Part two of the 4th of July safety bonanza has to do with everyone's favorite drunken pastime: blowing shit up. Fireworks are super illegal where I live, but our very sweet, mild-mannered neighbor turns out to be a closet pyro, and she always sets off tons of 'em. I'm not a fan (traumatic childhood sparkler injury) but should you be like her, here's what you need to know, from Home Ec 101.
Bad Bad Ivy makes a wonderful list, and I'll only add two more: don't set fireworks off on a rooftop in San Francisco (and if that was your window, I wasn't even there) and consider earplugs for the kids, even for the pro shows. Not only will you protect their tender little ears, but the show will probably be somewhat less scary for them. Now get that Roman Candle away from me!
