This post is part of From This Side of the Pond’s weekly Wednesday Hodge Podge feature. Please check out her blog for more participating blogs.

Something you’ve labored over recently? 

Sometime in the spring, our dishwasher died so lately I have been laboring over dirty dishes, which is one chore I just absolutely abhor! But, our dishwasher wasn’t cleaning well before it died so at least our dishes will be a little cleaner now. Hopefully, we will get a new dishwasher someday.

2. How will you rest on Labor Day? 

I think on the actual day we will be swimming at my parents if the weather cooperates. Our neighbor has invited us, and my parents, to a cookout at her house the day before Labor Day. We will try to take it easy because the day after Labor Day we start school (we homeschool).

3. Margaret Mead is quoted as saying, “I learned the value of hard work by working hard.” Would you agree? Where and how did you learn the value of hard work? 

Yes, I think I would agree. You need to work hard to understand why hard work has value. Some would say that instead of working harder you work smarter and that’s good advice too.

I worked for 14 years in small town newspapers where you did a little bit of a lot of things. You were the reporter, the writer, the photographer, sometimes answered phones, occasionally had to cover a sports event, and if someone didn’t get their paper you might even end up delivering it. I worked anywhere from 10 to 14 hour days there and one time even worked about a 22-hour day (thought I was going to the hospital that day). I wish I could say that it taught me that hard work means you get paid well, but that being paid well isn’t really a think at small town newspapers. It didn’t really teach me that hard work means success either, but it did teach me that hard work teaches you how to be resilient, how to build up a business brick by brick (moment by moment even, and can also bring you a lot of cool experiences.

4. It’s National Eat Outside Day (August 31st). Will you? Do you enjoy dining ‘al fresco’ or prefer indoor seating? 

I might eat outside today, yes. We like to eat outside as long as the weather is nice and there aren’t a lot of bugs around. We go to a little restaurant about 40 minutes away from us and we have eaten inside and outside and I prefer outside. We’ve also been to restaurants along one of the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York and I prefer eating outside there too so we can see the gorgeous views.

5. Somehow it’s the end of August. What was the best day of the month for you and tell us what made it so? 

I think I have a tie for the best day. One day a friend texted and asked if we wanted to join her and her kids at a lake in a state park near us. That was such a fun, full day in the sun and left with us a lot of memories.

My mom’s birthday was also at the beginning of August and it was a wonderful, fun-filled day with a lot of laughter.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This is the best Needtobreathe song, especially the ending.