It's not winter, but maybe it is

This is a man holding a barn owl in front of his face, because it's funny

Daylight Savings Time ended just two days ago, and dammit it feels like it's winter already, with complete darkness by 6 p.m. every night. There are promises in the air of even earlier nightfall just around the bend, when it starts getting dark at 4:30 p.m.

What is this magic?

Unfortunately, the combination of the shorter days and the upcoming stress of the holiday season (which, in our family, is compounded by three back-to-back birthdays added in) usually contributes to a personal feeling of melancholy, and sometimes abject dread. On days like today, even though it is not yet winter, and when I have a lot going on that isn't really the greatest, those feelings threaten to overwhelm, and it sucks.

I'm not ready for winter.

I'm not sure I ever will be.