So much for daylight savings time… it’s dark at 7:15 AM. It’s actually just very dark gray but it suits my grumpy mood for the morning.

I was lying in bed with a list of documentaries, plus the last two episodes of Season Five’s THE CROWN, by 7:30 PM. I am sure there was a good two hours of sleep that overcame me before letting the dogs out one final time around 10:30 PM. The night passed with little interruption and a comfortable amount of sleep. Still, I woke on a less than cheerful side, growling at the dark and chilly morning, and the fact that the dogs began practicing their cleaning ritual by 5:30 AM, followed by the exasperating moaning and whining that it was feeding time – they’re still on their former time.

I’ve only a half day in The Park and then I will have a few hours to rest before dinner and a musical at Centerville High School.

Yesterday, Mama Kay, Ann, and I took a Mexican lunch and then visited one of our friends, Patricia Nagel. Patricia and her husband live in the Stroop family home off Tait Road and it is one of my favorite places. “Six Springs” is the name of the home and grounds since there are six active springs on the property. In the early 1920s, The Olmsted Brothers designed and landscaped the property as they did with nearby properties owned by Edward Deeds, Charles Kettering, and other prominent inventors and citizens. I love chatting with Patricia and absorbing all the history. It is the only large historical estate in the area that is still privately owned.

Well, it is time to prepare for my shift at The Park where my good humor will hopefully be restored. I fear the blustery day will keep Guests away.

Make it a great day.

PHOTOS: Six Springs, the former Stroop estate in Kettering, Ohio.