Labor Day

Today is September 1st and Labor Day. When the first Monday in September is the 1st of the month, Labor Day is the earliest it can possibly be. I've been confused about what day it is for weeks, so I'm glad to finally have a handle on the day, date, and month.

I'm ready to start a new month. The first two weeks of August it did nothing but rain. Then we had ten days of gorgeous summer days followed by warm summer nights - the best August has to offer. For the last week the warm, sunny days have continued, but they have been followed by cool nights - a sign that autumn is on its way. It has gotten so cool at night that I've started moving the hibiscus under the porch roof or into the house to protect the buds that have appeared in the last several days; I've been encouraging this plant all summer and may finally have something to show for my effort. If it's going to get that cool at night, it might as well be September.

Ken and I, our sons, and our oldest son's girlfriend spent the last August afternoon in Portland at a SeaDogs [the AA team for Boston] game. We had seats in the picnic area, compliments of our youngest son's current place of co-op employment. The tickets included lunch, which had all the ingredients of a good old-fashioned cook-out and the best ice cream sandwiches you have ever eaten - called SeaDog Biscuits, they are made with chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream. Mmmmm good. The game was pretty good, too, with a come-back in the 8th inning to within one run, but we lost 5-4. The SeaDogs have made it into the play-offs, though, and we had a fun day at the ballpark, so it was a good time all around.

Last night Ken built a campfire in the fire circle we have in our front yard, a term I use loosely for the piece of uneven ground between the driveway and the tree line. We didn't want a full dinner, so hot dogs cooked on sticks over an open fire sounded like the perfect meal, and they were delicious. Fresh rolls and a choice of ketchup or mustard. Cold beer. Plenty of wood to throw on the fire. Then when the embers were glowing red hot, we had the ideal conditions to roast marshmallows for s'mores. Decadent overindulgence too good to pass up.

It was a family week-end that felt like more than a transition from one month to another, one season into another. It was time together that marked the transition from a family of parents and children to a family of adults ~ related friends who decided to spend time with each other for no other reason than they wanted to ~ people with interconnected lives who now stand alone more often than not and still choose to come together when given the chance. It was a week-end that helped me move a bit further along on my journey, as I looked back at how far I've come.