Fall Back

In this episode (179) - Fall Back . . .

Going through the Farmer’s Almanac, I was curious about Daylight Savings Time (DST). Wondering why we “Fall Back”?

Tomorrow, the first Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 2 a.m., is when Daylight Saving Time ends in most areas of the United States, returning to Standard Time. Be sure to set your clocks one hour back before bedtime on Saturday night! Listen carefully, and you will hear the cynics, “Alright! We gain another hour of sleep Saturday night; why can’t it stay this way?

Moving the clocks twice a year is to take better advantage of sunlight. Face it; most folks get out of bed after the sun has risen and gone to bed after it has set. But what if the sun rose and set earlier?

“Pull that shade down. I’m trying to sleep in.”

When we fall back, we’re not really “gaining” time; we’re just giving up a little daylight in the evening and adding it to the morning. Just wait; soon, everyone will be complaining, “This getting dark at 5:00 p.m. sucks!”

Ok, but if it’s darker in the evening, doesn’t that mean more electricity will be needed to get through the night, your energy provider’s peak hours? You bet it does. If you’re interested in how you can save this winter on your electric bill, check out episode 172, Turn off the Lights.

Since Daylight Saving Time was introduced, lawmakers have occasionally seen fit to fiddle with it. This happened in the 70s, during the oil crisis. In 2007, Daylight Saving Time got longer, beginning in March and ending in November, instead of April and October, respectively. But it looks like we won’t be doing away with it soon.

Which States Don’t Observe DST?

According to U.S. law, states can choose whether to observe DST. Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii, plus a few other U.S. territories, are the only places in the U.S. that do not observe DST and stay on standard time all year long.

Indiana did not vote to observe DST until April 2006.

Before that, some counties in the state observed it while others didn’t, which caused a lot of confusion, mainly since Indiana is split into two time zones already!

What about Other Countries?

At least 40 countries worldwide observe Daylight Saving Time, including most of Canada, though most of Saskatchewan and parts of northeastern British Columbia don’t participate. For obvious reasons, most countries near the equator don’t deviate from standard time.

It's said Benjamin Franklin is to blame for all this. Well, yes and no; Ben Franklin is credited for inventing the idea of Daylight-Saving Time due to his tongue-in-cheek letter to the editor written in 1784. However, Franklin seemed to understand rather than changing the clocks; he simply advised us to change our schedules to better align with nature. That seems sensible.

Changing the number on a clock doesn’t add time to our days. Anyway, tomorrow we “fall back” into the darkness, like to or not.

I’m Patrick Ball; thanks so much for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

Night Before Christmas

I n this episode, Night Before Christmas . . . (In the spirit of Edgar Albert Guest) I’ve wrestled with the tangled lights the way I always do— With just enough patience left to see the project through. I climb the ladder carefully; the years have taught me how. To take my time with every step and keep a steady brow. We hang the faded ornaments I’ve known since I was small, the chipped, the cracked, the tilted ones—I love them best of all. Santa’s lost a bit of paint, the stars’ leaning right, but oh, it casts a holy glow across the room tonight. The kitchen hums with activity, with laughter, and with cheer, as voices drift like echoes from a long-forgotten year. The floor is strewn with paper scraps, the clock is ticking slow, As Christmas finds its own sweet pace and sets our house aglow. The hallway grows a little still; the lights are dimmed, and low, Small shoes are lined in messy pairs to wait for morning’s snow. The fire's warm, the room is full, the world is deep and wide,...

Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way

🎩 In this special episode. How to Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way It’s 2026! Yes— this is the year! A different kind of start—you feel it right here? No lists! No demands! No fix-all-your-flaws! No “New You by Tuesday!” No rules! No laws! Those resolutions? Bah! Dusty and dry! We’ve tried fixing everything —so let’s ask why. Why rush and correct and improve and compare, When noticing quietly gets you right there ? So here’s a new project—no charts, no clocks, No boxes to check in your mental inbox. It’s bigger than busy and smaller than grand, It’s called Un-Working —now give me your hand! Un-Working’s not quitting or hiding away, It’s setting things down that shout “Hurry! Hey!” The hustle! The bustle! The faster-than-fast! The gotta-win-now or you’re stuck in the past! That’s the work of Un-Working— plop! —set it free! The titles! The labels! The “Look-At-Me!” The crown that kept sliding and pinching your head— You never looked comfy . . . let’s try this instead: Pick up a tel...

How to Catch A Reindeer–Christmas 2025

🎧 In this episode, How to Catch A Reindeer Merry Christmas, everyone — and welcome to this year's special holiday edition of On the Fly! Since 2020, Lori and I have been happily creating a special Christmas gift for our nephews, nieces, and close friends: a children's story recorded in our voices, filled with delightful sound effects, music, and just the right touch of seasonal magic to make Santa smile. It's become one of our most cherished traditions — and honestly, it's way easier than trying to wrap a real reindeer! Over the years, we've shared some favorite classics: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, The Night Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Santa's Toy Shop. (We've created our own North Pole audiobook library.) This year, we're excited to introduce a new book: How to Catch a Reindeer by Alice Walstead. And let me tell you — this one is a ride. It's a high-flying, whimsical Christmas Eve chase starrin...

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . . You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...

On The Fly

Search This Blog