Labor Day

If variety is the spice of life, then I lead a spicy life.

Labor Day was a great day of visiting with one side of my family. My son and his two sons came up for part of the day. We had lunch and afterwards Grant, the 13 year old, helped me make bird cakes. I had given him a book on back yard birding. He is already versed in the hobby as both his parents have nifty back yard set ups for the visiting birds. He knows the names and habits of many of our Georgia birds just from observing them in his home through the large windows by the dining table. Much conversation goes on about the birds at lunch time, etc.

Yesterday he asked me if I had an identification book on birds. I do have one for him but had planned to give it to him later. However, I did have another book for him on back yard birding which had instructions for making bird cakes. What we did yesterday afternoon was combine, suet, yellow cornmeal, crunchy peanut butter and currents . He helped me measure the correct amount of each ingredient, then donning vinyl gloves he mixed it all into a nice thick paste. Then cutting open a half gallon milk carton, we packed the paste into it and pressed it down. After a bit of time in the freezer it was hardened and could be cut into blocks. The blocks went into little cages to be hung from trees or some sort of post where the birds can find them. This particular bird cake attracts, blue jays, woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees.

After a bit of television ,watching golf and tennis we three headed up to the vineyard in the golf cart. The grapes are getting ripe in the vineyard and it was a lot of fun for me to escort them through the rows of Higgins, bronze, dark purple and other types of grapes. Of course we had to pick some of each kind and drop them into a basket brought along for the occasion. I had set aside two vines for making the muscadine jelly and also was saving one vine for a lady who always likes to just come and pick a few to eat. The bulk of the grapes are promised to a gentleman in a nearby community. He likes to make wine from them and when his business permits he will be back to pick for that purpose.

My son had not seen a new house in our neighborhood so we drove down the paved road in that direction.The road goes down to a park which was closed to the public about eight years ago. It is not paved all the way down so we had to navigate some deep ruts toward the end of the road. Labor Day visitors to the lake were partying in the private cove nearby. Weeds had overgrown what was once a nice sandy beach. New homes have changed the landscape. The house we drove down to see had replaced a home moved to that spot when the lake was first formed in 1957. That home had started as a modest dwelling and over the years rooms had been added on and even an indoor swimming pool. All of that is gone now and has been replaced by a modern, well landscaped lake house. This had been a nice side jaunt not planned for but enjoyed.

When we returned to the house we washed the grapes and included some of them in an afternoon snack. Missing all of this was my 17 year old grandson. He was wiped out from all of his activities at home, church ,and school. He is nearing the end of an impressive Eagle Scout project which has taken a long time in the planning and execution. Having been up early on Sunday to play the cello in the church orchestra for their early morning service after a Saturday of finishing a long fence at this same church, he was pretty tired. He and his father will both be happy to see the completion of this scout project. He got a pass from all of us for we knew he needed some extra sleep.

This Labor day will be long remembered for what it was and what it was not. My 17 year old missed a trip down the Oconee with his friend and his family as he had to work on the scout project. He hated to miss that trip, but responsibility assumed is honor bound to complete. Hopefully there will be other opportunities for him to enjoy the Oconee river. Probably not next Labor Day as he will be off to college and no doubt be involved in orientation activities. I will surely miss his presence at these family gatherings but realizing it is the natural order of things for the birds to leave the nest at the appropriate time, I will savor the times when I CAN have
him with us whatever the occasion.