Ending The Season...

Yup, that's what he said.  

Today, my son and I hauled our good outdoor furniture down to the storage locker, where we swapped some of our Indoor and outdoor Christmas decorations for the furniture.  The giant box I built last spring to store the tree - out of 1/4" plywood and 2x2s, there, Dad, I didn't overbuild, so we got that part done.  The hoses were drained and reeled up, I need to get another hose next spring, and make it a good one, but that's pretty much that.  I will most likely get a couple more tanks of propane and use the grill over the winter a few times, for fun, but that's the end of the summer fun.

And as I fully expect the full-throat whiners to whip up shortly, I'm always amused by the folks in southern states wailing on about how cruel daylight savings time is every year.  Oh, grow up, you feeble children.

Yeah, I mean to be that dismissive, but here we go. 

Cities	June 21 Sunrise	June 21 Sunset	Light Hours	Dec 21 Sunrise	Dec 21 Sunset	Light Hours	Difference
Miami	06:30	20:15	13:45	07:03	17:35	10:32	03:13
Houston	06:21	20:25	14:04	07:13	17:27	10:14	03:50
San Diego	05:41	20:00	14:19	06:47	16:47	10:00	04:19
San Francisco	05:48	20:35	14:47	07:22	16:54	09:32	05:15
Seattle	05:12	21:11	15:59	07:55	17:27	09:32	06:27
Minneapolis	05:26	21:03	15:37	07:48	16:34	08:46	06:51
Duluth	05:14	21:06	15:52	07:50	16:23	08:33	07:19
Anchorage	04:20	23:43	19:23	10:14	15:42	05:28	13:55
Fairbanks	02:58	00:48	21:50	10:58	14:40	03:42	18:08

So, up there in the table, I picked some random spots.  Miami has a difference of about 3 hours between June 21 and December 21.  Or in other words, I am guessing that the sunrise and sunset times aren't really a big deal there.  It's usually around the same time, pretty much.

Here, on my street in Minnesota, on June 21, I can walk my dogs around the parking lot across the street from me on June 21 without a flashlight.  In fact, when we head out at 9 pm every night, give or take a few minutes, the sun is still lighting up the sky.  Starting in September, I needed a flashlight every night.  I've noticed now that when we get outside in the morning, about 6:50 am, I need a flashlight.  Oh boo hoo, I hear some folks warbling. Thing is, there are usually small kids standing alongside the road, especially in poorly lit rural areas, five days a week, waiting for a school bus.  

I am old enough to remember the brilliant idea some idiot had long about 1973 or so when we skipped the daylight savings change, due to the "energy crisis" which was all so much bullshit, but yeah, I get it, I remember when gas prices went from around 24 cents a gallon to over a buck.  Yes, I do remember gas lines and all of that. I also remember heavy steel chromed bumpers - none of this plastic crap.  

So yes, I do agree we've made some improvements, but daylight savings time is a bit more about saving lives, not listening to howling whiners.  Because back in that winter of 1973, I would go out the garage door, down the driveway, across the road, and then down the road to stand in front of the next door house, on the side opposite the house, so we didn't have to cross the road while the bus waited - we were on the side of the road where the bus door was.  And in the dark, unless they remembered to turn on the porch light.  Back at 6:50 am, when the bus would pull up and pick us up.  And we'd be at school by about 7:40 or so, which gave us plenty of time to get off our winter gear, go pee, then get into the classroom, settle down, and wait for the 8 am school bell.

Somewhere a few years later, they changed the school start time from 8 am to 8:30 am.  And I recall the howling in the local papers because the after school kids might not be able to make it to their afternoon jobs soon enough.  Mind you, back then, the minimum wage was around $3 an hour, so yeah, when you got a 10 cent an hour raise, it was a big raise.  

But I blather on.  My point is if you're lucky enough to live some place where the sunrise and sunset don't change much, I'd recommend you spend a bit more time worrying about flood insurance and climate change, and a little less time about the daylight savings change.  For a few weeks a year you make some small adjustments in your routine.  Big pro tip - the day of the change, the minute you get out of bed in the morning (usually on a Saturday), run around and change all your clocks.  Back an hour in a few weeks, and in the spring, move them ahead an hour.  

Then exercise, do something that will tire you out, exceptionally so, and stay busy.  Then when the clock shows your normal bedtime, hit the sack.  That's right.  If you normally go to bed at 10 pm, do it then.  Sure, you'll be doing it at 9 pm in the spring, or 11 pm in the fall, but big tip - no worries.  You won't miss the hour in the spring, because you'll be in bed an hour early.  And in the fall, you'll get that extra hour of sleep.  And when you get up, your clocks will all be synchronized.

That is, if you haven't got clocks that will automatically sync.  You know, smart clocks.

Yeah, I know.  You're right.  I'm a cranky old man.  Duh.  I mean, seriously.  You think I didn't know that already?  Now get off my damned lawn, you crazy kids.