Labor Day 2023

No special holiday plans today and I didn't do anything on the weekend, either. Quiet and simple is the way I like it.

I'll water the new plants today so they can get their root systems well established, but the other plants should be fine. I need to figure out where I want to plant my recovering rose bush so I can get it in the ground soon. I am also thinking about what fall bulbs I need to be planting and where I want to put them.
I know that the plans in my head are overly ambitious based on how much work will need to go into them, both in the creation of space and in the maintenance of the new garden space.
Tilling a space for a larger wildflower garden won't be too bad other than the fact that the tiller can give a pretty good beating on the wrists and arms. I'm also going to need another large space for sunflowers as Chris wants them on the other side of the house next year. I can probably wait until spring for those. The bulb gardens will need to get figured out this month.

Yard work and gardening is the extent of my labor these days. 
A good federal job and representation by perhaps the strongest (though not the largest) government workers labor union has made a comfortable retirement that allows this privilege. I was fortunate enough to get to serve, both locally and on a couple of national committees, with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). The people that I have kept in touch with from my work world are mostly people I met through NATCA and not so much the people that I actually worked with. Some times I think about going to a national event to see some of them, but you already know that big gatherings aren't my thing.
I am hopeful that labor unions are making a comeback as workers get more and more fed up with the ever widening pay gaps that exist between corporate executives and the people that provide the actual labor for companies to make money. Many workers -- like air traffic controllers, teachers, first responders, etc., -- don't produce a product, but provide much needed services.  

If you are one of the many that will be working today, thank you.
If you are enjoying the day off thanks to organized labor, be grateful.
If you are retired -- well, it's just another day.

John