Lock The Clock

If you’re like me this semiannual switch between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time is madness.  Today I lost an hour of sleep and in November after I set my clock back an hour I’ll still get out of bed in the dark to turn the coffee on.  At the end of the day I’ll pour myself a glass of Merlot in the dark.  This resetting of the clocks is messing with my circadian rhythms.

Daylight Saving Time is associated with the Western world as most countries outside Europe and North America don't observe the ritual. 

Courtesy of CNN research the notion of Daylight Saving Time has a curious pedigree.

1784 - The idea of daylight saving is first conceived by Benjamin Franklin.

1914-1918 - Britain goes on DLS during World War I.

March 19, 1918 - The Standard Time Act establishes time zones and daylight saving. Daylight saving is repealed in 1919, but continues to be recognized in certain areas of the United States.

1945-1966 - There is no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time.

1966 - The Uniform Time Act of 1966 establishes the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States. The dates are the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States can exempt themselves from participation.

1974-1975 - Congress extends DLS in order to save energy during the energy crisis.

1986-2006 - Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

August 8, 2005 - President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. Part of the act will extend Daylight Saving Time starting in 2007, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. 

 

In 2022, the Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act which would make daylight saving time permanent.  The House did not pass it and then-President Biden did not sign it.  Whether the second session of the 119th Congress will pass the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 remains to be seen.  H.R. 139/S. 29 has not passed as of this moment.  The legislation, which proposes making daylight saving time permanent, was introduced in January 2025 but has remained stalled in committee, with low chances of passing, according to GovTrack.us and GovTrack.us. 

 

As for making Daylight Savings Time permanent there is evidence that the frequency of heart attack and stroke increases around the ritual resetting of clocks twice a year.  Benefits of Daylight Savings Time enhance public safety and make better economic sense.  Proponents of Daylight Saving Time argue that most people appreciate an increase in daylight hours after coming home from work.  

Speaking for myself - I like the notion of longer, lighter evenings and a happier more prosperous United States.  I like my clock precisely where it is.   

Make it permanent. 

 

Lock the clock.

Friday Fish Fry

‘Tis the Lenten Season. Yet, just because it is Lent is not to imply starvation. 

It is Friday. And in the Roman Catholic tradition of the Christian faith there is a fish fry.  Wild-caught pickerel (walleye) from our friendly neighbors north of the border. 

The secret is a light brining of the fillets, a dusting of seasoned Wondra flour, dip in egg wash and Panko crumbs.

Fry in hot canola oil, turn only once. 

Pretty good chow if you can get it.

By the way. See how light it is at quarter of 6?  Daylight savings is only a little more than a week away.

A New Year Wish

This time of year brings exceptional opportunities to view the night skies without humidity, light clutter and skeeters.  All with only your eyes.

This is my pal Orion - The Hunter - an easily identified winter constellation in the southern night sky.  Doggo and I say good night to him before turning-in most nights. 

I’d like to take the last few moments of 2025 to wish all my friends, neighbors and acquaintances best wishes for good health, prosperity and community in the New Year. 

See ya in 2026!

Tom  

On This Day In History

Yo!  

Deer Camp Pals....

Been perusing some older digital photos in the collection and came across this one.  It was taken during a rain-sodden deer camp in November of 2005. 

The perspective is looking west out of the second floor blue bedroom. 

Except for low-light conditions there was no way a whitetail could sneak across this stretch of territory without being vulnerable.
 

Twenty years later - not so much. It's some dandy permanent cover out there nowadays. A real forest... 

 

The Madness Of Resetting Clocks

Yup - it’s that time of year when we make the switch between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time. 

The jury is still out as to whether or not this is an antiquated and grand inconvenience or sensible change of the clocks.  What we know for sure is that beginning tomorrow the return of Standard Time means an extra hour of sleep.  The sun will rise earlier - which is great if you rise early.  However, if you’re like this retired guy I’d prefer to see the sun a bit longer at the end of the day.  

So the operative questions are:

• Do we permanently switch to Daylight Saving Time?  
• Switch to Standard Time altogether? 
• Or continue with the madness of resetting clocks twice a year?

