Daylight savings time is March 11 -or- Punxsutawny Phil hero of the day

If you haven't heard, the government made changes to the daylight savings time August 8, 2005. These changes will go into effect this year. Instead of springing forward the first weekend of April, beginning this year, we will change our clocks forward on March 11. In the fall, we won't change the clocks back until November 4. Daylight savings

I am sure by now you have also heard that Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring this year. Quite convenient! early spring

Of course, as a gardener and one who squeeks through winter every year, I am very pleased with both of these events. It is going to be so nice to be able to have an extra hour of day light for several weeks. Seems like we practically sleep winter away here. Being summer outdoor kinda people, I sure miss all my outdoor projects and really look forward to getting back to them with more time to spare. It will be nice to be able to go empty the compost bucket without having to carry a flashlight. The boys will be happy to be able to stay outside longer each evening. We will have time to talk longer walks without worrying about the boogyman in the dark shadows. I'll have more time to work on those pre-spring hardscape projects (steps, paths, new flower beds, etc., etc., etc.!).

By the way, although it was 1 1/2 years ago that President Bush signed this bill into law, many companies are complaining that this could cause wide spread y2k like problems because they aren't ready. So if you are worried about clocks and technology break down, remember, this isn't the first time that daylight savings has been changed and we also made it through the big y2k scare without a scratch.