Today kicks off that annual end of summer celebration in the United States known as Labor Day weekend.
As I write this, it's late and I can't be bothered to look up the specifics about the origin of the Labor Day holiday, but I am fairly sure it was born from a long history of employers exploiting the workforce with long hours, unreasonable pressures, low pay, poor working conditions, and unrealistic expectations.
Thankfully, those days are long behind us.
They are, aren't they?
These days Labor Day weekend is mostly about transition, the change of the seasons, the end of summer vacation for students, and the start of 'serious' business since vacation and holiday time is pretty much over for most workers.
And of course Labor Day weekend is about barbecue. Who doesn't spend at least some time on Labor Day weekend at the grill, burning perfectly searing some steaks or concocting their favorite burger
recipe.
For me, I plan on spending some quality time with three of the things that have come to mean a lot to me - my butcher, my smoker, and my grill.
I hope you have a fantastic long holiday weekend. No matter how tough things may be out there for you, Labor Day offers the promise of the end of one phase of your life and the start of another.
I mark this transition with gobs of smoky, delicious meats, how you mark it is up to you, but for sure once Labor Day is passed, it all starts over again.