Tn about 1984 or 1985, I returned home from Saudi Arabia to Richmond, Virginia for annual leave. One of the first things I did was to attend a "write a romance novel" seminar, courtesy of Silhouette Books. One of the speakers was a young writer named Nora Roberts. She had several books published and planned to do more.  I remember being struck by her enthusiasm, focus and directness.  In general conversation, Nora was responsive, alert, and open and friendly. I went back to journalistic globe-trotting; she went on to become one of the 100 most famous people in the world in 2005, a prolific writer, (over 75 million copies of her books are in print), whose work has been translated into over 25 languages, made into films and brought pleasure to oh, so many people on this planet.

In an email the other day, I was asked to review one of her books. Glad to oblige: I enjoy her writing but have gotten sidetracked by a myriad of other pursuits, books and just life. OK, which one? Heavens, she has over 130 published novels to date and more in the works.   A package in the mail solved that: a brand new copy of her latest re-release of two of her "Night" series originally published in 1993 and 1994.  There were five in the original series: Night Shift, Night Shadow, Nighshade, Night Smoke and Night Shield. It didn't take me long to decide what to review this month. I sat down with the paperback version of "Night Tales: Nightshade, Night Smoke" and spent the better part of a day, and part of another, revisiting places and people tucked away but not forgotten. I had enjoyed the original series of five and it didn't take me long to find comfort with old friends and places.

"Nightshade" is a cop story of an easygoing renegade cop, Colt Nightshade, and his new partner, Lt. Althea Grayson, who is by the book, uninterested in personal involvement and focused on her assigned job. A missing person case pulls them together and a plane ride is fueled by passion. Throw in a remote cabin, some undercover work by Thea and heroic efforts by Colt and you have what is just a good, easy-read escape.

"Night Smoke" is about fire, arson, a bit of mystery and danger and, of course, romance. Natalie Fletcher, (Boyd's sister from Nightshade), clashes with arson investigator Ryan Piasecki when some of her buildings have suspicious fires. Eventually, their own steamy passion heats up. Conflicts abound and the story has good mystery.

The five stories in the series wind in and out of each other with characters and places but each stands just as easily on its own. It was refreshing to once again just relax and go into the compelling romantic world that Nora Roberts creates so well. This latest release just came out and is already first on the New York Times Paperback Best Sellers List for August 14th. As usual, the big disappointment is that the stories are too short and you wish for more. I enjoyed my return to Nora's uncluttered writing and plots and I am actively looking for the other three in the Night series. Nora Roberts has won about every award available to romance novel creators. It's easy to see why in this book of two of her stories.

Momma of Momma^s_House was kind enough to send in another taste of history for us!
Thank you, Momma!!


"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states - Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York - created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday - a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership - the American worker.

*NOTE: This holiday is also celebrated in Canada, as well as many other industrialized countries.

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The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, he was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let him know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.  Oh, not my body!  I sometime despair over my body ... the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt.  And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing  friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.  As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself.  I've become my own friend.  I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio.  I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant.  I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m, and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will  walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and  will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful.  But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten ... and I  eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken.   How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car?  But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion.  A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.  So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.  I can say "no," and mean it. I can say "yes." and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think.  I don't  question myself anymore.  I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I  like being old.  It has set me free.  I like the person I have become.  I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.  And I shall eat dessert every single day.

Author Unknown

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A mom was concerned about her kindergarten  son  walking to school. He didn't want his mother to walk  with him. She wanted to  give him the feeling that he  had   some independence but yet know that he was safe. So she had an idea of  how   to  handle it. She asked a neighbor,  Mrs.Goodnest, if  she would lease follow   him to  school in the mornings, staying at  a  distance, so he probably   wouldn't notice  Mrs. Goodnest  said that since  she was up early with her toddler   anyway, it  would  be a good way for them to get  some exercise as well, so she   agreed. The next  school day, Mrs. Goodnest and  her little  girl, Marcy, set out  following behind  Timmy as he walked to  school  with another neighbor boy he   knew. She did this  for  the whole week. As the  boys walked and chatted, kicking    stones and twigs, Timmy's little friend  noticed the same  lady was following   them as she seemed to  do every day all week.

Finally he said to Timmy, "Have you noticed  that lady following  us to school  all week? Do you know her?"

Timmy  nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, I know who  she is."

The friend  said, "Well, who is she?"

That's just Shirley Goodnest" Timmy  replied,  "and her daughter Marcy."

"Shirley Goodnest? Who the  heck is she and why  is she following us"

"Well," Timmy  explained, "every night my Mom  makes me say the 23rd Psalm with   my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much, and in the  Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me  all the days of my life', so I  guess  I'll just have to  get used to it."

May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy be  with you  today, and  always.

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Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me though the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running?

Customer: Let's see, I have the Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your  current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.

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The time has finally come... Men strike back! ! ! ! ! ! !

 How many men does it take to open a beer?
 None. It should be opened when she brings it.

 Why is a Laundromat a really bad place to pick up a woman?
 Because a woman who can't even afford a washing machine will  probably never be able to support you.

 Why do women have smaller feet than men?
 It's one of those "evolutionary things" that allows  them to stand closer to the kitchen sink.

 How do you know when a woman is about to say something smart?
 When she starts a sentence with "A man once told me.."

 How do you fix a woman's watch?
 You don't. There is a clock on the oven.
 
 Why do men let out wind more than women?
 Because women can't shut up long enough to  build up the required pressure.

 If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at  the front door, who do you let in first?
 The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in.

 What's worse than a Male Chauvinist Pig?
 A woman who won't do what she's told.

 I married a Miss Right.
 I just didn't know her first name was Always.

 Scientists have discovered a food that diminishes  a woman's sex drive by 90%.
 It's called a Wedding Cake

 Why do men die before their wives?
 They want to.

 Women will never be equal to men until they can  walk down the street with a bald head and a beer  gut, and still think they are sexy.

 In the beginning, God created the earth and rested.Then God created  Man and rested.
 Then God created Woman.
 Since then, neither God nor Man has rested.

A Friend's Birthday

Thank you for your friendship true,
for being there and being you,
for your heart so good and kind,
a truer friend I could not find.
Happy Birthday.