I was under the impression that Daylight Savings Time was going to be eliminated. I didn’t hear the big bruhaha that usually happens to clue people in to the change in time. In short, I thought we had become reasonable again and it was my fault for thinking that.

I wasn’t the only one caught off guard. A friend of mine and I met Sunday at noon for a lunch. We both arrived at the same time. Neither one of us realized we actually met at 1. We both had the same epiphany as to the time change when we at some time later in the day saw a comparison of our phone clocks’ time to that registered on a clock not connected to the wide web of time.

I still don’t know how DST saves us any time at all. If I have a 10 foot rope and I cut a foot off one end and attach it to the other end, I still have a 10 foot rope. The only difference is that I went through a lot of trouble for no reason at all. It’s the same with time. No matter what you do, there are 24 hours in a day and the only thing that will change that is if Mother Earth gets tired and slows down her dance in the cosmos. I assure you the old girl will never speed up.

Another thought just crossed my mind. DST sows a lot of confusion twice a year. They want to connect everything and if there are no clocks off the grid and the time of day is controlled by a single source, that could be disastrous. You could have a doctor’s appointment at 4 pm and, just for the fun of it, the source could bump the clocks ahead two hours to 6 pm so that when you arrive at the doctor’s office you find the door closed because the office closes at 5 pm. I tell you that this connection thing where they want to connect everything including your brain to everything else is horse patooey. When are we going to wise up and stop this nonsense?

Speaking of time, time has run out for Country Joe McDonald, one of my favorite artists, may he rest in peace. Country Joe was the originator of the Fish Cheer, now popularly known as the Vietnam Song. This song became the anthem for the antiwar movement. His band also put out one of my favorite albums, one I believe was one of the best of the period: Electric Music for the Body and Mind. The poetry in both the music and the lyrics of this album are top notch, in my opinion.

I saw Country Joe perform once. He didn’t have the whole band but The Fish, otherwise known as Barry Melton, accompanied him. It was a great show. Yes, they did the Fish Cheer! That concert, done outside at a racetrack, was the very first music concert my oldest daughter attended. She was only a few months old at the time and my wife and I marveled at her enthusiasm for the music.

So long, Country Joe. You left us with some good memories and some good music.