“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”
Movie night was last night and it was chilly. Clare bundled, Gracie slept on her afghan, Tony wore a hat and I wore a sweatshirt. We ate appetizers for dinner, enough for a whole theater full of people, and we watched Raiders of the Lost Ark, a movie none of us had seen in a long time. It was fun.
I still think of today as the end of summer. When I first moved to the cape, there was no extended season. The day after Labor Day the motels closed, Route 28 was dark and Main Street in Hyannis had two way traffic again. The cape had been returned to us. Now, the season extends to Columbus Day weekend. Tour buses filled with old people, older than I people, roam the main roads. They stop at Cuffy’s to buy Cape Cod sweatshirts and at the Christmas tree shops to buy bagfuls of bargains. Motels are filled on weekends. Main Street in Hyannis is always one way. It’s not my Cape yet.
When I was young, I always wondered why nobody worked on Labor Day. It seemed a contradiction. No-Labor Day would have been my suggestion for a name. I knew nothing of the history of the day. I knew all about Memorial Day, July 4th, Columbus Day and all the other single day holidays, but Labor Day was a mystery, and I didn’t care. It wasn’t my favorite holiday. I just thought of it as the day before school started.
Now that I know Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers, I don’t think one day is enough.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: end of summer, Labor Day
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
September 6, 2010 at 12:42 pm
The terrible shame is that the policies of the last 30 years have basically reset the clock for the American worker back 90 years. Deregulation, State ‘Right to Work’ laws, free trade and other ‘market’ ideas have sent millions of middle class jobs overseas. It’s sad that the disparity of wages between the top 10% wage earners and the vast lower 60% of workers has never been so wide since the great depression. We should all thank Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, Presidents Ronald Reagan, both George Bushes and even Bill Clinton for this economic mess. If you have a job then thank your lucky stars and try to enjoy this holiday which celebrates the dignity of the American worker. Don’t give up we still live in the best country.
September 7, 2010 at 10:08 am
Bob,
I believe, with fingers crossed, that the economy will finally rebound and give people back job opportunities. I find it horrific that the low prices of wages abroad sends businesses scurrying across oceans.
September 6, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I had a deep abiding respect for organized labor and worked 10 years as an organizer for the AFL/CIO. In those early days, Suffolk County, NY and places like Phoenix, AZ were left behind in the major drives of the 50’s and 60’s and were crying out for higher wages. As for end of summer, only one summer in Kitty Hawk, was our Life Guard contract written to the township through September 12. And it was a ghost town those last few days. No one on the beach except a few locals who came to the beach when the tourists left. People arriving to winterize their rental units; a few foreigners who lost track of time; and kids from High School who would drive us crazy in the late afternoon. We were glad to shut it down and ourselves get ready for College. Thanks for those memories.
September 7, 2010 at 10:11 am
Z&Me,
I was the president of our small teachers’ union for a couple of years, and I found many teachers felt entitled to more than they earned. They wanted more money for less work, fewer hours. Dedication was foreign to many. It saddened me.
The roads are almost empty by comparison. They’ll get busy every weekend but I don’t mind all that much as the rest of the week is mine.
September 7, 2010 at 8:40 am
Hi Kat,
Such a lot of people still have to work on Labor Day because those of us fortunate enough to have it off still expect to be able to shop and recreate and someone has to cater to our whims. The irony seems to escape us.
September 7, 2010 at 10:13 am
Caryn,
I loved when shops and stores were closed on Sundays and holidays. I’m with you in thinking some days need to be sacred.
September 7, 2010 at 9:57 am
Labor does not have the respect it should have.
Media has a lot to do with that as they seem to heap praise on the rich & dodgy entrepreneurs as people to look up to. Many a fallen one of those who usually take the working families savings with them.
Plus the old saying, the law is there to protect the rich. not the poor.
September 7, 2010 at 10:15 am
Pete,
With money comes influence and power-no way around that anymore.