Surviving The 4th Of July (that's independence day to those of us in the US!)

I used to live in a county that strictly prohibited fireworks prior to and after the actual DAY OF July 4th.  That's right...you could only use fireworks *ON* the 4th.  I liked that rule! Apparently the county I have now resided in for slightly longer than four years has no such law or regulation.  I live very close to the "Joint Base McChord/Lewis" so I am no stranger to the sounds of artillery fire and bombing.  Thankfully noise was at a minumum until the evening of the 3rd, when M80s and other such obnoxiously annoying so-called "fireworks" were set off until the wee hours.  Then they started up again at dusk on the 4th and kept it up AGAIN until; the wee hours.  Obviously, one of my neighbors was putting in craters in his yard.  My house SHOOK every time one went off....windows rattled, so did the dogs and I!  At one point last night there was literally a fog of sulfur-scented smoke wafting through the neighborhood.  Ah....the true meaning of Independence Day.....