Daylight Saving Time this Weekend!

With Daylight Saving Time a day away, I thought I would share some fun facts about the time change as well as a few ideas of things you can do around the house as we prepare for spring.

The idea to practice Daylight Saving Time (apparently it is Saving and not Savings) was posed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, who believed we could conserve candles if people consistently got up with the daylight.  Germany and Britain both took up the practice between 1914 to 1918 as an effort to save fuel during World War I.  Fast forward a bit and in 1974 Congress extended Daylight Saving Time in order to save energy during the energy crisis.  In August 2005 President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law.  Part of the act extended DST beginning in 2007 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November (between 1986-2006 it had been observed between the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October).  Overall, about 70 countries around the world observe Daylight Saving Time.

New Mexicans might be in for an exciting change – imagine not having to spring forward or fall back any longer?  A bill to keep New Mexico on Daylight Saving Time all year long has passed the Senate floor, meaning the state is one step closer to never having to change their clocks again.  This means that, for almost eight months of the year, New Mexico would share the same time zone as California and other states in the Pacific Time Zone.  Coincidentally, we would be two hours different from Texas (rather than just one hour) during those months.  And to make it more confusing, there's Arizona, who does not observe DST so we would always be an hour ahead of them.  Supporters of the bill feel that changing time twice a year is hard on people’s health and sleep patterns, and can be particularly hard on children, leading to decreased performance in school.  Claims are also being made that it would decrease car accidents and lower crime rates, especially among juveniles.  The bill now heads to the House.  If approved, New Mexico would stop observing DST beginning next year.

With spring fever comes the urge to purge.  Open the curtains and blinds and clean the windows; let in fresh air, chase dust bunnies out from under the beds and couch and make closets and cabinets tidy again.  Birds are chirping, the days are getting warmer, trees are budding and there’s more daylight to enjoy!  Around your homes now is a good time to inspect and change out your HVAC filters, clean your kitchen sink disposal and bathtub drains, clean your range hood filters and inspect your fire extinguishers.

Don’t forget to set your clocks AHEAD one hour – Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 10^th. 

I wish you all a positively happy and inspiring SPRING!