Sun - 12 Mar/17

As they say; "Spring Ahead - Fall Back". Too Bad - So Sad! We all lost an hour today. Tempus Fugit! (Time Flies) Where does Time go? Well it just went somewhere; but I ain't looking for it.

Actually I'm a "SAD" individual; as in "Seasonally Affective Disorder". SAD is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons. It begins and ends at about the same times every year. Mine just ended! I'm not a "Morning Person". Given a choice, I prefer the extra hour of daylight at the end of the day not in the morning.

DST (Daylight Saving Time), some say, was originally proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 when he (jokingly) wrote to the editor of The Journal of Paris; "Parisians could economize candle usage by getting people out of bed earlier in the morning, making use of the natural morning light instead". Although he didn't say; "Change the Clocks", perhaps this planted the seed for DST?

In ancient times (Romans and before) it was the hour itself that changed. Summer hours were longer than winter hours and ancient water clocks had adjustments to provide for this change that was made with the season.

Modern DST was first proposed in New Zealand by entomologist George Hudson in 1895 so that he would have more time after his "day job" to collect insects. He proposed a 2 hour shift in time. I guess you could say this problem "Bugged" him (grin).

The use of DST was sporadic during the first half of the 20th century. Often it was used to conserve resources during wartime (WWI and WWII); but many countries abandoned it after the conflicts (except Canada, the UK, Ireland and France).

Today, even though many countries use DST, the start and end dates vary. Even in countries that do use DST there are certain jurisdictions that do not. In the USA the states of Arizona and Hawaii and most of the U.S. territories do not. In Canada, Saskatchewan is the lone provincial exception.

Actually, it is the middle latitudes North and South of the Equator that have the most seasonal variation in daylight hours. Daylight varies so little (Equatorial) or so much (Polar regions) in other areas that time change there is actually of little practical use.

Although it is a minor nuisance to us as individuals, (twice a year) it can be a major problem complicating timekeeping, disrupting travel, billing and record keeping, medical devices, industrial equipment and sleep patterns. Computer software makes many adjustments automatic; however there still are many local jurisdiction regulations the change in dates and times can be confusing.

Today DST has both advocates and critics. For some it is a method of conserving energy resources and preserving the environment by changing lighting, heating and cooling patterns; however there are numerous arguments and opinions on both sides of the debate. The Pros and Cons even extend to various occupational safety issues.

Like time itself: "Will the debate never end?"

As you can see - there wasn't much planned for today after CBS Sunday Morning.

The sky was cloudy threatening rain all day; but it didn't happen. Not an overly pleasant day and it will be cooler tomorrow.

We just relaxed and surfed the TV channels today. We didn't even go outside.

We will be on the road next week at this time - if not before. It all depends on the weather.