Wow, it's early

I neglected to set the clocks back last night before I went to bed, so when I saw the digital display reading 5:34, I didn't think too much of it. I'd gone to bed around 9 last night, so I'd had plenty of sleep. I got up, checked my phone and saw that – THANK YOU END OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME – it was actually 4:34.

I couldn't go back to sleep, though. Didn't even try. I swear it takes me longer to get used to the autumn time change than it does the one in the spring.

About to enter the East River Mountain tunnel, at the border
of Virginia and West Virginia on I-77.

Right now, at 6:30-ish, the morning light is just beginning to overtake the darkness. There was a slight chance of snow last night, which didn't happen here. I saw snow all through Virginia on my way home from North Carolina yesterday though.

The annual Halloween trip to visit my son and his family went well. The first full day I was there I got to spend with my younger granddaughter while both her parents were at work. The weather was PERFECT – moderate temperatures, lovely Carolina-blue skies, very light breezes – so we packed a picnic lunch and walked to a not-so-nearby park along a paved trail.

Total distance was 4.35 miles – a pretty long trek for a seven-year-old. It was good to break it up at the halfway point with lunch and a bit of time on the playground swings. We alternated jogging and walking on the return trip and make it home before her mother got home from work.

We spent part of the afternoon at Trader Joe's – a great treat for me – where I stocked up on almond meal, coconut oil spray and dark chocolate, and had great fun with the cashier. Trader Joe's hires the most fun people! Or maybe Southwest Airlines does. It's a toss-up.

The good thing about the sudden cold snap is NO MORE BUGS. I'm thinking the fruit-fly population has been wiped out for the season. Now to figure out how to prevent the return next year. I expect the only way to get rid of them entirely is to not eat.

That's a strategy I'm unwilling to adopt.