Last week I flipped the page on my calendar from August to September. Like Harry Caray of the Chicago Cubs would say, "Holy cow!"
Where did the summer go already? It is hard to imagine that Monday we observe the Labor Day holiday. It's too early for summer to end.
It has been rumored that deep in the woods there are still snow piles on the north side of some of the hills. Two weeks ago I was bemoaning the fact that I still had green tomatoes in my garden. Well, they're still green.
On the first Monday of every September we observe Labor Day and have done so for more than 100 years.
Sometimes the origins of our holidays get lost in the commercialization of the event. The meaning of this day is pretty straightforward. Labor Day honors the creators of much of our great nation's strength, freedom, wealth and leadership -- the American workers.
The American workers make the wheels of industry turn. They build our homes and produce our food. They are responsible for caring for us when we are sick or disabled.
American workers drive the big rigs down the interstate highways bringing us the things we depend on for our daily living. They are the clerks who work in the stores and the men and women who run small businesses.
The American workers are also the taxpayers who make it possible for our government to dole out the many benefits that they do and pay for our military that helps keep us safe.
With all of that hard work being done by so many, it seems like we ought to have a "Labor Week" instead of a Labor Day. One day seems a little skimpy to me. Maybe I'll start a movement or organize a few town hall meetings to peddle my idea.
In northern Michigan, Labor Day has another significance. For many it officially marks the end of another summer season. I'm not quite sure why. I think there are multiple factors that enter into the picture.
For Michigan families, school will be beginning soon. In other states, school has already started. For families with school-age children, most have either already used up their vacation time or are enjoying the last of it this week. Many of the colleges and universities have already begun their fall semester and very shortly college football games will be delighting millions of fans on the weekend television schedule.
Our "snowbird" friends are starting to make plans for their annual evacuation. Some of them, whom we affectionately call "sissies," will be departing in September for their winter haunts. Others tough it out through October. Don't tell them, but frequently our most beautiful weather occurs during these two months.
On this Labor Day weekend, one of our dear neighbors will host the annual neighborhood picnic. Patty is a wonderful cook and specializes in baked goodies that everyone looks forward to.
There will be brats, burgers, hot dogs and ham. All who attend bring a dish to share and we have a grand time. It's a great opportunity to visit with the neighbors and to recap the summer season. Those who linger after their fill of food sit around the campfire and tell a tale or two.
For people living on area lakes and streams, Labor Day weekend is when a few begin to remove their docks and store their boats for the winter. I, on the other hand, always wait until the last possible weekend to give up on boating for the year.
Although there is plenty of quiet time available out on the lake and some great fishing opportunities, many sportsmen are already dreaming of another great chapter yet to come in the remaining months of the year -- deer season. Sporting magazines are hitting the grocery store racks with monster bucks on their covers.
Ads for hunting gear are popping up in the paper. In the coffee shops, bars and garages across the north, plans are being made for deer camp. Jerky sales and other camp necessities are skyrocketing right along with pickled bologna.
Yes, Labor Day marks the beginning of a new season. It is exciting to see the leaves beginning to change and to wake up to a new crispness in the morning air. It's a delight to see the bright blue northern Michigan sky over our waters and to smell the musty-damp leaves accumulating in the nearby woods.
At sunset, the smell of wood smoke drifts through the air as neighbors fire up the wood stoves to warm their cottages. All too soon we will be looking for that first frost and then our first snowfall. I hope you all had a good summer and have a great and safe Labor Day weekend.
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