The last official holiday of the season is here and, once again, I ask myself, what happened to summer? Sure, I know that as you age time fairly flies by. Most of the kids who started back to school a week or so ago thought the summer lasted forever. We old people know summer comes and goes in the blink of an eye.

It seems each year, I have these grandiose plans for working outside all summer. I am sure that I will be able to clean out the garage, paint the railing on my deck, trim the huge bushes that are threatening to cover my windows, wash all the windows and scrub the siding on my house.

Yet each year, Labor Day comes and I find all the chores still are waiting to be done. Summer time is great for excuses. It is just too hot to work. I'll wait 'till next week when I have more time. It looks like rain. Or, my personal favorite, it's a shame to waste a beautiful day like this working.

I am a master procrastinator. I can find a reason to put off physical labor at the drop of a hat. OK, maybe I am just plain lazy when it comes to wrestling heavy stuff around. I love to paint, but I struggle with carrying a ladder.

I would much rather scrub toilets than pull tree limbs across the yard. Besides, there is something artistic about broken branches lying haphazardly around the lawn.

I have weeds that have been growing since the first Labor Day in 1882. I admire their spirit and don't have the heart to cut them down. (See how good I am at making up excuses?)


These past years of living alone has taught me two things about home maintenance ... super glue and Duct tape. Need to hang a picture? Duct tape it. Trim separating from the door? Super glue it. You have no idea how many times I have blessed the creators of these two important inventions.

Nevertheless, this will be like every other Labor Day for me. Since I have 24 hours to accomplish three months worth of chores, I will spend the day working. Perhaps that is why they call it Labor Day.
I have on my website a more profound Labor Day message

Julia, what a heartwarming, read...
You've painted for me, a picture of you, out working in your yard... struggling to drag a fallen limb to the woods to be tossed in the pile of nature's past, old, fallen, soldiers...dragging that step ladder across from the garage (if you could even find it in there!) and teetering upon it on an uneven, footing as you work the rusty trimmer shears...smiling all the while because you are happily, within your own, little, kingdom (or Queen as the case may be...)
And as you can well imagine, my own image of you doing all this, is of course, with you dressed not in jeans and t-shirt, but in a delicate negligee'...your charms jiggling and falling out of their flimsy covering...and best of all...I am quietly, lying there on the lawn watching intently, all your motions....wishing you would just drop everything and join me in a joyous, Autumnal, romp...to celebrate life and all good things we all take for granted the year, long...as the most wonderful time of year beckons us to partake of it's blessings!
After all...we are just one of Nature's wonders ourselves...not on Earth as long as the mighty, Oak...but nevertheless, longer than the rabbit or the deer...merely, juxtaposed in our own position of the great, scheme of things here on Mother Earth...
Thank you, Julia, for the inspiration...not only for the gift of your writing, but for the fantasies you created for my mind to devour!
I hope you can find a way to throw those tools back in the garage for another season and just breathe in the last of Summer's sweet scents, mixed with a tinge of the next season's delights...
Isn't life grand?



-- Modified on 9/3/2012 9:50:04 AM

-- Modified on 9/3/2012 9:51:29 AM

and pleased, if you followed up your prose with a 2-hour session with her. Go for it! Lots of nice words...but action speaks much louder than words!

Haha...I may do just, that! In good time...;o)