Who started this mischief known as Daylight Saving Time? Apparently the idea was first proposed by a New Zealander in 1895 and implemented by Germany and Austria-Hungary for the first time in 1916. If you really care, you can read more about that by clicking here. The bottom line is that we all lost an hour of sleep Sunday morning. I’ll be tired all week, and I’m not happy that I’ll be driving to work in the dark again Monday morning. To add insult to injury, the whole purpose of DST was to save energy and apparently there’s no evidence that really works. Now they’re also saying it’s bad for our health, which I tend to believe.
Luckily for the dogs, they don’t care. I thought we’d get an extra hour of sleep Sunday morning (or at least not lose one?), because the dogs wouldn’t know it was 6am, not 5, so they would sleep in. Good idea, except for the fact that neither my hubby nor I could sleep. I was awake at 3:15, and unable to go back to sleep, I picked up my phone to check email (I know, they say you shouldn’t do that, but it actually helps me to distract my mind for a bit). I wasn’t thrilled when my phone told me it was actually 4:15! Apparently my hubby was awake too, and he decided to get up at 5, even though I reminded him it was really only 4. I’m not sure what the use is in playing the game of “what time is it really?”. He asked me if I wanted him to wake me at my usual 6:30 but at that point I was too confused, and just told him I’d let him know when I was ready to get up (he turns the coffee on once I’m awake).
I was finally able to fall back asleep until 6:30….um, 7:30. Now my whole day is starting an hour later and I’m not happy about that. I’ve been wanting to get out my snowshoes and break some trails for walking on our land, and this was going to be the perfect excuse to not do that.
But for once I didn’t let it! With hubby’s help, we got supper going in the crock pot, and after some breakfast I headed out. Hubby took the dogs out in the yard to play ball while I did that.
You might be wondering why I didn’t take any of the dogs snowshoeing. As I was explaining to one of my sisters last week, with as much snow as we have, I needed to break trails before taking the dogs out. With one dog with arthritis, one with bad knees, and one who might disappear in the amount of snow we have out there, I needed to at least start some trails to make it easier for them.
I’ve been pretty inactive this winter, and my sister had already warned me of the conditions out in the woods. We have a few feet of light fluffy snow, topped by a crust made by the melting and refreezing we’ve had since we’ve had a little bit warmer weather and sunshine. That means that the snowshoes will break through that crust, and then you sink, and have to pull back up some of that crust when you lift your foot. That’s tough going for someone who’s not in great shape. In spite of my tiredness from losing that whole hour of sleep and more, I was determined and walked around our property as well as the neighbors’, up and down our small hills, making some different trails to take the dogs on.
I have ski poles with me to help keep balance, and help me up when I fall (which I only did once!). It’s easier not having a dog with me as well, since there are a lot of trees to weave through, and leashes tend to get wrapped around trees. I’m not always sure what route will be clear, and sometimes have to backtrack when it gets too thick. I can also break away dead branches to make it easier going for next time.
As I walked around in the woods, I could hear the dogs barking in the yard as they played. I saw deer tracks (and droppings) everywhere. It has to be tough going for the deer, but I’m happy to see that they are surviving this tough winter and are still around. I often follow their trails when making my own (though I can’t go everywhere they do). I try to be quiet when I get close to our yard, so as not to upset the dogs, but they spotted me anyway!
I’m sure I’ll feel it Monday morning, and I’ll be stiff for the next two days. That’s OK, I was happy to get out there and now we’ll be getting out there more! I’ll probably still have to go easy on the dogs to start with as we still need to pack the trails down a little more. As I type this on Sunday afternoon, the dogs are all passed out….Dad played fetch with them for an hour on Saturday as well while I was gone grocery shopping. Yes, we have sprung forward so we know spring is really coming, but we still have a little bit of winter to enjoy around here.
The missing Monday Mischief hop is back! Thank you to our hosts: Alfie’s Blog, Snoopy’s Dog Blog, and My Brown Newfies!
I’ve never been snowshoeing but that looks like so much fun! I’m with you… changing the clocks means that I won’t get normal sleep for a week or so. I don’t really understand how one little hour can make me THIS exhausted! Spring is right around the corner, though!
Snowshoeing is a lot of fun….and doesn’t take a lot of skill, which is important for me. 🙂
Even when we gain the hour of sleep back in the fall, it still messes with my system and I’m tired. So far I haven’t been too bad this week….maybe because we’re getting some warmer weather and that’s cheering me up!
That is some crazy deep snow. I love daylight saving time because I like the extra hour of daylight at night. Now if we could just get rid of the snow so we could get out and train!
I think the snow going away would go a long way toward making everyone feel better! Ours is melting now though, but it will probably take a while. I like the snowshoeing but I’m really looking forward to getting back to walking and jogging.
Good for you Jan! I’ve been wanting snowshoes for a while, but with my crazy dogs I’d probably end up in a tree. LOL
The time change has kicked my butt, I just can’t sleep right, so I’m super tired.
The dogs definitely make it more challenging! I believe there’s a photo in a post I did last year, where my sister is just that….Cricket wrapped her around a tree and then she fell!
I’m feeling a little better than I thought this time change….maybe I’ve just gotten more used to not sleeping that well lately!
Good for you getting out there! When I would take the dogs with if I had snow shoes on they would keep stepping on the shoes and I would fall over.
Oh yes, that makes me laugh. When I used to take Kobi out, if I hadn’t blazed a trail, when he got tired he would get behind me and step on the back of my snowshoes!
It is not easy to get up in deep snow once you’ve fallen….that’s why I always try to bring at least one ski pole!
