It’s Labor Day today in the US and its territories where we celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of workers. Every first Monday in September we honor the labor and union movements (if you work 40 hours or less a week, you can thank unions) as well as the role all workers made to the strength and well-being of the nation. Many of us will have today off (Labor Day is a national holiday) and this day often signals the new school year along with the start of football season. Although with the current age of the COVID panDAMNic, nothing is the way we were used to on past Labor Days when swimming pools, amusement parks generally close at Labor Day, summer concerts and festivals wrap up the season. Labor Day is usually considered the unofficial last weekend of summer with BBQ get-togethers often being a frequent pastime as well as any number of retail sales events. All that has been turned upside down if you’ve been following common sense, local mandates about personal distancing and mask wearing in public.
Ungodly heat has marked these past days of summer (we send particular sympathies to our friends in California after the weekend of hellish temps), and because it’s 2020, nothing is normal this Labor Day (including tomorrow’s forecast of snow with temperatures in the 30’s after again being in the 90’s today.
If you’ve ever wondered how Labor Day came about, a look at history indicates that as the trade and labor movements began to grow, calls for a day commemorating workers’ contributions were proposed. Colorado has long been progressive on social issues and was one of the first five states to enact legislation recognizing Labor Day, with Oregon being first to officially make it a public holiday in 1887. Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894. Our Canadian neighbors to the north also celebrate “Labour Day” on the first Monday in September.
But as is often the case with social change, it wasn’t all roses and candy. Following deaths of workers during the Pullman Strike of 1894, Congress unanimously approved legislation making Labor Day a national holiday and Grover Cleveland signed it into law by shortly after the end of the strike.
So on this Labor Day, we hope you celebrate (safely of course) with pride for all your work accomplishments, just like we will.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Happy Labor Day to you and the dogs. As Tom pointed out, Norman along with Elsa has the right idea about how to celebrate…snoozing on the couch. It’s a gorgeous photo of them both and I could picture myself visiting your place and seeing them there. Makes the world seem smaller, even though none of us can travel these days.
Best wishes,
Rowena
We’d be wise to follow our in our pets pawprints for dealing with life’s ups and downs. They seem to be able to keep quite an even keel. Trust me, the dogs would more than gladly welcome your visit.
I’m sure they would. Mine would go nuts if you came, but probably wouldn’t be so friendly if the dogs arrived. They’re not great with other dogs. Need therapy and re-programming.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Best wishes,
Ro
Elsa would not be too keen on dogs visiting either. But Norman would practically crawl out of his skin for humans. He’s good around other dogs, unless Elsa goes insane-then he thinks he’d need to protect us all.
If Elsa was going insane, he could well be right.
Because Elsa is a puppy mill survivor and was basically feral when I adopted her 4 years ago, she’s probably not programmable at this point. *sigh*
Humph!
Oh, now they have the right idea on how to celebrate! Sweet dreams, pups!
If only I could chill the way they do! 🙂
My husband and I are both proud retired union workers. I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day.
Yay! God bless you and the Skipper. 😍
You had such a big celebration on sofa! Well-done!
Labour Day signifies the end of summer and the beginning of fall. We don’t like this long weekend but are very thankful; unions have taken hold of working conditions,
Jean
Lulu: “We’re not normally ones to cheer for the end of summer, but if it gets us closer to getting out of this pandemic mess, we are all for it.”
Charlee: “Can we just skip the entire fall and winter and go straight to next spring?”
After a broiling hot summer, we kind of looking forward to some autumn and winter weather.
Happy belated Labor day!
Thanks!
Aw, you two are working WAY too hard 🙂
They sure think so 🤣
On the news I saw the fires and then I heard the word SNOW and I thought “you gotta be kidding me!” Here we have started Spring and the temperatures are starting to creep up – going to be 32c in Port Augusta today – 26c here) I always believed that Mother Nature was a well-balanced, mature lady, but at the moment it’s more like a child throwing a tantrum.
Snow is not entirely out of the realm of possibility this time of year, but the 60 degree change in temps…now that’s a bit unusual, even for here. We think Mother Nature is more than slightly hormonal.
Well, they for sure look tuckered out about as much as my Charlie who is a Black/Brn Labrador does when we come home from the doggy park. hahaha
It’s their go-to pose. 😂
Don’t let them fool you. Just open the fridge and they’d be right next to you. LOL
Now those are two tired pups! No laboring going on there!
Nope, they are pretty chill. All the time actually.
Glad to see Norman and Elsa are not working too hard! 🙂 What crazy weather you’re having! We’re having summer heat again today after several cool fall days. But at least we’re used to Mother Nature’s crazy….this other stuff needs to go!
Yeah, they know how to live life to the fullest, don’t they? Right now it’s 36º with a rainy mist mixed with an occasional snowflake. With the windchill it’s 27 🥶 Still, I don’t mind since it’ll be back up in the 70’s by Friday.
I hope your Labor Day was labor free, Monika.
Not so much but I lived through it. Hope is was relaxing/rejuvenating for you.
I want to say it was? Yeah, it was. 🙂
You look exhausted, Norman and Elsa…MOL😸Pawkisses for a Happy Labor Day🐾😽💞
They can looked tired like that at the drop of a hat!
