I'm on my way to the store to buy a few ingredients for dishes to take to Ruth's for our family Fourth celebration - fun even if rainy. I'll be glad to get back into her pool. But I want to post something first - a quote that suits the way I feel about Fourth of July sentiments today.

"Americans" are born everyday everywhere in the world. They are born in Bangladesh. They are born in Morocco, they are born in Brazil and in China and in England, and in Mexico and Peru. Many just don't get the chance to actually get here. Being an American is so much more than just having citizenship. It's that beat in your heart to be free, to be your own man, to have control over your own destiny. America has always been an idea. It has nothing to do with papers, documents or immigration laws. It has a lot to do with ideals and dreams. And our country needs Americans like these.

Paul Cuadros from A Home on the Field