Wow, this sounds like Fit Dog-Mom Monday! That’s sounds like hard work! What a good dog-mom you are! And I agree, this losing an hour of sleep thing is a bummer! I didn’t realize it started in another country. I thought we were to blame for it!
Thanks, Jackie! It is hard work that first time out, but it does get easier once the trail really gets packed down.
I’ve actually felt better this week than I thought I would…I don’t seem to be taking DST as hard as I usually do!
Snow shoe-ing does sound like fun, especially once your pups will be able to come along 🙂 I’m not a huge fan of daylight savings time either, but our pups don’t seem to care at all.
Dogs just roll with the punches, don’t they? We really just enjoy being able to get outside in the woods, it beats trying to walk on the messy roads!
We love day lights savings time. It’s great because I’m able to feed myself and Harley BEFORE our evening walk and it’s still light outside. Now if we could just get rid of the snow – everything would be PAWfect!
It is nice to have that extra hour of light in the evening, but I’m more of a morning person and I hate it being dark! But really, already it seems to be improving.
Our snow is going….but VERY slowly!
That looks so beautiful and looks like great fun in the snow! In Arizona we don’t participate in DST at all, our clocks always stay the same & I like it that way. Changing clocks is a pain and I never did see any benefit whatsoever when I lived on the East coast!
I really don’t understand what the point is. When I was doing a bit of research, I do remember reading that Arizona didn’t participate….that must make it weird when you leave your state though?
We didn’t notice the time change at all…though the mom says she wishes she had that extra hour back.
I think everyone ended up getting fed early, thus they were all happy. Except for the humans, though we did better than usual this year.
I’m still struggling with the change and Mr. N does not approve of changed meal times.
Everyone here adjusted pretty quickly this time…very unusual though, I’m not sure why!
Glad you were able to get out with the snowshoes! We got out for two nice strolls–but I was lamenting how quickly I get out of shape in the winter, too! You’d think after averaging 3 miles/day for months, we’d be alright, but we got to 2.5 and my legs were telling me it was nap time! If only it took as little time to get back into shape as it does to get out of it. Hope you survived your Monday!
It didn’t turn out too bad! I wasn’t as sore and tired as I thought I would be. Now I just need to continue to work on getting back in shape! I know you will too, probably very quickly.
Luckily Daisy’s internal clock doesn’t care about time changes – if we sleep in, she sleeps in. Thank goodness! 🙂
Oh, sleep in? What is that? We haven’t done that since our beagle Kobi, a very early riser, joined the family! Actually, I can’t complain. My hubby gets up with them early so I don’t have to. 🙂
That snow sure has been a hassle – very mischievous. Glad you were finally able to get out!
It’s been a long winter, and I’m ready for spring. But I’m determined to enjoy some of the snow while I can!
Haven’t been snow shoeing in years! The time change didn’t really mess me up either this year…funny how that happens.
I actually haven’t had much trouble with it this time either! It is funny.
Getting out in the woods moving is the only thing that makes winter bearable for me!
Funny, this year the time changed hasn’t effected us so far. I’m guessing it will hit us in a day or two! Snow shoeing looks like so much fun!
It is fun! You know, I really do have to say that the time change seems to be bothering me less than it usually does! Other than the dark in the morning, I haven’t been as tired.
I once lived in a household where half of us went on daylight savings time for half the year and half of us stayed on standard time. That was half a nightmare.
Hahahaha, you crack me up, Jan! But when I was doing a little research on the subject, I did see where there were places where some businesses did the change and some didn’t, all in the same building! Crazy!
We dislike the time change. I don’t get out of my dog bed until Mom comes and forces me to get up. I like my sleep and we like the daylight in the morning more than in the evening, so it is not our thing right now, but we don’t have a choice. Snow shoeing sounds like fun! Enjoy!
Oh, I can only dream of a dog that actually sleeps in! We are morning people around here too, and I prefer to have more light then. I think that’s been the worst part of it so far this week….the darkness in the morning.
Luke got out for his first snowshoe today…pictures coming tomorrow!
Springing forward is a pain in the **** but we put up with it SOMEHOW. Tough thinking about spring at all when there’s snow on the ground but ours at least is finally melting – it’s 46 here today and will be warm-ish (compared to 4 degrees anyway) all week. Pretty photos!
Hugs, Pam (and Sam)
I guess we really don’t have a choice when it comes to the time change, so putting up with it is about all we can do!
Our snow is definitely melting now too, we got above 40 degrees today, and with the sunshine it really did feel warm!
xo
oh that sounds like a real MOANday… hope you feel better soon, that’s a tough job to make a trial :o( I dislike this time-faking-thingy, it’s confusing… the only one who is happy is Easy, he gets his food one hour earlier :o)
Dogs definitely don’t complain when they get fed earlier! I wasn’t as sore as I thought I’d be. My arms were more sore than my legs….must be I was holding myself up with those ski poles more than I thought I was! 🙂
daylight savings time sucks, the whole idea is stupid and should stop
now that I got that out of the way, we took the dogs for a ride and stopped at mascoma lake and walked them on the lake in the snowmobile tracks, no snowmobilers around-we could hear and see them on the rail trail, it was so nice being outside with the sun out and not freezing cold and the dogs got both a ride and a walk!
Awesome for you and the doggies, K, glad you enjoyed some outdoor time! And awesome job on getting out and getting those trails started, Jan!!
Yes, that’s great, K! That sounds like a very nice walk. Thanks, Lynn, it was about time I got out there! It sure is nice to have the warmer weather finally.