TIME CHANGE

        I usually have something to say about time change twice a year. This year is no different. Time change means changing time pieces and then getting used to the change.

      In this house someone has a strict routine for time change. I's not me. The micro manager has all clocks set at the new time the day before the change. So tonight at 2:00 AM or some such ridiculous hour, the time is supposed to change.

       We have an amazing 4 old clock radios. Two of them don't give the time. They only  give the minutes and not the hours.    None of them give decent radio reception so they are of very little use for listening pleasure.

      So the Micro Manager runs around the house carrying a small office desk clock setting clocks. We have seven that need to be set. I think. It could be more. Neither one of us wear a wrist watch. The watches are left in the drawer and the time is not changed on them.. 

       The  oven is of particular worry. She thinks the oven clock buttons are fragile and that they will break and then she can't use the oven which she never uses anyway.

      So the hardest thing for me to do is get used to doing the routine things an hour earlier. At one time the time change didn't bother me. Now it takes a few days to get used to the change.

      

THE AGE OF CONFUSION

     About once a week the micro manager visits with our daughter on messenger. And do they visit. From one to two hours of gossip. The usual time is 7:00 AM when suits them both. 

     Today the Micro manager was wondering if Janey was going to call so she was up about 6:30 AM to get ready on Facebook. 7:00 AM came and went and there was no call so I got up to check and see if the micro manager had things right. 

    I moved to where a call would come in and it said calling so I thought great. they'll have  visit after all. 

     Well out of the  gloom of an unlit room appeared a gray face! It was Willis, my friend from high School. Willis was confused. He wondered what the time was. Well, you know most of the world jumped one hour ahead this morning. However , where Willis lives the time doesn't change. Most things on the internet change times automatically. So Willis's alarm went off an hour early. I was wondering why I was talking to Willis instead of my daughter. I had not called anybody . Then I had to get my hearing aid so that I could hear Willis.

     Willis was happy that I had called. I was wondering why Willis called me!

     Well, we finally got ourselves sorted out  and quit laughing at our own jokes. We exchanged news and had a good chat. 

     Willis and I were in high school together and have kept in touch . We finished in June of 1957. 

    Well, here we are in gr. 10 . Willis is four from the left in the back row. I'm standing right behind the teacher. 

     This is when I'm 82 and  a half!

     I wonder how many other people were a little confused this morning because of the time change?

TIME AND TIME AGAIN

        Your comments are what really makes blogging for me. On Wacky Idea the opinions expressed were very thought provoking. So thought provoking that I want to say more. You were very frank about what you think of time change. 

        It's not surprising that people don't like time change. People aren't sure if they want to stay on standard time or daylight savings time.

       I used to think that I would like to stay on standard time. Your comments have made me take another look at the issue. 

       The following photos were taken just before 10:00 PM on June 21. I was out riding my bike. Many people were riding and walking. The second photo shows the sun about to set a few minutes before 10:00 PM. The third photo shows my back yard when I got home from my bike ride. You could still sit outside when it was light. 

       

     So when I think about this , do I want to lose the long summer evening? I also know that at this time sunrise would be about 5 :00 AM.

    Now if we were on standard time it would be getting dark and we would not have such a long evening. The sun would rise at 4:00 AM. Much daylight would be wasted because I would still be in bed.

    So you made me have another look at the situation. 

    And no one made fun of my wacky idea and some very respectfully thought about it. 

      

TIME CHANGE

      I have gone through daylight savings time changes as long as I can remember. And that's a long time. I'm not sure if I've experienced day light saving time all my life. However, I don't remember day light savings time in the Arctic. I don't remember day light savings time in Quebec. 

    I have always maintained that the time change doesn't bother me. But I guess if you think that we don't need to use daylight savings time then it is a bother.

    Have you ever counted all the clocks you have in your house? I have 8 clocks and two watches. We don't set the watches. Now to set all those clocks is a pain. If we didn't have day light saving time I wouldn't have to change my time pieces. Now I have to do this twice a year. 

    If I stop and think about it there's not one advantage for me to  go on day light saving time. 

    It's interesting to read about the odd rebel who refuses to change the time. It would be much easier for them to change time rather than to keep track of things so that they meet their obligations.

    Now I will admit that for the days or few days of change I feel some stress. Today just seemed off. I stayed in bed until my get up time but I didn't sleep. All day things seemed off. I just felt that there were things I should be doing like eat lunch but it wasn't time to eat lunch. It seemed like there was a phantom day out there. 

   So the change in times does bother me. 

   I don't see the need to change and I think we are questioning more an more why we should use day light saving time.

  I could gladly fore go daylight saving time or should I say I would like to stay on daylight saving time all year.

   How do you feel about the time change?

Past The Point of No Return

     My title doesn't make much sense for this post.

     In Central Alberta we've had a fall with long, pleasant, dry weather. I was able to share many colorful fall scenes.  However, fall weather slowly and quietly cools until plant life has either died or become dormant so that it can survive the winter.

    Animals have slowly made changes. We still have bears wandering around looking for food as the berry crop was poor this year. We have many gulls, ducks and geese sitting around. However many ducks and geese are gone and song birds disappeared as much as ten weeks ago. And my favorite, the jack rabbit, has pretty well got it's white winter coat.

     Yesterday the sun rose at 7:40 and set at 16:56 so we had 9 hours and 16 minutes of sunlight. Changing to daylight savings time seems to have shortened our afternoons in a hurry and of course, that's exactly what changing back to standard time does.

     Yesterday the low was minus 8 C (eh) (18 F). The high was about 3 C. Small ponds are covered with ice. Larger ponds are half frozen. Of course, the lakes and rivers are still ice free.

     I, for one, enjoy the seasons of the year. It's one of the things that keeps us vigorous as we have to challenge the changes.

    In 45 days we will be at the winter solstice. We are 45 days from the fall equinox.

    Now the point of no return is meaningless here as the season comes no matter what. That's life.
 

Rigid Clock Resetting Regime

      Now I know the time change requires that time pieces be reset. If it was up to me the clocks wouldn't be reset in any punctual order. I could live quite awhile before resetting anything as I can allow for the hour difference in my head.

     However , around here,  my manager has completely different ideas about resetting clocks. On the Saturday evening a kitchen clock and bedroom clock must be reset. Then there's the oven timer! That requires a bit of background. Our oven is the original with the house so it is 49 years old. I have replaced this timer twice. The last time we were told that there were no more parts available. So you say, so what? Get a new oven. Not my manager. This is a wall oven and you can't buy another wall oven to go in the same hole. So you say, change the cabinets. Now these are the original cabinets and according to my manager they don't make  cabinets of this quality any more. So to protect the timer this procedure is used. You trip the breaker for the oven Sat. Evening and then reset the breaker when the actual time equals what's on the timer. You don't understand this? Neither do I but it works. So that's the complicated part of the regime.

That great old time oven

The best old cupboards you can't buy anymore.

     The next morning all the other time pieces are reset. I'm responsible for the stereo and thermostat. I am closely supervise until this is completed. Now my wrist watch always stays in the drawer. Guess what ? I don't reset it and my manager doesn't remember it. 

    So I have survived another stressful time change. I will recover by Nov. when we have to turn the clocks back.