Steve Calandrillo, University of Washington professor of law, has studied this subject at length.  He has concluded that among other things, we need to abandon the concept of Standard Time inasmuch as early evening darkness is associated with more crime and automobile accidents when contrasted with early morning darkness.

Corporate America concurs.  With more daylight at the end of the day consumers stay out longer spending their money.  And if you like to squeeze-in a late season round of golf you understand the logic.

There is also the mental health angle as well.  Research has suggested that the switch to Standard Time is correlated with depression - a change not associated with the Spring Forward switch.  

Sure, Standard Time is old school and likely more in-sync with our prehistoric hunter-gatherer circadian rhythms - all hard-wired into our DNA for millennia and long before we had time-keeping devices and a Chamber of Commerce.

Nevertheless, this retired guy would enjoy more sunlight during his active time of day.  Opinions are a dime a dozen.

No matter how you slice it the sunshine pie in a given day is always finite.  It's all about being a slave to clocks.  

Before we had time-keeping devices none of this was a problem.

It's madness.....

Time Warp

October 11, 2020

 

October 11, 2025 

 

Lock The Clock

If you’re like me this semiannual switch between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time is maddening.  Tomorrow I will lose an hour of sleep and in November after I set my clock back an hour I’ll still get out of bed in the dark to turn the coffee on.  At the end of the day I’ll pour myself a glass of Merlot in the dark.  This resetting of the clocks is messing with my circadian rhythms.

Daylight Saving Time is associated with the Western world as most countries outside Europe and North America don't observe the ritual. 

Courtesy of CNN research the notion of Daylight Saving Time has a curious pedigree.

1784 - The idea of daylight saving is first conceived by Benjamin Franklin.

1914-1918 - Britain goes on DLS during World War I.

March 19, 1918 - The Standard Time Act establishes time zones and daylight saving. Daylight saving is repealed in 1919, but continues to be recognized in certain areas of the United States.

1945-1966 - There is no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time.

1966 - The Uniform Time Act of 1966 establishes the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States. The dates are the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States can exempt themselves from participation.

1974-1975 - Congress extends DLS in order to save energy during the energy crisis.

1986-2006 - Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

August 8, 2005 - President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. Part of the act will extend Daylight Saving Time starting in 2007, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. 

 

In 2022, the Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act which would make daylight saving time permanent.  The House did not pass it and then-President Biden did not sign it.  Whether the 119th Congress will pass the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 remains to be seen.  

 

As for making Daylight Savings Time permanent there is evidence that the frequency of heart attack and stroke increases around the ritual resetting of clocks twice a year.  Benefits of Daylight Savings Time enhance public safety and make better economic sense.  Proponents of Daylight Saving Time argue that most people appreciate an increase in daylight hours after coming home from work.  

Speaking for myself - I like the notion of longer, lighter evenings and a happier more prosperous United States.   

Make it permanent. Lock the clock.

The Madness of Resetting Clocks

 

Moving Stonehenge ahead an hour.

Madness...

Spring Forward

If you’re like me this semiannual switch between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time is maddening.  Today I lost an hour of sleep and in November after I set my clock back an hour I’ll still get out of bed in the dark to turn the coffee on.  At the end of the day I’ll pour myself a glass of Merlot in the dark.  This resetting of the clocks is messing with my circadian rhythms.

Daylight Saving Time is associated with the Western world as most countries outside Europe and North America don't observe the ritual. 

Courtesy of CNN research the notion of Daylight Saving Time has a curious pedigree.

1784 - The idea of daylight saving is first conceived by Benjamin Franklin.

1914-1918 - Britain goes on DLS during World War I.

March 19, 1918 - The Standard Time Act establishes time zones and daylight saving. Daylight saving is repealed in 1919, but continues to be recognized in certain areas of the United States.

1945-1966 - There is no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time.

1966 - The Uniform Time Act of 1966 establishes the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States. The dates are the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States can exempt themselves from participation.

1974-1975 - Congress extends DLS in order to save energy during the energy crisis.

1986-2006 - Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

August 8, 2005 - President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. Part of the act will extend Daylight Saving Time starting in 2007, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

Last year the Sunshine State decided they had enough of this nonsense and by overwhelming margins the Florida House of Representatives and Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act and Governor Rick Scott signed it into law.  It will become effective if Congress changes the federal law.  

