too late for that), due to the rare potential for an idiosyncratic reaction. I've only seen one, the dog seemed to get excited on the first drug, but did fine on another one.

Please, don't pull out something from your own or someone else's supply of antianxiety meds to give the dog. I know that it's already July 4th, and your veterinarian Is closed. I'm sorry I didn't offer this sooner, but I didn't see the discussion.

Here's what you can and should do, read this: Fireworks fear in pets

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Floating Doc said:

I hate to see dogs suffer through this, especially since there are effective options to alleviate the anxiety.

See your veterinarian about a short term antianxiety medication for your dogs with noise phobia. 

If they offer a sedative, decline the offer and find another vet. The sedative we would offer is acepromazine, or ace. It sensitizes dogs to noise, so even though they look like they aren't reacting, their anxiety is worse. I only use a sedative for dogs that are going to be in danger of hurting themselves, like jumping through a closed window.

A dog on appropriate meds should act about the same as normally, just be able to tolerate the noise better.

I always recommend a trial dose at home on a quiet day (I know, too late for that), due to the rare potential for an idiosyncratic reaction. I've only seen one, the dog seemed to get excited on the first drug, but did fine on another one.

Please, don't pull out something from your own or someone else's supply of antianxiety meds to give the dog. I know that it's already July 4th, and your veterinarian Is closed. I'm sorry I didn't offer this sooner, but I didn't see the discussion.

Here's what you can and should do, read this: Fireworks fear in pets

​​​​

We have been having really good luck with CBD oil.  

NOHOME said:

Large balloons, like the kind you sit and bounce on.

Filled with Oxy acetylene from the cutting torch.

Trash bags work well.  With a kerosene soaked rag as a wick.  Run fast. 

Back when the legal restrictions on fireworks were still enforced in FL, you would have to drive to NC for them.

My dad's friend had a New years party with a professional show every year, then decided not to spend the money for the pros.

He bought a wood crate full of rockets, then instead of setting up in advance, he and his friends would pull out the rockets, stick them in the ground, and light them with their cigars.

This worked well, until one of the rockets landed in the crate.  

The image of them silhouetted against the crate full of exploding rockets is one I'll never forget. When the rockets started flying horizontally across the lawn, I decided to be elsewhere.

Datsun310Guy said:

Gents.  Sarcasm is high on my list.  

I will not be messing with these bombs next year besides these type fireworks are illegal in Illinois.  

Well, if you want to do something that is legal but will annoy the hell out of the neighbors (and better for dogs PTSD etc) go with one of these:

Pretty easy to build, directional and they are REALLY loud!

Has everything you need, including the likely outcome.

In reply to Floating Doc :

WRONG.  If you drove through SC to NC from FL to get fireworks you screwed up.  

I have an alternate view of this holiday season.  

I see it as a reminder to all of us that all that War is loud, scary and disconcerting, and we should remember that it's a real thing that has happened throughout our history. We can pay homage to that fact by pretending that every one of those explosions could have been your ass at many points in history.  It in some small way puts us in touch with a reality that we choose to disassociate from. It's meant to a) remind us that war is scary, not a button to be pushed lightly, and b) that people have sacrificed incredibly for what we have. I'm not an apologist or patriot, I just choose to look at this time as something important. There are lessons that these customs we havecan teach us. Or we can just whine about the fact that it's remotely inconvenient. Up to you.