DOWN WITH NOVEMBER! (and daylight savings time)

By my calculation, there are 16 clocks in my house, exclusive of the clocks that are bundled with appliances. Hey, I like clocks. I like the fact that even when I set them all for the exact same time AT the exact same time, they always give me different readings by the next day. I love that. Even time is open to interpretation. However, I do not like to have to reinterpret time twice every year to humor some demented legislative whim. Has ANYONE ever heard a reasonable rationale for daylight savings time? Now that we have fallen back during the short day portion of the year, and it is dark at 5 PM, might I suggest that we actually save some daylight during the summer and release it in the fall and winter so that we aren't living in darkness? And let us PLEASE do away with DST, the only function of which seems to be to ensure that our clocks are universally wrong twice a year.

Sigh. Forgive me. I am a bit cranky this time of year.

I really don't care for November.

Don't care much for February either.

November and February have ever so much in common. They are both cold, wet, dreary and depressing. Aside from the birthdays of several of my dearest, November has nothing to recommend it. Usually, I try to hibernate until November is over. It seems the only sensible thing to do. But NO... THIS November I have allowed myself to be put in the position of having to deal with November at least twice a week.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am basically a home-body. I like to keep my body in my home. All my stuff is here, there's food and drink, and it's full of comfy furniture, pretty pictures, art supplies and books. Why on earth would I want to leave? BUT, thanks to my dear friend Marcia, whom I blame entirely for my return to teaching, I had to leave the house today to go teach my genetics class. The weather was Novemberish; (see above, wet, cold, dreary, etc.) and so I was drenched by the time I got to the classroom. I love the smell of wet wool in the morning. My pants were wet half-way to the knee, so of course my feet were wet as well. Thank God the college is totally without heat, or I would have been perfectly miserable.

I miss October. October. Now there's a good month. Halloween was so much fun. I had LOTS of kids come to the door for candy and I met them in full witch regalia.


My ole college buddy Stacey showed up with a batch of little girls and it is always good to see her. My granddaughters showed up with two of their cousins, so my house was invaded by an Indian maiden (Emily), a princess (Delaney, of course), Spiderman (Kendrick), a baby witchling (Zoe)... and a hot dog and a bottle of ketchup (Haley and Kendall). Even Mama had a good time watching the kids come and go, and getting hugs from everyone who came in. It was the last time she was in a good mood, now that I think of it. I really love Halloween.

I really hate November.