 

Senator Marco Rubio introduced The Sunshine Protection act of 2019 which would make permanent daylight saving time for all time zones.   President Trump implied support for it  and nothing came of it.  Even the White House has declined to say if President Biden supported permanent daylight savings time. Sheesh.

As for making Daylight Savings Time permanent there is evidence that the frequency of heart attack and stroke increases around the ritual resetting of clocks twice a year.  Benefits of Daylight Savings Time enhance public safety, make better economic sense and may improve our mental health.  Proponents of Daylight Saving Time argue that most people appreciate an increase in daylight hours after coming home from work.  

Speaking for myself - I like the notion of longer, lighter evenings, better health and a happier more prosperous United States.   

Make it permanent. Lock the clock.

Count Down

When you realize the last day of 2023 is 123123

 

AH AH AAHH!

The Madness of Resetting Clocks

Yup - it’s that time of year when we make the switch between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time. 

The jury is still out as to whether or not this is an antiquated and grand inconvenience or sensible change of the clocks.  What we know for sure is that beginning tomorrow the return of Standard Time means an extra hour of sleep.  The sun will rise earlier - which is great if you rise early.  However, if you’re like this retired guy I’d prefer to see the sun a bit longer at the end of the day.  

So the operative questions are:

• Do we permanently switch to Daylight Saving Time?  
• Switch to Standard Time altogether? 
• Or continue with the madness of resetting clocks twice a year?

Steve Calandrillo, University of Washington professor of law, has studied this subject at length.  He has concluded that among other things, we need to abandon the concept of Standard Time inasmuch as early evening darkness is associated with more crime and automobile accidents when contrasted with early morning darkness.

Corporate America concurs.  With more daylight at the end of the day consumers stay out longer spending their money.  And if you like to squeeze-in a late season round of golf you understand the logic.

There is also the mental health angle as well.  Research has suggested that the switch to Standard Time is correlated with depression - a change not associated with the Spring Forward switch.  

Sure, Standard Time is old school and likely more in-sync with our prehistoric hunter-gatherer circadian rhythms - all hard-wired into our DNA for millennia and long before we had time-keeping devices and a Chamber of Commerce.

Nevertheless, this retired guy would enjoy more sunlight during his active time of day.  Opinions are a dime a dozen.

No matter how you slice it the sunshine pie in a given day is always finite.  It's all about being a slave to clocks.  

Before we had time-keeping devices none of this was a problem.

It's madness.....

Progress

Here's a walk down memory lane.

Photos from November 28, 2005.  

 

I remember it clearly as a very soggy and muddy deer camp experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is notable in the photos below are thousands of little trees planted in rows.  

 

At the time I was discouraged.  Those trees seemed to stay as small as twigs FOREVER.  I figured I would never live long enough to see them amount to anything.  

For a significant number of years you could easily see a quarter mile distant and any whitetail sneaking across these fields did so at their own peril.  Things have certainly changed.

I went upstairs to the blue bedroom and took photos from all the principle compass points.  These are to the southwest...

 

 

And to the northwest...

 

Same views after almost eighteen years of reforestation progress.  Southwest....

And northwest...

 

  

You can hardly see anything beyond the edge of the yard.  Not even the road or the western property line.  

Jungle it is....

 

Spring Forward

If you’re like me this semiannual switch between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time is maddening.  Today I lost an hour of sleep and in November after I set my clock back an hour I’ll still get out of bed in the dark to turn the coffee on.  At the end of the day I’ll pour myself a glass of Merlot in the dark.  This resetting of the clocks is messing with my circadian rhythms.

Daylight Saving Time is associated with the Western world as most countries outside Europe and North America don't observe the ritual. 

Courtesy of CNN research the notion of Daylight Saving Time has a curious pedigree.

1784 - The idea of daylight saving is first conceived by Benjamin Franklin.

1914-1918 - Britain goes on DLS during World War I.

March 19, 1918 - The Standard Time Act establishes time zones and daylight saving. Daylight saving is repealed in 1919, but continues to be recognized in certain areas of the United States.

1945-1966 - There is no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time.

1966 - The Uniform Time Act of 1966 establishes the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States. The dates are the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States can exempt themselves from participation.

