Daylight Savings

I didn't stay up until the Great Day arrived at 2 a.m., but I did have several sweet dreams last weekend. Dreams of long evenings to come.

Christmas is great, Thanksgiving is pleasant, Easter is a joy and Fourth of July is lots of fun.

But pholks, I gotta tell ya, the Spring Ahead clock changing night certainly is perhaps my favorite occasion. Who in their right mind, except Count Dracula, can complain about losing an hour of nighttime darkness?

Even in my wild and crazy days when I was out catting around when the 2 a.m. Clock Changing Hour arrived I don't recall complaining about that lost hour of slumber. In those days one more lost hour of sleep was of little consequence to a young buck.

Here, in no ranking of importance, is my Top Ten List of How To Make Use of Daylight Savings Time:

-Sitting out in the yard, looking at the stars, listing to a ball game (preferably the Dodgers} while sipping a cool drink.

-Outdoor cooking. Even if it's a hotdog cooked on a $3 hibachi, an outdoor Spring or Summer cookout is a wonderful thing. Of course having friends or family members around to share it with usually adds to the enjoyment. Even a few mosquitos or other pests can be tolerated.

--A ride in the country with the car or truck windows down on a warm summer evening with some great oldies drifting trough the sound system (even a good fm radio) is hard to beat.

--Walking the dog around at least one good sized block or, even better, through the woods, over the dale and around the lake or along the river.

--Walking forever along the beach barefooted for at least two miles one way and two miles back. This, of course, goes best at sunset which sometimes doesn't come until well after 8 o'clock.

--Sitting on the porch, if you've got one, or on the patio, while looking though the window at the tv. Of course, having one of those small take-anywhere televisions and the departure of real porches, has taken most of the magic from this pastime.

--Playing on the lawn with the kids or grandkids with the smell of fresh cut grass mixed with scent of sweaty young bodies and wrinkled older ones. Attempting to do this after 4 or 5 p.m. at any other time of the year is dumb, dangerous and can lead to the loss of respect from neighbors.

--Doing yard work in your Bermuda shorts, or short shorts in the cool of the evening without drawing too much attention from passing motorists who can't really see you haven't spent enough time in the sun on your pale body.

--Having a couple of "free hours" to work on your hobby after dinner and dish washing with sunlight to spare. Something about not wanting to go to bed while there still is some sunlight just seems to be motivating.

--Taking advantage of those evening hours to stop and smell the roses--and the California poppies, lilacs, tulips and whatever--those things which you've labored at so hard during the mornings and afternoon.

This list, I repeat, is not in order of importance. To try and do that would take considerable time which, as far as I'm concerned, can be better spent--in the evening, maybe watching a local softball game or the Visalia Oaks.

Eventually, we all will have to "Fall Back"--but not without a fight.

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