By Jeff Salter
It’s a toss-up this week, whether to talk about daylight saving time, which started Sunday the 10th, or to discuss St. Patrick’s Day, which is Sunday the 17th .
Last year at this time, I presented one of my favorite movies which also happens to be set in – and mostly filmed in – Ireland: The Quiet Man … with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. You can see that column, including a short video clip, by clicking this link:
https://fourfoxesonehound.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/kiss-the-blarney-stone/
Also in that column is a link to my St. Patrick’s Day column of 2011, which features a poem I wrote about an Irish lass.
You Can’t Save Daylight
But this year, I’m compelled to yak about this abomination called Daylight Saving Time. Some of the Foxes have already mentioned it and if you’ve read my brief comments in their spaces this week, you already know that I HATE D-S-T.
First of all — you can’t save daylight … no matter what the Government says. Spring officially begins on Mar. 20th this year whether or not your weather is any nicer. From that point forward, the earth’s axis tilts a bit more each day and we get a few more minutes of daylight than we did the previous day. We get more daylight because of all that geo-polar earth rotation science-class-that-I-slept-thru falderal.
But we get whatever sunlight we get each day … no matter what our clocks say. And no government dictum can convince me that it’s REALLY 9 p.m. when I can still see the sun shining on that meadow to our west.
Each year when we go through this nonsense, it takes several weeks for my body’s system – which DOES realize it’s all a sham – to make the adjustment to these new clock representations of our time.
When I was employed full-time and rose at 5:25 am. each day to get to work, all this clock manipulation had two distinct effects on me:
1. for several months of the year, I left the house in the dark to drive to work.
Then when they dumped that hour back on us,
2. I’d leave my workplace in the dark to drive home.
I hated both adjusted periods.
I’m sick of government and especially politics — but if they’d make a new party called the “Leave Our Daylight Alone” Party, I’d join and vote for whichever candidate they could produce.
Question:
What about you? Do you:
A. hate the government messing with your clocks?
B. love them messing with your time? or …
C. don’t give a hoot either way?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
Ok – to be really honest, I don’t mind the change in September when the sun gets up at 4.30/5 am and so do my girls. I honestly treasure that change. Also … I do treasure the effect it has later that day. Sorry, Jeff!
But !!!!! what annoys me is that the Oz Government mucks up the routine and changes the weekend when it supposed to be changed, and having family in Europe, friends in the UK and the US, I’m forever calculating during that brief “catch up period” what the difference is and it’s driving me nutty. I can’t understand why we can’t go in line with the rest of the world! Not to mention that they usually hit the change on the last w/end of our Term 1 break, so no hope getting the kids too bed, not to mention out of bed!
Rant over …. 🙂
PS – I remember your post re the Irish movie. Have I known you thaaaaaat long already ??????
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Yes, dear, we’ve known each other long enough for me to start repeating my stories. LOL.
Well, you seem to be more accepting of this malady than I am — and I applaud your flexibility. It would be a lot easier on EVERYBODY if the regions that comply with this horror … would apply it consistantly. That is: not keep moving it around.
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I still winge !
And that reminds me, I’d better check when we change our clocks 😦
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I’ve never really cared too much, but didn’t really like the “losing” an hour part of it. But this year is totally different. My 4yo, who was previously a terrific sleeper, has for the last several months woken up at the crack of dawn. Now that it’s still dark when my hubby leaves for work, I still get to sleep in a bit! 😀 I’m loving it this year!
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Thanks for visiting, Shea.
Yes, the young children who are just establishing sleep patterns must surely be affected by all the changes in household routine.
Glad part of the new sched. is working out for you, though.
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There is a joke/story/whatever that has been going around about an old Indian who is supposed to have said,(re DST),”Only white men would think that they could cut the top off a blanket, sew it on the bottom and it gets longer”. Well, I can’t imagine that being ‘old Indian sage wisdom’ as no Indian considered ‘time’ at all…they just went with the flow of daylight and seasons.That having been said, though,I agree with the sentiment! Just when it started to get light when the kids have to go to school, and many people have to go to work, they change it and it’s dark again…makes no sense and it is downright depressing. It takes so long to get re-adjusted and there you go, having to adjust again. This nonsense needs to stop.
(Wow…I didn’t realize how unhappy I was with it today! I hope everyone has a nice day!)
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so, what’s your topic for tomorrow, Tonette? Have a solution to the DST problem?
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I wish. Sorry about the rant…been dealing with the medicos.I may take an easy route and go with St.Pat.
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good choice
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I don’t give a hoot either way as I don’t remember a time without DST. *shrug*
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Well, actually I don’t either, Jenn. I think FDR started it in the 1930s. But they have definitely altered the start date and end date, so it lasts longer now.
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I’m with you. Let’s start that party and spend some daylight since as you so ably pointed out, we can’t SAVE it. And, you know, you can’t take it with you either.
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absolutely correct.
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A.!!!!!!! all the way! LOL I hate having to switch all the blasted clocks and I don’t think my body ever really adjusts. I say leave time alone. Let nature do its thing. And let me know when that party starts! Hopefully I’ll have my clock set right! Don’t want to be late! 🙂
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You’ll be at the top of my notification list, Melissa.
Thanks for visiting here again.
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