1974-1975 - Congress extends DLS in order to save energy during the energy crisis.

1986-2006 - Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

August 8, 2005 - President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. Part of the act will extend Daylight Saving Time starting in 2007, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

Last year the Sunshine State decided they had enough of this nonsense and by overwhelming margins the Florida House of Representatives and Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act and Governor Rick Scott signed it into law.  It will become effective if Congress changes the federal law.  

 

Senator Marco Rubio introduced The Sunshine Protection act of 2019 which would make permanent daylight saving time for all time zones.   President Trump implied support for it  and nothing came of it.  Last year the White House declined to say if President Biden supported permanent daylight savings time. Sheesh.

As for making Daylight Savings Time permanent there is evidence that the frequency of heart attack and stroke increases around the ritual resetting of clocks twice a year.  Benefits of Daylight Savings Time enhance public safety, make better economic sense and may improve our mental health.  Proponents of Daylight Saving Time argue that most people appreciate an increase in daylight hours after coming home from work.  

Speaking for myself - I like the notion of longer, lighter evenings, better health and a happier more prosperous United States.   

Make it permanent. 

The Madness of Resetting Clocks

Yup - it’s that time of year when we make the switch between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time. 

The jury is still out as to whether or not this is an antiquated and grand inconvenience or sensible change of the clocks.  What we know for sure is that beginning tomorrow the return of Standard Time means an extra hour of sleep.  The sun will rise earlier - which is great if you rise early.  However, if you’re like this retired guy I’d prefer to see the sun a bit longer at the end of the day.  

So the operative questions are:

1.  Do we permanently switch to Daylight Saving Time?

2.  Switch to Standard Time altogether?

3.  Or continue with the madness of resetting clocks twice a year?

Steve Calandrillo, University of Washington professor of law, has studied this subject at length.  He has concluded that among other things, we need to abandon the concept of Standard Time inasmuch as early evening darkness is associated with more crime and automobile accidents when contrasted with early morning darkness.

Corporate America concurs.  With more daylight at the end of the day consumers stay out longer spending their money.  And if you like to squeeze-in a late season round of golf you understand the logic.

There is also the mental health angle as well.  Research has suggested that the switch to Standard Time is correlated with depression - a change not associated with the Spring Forward switch.  

Sure, Standard Time is old school and likely more in-sync with our prehistoric hunter-gatherer circadian rhythms - all hard-wired into our DNA for millennia and long before we had time-keeping devices and a Chamber of Commerce.

Nevertheless, this retired guy prefers to sleep-in a bit and would enjoy more sunlight during his active time of day.  Opinions are a dime a dozen.

No matter how you slice it the sunshine pie in a given day is always finite.  It's all about being a slave to clocks.  

Before we had time-keeping devices none of this was a problem.

It's madness.....

Spring Forward

Well, it's the second Sunday of March and if you think like me this semiannual switch between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time is madness.  Today I lost an hour of sleep and in November after I set my clock back an hour I’ll still get out of bed in the dark to feed my dog.  At the end of the day I’ll feed my dog in the dark.  This resetting of the clocks messes with my circadian rhythms.

Daylight Saving Time is associated with the Western world as most countries outside Europe and North America don't observe the ritual. 

Courtesy of CNN research the notion of Daylight Saving Time has a curious pedigree.

1784 - The idea of daylight saving is first conceived by Benjamin Franklin.

1914-1918 - Britain goes on DLS during World War I.

March 19, 1918 - The Standard Time Act establishes time zones and daylight saving.  Daylight Saving Time is repealed in 1919, but continues to be recognized in certain areas of the United States.

1945-1966 - There is no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time.

1966 - The Uniform Time Act of 1966 establishes the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States. The dates are the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States can exempt themselves from participation.

1974-1975 - Congress extends DLS in order to save energy during the energy crisis.

1986-2006 - Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

August 8, 2005 - President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. Part of the act will extend Daylight Saving Time starting in 2007, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

As for making Daylight Savings Time permanent there is evidence that the frequency of heart attack and stroke increases around the ritual resetting of clocks twice a year.  Benefits of Daylight Savings Time enhance public safety, make better economic sense and may improve our mental health.  Proponents of Daylight Saving Time argue that most people appreciate an increase in daylight hours after coming home from work. 

