Forty is the old age of youth; 50 is the youth of old age.

-- Victor Hugo

Don't rush.

You've got plenty of time to read this morning. We all picked up an extra hour with daylight saving time, and this is the good one -- the weekend when you gain an hour.

So what do you do?

Well, first enjoy the morning. Then enjoy the day. Even if it gets dark earlier.

You'll have 60 minutes extra, so use them carefully, maybe taking the time to do something right instead of rushing.

Don't forget to put away Halloween. I suggest when the spouse and children aren't looking that you throw away some of that old "school-made" kid stuff you've had for years.

You think it will be a cute keepsake the first time you put it back in the box, but trust me: Ten years from now, you'll haul it out for the ninth time and no one will remember its significance.

Also, get rid of all candles. Another summer in the attic won't do them any good.

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SPEAKING FOR HALLOWEEN: I was working late Friday when my wife called to inform me we had run out of Halloween candy.

We've never run out of Halloween candy. She asked what to do.

"Send the 14-year-old out quickly to trick-or-treat at the neighbors' houses," I said, "then give that candy away."

She called back quick.

"He won't do it," she said. "He says he's too old."

"Well," I said thoughtfully, "if you want to cut down on little visitors, you can always cut on the automatic sprinklers."

There was a pause, and then she said, "We can't. It's not our day to water."

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MORE HALLOWEEN: Willis Irvin sends a very old postcard of Augusta's very old Haunted Pillar. "This will make a good Halloween story," he writes.

The picture on the card was taken by the late George Schaeffer , a well-known local photographer, and shows a Broad Street in the background that looks very different. There is no Wachovia bank tower.

Pat and Wayne Fuller , of North Augusta, send a postcard from the Great Smoky Mountains. They saw not only beautiful leaves, but snow.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

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TODAY'S JOKE: A lawyer was just waking up from anesthesia after surgery and his wife was sitting by his side. His eyes fluttered open and he said, "You're beautiful!" then he fell asleep again.

His wife had never heard him say that, so she stayed by his side. A couple minutes later his eyes fluttered open and he said "You're cute!"

Well, the wife was disappointed.

"What," she said leaning over to his ear, "happened to beautiful?"

He opened his eyes again and said, "The drugs are wearing off."