Daylight Savings Time Changes

This past Sunday morning we finally changed over to daylight savings time here in Mexico.  This year has been even more trying than most as the US changed over to daylight savings time on March 11 and for three weeks I have been having to manually adjust different appointments that I had in the US with the times here in Mexico.

I have always looked forward to the change over to daylight savings time as it felt like the change extended the day.  This was especially true when I was working as an accountant in Southern California, during the busy season, I would leave the house in the morning darkness and return home after work in the evening darkness.  At least then it seemed that the change to daylight savings was the reprieve from the long hours and lack of sunshine. 

However with the current change in the clock, things are getting pretty crazy.  My day starts at the usual 5:30a when I boot up the computer and work on some of my consulting projects.  Before the change over of the clocks, I would take the dogs out at 7a, open the gates for the construction crews and go feed the horses and chickens.  The sun would be up and it was always an enjoyable walk around the rancho.

So now that we have sprung forward an hour, when I go out at 7a it is still dark with the sun just starting to peak over the mountains to the east.  But to my surprise the construction crews are still showing up at around 7a and start mixing cement and working even though there is not very much light.

Of course the horses are confused as they don't live by a clock, they rise and rest with the sun and of course who has ever seen a rooster check the clock before claiming it is morning.  So now they are getting feed before what is normal for their body clocks, but I have too get out so I can have the rancho ready for the construction crews.

However, that is not what is exhausting me these days.  What has become the real problem is that now the sun does not set until close to 8p and we are working in the gardens until then.  It use to be that we would put the horses away around 5:30p and close them up around 7.  Now we are turning them in at 7, closing them up around 8 and coming into the house around 8:30.  This is making for a very long day as I usually still have an hour or two of work remaining on my consulting projects or my photographs.  No wonder I am exhausted and collapse into bed.