Happy Labor Day to you!! To me, Labor Day has always marked the end of what I call Summer. And yes, I know we still have several weeks left and lots of warm weather ahead – Labor Day still gives me that cozy vibe of looking forward to fresh picked apples and all of the goodness that can be made with them, of all things pumpkin, changing leaves, and the re-emergence of sweaters. I look forward to what lies ahead in this next season. And while I am in it, it will be my “favorite” season (although that seems to change throughout the year!)Things are quite damp here on the farm. The grass is in need of mowing, but too wet to mow. Normally, by this time of year, the grass is brown and dry. This year, everything is quite lush. We’ve had our share of rain in the past few days – good for the garden, but not for mowing. (beans and morning glories on the tunnel that collapsed two years ago from the weight of morning glories) We spent a soggy Saturday with our Littles here on the farm. Between drizzles, we went to the barn and the garden, picking the vegetables we would eat for dinner and visiting the animals and the always-fun hayloft. On one of our trips to the garden, Mackenzie, who sat next to me in the gator, exclaimed, “Hey, what is that furry thing up in the tree?” She pointed to a tree in the pig yard.Of course, 9 year old eyes are much sharper than mine at 67 and I replied, “Oh, I don’t think it’s something furry – I think maybe its a big paper wasp nest!” (we’ve had such a wasp problem this summer)The kids climbed the fence and pointed to what they saw…I walked closer and zoomed in my telephoto lens. Sure enough, it was, indeed, furry!Somehow, a ground hog had climbed high into this tree and was perched there looking out over the front pasture.Very curious indeed.On another trip out to the barn, we looked for him and sure enough, he was still there. However, later in the evening after the kids had left for home, I checked to tree again and found that our little furry friend had vacated his position and was once again on solid ground.”Curiouser and curiouser!” to quote Alice.Our dahlias are beautiful right now. As most of the other garden flowers begin to dwindle, dahlias come into their own – extending the bouquet season right up to the first frost.To all of us who do, or have done their share of laboring – Happy Labor Day!And a very happy beginning of September.