Labor Day and a Special Birthday

The summer of 2010 has flown by, don't know how that happened, but it seems I feel that way every Labor Day.
In June, the long stretch of sunny days and balmy evenings lay before me like a string of pearls, waiting to be tried on and savored. Suddenly it's the fourth of July and then, just like that, the season ends, the air turns crisp with a hint of fall.
In those days, school always started on the Wednesday after Labor Day. That meant that on the holiday, we had to leave Luna Pier and move back to our city life in Toledo. It seemed like just a few short weeks ago, that we were cleaning and moving into the cottage, and now it was time to pack up our clothing and food items, load both cars till their sides could split and drive the fifteen or so miles to Scottwood Avenue. But before that sad event could happen, we always enjoyed ourselves up until the inevitable departure.
The weekend was filled with the usual swimming, boating, water skiing, popsicles, Coca Colas, and general fun. There were always lots of friends and relatives coming and going. My older brothers would invite their pals from Toledo to visit for a swim and cookout. I was thrilled to see them because they were very friendly to me as the little sister, and didn't seem to mind my annoying presence. Being in high school, they brought their girlfriends along, and I was even more interested in the girls, and what they wore and their adorable haircuts. I longed to be that age-sixteen or seventeen, able to drive and just be cool. I was mesmerized, and clung to them as long as they would let me, and hated it when, at the end of the evening, they would get into their convertibles and drive off into the summer night.
My parents put on the usual spread for all to enjoy. Grilled burgers and hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob, fried chicken, deviled eggs, slices of watermelon, and chocolate cake.
We always had music at the cottage. I clearly remember lots of Mitch Miller and his sing-along albums. There were also soundtracks of Broadway shows like "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot". And who could forget the lush music of Louis Armstrong and his wonderful "A Kiss to Build a Dream On"?
Often, after dinner, we would go out into the yard, sit in a circle and have our own sing-a- long. There were usually sparklers, always stars, and definitely mosquitoes. Under the Japanese lanterns that were strung across the lawn, we would sing "Shine on Harvest Moon" and a round or two of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", also, the slow and romantic "Summertime", the lively "The Bells are ringing" or perhaps a satiric Tom Lehrer tune. It was wonderful fun and created great memories.
Labor Day was also Mom's birthday. September 5, to be exact. Her birthday didn't always fall on Labor Day itself, but it was always that weekend. We celebrated in our usual festive way with food, family, friends, music and cake. Our family had (and still does) a set of three birthday songs, and we sang all of them for her loudly and with gusto. She loved it, and even though the weekend, with all it's cooking and cleaning up, and with the move back to "town" ahead of her, she absorbed all this merriment with joy.
This weekend marks my mother's one hundredth birthday! Hard to believe, but true. She was born in 1910 and died at age ninety. I adored my mother and I miss her everyday. Her devout faith and amazing strength are still an inspiration for me. She was extremely smart, an avid reader, had a great sense of humor, a terrific positive attitude, was beautiful, elegant, and glamorous. My mother was always ladylike and gracious, a fabulous hostess and cook and somehow she made it all look effortless.
So Happy Birthday Josephine Cora Hill Wenzler! I'll toast you this weekend with love and happy memories. Love and kisses!