Musings from the Hill, March 19

Archive for Monday, March 16, 2015

June Jewett

March 16, 2015

Daylight savings began Sunday, March 8. Did you remember to move your clocks forward? Yes, your wristwatches also. Long ago Benjamin Franklin advocated this time change in order to burn fewer candles. Hand-dipping candles was a tedious task. I applaud his foresight, We no longer dip candles; however we still must conserve energy. If we all paid attention to energy conservation in little ways (as we did in the great depression of the '30s) the energy saved would be considerable. Remember “turn off the lights when you leave the room"?

Many years ago our librarian par excellence, Kathy Johnston, was unable to find "Circadian rhythms" in any dictionary in our library. This is hard to believe. She “Googled” it and found it on Health Link. Voila! Both of us were familiar with this terminology. We all are in tune with the same rhythms as sea creatures, etc. This is what makes the world go round!

We should give ourselves a few days to readjust our biological clocks. Major industrial accidents, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, nuclear power plant accidents, sleep deprived medical interns and the Exxon Valdez oil spill are believed linked with Circadian rhythm upsets. My daughter Holly told me of an excellent book she had just read, “Your Inner Fish” by Neil Schubin. Our ever helpful library has located it for me. I look forward to reading it.

My hill top forsythia on the lake would be in full flower — inside. Thus giving me a foretaste of spring. Cut branches early put in a vase before those on the bushes are in bloom — enjoy!

In town a few robins searched my little spot of yard, picking vainly through the light snow. “Not yet! Not yet!” The wild winds cry. “It is still March, you know. Many an oak leaf still must fall, now comes the driven snow.” Wild swings of weather signal to keep boots handy by the door, although the longed for Spring officially begins March 20.

I cannot hear the geese crying overhead as I did at the lake. According to folklore if March comes in like a lion (which it certainly did this year) it will go out like a lamb. Life is uncertain, eat dessert first. Don’t forget to put water and seed out for the birds.They often need an assist at this time of year.

Winter was stressful for my Texas families. Although formerly they lived in Colorado and Wyoming, snow in Dallas was totally unexpected. They could not find mittens, scarves or hats for my great-great-grandchildren who were fascinated by the snow. Huge pile-ups of traffic accidents were common. I am surely glad I was not flying. Airports were jammed for days!

Following my husband from camp to camp in World War II with a 3-month-old baby made me wary of air travel. Gale was in the infantry and because of bad eyes was on limited service. They were flying men in for the Battle of the Bulge.

“What are you doing in the infantry,” an officer asked. “You might shoot your buddy.”

“Just give me a few extra glasses and I’m good to go,” Gale retorted. Instead they put him in a new radar unit being formed in West Palm Beach, Fla. I saw my first palm tree. I prefer warm to freezing weather — water pipes can freeze and break in winter. On the hill, I sat in a baby pool under the trees “as naked as a jay bird and happy as a lark.”