This warming trend, however brief, has sure been nice! I've even had the doors open to get some fresh air blowing through the house. My dog, who adores being on the front porch happily carried every one of her stuffed toys out the doggy door.

It's time to 'spring forward' again. Why are we still doing this? Is there really a purpose? My answer is NO! The farmers don't like it (cows aren't going to change when they expect to be milked). Much of the rest of the world, parts of Canada, and even places in the U.S. don't change, so for the duration they have to consider what time it is elsewhere when thinking about travel, business meetings, and so on. It makes scheduling planes, trains, ferries more difficult. So again, I ask, why?

Turns out, this is a very controversial subject! Spring Forward: the Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time by Michael Downing. For a hundred years DST has been a hotly debated issue in Congress. The front flap of the book jacket says it best, and I quote ... "It is a true-to-life social comedy with Congress in the leading role, surrounded by a supporting cast of opportunistic ministers, movie moguls, stockbrokers, labor leaders, educators, sports fanatics and farmers. This dizzyingly hilarious debate seems destined to continue for as long as we ask one another, "What time is it?" " Of this blogs two books, this was the most fun.

Seize the Daylight: the Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time by David Prerau. A bit more serious than "Spring Forward" this was still an interesting read. Included are charts of what countries switch to DST, who knew there were so many? I sure didn't! (Although there are three states that do not make the time change). The author discusses the influence of DST on things like street crime and voter turnout, automobile accidents and sporting events. According to the author's biography, he has co-authored several reports to Congress on the effects of DST. Personally I'd like to see how much time and money as been wasted, er, spent on this subject.

And lastly, a book that doesn't seem to fit anywhere else, a book I've seen once, loved, and tried to order only to find out it had a limited printing. It has not been released again, and I've never seen another copy. Still, it was a wonderful, clever story and became an instant favorite. It is The Damp and Daffy Doings of a Daring Pirate Ship by Guillermo Mordillo. It was a picture book with delightful illustrations including the requisite brave pirates, a sea monster, and a buried treasure. There was a desert island with a trap door, too!

Don't forget to change your clocks!

Reading Hermit With Dog