Welcome Back, DST
–Daylight Saving Time (Savings is incorrect.) made its glorious return to the Ohio Valley last weekend as a welcome harbinger of Spring following a year of absolute hell spent battling the vicious COVID-19 pandemic. The late, great comedian George Carlin once observed of DST: “Who is saving it, and where do they keep it?” I can’t presume to answer those thought-provoking questions, but all I know is that I am damn glad to be emerging finally from the oppressive cloud of darkness, cold weather, illness, and death that has enshrouded us since last March. Now if you aren’t a fan of DST, you can quit reading right now and move on to the next topic because I am about to pay tribute to the annual shift in time. Whereas Eastern Standard Time brings with its gloomy early darkness at 5 p.m. plenty of cold, sloppy, slushy, slippery days, DST is the precursor of extended light warm, long, lazy, luxurious days spent doing anything from gardening to watching little league baseball games followed by a trip to the local Dairy Queen. Or it can be just time spent outside on the deck sipping an icy beverage and watching the sunset. It means having the ability to do all the things you can’t do during the dark dankness of winter. I really don’t understand why we endure the time change twice a year. Why not just set the clocks at one time and leave them there at DST forever? And to all those people who complain about losing a hour of sleep, I say they should either go to bed an hour earlier or stay in bed an hour longer in the morning. Or do both and gain an hour’s sleep. Anyway welcome back DST, and bring on spring and summer!
It’s Alarming!
–While the good news is that more and more Americans are receiving COVID-19 inoculations, the bad news is that many have decided the pandemic is over so that they can resume their “normal” behavior and no longer practice any of the safety precautions laid down by the CDC. If you doubt this, just check out the video shots of the jammed beaches where college students are celebrating spring break. Their careless frolicking sans masks and social distancing is an open invitation for a disturbing upsurge of the virus. While the vaccines have proved to be successful, the CDC has warned people to continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing in public. DON’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN NOW, PEOPLE. THIS THING IS FAR FROM OVER! Who knows what the result will be when all of these spring breakers return home, but you have to believe it’s an open invitation for another outbreak. Those of us who haven’t spent 10 days partying on a beach somewhere must do our part to combat such a recurrence. Therefore, when you are out in public continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing as best you can, and don’t forget to wash your hands often. We have scored a knockdown with the development of the vaccines, but it’s far from a knockout. Don’t become complacent, and maybe we can look forward to a somewhat normal Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. How great would that be?
And In This Corner…
–The continuing feud between Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Sen. Rand Paul over the wearing of masks in public heated up again late last week during a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. For some reason Paul has made it his business to question Fauci’s advice that those who have been vaccinated should continue to wear masks when they are out in public. Paul refers to those who still wear masks after receiving the vaccine as engaging in “theater.” Fauci’s point in continuing to wear the masks in public is echoed by the CDC because we still don’t know that much about the COVID virus and because there are different variants of the virus still out there. In a recent interview with “CBS This Morning,” Fauci said, “Senator Paul has this message that we don’t need masks, which goes against just about everything we know about how to prevent the spread of the virus. I don’t have anything personally against him. Be he’s just, quite frankly, incorrect.” Whom are you going to believe and trust? It’s an easy decision for me. Please pass me the mask.
Ponder This:
–I went to buy camouflage trousers, but I couldn’t find any.
~Anonymous
