It’s the longest day of the year – the day we go off Daylight Saving Time. This morning, I have the pleasure of waking up at seven, then setting my clock back to six. One extra hour! What shall I do with it?
Gone are the days when my children were little and changing to and from Daylight Saving Time confused their bedtime and mealtime schedules, and everyone needed several days to adjust. Presently, all I have to worry about are my two dogs, and judging from their snoring demeanor, they seem to be handling the time switch without a problem.
One extra hour – a luxury. I decide to spend it sipping coffee and looking out at Devil Track Lake. It happens to be a rare November day with warm temperatures and no wind.
I gaze across my deck where a gang of blue jays and several bustling chickadees chomp down the bread pieces I’ve placed there. Beyond the squabbling birds and down the hill, the lake surface is flat. Truly like a mirror. The trees and houses across the lake are double-imaged on the waters before them. Not a whisper of a breeze.
The gray-brown of bare tree trunks and branches, the green of evergreens and the blue of sky – the entire scene is peaceful, restful.
I swallow the final swig of coffee, brew a cup of tea and continue my Sunday morning sit.
My eyes stray to the calm lake just as a fish surfaces. It creates a ring that spreads wider and wider on the flatness, finally dissipates. Probably a whitefish. Whitefish netting season is open, and I see, in the distance, white and bright orange flags marking someone’s nets.
Because of the mild autumn, I haven’t yet removed the flower planters on my deck. An early frost nipped the red begonias and withered the scarlet fuchsia, but pink petunias, red geraniums, and green foliage still spill over the terra-cotta rims of the flower pots.
Eventually, several things began to happen. I notice that the windows, through which I’ve been so serenely gazing, are dirty. The longer I look, the dirtier they seem. This would be a perfect day to clean them.
The dogs stir, letting me know they need to go out and I remember the dishwasher needs unloading.
Time to move on with the day.
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