Labour Day Thoughts And Thanks

Ah, Labour Day.  The day when everyone strives to labour as little as humanly possible.  Especially me ... the most energetic thing I did today was make a pot of coffee.  Oh, and clean up that hairball Big Guy was pretending not to see, but that only took thirty seconds.

This is it, folks  -  the last long weekend of summer.  Our last chance to spend a guilt-free Monday lounging in the back yard with a cold what's-your-pleasure, scarfing down potato salad and whatever's on hand to barbecue.  Our last chance to hit the you-pick berry farms before they all turn into pumpkin patches.  Our last chance to hit the beach and add one more day's worth to the tan we're hoping won't fade until after Christmas (okay, Halloween).  In short, our last chance to hang around soaking up sunshine and doing as close to nothing as we can get away with.  And ...

It's raining.  Worse, it's not even the kind of thorough, windy, driving rain that fully justifies a roaring fire and a gallon of hot chocolate ... no, it's the dull, drab, not-really-really-raining-but-still-soaks-right-through-you stuff that's too nasty to do anything outside in, only you still have to go to the store but it's not raining hard enough to justify taking the car instead of walking.  That kind of rain.

And my car is full of donations I can't take to the thrift store until tomorrow, so my living room is full of bags of donations that I can't put in the car until I drop off what's already in it, and Big Guy (home from the fishing trip  -  don't ask, it got ugly) is complaining because there are bags of donations all over the living room.

And I still have no job and no money, and no working space to make craft fair things because of the Domino Effect (the attic does look much better now, but the workroom hasn't changed much except for the nice neat organized bookshelves), and even though I have no money I have to come up with gifts for three family birthdays in the next five days.

But it's still a holiday Monday, which is still a good thing in my book.

So since I can't get any sunshine outside, I'd like to say a big "Thank you!" to a few of the bloggers whose virtual sunshine has kept me so well distracted from the weather, the state of my house, and the state of my finances this weekend:

Wise and compassionate Donna of Surviving and Thriving , whose encouraging comments never fail to renew my optimism, and remind me that no matter how low I'm feeling, I'm not alone.

Deanna of Crunchy Chicken , whose dedication to the environment puts me so far in the shade, and who is such a terrific inspiration whenever I start feeling that one person can't make a difference.

Abigail of I Pick Up Pennies , who deals with staggering challenges with such grace and determination that I'm ashamed of ever feeling sorry for myself.

Stephanie of Yarn Harlot , who is funny, brilliant, warm-hearted and charming, and who has inspired me to dig all my UFOs out of the knitting basket and actually find a knitting group to join.  I might even get something finished ...

There are a lot more wonderful bloggers out there (see my sidebar for a few of my favourites) but these four ladies in particular have really brightened up the last few days for me.  Thank you, ladies, for turning the grey, drizzly gloom into something a little warmer and brighter!