Dear Friends,

School is back in session here in Vermont (and many areas of the country) even before Labor Day. All of our retail stores will be closed on Labor Day this Monday, September 2nd, to allow our employees to enjoy the holiday with their families.

Labor Day was designated a national holiday in 1894 after the bloody and contentious Pullman Strike. Labor Day honors the contributions of works to the economic and social fabric of our country but of course, it also marks the end of summer. Here in Waitsfield, it also means my favorite summertime snack bar — Maynard’s — will be closing for the season. I am not ready for summer to be over so I am going to pretend it is still here.

Saturday marks the end of the special financing for Macs and iPads, so if you’re in the market for one, there are still a couple of days left to take advantage of no-interest financing for 6, 12 or 18 months and the Small Dog Electronics Mac-to-School specials.

It is the 2nd anniversary of the devastating impact of Hurricane Irene here in Vermont. It is amazing to me that two years after the event, I can still see ruined houses, fields and bridges as I ride down route 100 to Rutland. There are a lot of celebrations this week, honoring the “Vermont Strong” reaction to the floods, but there is still a lot of work to do for full recovery.

There is a lot of speculation on exactly what Apple might introduce at their first new product event of the fall which is widely reported to be scheduled for September 10th. Rebecca and I will be talking about that on Small Dog Speaks on Thursdays at 1PM on WDEV. Let us know your thoughts or if you have questions, feel free to email or call in live for the show. The toll-free number for WDEV is 877-291-8255. You can also stream the show or listen to the archives.