Labor Day

Labor Day surely isn't what it used to be. I remember when Labor Day meant everyone was off for the day and nothing was opened - it was a day for the "laborers" of all kind to rest, which meant few trains and buses, stores all closed, no one anywhere having to work (with the exception of doctors and nurses who never had holidays off). In my family it meant a nice long weekend as my father's business would be closed from Friday at 5pm until Tuesday at 9am. There were cook-outs and parties and lots of socializing involved and I looked forward to it every year as the last really carefree time before school started.

Somewhere along the line we've missed something because now it surely doesn't mean a day - or a weekend - off for most people.

Someone reminded me recently that Labor Day used to mean "white sales" - sheets, towels, all sorts of linens were on sale for that weekend. I think it was the 1960s when that started and suddenly the flood doors were opened and Labor Day would forever more mean "sales". Poor laborers! They no longer have Sundays off - its been many years since they did - and they no longer have their own holiday.

Yesterday we ventured over to Riverhead to visit the Tanger outlets because my recent weight loss has meant I don't have much of a wardrobe for the cooler months coming up. It was a picture-perfect day and there were plenty of people taking advantage of all the sales there. Families shopped for school clothes and couples shopped for electronics - the restaurants were busy and the roads were teaming. We went early enough to enjoy ourselves and spent the afternoon relaxing and the evening at home. Today, my husband is at his office working, trying to prepare for a computer switch-over that has to take place for business tomorrow.

Labor Day just isn't what it used to be.

Cleaning

It's been weeks since I've been home for a Saturday and my house is showing the signs of being badly neglected. In fact, if I were to need an ambulance I'd be horrified to have to let anyone inside. This week I've seen plenty of spider webs, and sighed over toilets that need scrubbing, knowing that Saturday would be a heavy-duty cleaning day here. And so it begins. Time for some fall cleaning around here.

I've never made a secret of the fact that I hate housework. I hate cleaning bathrooms especially, but it's a necessary evil and I normally do it here every Saturday morning. Then I do the vacuuming and dusting, getting rid of whatever spider webs have been spun during the week, and cleaning the stove and counter tops. Now that September is here it's time to think about some heavy-duty fall cleaning but there won't be time for that this weekend. I'm still recovering from some elective surgery and I'm somewhat restricted in terms of lifting and reaching, so the basics will be all I do.

I admire women who keep immaculate homes. I have them in my own family - and I fight feelings of jealousy because I know mine will never measure up. But I can't be too envious because I also know its my own choice. It's something I've accepted as a major shortcoming and I have nobody to blame but myself. It's not that I don't love a neat and orderly house because I do. I just don't want to do the work to achieve that goal myself. I'm not quite in the "hoarder" category, but I do tend to hold on to things I should toss and that doesn't help matters any.

Well, this after weekend at least get the place clean enough for healthy living and I guess that's the most important thing. At my age I'm not likely to suddenly change and become the perfect housewife, cleaning and scrubbing the place to death. That may very well be my husband's fantasy, but as with most fantasies, its nowhere near reality.

Whether weather?

I'm writing this post early on Friday morning because I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. Hurricane Earl is supposed to pass us today and at this point no ones knows for sure what he might do. They're predicting it will pass to the east of us, which is fine by me, but I've been through enough of these storms to know they often make odd turns at the last minute and anything is possible. We may not have electricity Saturday morning so I'll prepare ahead of time and put a pre-dated post in the schedule.

When we were kids hurricanes seemed to be much more common than they are now. My children can remember Bob and Gloria, but that's it. By the time I was their age I'd lived through Donna and Carol, Edna, Belle, and many more that I can't remember the names of. It seemed to be a regular occurrence in the fall and it wasn't unusual for us to miss a day of school due to one barreling up the coast with Long Island in its scope. I remember doing homework by oil lamp and listening to the wind wailing away outside all night long. Every summer Mom made sure the glass hurricane lamps were full of fuel because the season was coming and she wanted to be prepared.

We're lucky to live in the village and be on the same power lines as the business district because it means our electricity is up and running within a couple days of any bad outage - I don't remember ever going more than 3 days without it. Friends who live in the outer edges of East Hampton have gone up to two weeks with no water or power and some have even come in every morning and used our shower before work. Now we have an outdoor shower too so it will be even more convenient for friends if need be. I'll simply leave a pile of towels outside on a chair and let them come and go as they please.

If we were hit badly by Earl, it could be a long weekend, but I'm guessing we won't have any more damage from this storm than we did the ones back in March, which left us with all that water in our basement for months. Of course, there are three other storms lined up behind this one so who knows what the next few weeks will bring. Could be like the early 1960s all over again!

Going solar

Those of us who are part of the hippie generation will remember that Earth Day, environmental awareness, and energy conservation are all part of the heritage we hand down to our children. I remember my 6th grade teacher telling us about Rachel Carson's new book "The Silent Spring" and then teaching us about our use of pesticides and the negative things we were doing to the earth - and ourselves - in the process. I remember the first Earth Day when I was in high school, and although hippies get a bad name sometimes, they were largely responsible for our growing awareness of how important is was to take care of our surroundings and become a society of conservation rather than consumption.

