Today is September 7. The first week of September is complete, and it is also Labor Day.
Labor Day, created in the late 19th century to honor working men and women, has taken on another role over the years. It has become the unofficial farewell to summer. At the farm, apples now appear alongside peaches (but right now the peaches are in the cooler because the bees just love to get some fresh peach nectar). Acorn and butternut squashes sit beside the bell peppers. The sunflowers and zinnias are seeing fewer butterflies and bees as the days grow shorter and the season begins its quiet transition.
Here in Kettering, there is another sure sign that summer is winding down: Friday night football, changing leaves, and the hustle and bustle of preparing for the Holiday at Home Parade. Holiday at Home is a weekend celebration featuring an auto show, arts and craft show, entertainment, food, and other activities at Lincoln Park Commons. It is an event with something for all ages, and for many in the community, it is a familiar tradition that marks the changing of the season.
The large American flag at one of the city's major intersections signals that the weekend's festivities are near. It is a fitting sight for Labor Day weekend, a reminder of community, tradition, and the people who make this place their home.
But for now, let's enjoy that in-between time, when summer still lingers while fall waits just around the corner.
It is time to start cooking soups and stews.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love soups and stews, and working around such beautiful veggies, I'm trying to hold off until October to make them. After that, no holds barred!
DeleteI love your pictures of the farm, especially the beautiful Monarch on the zinnia. For the second summer in a row we failed to see a Monarch.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. That farm is a very special place. I haven't seen a lot of monarchs either and it is such a treat to see them flitting among the flowers.
DeleteSuch beautiful photos! Thank you! Round these parts Labor Day used to mean school starting. Now they start the middle of August. But it's still the end of summer for me. I love fall but my allergies don't. First frost will take care of that.
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