I am nostalgic for what use to be. With Labor Day right around the bend, my thoughts always return to our frenzied activities , with four kids and a dog,a cottage to close, school shoes to buy and that special assignment book that was a requirement
at our local District 65 and District 202. The weather on the labor Day week end was just what you would expect when you had to get a raft out of the lake and the kids not wanting to leave summer vacation behind. Rain, windy and a fore runner of winter to
come in the mid west. We had plenty of Indian summer days, but that labor Day week end was sad and depressing.. Someone had to dive down and pull up the raft anchor, someone had to row the raft into shore, neighbors had to join together to lift the raft up
and over on the beach. By now, Everyone was wet, cold and sandy . Our furnace had a heart beat. Just before the pilot lite kicked in, it beat ,tick, tick,tick. Then it would blast you. As many kids who could stand in front of it to get dry and warm did. That
furnace had a history. It played games with us. Sometime the pilot light caught when we lit it and sometimes it didn't. We had long matches and we would have to quick strike the match, push in and turn a handle and stick in the match in a little hole and wait
for it to go "whomp". Sometimes, it took many matches and a few times, we said forget it and put another sweater on. Once it exploded in my face and I lost a few eyebrow hairs, and some nasty burns on my hands. That was pretty exciting. Bob wasn't with us
and the only driver was our oldest who had just gotten her drivers license. We got to and from the local hospital just fine. Those were the good old days.