Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday, Nov. 6

It's nearly time to fall back from Daylight Saving Time. This change in November will feel like an extra hour under the covers on Sunday morning.

For those with Sunday morning plans, consider setting a reliable house clock or watch ahead one hour before going to sleep on Saturday and check your cell phone settings to prevent any snafus —it's always wise to have a backup.

Why do we go through this ritual year after year? Daylight Saving Time, first established in 1918, is designed to add an hour of sunlight to the end of the day during the warm weather months, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The period of time was extended in 2007 by one month to encourage energy savings, and now runs from 2 a.m. the second Sunday of March (March 13) to 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.

The Mendota Heights Fire Department has joined a national effort to encourage residents to test their smoke alarms or change the batteries when changing the clocks. Most smoke alarm batteries should be changed once a year.

Still some juice but the year is up? Just switch them into that fickle TV remote or keep them in a drawer to use up on a toy or tool that your life doesn't depend on, and enjoy that extra hour—especially Monday morning!