Big problem due to time change

[norman-g]

While the time was in daylight savings time mode, I always fed my dog at precisely 5pm. Now they changed the time and 5 oclock is actually

4 oclock. If I feed him now, he may get a digestive problem from being fed an hour early even though the clock still says its 5 oclock. If I wait until the 6 oclock, which is actually 5 oclock, then he may notice the difference in the sun position and not want to eat, or will eat too fast to compensate and thus get a digestive upset. Now, I noticed that the raingutters on my house form the shadow on his dog house. I am contemplating moving the rain gutters forward enough to change the shadow by one hour. I realize this will require either adding to the overhang on my house, or removing part of the existing overhang. I am not sure which it is. Can someone tell me whether to add to, or remove part of the overhang, and how many inches will compensate for one hour's worth of shadow variance. I also am wondering if changing from my present 4 inch wide gutter to a 6 inch size would adjust the sun's angle enough to cope with at least part of the hourly variable and rather than ripping the roof apart, I could possibly change to a six inch gutter and add some sort of extension to the gutter edge. Of course this all depends on whether I need to add to the roof, or subtract from it, which I am still unsure.

Please advise. I already have a sick dog after only one day of time change and it will continue to get worse if I do not act quickly. I'd hate to lose my dog as a result of this time changing. My dog is my best buddy and he needs the best of care.

Norman

[Phisherman]

I wish the government would not mess with our clocks! I still have not changed all of them. To make matters worse there are a couple places in the US that refused the time-changes. grrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Frank]

I agree. OP is obviously being facetious but going through this ritual twice a year is a PITA. I have a fax machine that I defy anyone to try changing without the manual in front of them. Even one atomic clock gets wacky and switches back and forth.

[badgolferman]

Take a digital thermometer and rip out the internal mechanism. Find a small digital clock and put it in the thermometer. You MUST be able to adjust the clock to any time you want. Insert the thermometer into your dog's rectum far enough that his digestive system will pick up the emanations from it and be fooled into thinking the time is actually 5 PM at meal time. This way you can always feed the dog at anytime that is convenient for you. You also won't have to get near your gutters, even to pull leaves out.

[hallerb]

a good friends son 3 years olf woke up at 4am for breakfast.

apparently the time change got him too

[observer]

Norm, get a gun and use it on the dog and yourself. Problem solved. No more worries and you never need to worry about the clock changing.

[observer]

If I recall the time change was originally done for the farmers but my memory is a bit fuzzy on this. Personally I find it a bit annoying changing the clock twice a year too. I wonder if we just changed it say 1/2 hour permanently and did away with the 1 hour back and forth changes, if that would be adequate to make everyone (well better to say almost everyone) happy?? I'm willing to compromise but heck I'm easy :( .

[alvinamorey]

This proves how stupid they are. The supposed reason for the time change is so the kids going to school have light when they leave in the morning. I can totally understand this, but DUH, HUH, DUH...... Wouldn't it make more sense to just make the schools start an hour later on the first weekend in November when we have to change the clocks and leave the rest of the world alone? If there are a few businesses that want to follow the same policy, let them do the same on their own accord. After all, schools and businesses set their own agenda anyhow, and if they want to change their schedule, let them. Heck, some businesses have 3 shifts and are open 24 hours a day. Those that work the graveyard shift are always going to work in the dark. I guess the government dont think we as individuals, or schools, or businesses are smart enough to make and adapt our schedules, so they have to do it for us.

Of course, we're not smart enough people to decide whether we want to wear seatbelts, allow smoking in our restaurants, know what time to close a bar, determine what sexes are allowed to marry, who can install our plumbing, and much more. Lets face it. We the people are complete idiots. We must have the government to think for us, or we would all perish. We need them for our survival. And of course they need us to keep paying all their fines for not wearing a seatbelt and so on, or they'd all have to stop driving their limosines and begin driving compact cars. Heaven forbid that.....

[dpb]

observer wrote: ...

Certainly is! :( (We farmers are typically the ones most ag'in it--it's the city slickers who want their weekends barbeques to start early).

Actually, the original idea in the US was first widely proposed by Franklin and, was then, as now, designed w/ the idea of maximizing office hours w/ daylight as an energy conservation measure--in those days, candle tallow/whale oil/etc.

Now, it's justified by the same, but as noted is mostly the office workers' dream to have time for their round of golf in the afternoon.

Meanwhile the farmer is still on the sun, year-round. It simply means his day doesn't end until after 11PM by the clock if he changes it in the midsummer days...

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[Steve Barker]

have him put to sleep and you get a life.

[dpb]

...

Dang! Ol' Ben really was gettin' long in the tooth by then, I bet! :)

My recollection is that while it wasn't codified until the Rationing Act of WWI, it was actually utilized at least some in Ben's day because candle tallow, etc., were scarce resources...

