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.)
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| 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 .
You
can read my other posts on this project here:
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