 

Since 2015, at least 350 bills and resolutions have been introduced in virtually every state, but none of significance passed until 2018 when Florida became the first state to enact legislation to permanently observe DST, pending repeal of federal law to permit such action.  The vast majority of Americans want to put an end to changing the clocks twice a year, moving in and out of Daylight Saving Time (DST).

 

In the U.S., exceptions to DST are Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation), Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

Speaking for myself - I like the notion of more daylight at the end of the day, better health and a happier more prosperous United States.   

Make it permanent.  Lock the clock.

 

Tuesday

Today is Twos-Day

 

2/22/22 on a Tuesday! 

 

Keeping Time

There is history behind the antique mantle clock above the fireplace.  It's a family heirloom.  A wedding gift from the marriage of my grandpa and grandma on my dad's side of the family.  I haven't a record of who gave it as a gift or if it was a gift my grandparents gave to each other.  What I know is that when my widowed grandpa moved-in with aunt Mildred to live out his days it came into my dad's possession.  And it wasn't working.  It hadn't worked for years and nobody had enjoyed it's steady ticking, a single chime on the half hour and bong to announce the hours.

As a youngster (a preteen at the time) and a tinkerer I examined the clock's works from the access door on the back and realized that the gears were fouled by oil and whatever clings to oil over the course of decades.  So, with Q-Tips dipped in Hoppes No. 9 gun bore solvent I cleaned and removed the oil and grime from all the moving parts and following a winding of both springs the clock came to life.

It never kept perfect time and required a periodic resetting of the hands yet it worked.  It spent decades on the fireplace mantle of my folk's house.  

When my widowed father moved to a retirement home the clock came into my possession and famously kept imperfect time on my fireplace mantle.  Then, about three years ago it fell silent - its ticker no longer tocked.  It remained on the mantle as a decorative fixture and I figured I'd take it to a clock place to see what needed to be done to bring it back to life.

In any event, the other day I took it from the mantle and hustled it to the work bench where I gave the clock works a good spritz of Casey Bore Solvent from the can.  I wound it up, set the time  and nothing happened.

Sigh.      

I returned it to the mantle and made a mental note to Google search antique clock repairs in northeast Wisconsin.

Several hours later I heard a familiar tick-tock and lo and behold it was back to keeping imperfect time and announcing the half-hour intervals with its chime and dinging-out the hours with its familiar dong. It has been running reliably ever since.  Gotta love me that gun bore solvent.

In any event I did some Googling based-upon the tag affixed to the inside of the rear access door...

And found this advertisement in a German language Gazette from the very early part of the century.  

The device is going into its 106th year of intermittent operation.  A non-digital, mechanical timepiece that doesn't require a battery.

 

Fall Back

Yup - it’s that time of year when we make the switch between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time. 

The jury is still out as to whether or not this is an antiquated and grand inconvenience or sensible change of the clocks.  What we know for sure is that beginning tomorrow the return of Standard Time means an extra hour of sleep.  The sun will rise earlier - which is great if you rise early.  However, if you’re like this retired guy I’d prefer to see the sun a bit longer at the end of the day.  

So the operative question is if we all spend most of the year on Daylight Saving Time might we just ditch Standard Time altogether? 

Steve Calandrillo, University of Washington professor of law, has studied this subject at length.  He has concluded that among other things, we need to abandon the concept of Standard Time inasmuch as early evening darkness is associated with more crime and automobile accidents when contrasted with early morning darkness.

Corporate America concurs.  With more daylight at the end of the day consumers stay out longer spending their money.  And if you like to squeeze-in a late season round of golf you understand the logic.

There is also the mental health angle as well.  Research has suggested that the switch to Standard Time is correlated with depression - a change not associated with the Spring Forward switch.  

Sure, Standard Time is old school and likely more in-sync with our prehistoric hunter-gatherer circadian rhythms - all hard-wired into our DNA for millennia and long before we had time-keeping devices and a Chamber of Commerce.

Nevertheless, this retired guy prefers to sleep-in a bit and would enjoy more sunlight during his active time of day. A bipartisan group of senators has proposed a bill along these lines, and Senator Patty Murray of Washington gave a speech Thursday making the case for it.

You?