Regret falls away as time change nears

By Dave Churchill (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, March 9, 2007

Driving home from an early morning run this week, I couldn’t help smiling at the sunlight. It was about 6:55 a.m., and already the eastern sky was aglow with the sun just beginning to appear, promising to deliver a fair day.

Too bad the temperature was below zero.

Cold aside, the sight of that sunrise made me realize how sunlight-deprived we tend to be here in the northern latitudes. I am not — as far as I know — one of those who actually suffers because of the lack of sunlight during winter months, but my reaction to the sunrise was a sharp reminder of how nice it will be to have some more daylight.

Things are changing fast right now as we near the equinox. Fergus Falls gets more than three minutes of extra light each day as we hurry toward spring. May not sound like much, but multiply 3:15 times 21 days and you’re starting to talk about some serious time.

Sunday will be a setback for those of us who enjoy being out and about when the sun rises. The early shift to Daylight Saving Time will knock sunrise back to 7:45 or so — quite a loss for morning people. But at least we will have daylight until nearly 7:30 p.m.

For some time I had been a bit irritated about the early DST. The claims that it will save energy are, as far as I can tell, not proven, so all we will get is the annoyance of changing a tradition. Or, rather, changing it again, because DST’s starting and ending points have been anything but constant over the years.

But now I’m looking at the matter in a new light. Instead of regretting the extra hour of morning darkness, I am looking forward to the day when I can again drive eastbound from the gym with thoughts of breakfast — and the sun just peeping over the horizon into a blue sky.

This time, though, I might be able to stand in the driveway and enjoy the sight without shivering.

••••

Another sign that spring is not too far away: The West Otter Tail County Master Gardeners and the Extension Service host their annual Garden Day workshops on Saturday in Underwood.

While I am permanently discouraged about gardening, due to continual failures, it’s still exciting to think about getting out in the warm weather and helping something to grow.

Garden Day has become bigger every year, drawing something like 700 people. This year’s version, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Underwood Public School, boasts 37 presenters, vendor displays, lunch, door prizes, coffee ... just about everything.

And a hint of spring may even be in the air. The forecast is for temperatures in the upper 30s, with a dose of sunshine.

••••

One of the odder news items that came across my desk this week is an announcement from Tyson — yes, the chicken people — that the company is developing a fuel based on excess animal fat.

Tyson produces 2.3 billion pounds of fat each year as a byproduct of its meat operations, and is hoping to turn that into an answer to the nation’s search for energy independence.

Corn growers have, after many years of effort, turned ethanol into a viable and profitable market for their crops. Can’t blame the meat industry for trying to do the same.

Ethanol production is said to be causing a spike in corn prices, which affects meat producers who depend on corn for livestock feed.

Doesn’t sound like fat fuel is going to offer a near-term competition to ethanol, though. Tyson hasn’t set any production goals or even any target dates for production.