I'm Baaaack! Ain't babbled here for a bit, so I figured I'd drag the crayons and butcher paper out and scribble some random thoughts down before somebody notices they left my cage unlocked.
     Labor day. Last holiday of the summer. Camping, barbeques, get- togethers, parties. Family outings. 
     Back in the good ole drinking days it meant I could stay totally wasted a little longer. Of course the shakes that normally lasted only a day would last two. Heck of a price for all the fun I had that I couldn't remember anyway. Towards the end of my drinking career, the shakes were there all the time, so even long weekends didn't matter. Or the reasons for them.
     Anyway, today it is a bit different. Sober and sane (most days), I also aquired the honor of  having 14 really bright, eager and professional people work for me (yep, I'm an establishment nazi). I just finished their performance evaluations and passed out raises yesterday - just in time for the Labor Day weekend.
     Sitting here putting together performance plans and projects for the team this upcoming year, that song "Forty Hour Week" started playing in my head. And I thought how appropriate it was for all of them to get this in time for Labor Day. And how fortunate I am to have a team made up of the people I have. That the many designs and projects I have put together would have been for nought without their dedicated help and effort. Labor Day is a holiday for celebration and in gratitude of the work that all of us do, every day, day in and day out - even when we really don't want to.
     So this little ditty is for them and you all...

Alabama lyrics - Forty Hour Week

There are people in this country who work hard every day.
Not for fame or fortune do they strive.
But the fruits of their labor are worth more than their pay.
And it's time a few of them were recognized.

Hello Detroit auto workers, let me thank you for your time.
You work a forty hour week for a living', just to send it on down the line.
Hello Pittsburgh steel mill workers, let me thank you for your time.
You work a forty hour week for a living', just to send it on down the line.

This is for the one who swings the hammer, driving home the nail.
Or the one behind the counter, ringing up the sale.
Or the one who fights the fires, the one who brings the mail.
For everyone who works behind the scenes.

You can see them every morning in the factories and the fields.
In the city streets and the quiet country towns.
Working together like spokes inside a wheel.
They keep this country turning around.

Hello Kansas wheat field farmer, let me thank you for your time.
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line.
Hello West Virginia coal miner, let me thank you for your time.
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line.

This one is for the one who drives the big rig, up and down the road.
Or the one out in the warehouse, bringing in the load.
Or the waitress, the mechanic, the policeman on patrol.
For everyone who works behind the scenes.
With a spirit you can't replace with no machine.

Hello, America,
Let me thank you for your time.

So, Hello recovery friends,
Let me thank you for YOUR time.

Nuff said,
Dennis