Banter Bites

Tick-Tock … Time To Change The Clock

Is "spring forward, fall back" just another way of saying, "one step forward, one step back?"

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It's nice having more daylight at the end of the day, although the trade-off is it's darker in the mornings.

Not to mention you "lose" an hour's sleep. Of course, in six months the reverse will be true. You'll enjoy an extra hour's sleep, but it will get darker earlier, so the days seem shorter. Welcome to Daylight Saving Time. (Unless you live in one of the states or territories that doesn't participate in this practice.)

But what exactly is it and how did it begin? Red, being the straight-A student, was curious and she found her answers (and more) in a quick search on the computer. (It would be hard to picture Black reading anything in the Farmer's Almanac.) Red had to share with her sister that the concept went as far back as Benjamin Franklin but really took hold at the beginning of the 20th century, and finally came into its own at the start of World War II when President Franklin Roosevelt re-established Daylight Saving Time year-round, calling it "War Time."

Black, used to her sister's love of history, listened politely for a few minutes, and then asked Red if she knew why the change occurs at 2 a.m. and not midnight? And explained it was a political/business decision to minimize the inconvenience to railroad schedules. She then went on to discuss how it has become a political issue (hasn't everything?!).

Regardless of whether you think Daylight Saving Time is a great idea or should be rescinded, you need to remember it happens this weekend. For those of you tethered to digital gizmos, if you're awake in the very early hours on Sunday morning, you can watch as the time jumps from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Meanwhile, most of us will wake to find we have to run around re-setting kitchen appliances and old-fashioned clocks.

If you’re looking for a reason not to mow, there’s logic behind letting it grow …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: As is often the case, Red hadn’t heard of the latest trend, “No Mow May,” which is all about lawn maintenance (or the lack of it) until Black started sending her articles about it.

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It’s hard to imagine one holiday celebrates … spring, women’s fertility, workers, and labor rights. But it shouldn’t surprise you that even though it dates back thousands of years, we each “dance around” different aspects of May Day.

If you’ve never thought about May Day, don’t worry, most of us haven’t.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red appreciates that some holidays have historical significance, some have ancient traditions, and some are opportunities for one of Black’s unexpected, but often amusing and clever, comments, but May Day checks all those boxes.

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Spring’s supposed to be full of optimism as it represents a new beginning, with longer days, the trees and flowers blooming, the birds chirping, and a general feeling of rejuvenation. So, whose idea was it to rudely interrupt it with Tax Day? And the fact it’s April 18 this year instead of April 15 (when we ran the article below in 2021, we got two extra days) hardly makes it any less, well, … taxing.

This quote is perfect, except that we don't know who said it, "People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women."

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It's probably a safe bet (yes, the IRS even has specific rules on how to handle gambling income and losses) that no one looks forward to Tax Day, but it would be easy to make assumptions that how people approach this potentially stressful day would be impacted by how much, or how little, money they make …

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