Labor Day is just another day of retirement for me, and little actual labor will get done. My wife has some back pains that make it feel like she’s in labor, and I hope she feels more comfortable as the day goes on. It’s already been a “Meaty Monday,” with dinner plans later that will probably not be vegetarian oriented. The dogs are thrilled that we’re home for the third straight day, and I pushed princess Tinker around the park in her carriage earlier this morning. It’s still “Trash Day,” but not a “Mail Day,” so some have the day off while others don’t. I am doing some laundry – if that counts?

We’ve made some dining plans for our trip to Austin later this week. We haven’t traveled on a Thursday since the trip to Wrigley Field six weeks ago, so I’ve been a weekday homebody for a relatively long stretch. We’ll be out of town two Thursdays in September, followed by house guests the following two weekends. I will even miss this year’s grape harvest, the one labor-intensive task that I annually volunteer to do. I hope this doesn’t effect my allotment of free wine? After all, I’ve been there for pruning, racking, and bottling, the other slave-labor activities that I typically perform for my vineyard friends each year. We made our plans to go back to Indiana long ago, knowing that harvest day varies a week or two each September. I will miss getting together with everyone, especially those that will come into Portland specifically to help.

In addition to my wife’s back pains, her 97-year old mother is not doing well, adding to the stress. She’s had a bad cold the last few weeks, and even with a doctor’s assistance hasn’t been able to show much improvement. I hope she feels better by the time we get back in Indiana, but some kidney problems are also a concern, and my wife has accepted the inevitable. She also has to go back to work for a couple of days before we leave for Austin. Fortunately, cooking is still a labor of love for her, after preparing special meals for both my birthday last Monday and for a friend last night. She still  has a few more Labor Days until retirement, and is constantly clipping out new recipes. I cook only one night a week and find it to be the most stressful thing I do (and usually not very well). She wins today’s Labor Day award, while I get all the rewards!