Stand by. We’re about to start that adventure known as
Daylight Saving Time. Note, it is not Daylight Savings Time. We’ll hear all the
arguments once again about how someone’s entire life is threatened by this
change of deleting an hour here and then adding an hour there, and, oh my God,
what will I do?
The idea of lengthening the amount of daylight toward the
end of the day started back in 1895 in New Zealand and became popular in Europe during the
WWI. It’s not universal, it’s not even practiced in all fifty United States.
Farmers still start work in the dark and quit at sunset. The
animals don’t know what a clock is anyway, and neither do the fish. Those that
work seven to four-thirty have more time to ruin a good BBQd steak, more time
to play softball, more time to drown a worm or two. Those that live for a good
sunrise just have to wait a bit longer according to the clock. There is no
space-time shift, just an advance of Mickey’s big hand by one revolution.
About that sunrise. Because of the earth’s tilt on it axis,
sunrise is at a different time every day anyway. So is sunset. Summer days have
more sunlight no matter what the clock says. Does DST save energy as some
proclaim. Not in my household. I get up at five every morning, so on standard
time I will have lights burning until daylight. On Daylight time, I will have
lights burning until daylight.
Canada was the first to introduce DST back in 1916. The
German Empire joined in 1917, and the good old US of A came aboard in 1918. The
concept faded away following WWI and then came back strong during WWII. It was
on its way out when the so-called energy crisis of 1970 hit and proponents of
the concept kept it alive.
There are ways to make DST fun. Assume the position of
official clock taker care of in your household, and then don’t do it but
indicate that you did. Be prepared for a severe beating. Put up signs in the
office that say: “Spring back, Fall ahead”. Computers ruin some of the fun by
changing automatically. I wonder what the computers do about Arizona, a state
that does not make the switch?
The kids complain about having to catch the bus while it’s
still dark. Oh, poor little darlings. Most of us had to trudge fifteen miles or
more through snowdrifts as high as the telephone poles, didn’t we?
The change this year is Sunday, March 12. Oh my God, what
will I do?
Until next time, read good books and stay regular
Johnny Gunn
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Or Tweet with me, darlin’?
