Raise your hand if you're a laborer who doesn't get to take Labor Day off. Okay, so technically I can take the day off now that I make my own schedule, but I'll be spending a few hours today getting some of my 'busy work' out of the way so I can focus on magazine distribution the rest of the week.

Last week was pretty laid back in comparison to the two weeks before that. I feel like I'm a little bit ahead for the October issue of the magazine. We celebrated my dad's 50th birthday with a surprise dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then with a small family fish fry over the weekend.

Labor Day is the unofficial end of the summer season. I say "unofficial" because although school is back in session (or will be tomorrow for us), summer activities don't really end here until October.

This summer was so different from years past, and not just because of the pandemic. My surgery and recovery meant I wasn't able to do any of the things my summers are usually filled with. In fact, this past weekend was the first time I went swimming.

A blogger I follow recently wrote a post about the good things she'll remember from this summer, and it inspired me to look at all my positive memories from the past few months.

We were able to mark quite a few home projects off our to do list, including a shelf in our laundry room, improved storage in the garage, and my favorite - a covered back porch. That porch is where I spent probably 75% of my summer.

Remember when I shared that list of 30 books I wanted to read at the beginning of the summer? Although that wasn't the entirety of my To Be Read list, I was able to cross several books off that list as well as my more extensive list.

I wasn't able to get caught up on any of the shows I'm behind on, but I did get to watch a bunch of new and new-to-me movies.

I finally was able to take care of a significant health issue when I had my hysterectomy. The post-surgery recovery hasn't been the easiest but to finally feel in control of my body has been the best reward.

I've had more meaningful conversations with my friends and family and welcomed a new sister-in-law, not to mention all the extra family time.

There's still a lot of uncertainty as we get closer to fall. The biggest festival in the area has been canceled for the first time since World War II. I have no idea if I should bother with buying a Halloween costume for Alexis this year, and I worry that we won't get to celebrate the holidays as a full family.

But at the same time, I am encouraged by what I've seen on my few trips around the Wiregrass. Locally-owned businesses have reopened and more people are wearing masks than not. So maybe, hopefully, we're headed in the right direction.