IS IT EARLY? – OR IS IT LATE?

This is the most difficult week of the year for me. The shift to standard time screws up my inner clock. I can't go to bed at 9:00 – that's too early – but going to bed at 10:00 is really 11:00 by the inner clock. For some reason I feel especially tired, so now I sleep until 7:00, and that's really 8:00 – so I've slept in. I'm due at a class at 9:00 but it seems like I'm waiting until 10:00. I want lunch at 11:00. But the worst of it is the evening hours. Darkness was already encroaching upon my schedule, but then we set the clocks back and suddenly it's really dark at 5:00 p.m. We normally eat supper at 6:30, but to facilitate adjustment to the time, we push it closer to 6:00. Then there's that long evening again – waiting for bedtime to come. When my children were little, it was even harder because they truly couldn't understand the shift. But I will adjust. I'll get over the tendency to compare time today with time last week. [The photo to the left shows the evening sky to the northeast just as we were leaving the farm Sunday. Note the moon.]

While we were at the farm over the weekend, I couldn't help but think how difficult the short days were before electric lights. As evening approached, Ina probably glanced out the kitchen window and noticed the shadow of the pine trees lengthened out against the field, and she would work faster to do what chores needed to be done before nightfall. No wonder supper was a simple meal in winter. Then she and Jack would spend a companionable evening reading by the light of the kerosene lantern or maybe listening to the old radio. They were undoubtedly in bed early so as to be up before daylight, ready to perform the day's chores by the light of the sun.

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you – the spinach I planted two months ago in the raised bed came up after all! I suppose it responded to the cooler temps. I imagine it will just sit there now until spring, then begin to grow. At least – that's what happened here in town last year. I really didn't expect it to come up. Well, you know how it is: I rejoice in every positive thing that happens, hoping that it will continue to develop. I put a layer of maple leaves over the top of the little seedlings.

This week it's my schedule that brought us back to town. I participated in a machine embroidery class on Monday. Tuesday I had a meeting which involved a silent auction fundraiser. I worked hard to get ready for it. Tomorrow is the annual bake sale at Rosauer's, a regionally-based grocery store. (Their "everyday" prices aren't the greatest, but we need Rosauer's because of the variety of goods and some specialty items we just don't find at other stores here.) I'm going to the sale with my study group friends. Friday morning I'll attend a presentation at the Bernina Shop and Saturday I'll go back to the Bernina Shop for an all-day "tips 'n tricks" embroidery workshop. Mike has been hunting every other day and performing various other chores around the house to round out his schedule. Oh – and watching football – both college and pro games – a lot of football. (Even Nellie thinks it's rather a lot of football.)