Day 89 – Saving on Candles



March 7, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and illustrate a blog on each day's gift.)

More light coming through my window later today.
It has been used for around 100 years. Where did the idea of Daylight Saving (no s on the end) Time come from? Sources say that it came from Benjamin Franklin when he wrote an essay, An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light, to the editor of The Journal of Paris in 1784.   He suggested that the Parisians could save on candles with his plan but people thought that he was joking.

This idea was tossed about in other countries but Germany was the first to implement DST in April 1916. The idea was to cut down on the use of artificial lighting to save fuel for the war effort during WWI. In 1918, Woodrow Wilson signed it into law until the war ended. Again in WWII, Franklin Roosevelt instituted “War Time” in 1942 and it lasted until 1945. Today all states follow DST except Arizona and Hawaii.

This dark morning at 6:58 a.m., grand doggie Roxy whined persistently at the bedroom door. She had no sympathy that she had awakened me after the clocks were turned forward and I had had only 4 ½ hours of sleep. I dragged myself out of bed, fed her, got dressed and took her for a frigid walk. She is a puggle that takes her time searching for exactly the right spot to do her business. The upside of this, according to my Fitbit, is that I was ahead on my number of steps early in the day. I was back in bed a little after 7:30 and slept for nearly three hours more, followed by a trip to the gym.

In spite of losing an hour of sleep, I love Daylight Saving Time. Today the sun set at 7:06 pm. By June 8, it will set at 8:31. This means more outdoor walks at Downs Park—much better than the gym.

My gift today is an extra hour of light .
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> DAY 90 Fish for Dinner

You can read my other posts on this project here:



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