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Even with a national mandate a few years ago of pushing the time change back to the weekend past Halloween rather than the last weekend of October, does anyone else think it’s still too early to change the clocks?
Sure, we all get an extra hour of sleep this weekend as we set our clocks back an hour. But is an extra hour of sleep really worth losing that extra hour of sunshine at the end of each work day? By Monday evening, it will be dark by 5:30-6 p.m.
Well, whether we like it or not, the time change is upon us. At 2 a.m. Sunday, we set our clocks back an hour, meaning it will be 1 a.m. again. Remember, it’s fall back in the fall and spring forward during the spring time change.
What we’re actually switching back to for about the next four months is standard time. What we’re leaving is daylight saving time, which given its increasing length and duration, has all but become our standard time in everything but name.
Still, there are some benefits to changing back to standard time this weekend. For one, even though many of us will leave work at nightfall, our young children will no longer have to catch morning school buses in the dark ... at least for a few weeks until the sun rises again past the bus pick-up times.
So, that’s one good thing for this time change. Another may be the twice annual instructions to change smoke detector batteries during the time changes.
Given the early cold this fall which has caused many to already turn on their heaters, changing the batteries in smoke detectors this weekend may well save lives.
And that’s worth changing time even for a little while.
What We Think
Changing hands of time
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Thank you, EMS
We always pull over for them, but we rarely seem to thank them.
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Tornado: An aftermath of help
Seeing the massive path of destruction left in the wake of tornadoes in Oklahoma Monday was a sobering reminder of the power of spring storms.
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Thoughts on graduation
Graduation ceremonies reflect how life marches on. For the students receiving their diplomas and degrees, graduation is a culmination of the majority of their lives’ work.
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Dr. John Gaston, retiring dean of Valdosta State University’s College of the Arts. For the past 10-plus years, Gaston has worked to build a more interconnected program with various artistic and communications departments working together. Given that you are likely to see one College of the Arts department collaborating with another during events is proof of Gaston’s success.
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On the go this weekend
Take a breath.
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Sharing the roads with motorcycles
With the recent pleasant temperatures and sunny skies, the number of motorcycles on area roads has increased.
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Thank your local law enforcement today
Today, May 15, was designated Peace Officers Memorial Day back in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy was in office.
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Visit musical roots this weekend
Beginning Saturday, May 18, Nashville, Ga., will be hosting a special Smithsonian exhibit, “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music.” The exhibit will continue through the end of June and Nashville has done a tremendous job in promoting and planning for the exhibit.
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Happy Mother’s Day!
A few years ago, a television commercial asked, Who first believed in you? Many folks may have instinctively answered by simply saying, Mom.
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Thumbs up
THUMBS UP: To mail workers, volunteers and food bank staff for gathering food for the annual Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive today. A plastic bag designated for canned goods and other non-perishable food items should have arrived in your mailbox earlier this week. If you haven’t already, take a few moments to fill the bag with food and hang from your mailbox. If you didn’t receive the special Stamp Out Hunger bag, any plastic bag filled with food will do. This food drive helps feed thousands of South Georgians annually. Valdosta-Lowndes County often donates more food than nearly all other cities and counties in Georgia.
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Thank you, EMS
