by Phyllis McCrossin
If you are reading this, it means I was able to find a place with WiFi so I could download, upload, attach and e-mail this missive.
It’s one of the joys (frustrations?) of living life on the road on the cheap. There are many campgrounds with WiFi and cable included in the price of an overnight stay. They are nice places with loads of amenities, but those campgrounds come with a price that rivals a mid-priced motel.
That’s great for those who are camping for a week or two, but 365 days a year? Not so much. We should have had a few less children if that had been our goal. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. At the end of the day we have all we need at a sweet little campground at a price we can afford. It’s a sweet deal.
Apparently WiFi and cell service is a big deal for most people. For me it’s just a nice thing to have on the weekend when I’m trying to get my column/blog out to the people who need it. King and I switched phone services a year ago in order to have a “WiFi Hotspot.” It works some of the time – mostly when I stand on one foot, face east and hold my right hand to my head.
So anyway, if you are reading this it means one of two things: a) I was able to balance the laptop and my phone while standing in a field somewhere, or b) I found a place where my “hotspot” actually works. One would think that staying less than five miles from town, my “hotspot” would work effortlessly. It does not.
Summer is winding to an end. The big debate is should schools open or do online learning, a combination of both, or… whatever else.
We have grandchildren in three different school districts – two in Michigan and one in California. Each district has a different plan. The speculation of one of the district superintendents is those schools that open now will remain open until Labor Day and then go back into lockdown. Selfishly, I am glad I don’t have to make that decision – as a parent or as a school administrator.
Ahh. Labor Day apparently it still is a marker – for good or for bad. (And yes, I am aware it is three weeks away).
Though by the calendar Labor Day is not the end of summer, for most it does mark the emotional beginning of fall. There may be a few hot days before the weather turns cooler, but they become fewer and farther between. The nights become markedly cooler. It’s much more noticeable how cool the nights become when you live in a travel trailer.
When I was growing up Labor Day weekend was the time when my parents would help their friends from Chicago close their cottage in Gobles for the season. Docks would be brought in, boats removed from the water, the cottage winterized and – the best part of all – late Monday afternoon, when all the summer residents had packed up and left for the city, Dad would run the speed boat around the lake to use up the last bit of gas. It meant the lake was empty and my sister and I could ski to our hearts content. No boat traffic, no wakes and usually smooth as glass water.
It was also the best time for disking. The round homemade board that fit two was made for smooth water. It was on Labor Day that my sister and I first learned to ski. We learned to slalom ski the following Labor Day, and learned to stand on the disk that same year. It was kind of a tradition.
It didn’t last forever. Driver’s training, summer jobs, boyfriends and simply growing up helped change things. But when my sister and I talk about our childhood and the things we did, Labor Day and those last few trips around the lake plays a prominent part of that memory.
