Labor Day

Me-oh-my!  More than 20 wildfires in Texas yesterday!  They have one of the worst droughts in history, and then, instead of getting lots of rain from tropical storm Lee, they get high winds....  More than 16 contiguous miles on fire southeast of Austin, more than 14,000 acres burning (or already burnt) in that one fire.  It seems incredible....
This is Labor Day, a day we folks in America celebrate the contributions of the every-day worker - and a lot of people, who would normally have the day off, are working their butts off.  There are the members of our Armed Services, all over the world; the National Guard, at war, and at home, cleaning up after Hurricane Irene and tropical storm Lee; all of the volunteers helping the Red Cross and other much-needed care givers (and hope-builders) that are working in Irene's and Lee's paths. We can't forget the fire-fighters around the country - fighting crazy wind-driven fires in Texas and around the country - and the regular and volunteer firemen who are on call 24 hours a day.  Then, of course, there are law enforcement personnel, who would much rather be at home having a cook-out or picnic with their families....  And, I rely on the local buses to get me where I need to go on a holiday...  People are working their normal, every-day jobs to ensure that others, like me, can have an enjoyable Holiday; other people are working far beyond the call of duty, every-day, or otherwise...
  I salute each and every worker in America today - and I also salute those who want to work, but can't find employment!