Yesterday was double-bonus day for me. Not only was it Halloween — my favorite holiday — but it also marked our return to Standard Time.

I’m kind of funny about the things that excite me.

The Halloween part was a bit disappointing, but it wasn’t a total bust. I made sure my pumpkins were blazing and out by the front steps, the gate to my courtyard standing wide open so no one would miss the invitation. Although my neighbors had warned me that there simply aren’t any trick-or-treaters in this neighborhood, I still saw ten different kids on my doorstep last night. Not the droves I had hoped for, of course, but still a decent haul in comparison to no one showing up.

Now I’m stuck with this big bowl of Kit-Kats, peanut butter cups, and Sweetarts. I suppose I’ll just take it all down to the homeowners association office for the work crews to snack on; I might just keep some of the Sweetarts for myself.

On to “falling back”…. Everyone loves summer. Everyone loves bright sunny days. Everyone loves Daylight Savings Time. Or so everyone keeps telling me. I gotta find a new “everyone” who agrees more with me, and not so much the kind that keeps telling me I should move to Ireland.

I prefer cooler weather and darker days. After all, I did choose to move to Oregon. On purpose. I like getting up in the dark and walking the dogs under the stars as morning’s first light is but a vague hint on the horizon. I also love foggy mornings, when the mist swirls off of the lakes and up over the grass. I like steady gentle rains, and wind.

Everyone tells me that my “perfect weather” sucks. Except one grocery clerk at Ukrops in Richmond, Virginia. We were having one of those perfect mornings, overcast with misty rain, a mid-level breeze blowing leaves about. I commented to the clerk how perfect the day seemed to me, and he said, “I like this weather, too. It’s relaxing and poetic.”

It also happened to be my birthday that day, but who’s counting.

But back to the time change…. I had a friend several years back miss the time change completely. We were “springing forward” at the time, and she missed the cue on Sunday. She is a real estate agent and didn’t realize until Monday evening that she had been showing up an hour late to all of her appointments all day long. And no one had said anything to her. It’s a good thing she has a healthy sense of humor about herself.

Anyway, I love the return to Standard Time. It seems to jive better with my natural rhythm. I find it easier to rise in the morning, and I sleep better at night. I don’t know what it is, but I rarely feel quite myself when we’re on Daylight Savings Time. Then again, I wonder if I am more naturally nocturnal, and if I should just give up daylight living altogether.

But I imagine that would make getting doctor’s appointments and haircuts difficult.