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[George]

It was originally proposed by Benjamin Franklin and put into law in the US to save energy during WW1.

I think right now just like ethanol it is feel good stuff. Drivers operating their single occupant aircraft carriers waste far more energy than we can hope to save.

[alvinamorey]

Farmers dont use clocks. I know, I am one. When the crops need planting or harvesting, we often work around the clock, or we get up at sunrise no matter what the clock says and we feed our animals. Farmers dont punch time clocks. The weather dictates our schedule as well as sick animals and crop readiness. My animals dont care if the clock says 6am or 7am, as long as they are fed at sunrise (or whatever time they are fed). When an animal is sick, whether it's 8am, noon, or midnight, we have to be there to take care of them, and expect our vets to come at any hour of the day or night. Time changes do absolutely nothing for farmers, and those farmers that do also work full time jobs actually lose an hour of light at the end of the day (after their full time jobs) once the daylight savings time is over.

People that work in offices and factories are the one that punch time clocks and are affected. Personally, if I worked a timed job, I'd rather have it light for a short while when I get home from work than have extra light when I am going to work. At least an extended evening allows for some outdoor home repairs, whereas earlier in the morning dont allow for much of anything.

[DonC]

Must be they homes of are the wise.

Don in Arizona

[mkirsch1]

FOR the farmers? Yeah, right. Everybody else operates by what the clock says. Farmers operate by the position of the sun. They can't go out to harvest certain crops until the dew is off, and daylight savings time "delays" their ability to start harvesting by an hour. Instead of being able to start at noon, they can't start until 1PM. The cows need to be milked at 5PM and 5AM because the milk pickup guy works by the clock, and that clock says he picks up the milk at 8AM. It's got to be in the tank and cold when he comes, or it doesn't get picked up at all and must be dumped on the ground. The farmer's lost an hour of valuable harvest time because of daylight savings.

No, daylight savings time is for the city folks and suburbanites, so they have an extra hour of "play" time after work during the summer.

[Meat Plow]

bwaaaaaaaaaahahahahah, cute.

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

What type of operation, where?

We're SW KS; dryland wheat, milo, heifer stockers/feeders on wheat pasture (if we have any; don't even have it drilled this year, what more up to pasture :( ) over the winter...

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[Edwin Pawlowski]

If they don't operate by the clock, why does that matter?

OK, understandable

How so? The sun goes down at the same time no matter what the clock says. If the farmer is not operating buy the clock, that should not matter.

Partly true, some of us do take advantage of that time to do some work when we get home. If I was in charge of time, I'd keep DST year round where I am in the time zone, maybe move it another hour ahead..

[dpb]

Overall, your analysis is right, Edwin. It's more simply a case of being a pita in having to do some things on "city time" even when it doesn't match rather than any actual loss. We don't dairy so can't comment specifically on whether any of the pickups are so rigid in following the time switch or not -- really can't imagine so in these days for sizable dairies, anyway. The dairies around here milk 24/7, anyway, w/ only about a 3-4 hr window when they do the cleaning, etc. Other than that, there's always a group in line waiting to be milked and another on the way back out...

Banking and other services that are "early closers" anyway are especially problematical. Mundane stuff can, of course, be taken care of via the 'net these days, but some things aren't conducive (discussing next year's operating capital plan, for instance). Of course, those kinds of things aren't scheduled to happen routinely during peak harvest or planting time, but if there's any area where "stuff happens", ag qualifies, so one never knows.

During harvest and planting seasons the grain elevators and fuel suppliers that do farm deliveries work extended hours, too; as do the equipment dealers for parts, etc. Other ancillary services may or may not and sometimes that can be a problem when their 5PM closing is still middle of the afternoon for us.

It is somehow disconcerting, even if it is only psychological, to still have daylight at nearly 11PM. Of course, those in more northern latitudes are more used to that, but still, for them the same effect must still hold. I find it much like traveling to the West Coast from the East--you tend to go to bed on western time but awake on eastern--after a while this gets really old.

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[Edwin Pawlowski]

Most anything goes at any time any more (be that good or bad) at least in the city. Twenty years ago, who'd have ever thought banks would be open on a Sunday? Of course, farmers work Sundays too.

You must be on the tail end of the time zone and I'm on the front end. That alone makes quite a difference in perception. On the longest day, it is dark by 9:30.

Regionality comes into play also. When I lived in Philadelphia, typical shop hours were 8 - 4. Here in northeast CT, 7 - 3 is more common and 6 - 2 is often done too.

As for farmers, they have a good life. The Farmer's Market is open three days a week from 4 to 6 from May to October. No wonder they have to get $3 a pound for tomatoes. :)