This is one of those BIG
three day holiday weekends, and in the case of us here in the United States of America, it is
called Labor Day Weekend.
Now even that name is a
misnomer, how might one have a ‘day’ that is also a ‘weekend’, one might ask?
Not me, since I have always
known that this was called Labor Day Weekend at least since I was a small
child anxiously looking forward to my first day of school, which in New Jersey
always started the day after the holiday ended, on Tuesday!
“Observed on the first Monday
in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of
American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century
and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of
summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic
events.”
Thanks to: http://www.history.com/topics/labor-day
Ending our long summer, in
those days to us they were three months long…and just before it was time to go
back meant new school clothes and notebooks and pencil holders and gosh
everything that was needed had to be brand new, because the school year was brand
new too!
Although…ramp up thirty plus
years later from my first day of school and our children’s first day of school
in FLORIDA, in 1986 when we moved to the other coast to Ormond Beach, on August
19th we felt the urge to get here as soon as possible due to being
misinformed that they would be starting school in August!
Ridiculous!
And for that one year, oddly
enough, they too started the day after Labor Day, but that was the last time
that happened to our then ten and fourteen year old sons.
For after that first year,
when it appeared that they waited for us to settle in, we closed on that first
house in less than a week, we had to look for a home since we hadn’t before we
moved down here looked and so it was a bit of a rush anyway…but from that year after
the boys were to start every year in the middle of August, but all schools are
air-conditioned here and that allowed for them to get out in May, which they
both liked. Even though it was still the same one hundred and eighty days that
all United States
schools require, odd how August to May sounds psychologically different than September
to June?
Who knows why that is?
You see, we were on a rather
odd adventure when we moved from New Jersey; we had sold everything, our big
five bedroom bi-level and our underground sprinkle business and even most all
of our furniture, we were due for new anyway…and so we had, us, Hubby and I and
the boys, a dog, a cat and a cockatiel as well as a box turtle, and surprise
our idea of renting a place to take our time to decide exactly what we wanted
to do… was expedited due to no one wanting to rent to us with our children and
our animal menagerie!
We knew the area well, since
we had been to Ormond Beach many times before on vacation via our trips to
Disney World with our boys and knew they had excellent schools that were not unlike
the ones we left in NJ, with 80% of the taxes going towards the betterment of
the schools…taxes were higher than many other counties in Florida, but a bit
lower than ours were in NJ… and worth that in our opinion and so we sold
everything and made the journey! My last of parents had passed away and that is
why I finally agreed to leave NJ, we had been very close.
Hubby, if he had, had his way
we would have been here ten years sooner, but I wouldn’t leave my parents.
Anyway, I also had my
father’s estate to contend with too, being the executrix, but my best friend’s
husband was our family attorney and I left much to this trusted friend, which
worked out just fine… we did much by overnight mailings and even electronically
through the bank there in Ormond Beach, at that time Barnett.
And so buying a home in
record time was amazing to us, for when you live in NJ closings take three
months, minimum, and that is why we were concerned, but not that much… with
title insurance, no lawyers involved, and acquiring what are called abstracts,
the history of the home, and so we moved in seven days after we arrived. Funny
thing is I did try registering the boys for school while we were staying in an
efficiency motel and the schools gave me a hard time and wanted Hubby there… as
if they were not my children too! Ah the south… not that happy to be here then.
I argued, but it got me nowhere and Hubby showed up to prove they are OUR sons
too, from both parents! I pitied the single parent…
Inoculations were another
thing, we had all their school transcripts and proof of up to date
inoculations, I thought, but we were told more were required and so we went and
did that too!
Ah, memories the boys had two
different schools due to their ages one got the bus, our number one son since
his school was further away, but little guy had two choices either to be driven
or to ride his bike since it was less than the required distance. I drove him
for quite some time, but eventually he rode his bike, due us having our
restaurant.
I walked from kindergarten
through my senior year of high school, well really only until I could afford my
car that spring, due to both towns I lived in having the requirement that you
must live more than two miles away to take the bus, and Hubby’s did too, walked
that is! And we were fine.
Oh so Labor Day Weekend oddly
is called that because it is the unofficial end of summer vacation for children
I suspect and it helps the economy to have another one to sell, hotel/motel
rooms, gas, plane fares, beach time, water sport rentals, etc… and to remember,
why on Monday no one except the tourist industry and police and all other
emergency people and hospitals etc have to work, ha!
Retail stores and car and all
large and small appliance centers and you name it have their sales!
Now you tell me if everyone
is actually working the holiday, why bother? LOL!
We retirees just consider it
another day…but here in PARADISE!
On that note of have a good
one however you choose to spend it, allow me to be the very first to wish all of
you a very happy good night and to ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share those overages with you know who
and we will too!
And next time please be here
or be square, ya hear!