the lost hour

the hour we lost today must have been the hour when I was supposed to write this essay.
because here I am, much much much past my bedtime, sitting at the computer because I didn't get this done earlier and the day has left.
it was wonderful this evening to look at the clock and see 6:30 pm, then to look through my windows and see a bright, sunny sky.
the trade-off, of course, is that my mornings will return to 5:30 am deep darkness, with return trips home at 7 am in nearly the same.
sigh.
my early morning rides are still in the distant future.
I miss them.
I miss the solitude, the peace, the small arc of light thrown by my headlight. I miss the opportunity to ride under moonlight, to watch the moon shadows dance and shift as I ride across them.
I miss the chill of pre-dawn air and the counterbalancing increase of my core temperature as I push against gravity and move upward in the dark.
I miss the howl of the coyote, the quiet call of the owl, the rustling of nocturnal creatures completing their nightly missions before the lightening of the sky brings their work to an end.

it's 45 degrees as I type this, and we are expecting snow showers in the early morning hours. overnight lows for the next week range from 24 to 35 degrees, and it will be dark until shortly before the sunrise at 7:48.

I am dreaming to think about an early morning ride any time in my near future.

and so, darn it all, I will head to bed, and you now know what I will be dreaming about.