The days are a little bit shorter now, and it stays dark longer. I tell myself this is why my husband and dog and I have slept until 6:30 this morning. We never sleep until 6:30.

An entirely different set of neighborhood dogs are out when Sparky and I go for our walk. At 5:30, our usual time, it’s just Chloe the German shepherd and a handful of runners: Byron the cardiologist, who lives a few blocks away and works at the same hospital as my husband, Karl; Henry across the street; our neighbor Bob. But at 6:30, there’s Scout...