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.
Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer recess. Similarly, some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school, although school starting times now vary. I guess this no longer applies as most school systems now start in August!
Dad always had Labor Day off, so we would head to Mammaw and Pappaw’s. Pappaw had the horse hooked up to the plow; Dad had stopped at the basket store and bought a bunch of bushel baskets; and Mammaw had already started cooking the noon meal. Labor Day meant we were really going to labor!
My Grandfather would go through the rows one by one, and those potatoes started turning out of the ground!! Wow! There seemed to be thousands of them! We had to let the sun dry them off a little bit, and while that happened; we placed the bushel baskets throughout the rows of potatoes. Then it was time for the four Layne kids to get to work. We picked the potatoes up and put them in the baskets. Pappaw wanted the largest potatoes picked up first. Then the smaller ones were placed in a different basket. We knew what we had to do, and we would go as fast as we could - the faster we went - the sooner the job would get completed, and then off to the hills to play we would go! :)
The only picture I could find was this one of my Uncle Pak using his pony to plow the garden. It actually looks like he is smoothing the ground before plowing the rows. I have many memories of the horses, mules, and ponies being used in the field. I would use the Gravely to plow, but not the horse!!!
Uncle Pete and Uncle Pak, Dad’s brothers, did a lot of the plowing since they were using their horse or mule. Pappaw, who was in his 80’s, still wanted to do the work. So, Dad and my uncles would “let” him do some of it. Then when we had the potatoes in the baskets, they hooked the horse up to the sleigh. Dad usually had charge of this. He would maneuver the sleigh through the garden and we would place the baskets on it and off to the crib he would go. Then we got to help carry the baskets into the crib. Pappaw would take the baskets and dump the potatoes out! The purpose was to let them dry out so he wouldn’t get any rotten ones in the batch.
The following picture is what the "boys" would do after helping Pappaw do some work . . . or on a Sunday afternoon visit. The lower part of the house was shaded by a big willow tree - the coolest place to be. Mammaw and Pappaw did bot have AC!!! Starting from the left: Uncle Pete, Dad holding Mike, Uncle Son, and Uncle Pete - all great examples of hard workers!!!!
Once all the potatoes were in the crib, we got a special treat. Dad would get us all on the sleigh and take us a ride. We were no longer tired! We were having a blast!!!! Labor Day always seemed to be hot, but the love that was floating around that garden made for good memories. We would leave the potato patch and head in to a great meal of fresh green beans, fried ‘taters, corn, fried chicken, and corn bread. Oh, and there was always some sort of homemade desert! Mammaw cooked on a wood burning stove, and oh the food was “oh so good!”
After the meal was over, the men (my brothers included) went out to the front porch to rest. ME???? Well I got to help clean up the kitchen and do the dishes!!!! The privilege of being the only daughter!
The next two pictures are of Mammaw and Pappaw when they were a little younger!! Notice the fence behind Mammaw - yes, my grandfather made the fence. There is a garden on the other side of it. It was only one of many spots where Pappaw gardened!
This is a picture of Pappaw after a long day of working in the garden. He would wear his "bibs" on those days!
Pappaw and Mammaw later on through the years. Mammaw cooked three big meals a day, and Pappaw always supplied the wood for her wood burning stove! Every evening it was chopping the wood and carrying in enough for the next day!
Mammaw and Pappaw with their seven children. All were hard workers and loved their family very much. Sadly, all who are pictured in this photo are no longer with us, but they are together in Heaven above. I miss each and everyone of them!!! Left to right: Uncle Pak (Palmer), Aunt Hammie (Thelma), Pappaw, and Mammaw in the front row; Uncle Pete (Eskow), Dad Elmer/Buck), Aunt Oma, Uncle Son (Aubry), and Aunt Dean (Faye). This was taken at one of the reunions held on Pappaw''s birthday!
I would not change those weekends for anything. We did things together as a family, and we had a great time doing them. It was hard work, but it was work we did because we loved our grandparents more than anything. We weren't forced to do the work - we did it because that's how we were raised - you help family! We may have been tired at the end of the day, but what sweet memories they are now!
