Hey, everyone. This past weekend, I realized I didn’t have a blog post written or scheduled for this week. Not only that, I didn’t have a clue what to write, so I decided to talk about a controversial topic. Daylight Saving Time.
Not everyone will agree with me but I don’t like it. It’s not that I don’t like the extra daylight in the evenings. I do. But I dislike losing an hour of my life. Yes, everyone who lives past the first Sunday in November will regain the hour but still.
It used to be we “sprang forward” the last Sunday of April. In 1986, it changed to the first Sunday of April. Then in 2007, it moved to the second Sunday of March. I hate leaving the house for work while it’s still dark. But more importantly, I see kids waiting for school buses in the dark. That’s not safe!
And, in reality, Daylight Saving Time doesn’t save anything. I’m not sure who came up with this quote, but it’s appropriate.
“When told the reason for daylight savings [sic] time the Old Indian said, “Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of the blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket.”
Unknown
But let’s look at the positive. The vernal equinox (first day of spring) occurs on March 20. That’s less than a week away. My daffodils have already bloomed and many of the trees have started to bud.
A few days ago, I arrived home to what I call “the smell of spring” when the earth starts to warm and seeds begin to germinate.
I’ll end by sharing a photo of a dogwood tree in the woods near our home. I took this shot a few years ago.
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58 Responses
Daylight Savings is not only pointless but a pain in the butt.. the sun will do what it likes either way.
Exactly, Sheri. It’s an outdated concept that needs to go away!
Didn’t they just pass something making it permanent?
Yes, the senate did. Still has to go through the house. If it passes, at least we won’t be changing, but the idiot’s argument that daylight saves lives is a moot point. What about all the kids waiting for school buses in the dark winter mornings? Or people driving to work during that time? The sun won’t rise where I live until around 8:30 during the shortest days of the year. Once again, the Indian proverb is right.
There was an actual argument that it saves live? For real? I mean.. that doesn’t even make sense.
I know everyone says that we put these people in charge but did we really?
According to one article I read, that was said. Unbelievable. (Or maybe we should believe they say such nonsense.)
Oh, no.. I believe it. That’s what’s sad.
I’m at my day job at 6:00 a.m., so I’m always driving in the dark. I do like the added light at the end of the day, but I wish we could keep it one way or the other. My body clock has a hard time adjusting to the switch. 🙂
If I’m not wrong, there have been medical studies on the effects of changing the clocks and they aren’t good. I don’t mind extra daylight at the end of the day, but at what price? The days grow naturally longer in the months leading up to summer anyway. Six a.m.??? I’m not fully awake by that time! 🙂
I do wish they would stop doing this, are we not confused enough these days?
Me too, ladies. It doesn’t take much to confuse me!
💕
I’m dreading out clocks going forward. My sleep pattern is in enough disarray without this added disruption. It will take me weeks to recover. I’m told it started during the war, over here, but I truly do not see why we still do it. The evenings are getting lighter all on their own, lols.
Lovely photo! Have a great day, Joan 💕🙂
The practice is outdated. And I’m with you, it takes me a long time to adjust. I wasn’t nearly as productive yesterday as usual.
I don’t like it either, but what can we poor plebs do about it, save complain? 😉 Cheers, Jon
I wish we could! Maybe move to Arizona? Thanks, Jon.
I love the blanket quote! I hadn’t heard it before. (We’re from the government, and we’re here to help you. (Not.)
Oh, they just want us to believe they’re doing something good for us, Liz. They just need to leave well enough alone.
I would say this falls under the category of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Or, possibly, “Don’t do us any favors.”
I’m in total agreement with you!
😀
I agree with you on the Daylight Savings Time issue. Just when I get used to conditions they change. I like morning sun and the late afternoon daylight doesn’t do a thing for me. I’ll be doing a “signs of spring” tour this Sunday. I miss dogwoods. We don’t have them here. for some reason. Super post, Joan.
Our dogwoods haven’t bloomed yet this year, but I love to see them. I look forward to your signs of spring tour, John!
They will be small signs, Joan
I wish DST would stop. Every year my circadian rhythm takes a hit and it seems forever to get back in sync. I love the long daylight in the evening, but I hate the dark in the morning. It makes it harder to get up.
Recently, I bought a sunlight wake-up clock hoping that the gradual brightening will ease me into waking up. The jury is still out on that one, but I vote “no” to DST!
I vote for doing away with it too, Mae!
I just saw a report on world news that it just might happen. It’s up for vote now! 🤞
That quote about the blanket is spot on, Joan. We are only fooling ourselves. Time is based on the position of the sun, no matter what you call it or how you set your clock. High noon is when the sun is directly overhead. By moving your clock forward for DST, all you are doing is CALLING it 11:00am. It’s STILL high noon. So silly!
I get that people want the extra hour in the morning, but think about this. When I was growing up (before DST had been instituted), businesses had “Summer Hours.” Signs went up in store windows proclaiming Summer Hours were in effect & the store would be open from 8:00 to 4:00, instead of the usual 9:00 to 5:00. Voila. You went to work an hour earlier and came home an hour earlier. Exactly what you do on DST, only without trying to play mind games with yourself so you’ll think you’ve actually manipulated time.
