The Last Week Before DST Disappears

I love my light.

I love my warmth.

I love my green and color.

I just mentioned things of spring, summer, and early autumn.

The countdown to November 6, this Sunday, has begun. This coming Sunday, Nov. 6, marks the official closing date that Daylight Savings Time is over for 2011. It won’t be until Sunday, March 11, 2012 when DST fires back up.

And so the light will drastically be different in the late afternoons.  Zach the Cat will be waiting in the dark on my/his deck for me to arrive from work and feed him supper. Lights in neighbors’ windows will switch on as I drive home at the end of my day. The night chill will have a head start with its advanced hour come November 6.

All this week I will have anticipatory grief about the impending loss of DST. But I will also embrace and celebrate the hours of light available all this week.

When younger I used to be such a winter-wonder nut. I loved the cold and the snow and all that the coldness brought with it—hot coco, hot cider, popping electric wall heaters, layers of coats and gloves and scarves, sledding, snowman making, decorations for the holidays, presents around the Christmas tree, and family snuggled up together under the same roof as the winds blew and the snow swirled.

But now I prefer the spring and summer seasons. I want all the light and warmth and color I can possibly have. I have switched my allegiance and am now more in love with all the things of spring and summer--things which winter traditionally does not offer.

A couple of fun things about winter is that Zach the Cat opts to crawl under the bed covers and scooch up close to me. Then he goes into a big roaring purr that makes me smile right there in the cold dark of my room. Another thing I enjoy is watching Zach sleep on top of one of my floor vents throughout the winter. I never understand why he doesn’t go around looking like a steak just off the grill. One other thing I enjoy about the winter is the delight of hot tea drinking. I love my Jasmine, Raspberry, English Breakfast, and Sassafras teas especially. And it’s a double delight to share a pot of hot tea with a friend in the deep of winter. We sit in my big over-stuffed chairs and have tea talks. ( I have no fireplace, hence no fireside chats.)

This week I hope to finish some outside projects like planting tulip bulbs and pansies as well as raking up tons of pine needles. This week I hope to get my winter clothes moved over to my bedroom closet. This week I hope to take a walk in my historic Park Hill neighborhood once a day. This week I hope to capture the leaf colors in my mind’s eye as I really look at God’s autumn masterpiece. This week I’ll say goodbye to the extra hour, tell it I’ll miss it, and let it know I’ll be eagerly watching for it to arrive back here next March 11.