A Salute to Arizona's Good Sense

Perhaps I don't adapt to change well, but whatever the reason, I thoroughly dislike (my grandson says I'm not supposed to say hate) Day Light Savings Time. It might have something to do with the illogical reasoning behind making everyone change their clocks twice a year. For me it was summed up in a ridiculous comment a national weather commentator made Saturday night. He was talking about the storm ravaging the North Eastern coast when he said, "But one good thing, the storm will be an hour shorter because we change to Day Light Savings Time when we set our clocks ahead an hour tonight." Excuse me! But did someone let Mother Nature know she had to wipe out an hour of the storm's duration? I suspect that storm lasted just as many hours as it would have without the time change.

I'm not sure who Day Light Savings Time is supposed to benefit. It sure isn't people that have to start work or school at seven or earlier. It's not farmers; cows aren't any more adaptable to time change than I am. (Maybe that's my problem. I grew up milking too many cows.) It's not parents; just try getting kids to bed before dark, then back up while it's still dark outside. It's not kids: they have to go to bed before it's dark enough to play No Bears Out Tonight or similar games which used to make summer evenings magical. It's not the backyard barbecue crowd; who wants to eat at the hottest time in the afternoon? And it's not the summer holiday people who have to wait until ten o'clock when the kids are in bed or super cranky to start their fireworks displays. It's not drivers either who get a second dose of driving to or from work with the sunrise or sunset in their eyes. Maybe it's all for the benefit of golfers. Anyway, it's not me. I miss long, cool summer evenings.

As a child summer evenings were the best part of the day. There was a special quality to playing games with my siblings or neighborhood children at dusk and through early evening when our chores were done. Remember what it felt like to lie on your back on the lawn and watch the stars come out? Remember watching fireworks at nine instead of ten? Now jump ahead to trying to get your children to bed when even room darkening blinds weren't enough to convince them it was bedtime? And what about the struggle the following morning to get children awake enough to send them to school when they're too tired because of being up so late the night before.

Being awakened before my internal clock says morning has arrived makes me cranky. It makes other people cranky too. It also makes them late for church. Our sacrament meeting speakers showed up yesterday just in time for Sunday School. Our poor bishopric had to be the speakers.

Twice every year I think about moving to Arizona which is a great state and has no Daylight Savings Time. Those people get enough daylight hours just the way things are and are happy to have a little cooler evening hours in which they can actually do something. I'll probably never move to Arizona; I'm just not a big heat fan, but this kick-off blog to a new contest is a salute to Arizona and Arizona writers. Let me hear the pros and cons of DST or comment on your favorite Arizona writer. I have a long list of favorite Arizona writers beginning with Kerry Blair, Dan Yates, Sandra Grey, Joyce DiPastena, and Jeanette Rallison. There are others, and there are ones who have a strong connection with the state, but there must be something in the air down there that gives gifted writers and artists an edge. Maybe it's skipping all that Day Light Savings Time nonsense.

Remember you get one chance at winning with each comment on a blog written between now and the end of the month and you get another if you're also a follower to my blog. Previous winners are eligible too.