This weekend typically marks the end of summer slow down for most people. Students are back in school or are headed there. Traffic on the road in my little town going to the beach lightens. The air feels just a tad drier.
But I never knew exactly what Labor Day was about. Something to do with labor and taking a break? I learned some basic facts about it today (courtesy of Wikipedia). It was a federally declared holiday in 1894 in response to the deaths of workers taking part in the Pullman Strike in Chicago. This came at a time when labor unions were a growing force to be reckoned with in the United States. Ironically, Labor Day is now one of the biggest retail shopping days of the year (second only to the Friday after Thanksgiving Day) and retail workers are hard at work on this day. They also make up the largest sector of the job market in the United States with the least unionized labor force. Strange how these things turn out.
I wish you all a relaxing holiday. I will be painting. That isn't a labor for me.
Copyright Mona Vivar 2013, "Jazz New Orleans", 14 inches by 11 inches, acrylic on canvas |
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