Bright Idea

Early next month, we’ll turn back the clocks.  I’ll enjoy the extra hour of sleep that weekend but will not enjoy the early darkness that will come the next afternoon.  For the next two months, the daylight will get shorter and the sun will be set by 5 pm.  That means we’ll be coming home in the dark.  

As I get older, the less I enjoy shorter days of late fall and early winter.  Last December, coming home to twinkling Christmas lights on the porch made the dark cold nights more cheerful.  I put those lights up with a timer and that timer can be used year round so this past weekend, T helped me hang some cafe lights on the porch.

Equipped with a timer, they will come on in the late twilight and shut off at dawn.

I could leave the porch light on, of course, but it’s not on a timer and it seems lonely to leave the light on all day.  The cafe lights won’t come on until they are needed and will add some cheer to our evenings when the sunlight is shorter than our days.

It feels good to take command of this; as if I needn't mourn the loss of the longer days and have instead embraced a new way to manage to chilly darkness.  That's happy!