What's The Time?

Ahhh...daylight savings time. Soft, gentle evenings. Relaxing on the front porch, visiting with neighbors while watching the kids playing up and down the street. Lawnmowers coming out after dinner along with tall glasses of lemonade. A magical time when bedtime comes a little later and play lasts a little longer.

Of course all of this is pure conjecture.

I grew up in a home where bedtime was 7:00 p.m. until we turned 12. It didn't matter if it was bright as a new penny outside. I can remember spring and summer nights when I would lay in bed listening to the neighborhood kids playing outside my window until it grew dark. And thus was born my preoccupation with time...

Time was a big deal in my childhood home. All of our daily activities were bracketed by two thoughts; "Time's a'wasting," and "Daylight's burning." The latter expression was my Dad's favorite. I don't know if he made it up or if other people said it, too. Loosely translated, it means, " Get off your lazy butt and get busy!"

I am at a point in my life now where I can sleep late if I want. But I can't help feeling guilty. It's part of being German...and being a Gappmayer. For seventeen years I was awakened at the crack of every dawn by my Dad shouting, "Heraus! Heraus!" (Out! Out!) On Sunday mornings he would go out to the car 15 minutes before we had to leave for church and start honking the horn.

As I said, it's made me a little preoccupied with time. I thought about this last night as I went around the house setting all the clocks an hour ahead.

We have fifteen clocks in our home, not counting watches, cell phones, computers and appliances with clocks in them. I have been told that that is a lot of clocks. Maybe it is...

In my sewing room, I have two wall clocks so that I can see the time from wherever I am sitting. The only place you can't see the time in the sewing room is if you are in the closet with the door closed. And in that case, you have more to worry about than the time. Actually, I also have two clocks here in the office and two in the family room. One would hate to lose track of time while enjoying a relaxing evening watching T.V. Ditto for the hot tub--I have a clock mounted on the patio wall where I can check the time while soaking. In our bedroom there are three clocks. I can wake up from a dead sleep and instantly (as soon as I find my glasses) tell you the time. Bill pointed out to me that I have also hung a wall clock in a room that has nothing in it but a toilet and a sink. I hate to think what that says about me.

Say what you will about obsessive-compulsive disorders--WE were on time for church today!

So, enjoy daylight savings time...unless you live in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Hawaii, or Arizona. And if you ever need to know the time, give me a call.