It might be a bit early for a cartoon about raking leaves, but not if you have pecan trees. They’re the last trees to turn green in the spring and the first to shed their leaves at summer’s end. Plus, they’re very bad about dropping huge living limbs without warning. Normally these characteristics are ameliorated by a crop of delicious and useful pecans at least every other year, but around where I live it has been several years since a good crop of pecans, and this year will be no different. Plus, in a land that at one time was awash in an overflow of tomatoes from Independence Day thorough Labor day, cultivation of the tomato has become very problematic for home gardeners. Those lucky enough to have a crop by early July can almost count on the vines withering away by the end of the month. All I know is, things aren’t what they used to be. Happy Labor Day!
But it’s Labor Day!
By Jimmy Johnson
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131 responses to “But it’s Labor Day!”
If the Good Lord had meant for us to rake leaves, He would not have created lawn mowers with mulching blades. Selah.
I just turned on my computer – the time is 10:38 – I have been outside doing ‘yard work’ since 7 a.m. And my lovely wife’s way of goading me out to do such a thing? “It’s such a beautiful day… we shouldn’t waste it!
When I lived on the Gulf Coast and had pecan trees, we got nuts on the years when there was an election. Next year should be a banner year for nuts.
I saw a quote in regard to your last comment Jimmy. “If we want things to stay the same, things are going to have to change”.
Happy Labor Day. Last day of our holiday on Narragansett Bay.
Labor day is officially the close of tourist season in Northern Michigan, or more precise, Da U.P.. As far as tomatoes go we have only started getting ripe tomatoes in last 3 weeks, mostly grape ‘maters. The “yallers” are nice and big, but it is a race for ripeness before the vines die off more. Very odd that we have the grape ‘maters, but the cherry ones are not ripening yet. Big cookout for women’s group and men’s group from the church at our place tomorrow and we will let the people pick all of the ripe grape ‘maters because non of those people can have a garden. It will be a treat for them to take home.
“…things aren’t what they used to be.” That’s one of the first thoughts I have each morning when I get out of bed.
I noticed over the weekend that one of the neighbors had pulled up her side-yard tomato vines and left them out for the trash collectors. A cursory glance at them as I drove by revealed they appeared quite withered and seemed to have a number of small, oddly colored fruit on them. I don’t know what kind of tomato crop, if any, she had, but I know that neither my BIL nor a local man who has for years planted a large garden in just tomatoes and sold “mass quantities” of them from his carport had any to speak of this year.
I’m not too sure what’s going on. Nobody has any good garden veggies to speak of, let alone give away, this year. Normally I’m tripping over zucchinis, cucumbers, and tomatoes. There’s been a normal amount of rainfall and temps have been average, so I’d be hard pressed to blame the weather. The economy remains very blah in the midwest, so the indolence waiting for an uptick or spending more time trying to hold onto scarce jobs may be a factor.
Phil in Missoula:
EVERY election year is a banner year for nuts… and not just on the trees… 🙂
A favorite quote that seems appropriate for Labor Day:
“The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”
~John W. Gardner
Jag tycker om lunch – ater en smorgas och “fries”.
I told you I was learning a bit of Swedish – but I don’t have all the correct vowels on this keyboard. Yes, “lunch” is the same in both English and Swedish.
Poll: have any of the Villagers ever heard of the small Ontario village named Nassagaweya?
Ruth Anne
I am keeping that.
It may pop up again sometime
Thanks JJ for the LD cartoon.
My German take on cep’s Swedish; “He enjoyed a lunch today of a sandwich and fries.” Fries would be frites. 😉
Yep, using the commonality of the words for “lunch”, and knowing “smorgas” from the Americanized word “smorgasbord”, I got that. I suppose that in a Swedish fast food establishment they might ask if one wants “fries” with that smörgås.
I guess everyone has noticed what has happened to the price of gasoline. It’s so relatively inexpensive here that I’m tempted to go buy some, even though I don’t need any right now. Although, come to think of it, Thursday is a travel day, and with my typical luck, the price will jump a dollar a gallon tomorrow.
I don’t know about “village”. There was a Nassagaweya township that has become part of the town of Milton and the Halton Region. My wife grew up in Milton. The Nassagaweya name appears on lots of local buildings, clubs, etc. in and around the Milton area.
Why do you ask?
cep
I was putting this together as you wrote – these are on a PC
The mac has special characters under EDIT on the tool bar – hope they come through.
Character Map
Ä = Alt + 0196
Å= Alt + 0197
Ö= Alt + 0214
ä= Alt + 0228
å= Alt + 0229
ö= Alt + 0246
¼= Alt + 0188
½= Alt + 0189
¾= Alt + 0190
Ñ= Alt + 0209
ñ= Alt + 0241
Yep it did
The tilde N is of course for Spanish
My computer has a Character Map for all the letters and all kinds of special marks
Can’t remember how I found it – will explore – but it sits in my tool tray for when I snail mail
my cousins.
If you really get into it on the Mac it is easy to change the whole keyboard to Swedish/
Norwegian/German + many others.
GR6
In relative terms gas is cheaper than the 60s when I paid .31/.32 PG
In town here (cheapest around) is 2.29/9 most places it is 2.33/9- 2.35/9
Can’t find the Character Map but I put it in my tray in 2003
OB, you should have put that Character Map online. Apparently nothing ever disappears from there. 🙂
Gasoline is bumping the $2.00/gallon mark here. That’s a bit remarkable, even without adjusting for inflation. I well remember ten years ago when I filled my car’s tank the day before Katrina hit, for $2.399/gallon.
Come to think of it, that was two black Crown Victorias ago. Who says I’m set in my ways?
The two days of the gas war it was 1.99 locally, but now about 2.23 and a 45 minute drive will get you 2.15 I used to live just outside of Milton, Fl.
GR6
I have the map – but I can’t find its source.
My Guru may be able.
He found my bookmarks and other stuff lost while “upgrading”.
Jerry
Can you drive 45 min for about $1.60?
Make that 90min.
My cars are older than Katrina my cherished PU is too but no longer road worthy
since it got smacked. New (to me) is not the same.