The worst part about being a kid with a June birthday was never getting any cupcakes at school. The best part was fireworks for my birthday. June of 1981 was not any different. It was a beautiful summer day in Glendive, so mom decided to take my presents and birthday cake down to the park to have a little birthday picnic with the family. I had a few presents wrapped in exuberant colors, but it was the plain brown paper bag I was interested in. I opened the brown bag first and the whiff of a brown punk and Chinese gun powder sent a Pavlovian adrenaline response through my then 9-year-old body. Yes! Fireworks! The trick to giving birthday presents to brothers is always pick a gift that you can use also. Naturally, being able to light fireworks with my brothers made it a perfect gift every year. But this year they did better, my brown paper bag contained Top Secret illegal bottle rockets! Bottle rockets were illegal in Montana but not in North Dakota. It took a dangerous run 40 miles away to the border to smuggle them back to Glendive, not always easy.