When we were newlyweds we experienced the first energy crisis and had to stand in long lines to buy gasoline for our cars, but only on odd or even days that corresponded with our license plates. We put flow restrictors in our shower heads and we started recycling. And then...we became cynical. We watched as other people installed multi-head showers that mimicked the rain forest. We read that all the things we recycled were being thrown together at some transfer station and not recycled at all. And we watched as politics controlled what kind of energy we were able to use. We were a generation of optimism but became one of complacency.

After all these years, and after all the nonsense, we have finally realized an early dream. We have installed solar panels on our roof and are creating energy. Although its not enough to run our house with, it's a small step toward returning to our 1960s roots and suddenly I'm of the mindset that we can make a difference. I've installed new energy efficient light bulbs and I'm trying to find space for recycling my bottles and cans again. And I've stopped buying water in bottles and instead use a metal water bottle at the gym.

They say we all return to our youth in our old age. The fact that I've been longing for a smocked, embroidered shirt, macrame belt, and bell bottom jeans makes me think I must be getting really old...

Last hurrah

Today is Thursday and we're into Labor Day weekend - the last hurrah of the summer. Cue the angel chorus!

This has been an amazing summer. The weather has been, if a little hot at times, pretty amazing. We had so little rain the grass burned out and we had to water the flowers like crazy to keep them from turning into scorched brown twigs. The heat was sometimes oppressive, but we bought an air conditioner for our bedroom for the first time ever and I slept well throughout the numerous heatwaves. Nothing was rained out - every event on our calendar was attended and wonderful. We had over a month with out out-of-town grand kids in residence and loved ever moment of it. We made s'mores on the beach, collected shells, and laughed at them as they squealed in the outdoor shower or ran away from the surf. We watched as all the grand kids played together and made memories that would last their lifetimes. We attended a family wedding and we did some nice projects around our house, like replacing our deck and renovating a bathroom, as well as installing solar panels as an investment in the future. There were no bad times this summer, and after last summer, which was pretty much a lost year, it was a huge blessing.

All that said, I am so glad its September and this is the last weekend of the summer season. Because now we're in to my favorite time of the year and I'll treasure these days even more. I can't wait to decorate my back steps with pumpkins and start shopping for Christmas. I love, love, love the holidays and the weather in the autumn is the best of the year. I'm ready to pull out my long-sleeved shirts and cozy sweaters and pop on the gas fireplace when the evenings get chilly. And most of all I'm ready to have the freedom to stop at the IGA whenever I drive by and not have to plan around the long lines and silly tourists. I want to run to Southampton in 25 minutes instead of 45 and I want to drive the main roads again so I can stop at K-Mart or King Kullen if need be. And I know for sure that come Tuesday morning it will seem like East Hampton is again our little hometown and the people I pass on the street are friends.

I really can't wait.

Beautiful September

I can feel a sigh escape my throat this morning as the realization sets in that today is the first of September. Because now we are entering my favorite time of the year in East Hampton - the autumn. Oh, I know its not officially autumn yet, but for me, September and the passage of Labor Day is the signal that the best of the year is about to begin. Who would ever want to leave here in September?

It's always a treat for me to see new seasons come along as winter turns to spring, spring turns to summer, and now summer to fall. I like the changes in temperature, I enjoy the new flowers and crops in the fields, I love changing out my clothes so I have a different wardrobe, and I always look forward to the holidays and special events of the coming season. With September comes cooler nights and shorter days, long sleeved shirts and lightweight jackets, and Montauk Daisies in the garden. It's a transitional month where we adjust to the idea of school days and pumpkin patches while still enjoying the blue skies of summer and the warm afternoons in the sun. It's a wonderful month in East Hampton.

Soon the birds will be working along the shore and the beaches will be busy with surf casters fishing for stripers. The kids will be back at school and we'll all start thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The light is never any prettier here than in September and I love the way the big estate lawns look in the early morning. If you live here on the East End, ya gotta love September!

August gone

Today is the last day of August and it is a welcome day. I've been looking forward to September now for a few weeks and tomorrow at last, it will be here. Along with September comes Labor Day and this weekend will be our final, insane, busy days - we all deserve to have East Hampton back again and we can actually see it now. The end is near!

This has been a busy, busy summer and I enjoyed every minute of it. The grandchildren "from away" were here for a month, we attended a family wedding, we had old friends visit, we worked for a week at Vacation Bible School, and we did a 5K. We were running constantly and enjoying life and celebrating family. It was a great year.

On the down side, we almost never entertained friends on our back deck. I hope I'll find time in September to do that. I want to light the candles and grill the chicken and I want to laugh with people who I like to laugh with. Sometimes there is just too much life to fit in to the time we have to spend. And as I get older it seems as though time moves faster and there is less and less time to do the things we want to do. I'm thinking my bucket list is hopeless!