535. Short Entry for a Long Weekend

Labor Day Weekend is about over. I think this is the latest Labor Day can be - the 7th of September, the day old George H. W. Bush once attributed to Pearl Harbor Day. At some point in its history, Labor Day was adopted by Organized Labor, of which my grandfather Dan Hockensmith was a member.

He, like his father Elijah before him, was a member of Carpenters Local 64, first in its headquarters on Washington Street, then later in the "new" building on Dixie Highway, just south of Crums Lane. That building is no longer in use and the Carpenters operate out of a building on Durrett Lane, off Preston Highway. That would have been very convenient for my grandfather during his long service as Business Agent for the local.

So growing up it was always my impression that Labor Day was specifically for my grandfather and his friends at Local 64. And, to be honest, it still is. There is an irony in the phrase Labor Day since there shouldn't be much labor by laborers on Labor Day. Shouldn't it be Laborers Day? Maybe it was but that was just to many Rs for one word.

I've arisen with a very bad headache so I don't think I'll be doing much celebrating, which would involve some laboring. No labor for me on Labor Day. Tomorrow it is back to work. Summer, while technically not over for a few more weeks, is as of today, headed into the sunset and the history books.

Happy Labor Day.