All summer I was getting up about 5:30 because that’s when the sun came up and I was really enjoying it. I had time to get a lot done before having to sign on at work — write a blog post, walk the dog, water the garden. It was lovely. And then the earth tilted back the other way and I found it harder and harder to get up in the morning.

I thought about buying one of those fancy light alarm clocks that are supposed to simulate the sun rising — you set the timer and they gradually light up the room. But they were expensive. I just couldn’t see paying almost a hundred bucks for an ugly dome-shaped light thingy. So I went to the hardware store and bought a timer for eight bucks. I put the lamp on the far side of the bed on the timer.

It’s brilliant. The alarm goes off at 5:30 and I turn it off. Five minutes later (not clever on my part, just hard to set the timer accurately) the light goes on. Then the dogs and I hang out for another ten minutes or so and I’m up and making tea by quarter to six. At least for me, not having the option of putting off turning on the light has really helped. Click. On it goes. We’ll see how well it works in the dead of winter when it’s really dark, and cold, and the last thing anyone wants to do is get out of bed, but for now, it’s really working well.