I hate to burst your bubble, Jen, but it doesn't really end on Labor Day anymore. It used to for sure and it was always so much fun to go down to the boat and happily watch the zillions of cars and tourists leaving. It was a weight off of our shoulders and off of the Island's as well. I suspect it's not really over these days until the end of Sept.
I wonder what other Islanders think.

Oh, and the ones with NY, CT and NJ plates.

It is hard working 48 weeks a year too!

Jen, you've definitely nailed it -- the agony and the sorrow and the absolute exhaustion. I do believe we need to be good to ourselves by remembering that the other three seasons bring their own challenges. Personally, I've often been depressed in the fall. This year I'm going to arm myself against it by acquiring one of those full-spectrum lamps and by giving my Inner Hermit some time to herself. I'll also be checking so many books out of the library, I'll be like that fat person at the buffet table told to hold back.

September would be even better if the town beaches like Lambert's Cove and Lucy Vincent weren't still closed until September 30. But at least the traffic eases off a bit, and you can find a place to park.

Jen, thank you for this piece. So glad you wrote it. As a full-time summer vacationer on the island I will do all that I can to reduce your stress, aching back and other madness that poses such an inconvenience for you. I'll start by shopping elsewhere. Please let the Sauers' know that I will not be shopping at 7a anymore since it seems to be causing you stress which as we all know, is not good for anyone. Despite their wonderful organic offerings, I guess I'll drive a wee bit further and renew my relationship with Cronigs. Enjoy your R&R.

Leave Jen alone !

What is a full-time summer vacationer anyway? I agree with the above post, "Leave Jen alone!". It's hard to survive here 12 months out of the year. We who are the "full-time year round Islanders" could care less where you shop.

Why am I not surprised by the vitriol.

clearly mollyk is just sensitive and maybe even a bit miserable.

MollyK, I suspect you're not surprised by the vitriol because it works this way: when you spew a bunch of it, it tends to come back to you. I imagine you you get that a lot.

i hope mollyk never comes back to our home to curse us wither her presence and dirty money. apparently she is incapable of imagining herself in someone elses shoes. self important and closed minded

I now know where Thomas Tryon got the idea for the fair maidens of Cornwall Coombe.

She was not funny when she made fun of customers. Her sense of humor may be pinched by her work schedule. She should try working 60 hours a week year round and vacationing on MV. We chose our lifestyles.

Now that we have pelted MollyK with corn cobs, I am sure she feels entitled to her vitriol. We used to say "Summer people ... some are not" (after that marvelous book of cartoons by Cynthia Wayman and Sally Ward, published 1977 by Tashmoo Press). Really we are all people, and islanders need summer people to survive the winter as Jen pointed out. We no longer eat the summer visitors, although I do sort of miss that old tradition of soaking them in hot brine, and enjoying them all winter long, but the money they spend, especially the full-time summer vacationers, keeps us well-fed and warm through the long dark winter months.

Thanks Michael for bringing a level of civility back to this thread. There’s a whole lot of hate that’s been slung and most of it not from MollyK. “Dirty money”, “nasty note”, “rude”, “arrogant”, “negative energy”, “never come back”, “curse us with here presence”, “self-important and closed minded”. A mob mentality is always ugly. Everyone has a right to spend their cash wherever they like for whatever reason they like. Who among us would patronize a business where we were spoken of in unkind terms? No business wants bad ink especially when that ink comes from an employee. Throwing a business under the bus (ya named names) can translate into no business at all. If this was my business you might be looking at a pink slip right now. Making snarky comments about customers doesn’t help a business’s bottom line.

Thank you for your fine essay. You are always a sweetheart at the store.