Labor Day weekend

It is Labor Day weekend and although this has become a time when everyone celebrates the extra day off and plans are made for that last BBQ of the season it seems to me that the real reason for the holiday is forgotten, or was it ever really known?
I know that I truly do not know the history of this national holiday and if truth be told I would say that I am not very interested in researching it. I am sure it is to celebrate the working man but I must say that I celebrate that everyday when I am constantly reminded of my humble roots.

My parents were, and still are, working folk. My Dad met my step-mom (from here on referred to as just plain old MOM) in the factory where they both worked. My mom worked her way up to a supervisory position in that factory and my dad was able to finally follow his dream to quit that job and become a farmer. This seems to me like jumping from the frying pan to the fire but it is what has always made my dad happy so.........
My mom had a stroke about 9 years ago and since then there have been some changes in the house but nothing really that different. Dad now helps all the neighbors with their farms and is now able to do all the things he enjoys without the headache of the financial worries many farmers face. He also 'makes wood', something I thoroughly loathed as a child but my dad seems to get perverse pleasure from, probably knowing that he has provided heat for his family as well as the satisfaction that must be there when he sells the wood to the city guy who thinks that burning wood for heat makes him country even if he didn't cut it himself :-) Mom can't work anymore, at least not outside the home, but let me tell you that the work inside the home is still done to her specifications. Our house was always clean, sometimes too clean, and it still is. Mom is still proud that you could eat off her floors and drink from her toilets if ever necessary.

So, in honor of the working folks I am going to enjoy my extra day of rest. Today I am going to the Taste of Madison and eat some good food, drink some cold beer and hear some great music. Tomorrow I am thinking a day at the zoo may be in order.

Enjoy your weekend!!!!