It took quite a while for some of the states to adopt the idea of DST, and every single year, I wish Florida had NOT done so. Mind games stink.
Whew I feel better now that I’ve vented. THANKS! 😂
Vent away, Marcia. Good point about high noon! People need to learn to adjust, not have time adjust for us.
Thanks, Joan. Trouble is, I made a typo I didn’t catch. Ooops. Under DST, high noon is now being called 1:00pm to put us closer to the end of the day (not 11:00). It’s still a lie. And making DST permanent is even dumber. Then forevermore, they will be no such thing has high noon on our clocks. HIgh noon will arrive at 1:00pm (instead of 12:00pm) forevermore. I purely hate it, and I’m glad to see that others seem to hate it as much as I. It’s like if we can’t control what time it is, we’ll just call it whatever we want. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Okay. Still venting here. Sorry. I’m done now, I promise. goes off shaking fist at Washington (yet again), and apologizing to the sun
I didn’t notice.
Did you see the name of that stupid bill? The sunshine protection act! Really???
OMG. Groan And the sad thing is, I suspect they will pass it, no matter what most of us think or want.
I am not a fan of Daylight Savings Time AT ALL! And I agree 100% with the old Indian proverb. Just pick a time and stay with it. That’s what they do in Arizona.
Exactly, Jan. And if the house passes what the senate did today we’ll keep DST year round.
I think technology has advanced to the point that the need for the clock changes is over. If I understand correctly, it was for farmers. They aren’t using donkeys and hand-plows any longer. They can work their land just fine whenever dawn comes. Given there are places in the US who don’t use it (as well as countries all around the world), it’s just a confusing nuisance at this point. (But no one in charge asked me.) Loved that anonymous quote, Joan.
It is confusing. One of the companies we do business with is in Arizona. I’m forever forgetting if we’re one or two hours ahead of them.
Even Congress gets it. They’re trying to make DST permanent, and a bill just passed in the Senate by unanimous consent. They think they can finally make it a federal law so we don’t have to keep bouncing back and forth.
Not bouncing back and forth is best but I have reservations about permanent DST in the winter months. Darkness at 8:00 in the morning isn’t safer.
I was wondering why they chose DST instead of standard, too.
I’d be happy with permanent, IF it were true time, instead of this bogus DST stuff. GAH. Why don’t they get it?
I’m with you, Joan. I do not like losing that hour. I celebrate to get it back in November. We voted to get rid of the time change here and it passed twice, but of course nothing has been done.
Spring is showing up here too, which I always welcome.
Gotta look at the positive. I don’t like winter, so I welcome springtime!
You are not alone, Joan! I dislike the time change no matter which way it goes! It always messes with my routine and sleep schedule. And usually for at least a week or two.
It takes me at least that long to adjust. DST is a ridiculous concept.
Yeah, I don’t get the clock stuff, either. I love “fall back,” but I’d be happy if we just leave the clocks here as is.
I so agree. And I heard just today that the Senate has passed a bill that will keep DST year round. That means in the shortest days of the year, the sun won’t rise until almost 8:30. Ridicuous!
I was always indifferent to the time changes, but there is a growing sentiment to have permanent DST. That would be fine with me. It seems to be the way some states have resolved it, and now the feds are talking about it.
Actually a recent survey indicated most Americans were against DST. But the idiots in Washington don’t care. They just want another way to interfere with our lives. And year round DST makes no sense. Where I live the sun wouldn’t rise until almost 8:30 during the shortest days of winter. Tell me how that’s “saves lives?” Which is the current argument of proponents of permanent DST.
I’m of the mindset to just pick one and live with it. If it’s DST, so be it.
It’s not like “we” have a choice.
I’ve never been a supporter of moving the clocks back and forth, and now I’m living in a state that never changes the time. That said, I still have to figure out the time zones for family and friends who live in different parts of the country. Craziness. 😁
I wish our state didn’t. It is crazy!
Daylight saving’s time throws me off every single year! My body is operating at what it knows as time; suddenly seeing a different number on the clock is disorienting and confusing.
Love your thought-train here and the whimsical nature of this post!
It throws me off as well, Jaya. Looks like most everyone who commented here is not in favor of the time changing. Thanks for stopping by.
I loathe DST, Joan. It takes me weeks to adjust. And my car shows the wrong time until it switches back. The “old Indian” quote cracked me up. So TRUE! I hope we get rid of this ridiculous and unnecessary disruption. And I love your flowering trees! Yay for spring.
Funny (well, not so funny) is the senate passed a bill to keep DST permanent the same day I posted this. Still has to go through the house. If it becomes law, the sun won’t rise here until almost 8:30 in the winter months. Tell me that’s safe for children catching school buses in the mornings.
I’m happy Spring has sprung!
I’ve heard that the “experts” would rather it go the other way. It doesn’t make much sense to keep DST, but at least it won’t be going back and forth!
That’s the one good thing. And if it happens, I’ll be retired so I won’t have to drive to work while it’s still dark. 🙂