Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Darkening of Summer

My morning walks with Dog are now walks in darkness with a headlamp. I am already avoiding a section of our walk through the woods that’s hilly and rocky, as even with the headlamp the footing feels a bit unsafe in the darkness. Dog, whose eyes are better than mine in the dark, is confused by this change to our usual route. He will get over it, though, and by next spring he’ll act as though the longer walk is a surprise.

This change in the amount of morning light is one thing about the approaching colder weather that I never seem to quite get used to. I soon will get used to the fact that our morning walks are in darkness, but I never quite get used to the idea that mid-August is the time when this occurs. I don’t know why that is so but it is. For some reason, my mind seems to equate early morning darkness with September. This is patently untrue, as the fading of summer’s morning light always occurs now. So why I expect in September is a complete mystery. And yet, somehow, every year, I am surprised that I am wearing my headlamp in August on our morning walks. I am starting to think that unlike Dog, I am simply not trainable.

6 comments:

EJ said...

Maybe you equate morning light with hot days?

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Do you think it has to do with going back when we were kids, getting up earlier in September when school started?

Carolyn H said...

E and Lynne: I think I equate summer with long days (and long evenings). And since August is still summer, for some reason I simply can't get used to the idea that it's still (already?) dark at 5:30 a.m. Plus, I don't think I got up as early when I was younger as I do now, so I don't have as much experience with the times of sunrise in August as you might expect.

Carolyn H.

Anonymous said...

I'll be kinda glad when the sun doesn't come up until 7. I tend to sleep better.

another profile said...

My uncle used to refuse to set his clocks to daylight savings time. He said it was a lazy man's way of keeping time, and that those who worked sun up to sun down didn't gain anything from it anyway.

So, if you follow his rule, you are really walking at I'd guess 5 or 5:30 am anyway, and it should still be dark!

;-)

Carolyn H said...

Cathy: Agree on the sleeping part, though the alarm is more intrusive.

FG: Your uncle was right! When I go hawkwatching before the time is changed back, we always keep track of flights by standard time, as hawks don't know we're on daylight savings time. We call it "bird time."

Carolyn H.