Thanks for the history on Labor Day…….my Mom remembers looking forward to it as a day off when she was laboring (working) before she retired. No picnic for us this year with neighbors – we had our own celebration in our yard enjoying a sunny day. For us Labor Day means NO LABOR.
Hugs, Teddy
Exactly. Norman & Elsa would agree with you, Teddy.
Yessiree… Labour Day means an extra day to golf for those who are not yet retired… so, like Frank, I worked today. Double-time pay, though so it takes the sting off. In reality, I don’t usually work Mondays but I had to switch with my colleague to get yesterday off…
Hope you had a grand day!
And let’s hope that foot of snow stays away!
Nice score, Dale. Hope it wasn’t too busy for you.
I would have preferred it be busier so the time would fly faster. The temp was iffy and there was the threat of rain, which finally arrived sometime between 4:30 and 5:00. By 6:00 I texted my boss that I was closing shop, if she didn’t mind… I hadn’t seen a soul since 4!
Bummer. No fair that the weather didn’t cooperate.
And boy was it windy! Must have been awful to play in. Ugh. These golfers really love their “sport”… even if many of them chose to stay home.
No accounting for taste 😇
You said it, Sistah!! 😉
😈 I know it’s mean but…
Pffft! I agree with you. They’re a weird lot
Weirdos playing an elitist game. And don’t get me started on the environmental aspect of having jillions of them in places that are short potable water.
Exactomundo. Nothing makes me more crazy than to see everyone’s lawn all brown and crinkly but the golf course all green and lush.
Such a horrible waste. Every time I had to go to Vegas for business, it was gut wrenching to see beautifully landscaped golf courses and hotel gardens in the middle of a freaking desert. IIIYYYYYYYYEEEE. 👿
It’s disgusting. Golfers don’t give a damn about the environment.
Maybe with this day being a quiet Labor Day people will think about the meaning of it more.
Wouldn’t that be grand?
Good info, Monika! And I love the pic of your canine kids! 🌞
Thanks. As you can tell they take this whole ‘labor’ thing very seriously. 🤣
I celebrated by working today! Good luck with the big temperature swing!
Sorry you had to work. We’re pretty chuffed about the temperature swing as we’re all so over summer 2020.
… and then the temp will bounce back up fairly quickly!
Yup. Back in 70’s and 80’s by “Blursday” (otherwise known as Thursday).
Another reason to have a drink.
Oh twist my arm! 😂
I know you need a lot of convincing!
🍺 🍺
🍺 🍺
Mew mew mew Stormin Norman an Elsa yore cellybratin inn style!!! Mew mew mew///
***purrss*** BellaDharma
An wee red on Mani’ss bloggie that snow xpected where they are inn Collyrado…EEKKK!!!
**purrss** BellaDharma an ((huggiess)) LadyMew
He’s got it down pat.
Yes, we’re expecting anywhere from 3-8 inches. Fun times. I’m looking forward to some sweater weather.
Elsa and Norman have figured out a great way to celebrate. Xena and I, on the other hand, can’t be that still, and went for our first Freestyle training since March or before.
How fun for you. Going outside isn’t feasible right now because of another wildfire that doubled in size over the weekend. We even had ash falling yesterday. Thank goodness for the snowstorm that’s set to arrive tomorrow. 🤞🏻
Yes, hoping it and the cold will extinguish the fires.
Looks like really hard labour for Elsa and Norman! 😉
Ha! They’re pacing themselves. 😊
Happy Labor Day!!! We are all doing lots of napping on another hot and sticky day. But we hear there is cooler air headed our way – YAY!!!
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
Yes, tomorrow only a high of 37 and snow. We say bring it on. We’re hoping it’ll help the wildfire just northwest of town that is making the air horribly smoky. Yesterday small pieces of ash were falling here.
Regarding the devilish heat and fires I would say that Mother Nature is quite teed off! Was it something we said, or did? Or is it “the end of the world as we know it” 🎶. Have a safe week at the Ranch.
I had to listen to the story multiple times about the heat in California. It seems far too incomprehensible. Yes, Mother Nature is in need of some serious hormonal treatments. I hope you’ll find some relief in the near future. Happy Labor Day.
Very informative, Monika. I didn’t know Grover Cleveland had a hand in the birth of the holiday.
Jean
I suspect both he and Congress were forced into supporting it after all the riots, otherwise I doubt they’d have approved it.
What? Me work????
While we are used to it on May 1st I’m sure we can fit in another day of celebration of the worth of the workers – who, let us remember, kept things going by serving in the shops and delivering the parcels not to speak of growing the food.
I’m with you!
Ungodly heat indeed. We’re going to have the hottest day today. I’m so done with summer.
Awww on the pups. So precious.
Have a fabulous day and week, my friend. Scritches to the pups. ♥
I saw that it was 121 in LA County yesterday. Yikes! Hang in there; hopefully cooler weather will arrive soon.
Happy Labor Day, Monika. Excellent post. I love your two laborers too.
LOL, yeah…as you can see, the Ranch hands are always hard at it. 🤣
Yes they are for sure.
you celebrate it very well on the sofa… happy labor day!
We definitely know how to ‘celebrate’ all things well.
Today I shall celebrate Labor Day in what I call the “Norman Tradition;” that is, I shall avoid all labor whatsoever and nap on the couch instead.
Thumbs and paws up from all of us. Hope you have a grand celebration!