Ten more days until the Vernal Equinox, yet I feel the sun’s warmer kiss already, if only the March winds would calm. Springtime – the eternal optimist of the seasons. A time of hope, when the Earth awakens and the outdoors blooms right before our eyes. As new puppy owners, Jim and I have been outside a lot over the past two weeks, watching the natural world spring to life. We meant to wait until summer for a puppy but that is another story! The only unpleasantness in being outdoors is the wind. Why is March so darn blustery?
Some weatherdudes made it clearer – it is windy in March because of the increased atmospheric instability caused by the increasingly strong sunshine. This heats the earth’s surface and since warm air is lighter than cold air, the air rises. This process results in more “mixing” of the air, which tends to bring down the stronger winds from the upper atmosphere.
This makes complete sense. The sun is ready for summer, but winter still has a hold on the earth. No wonder the lion that is March cannot go away quietly. March is also the month when we lose an hour of sleep. I don’t mind because daylight savings time is my favorite eight months of the year. I truly cannot understand why we don’t adopt it all year, in order to make better use of natural daylight. Created by Congress in 1918 as a “way of conserving fuel needed for war industries and of extending the working day” (Library of Congress), it was repealed after World War I and re-established in 1942 during World War II.
Four months of standard time does nothing but make us cranky. To go to work in the dark and return home in the dark is why many people feel depressed in the winter months.Can someone please tell this to the Department of Transportation who oversees the time changes across all time zones. I was surprised to learn it was the DOT, but I guess someone has to do it. The DOT reports that DST saves energy, reduces auto accidents and crime. Seems like a great reason to make it last for 12 months!
This week we have a time change, a full moon and Friday the 13th. I am on spring break, but I feel for my educator friends who are in school. March’s full Moon, called the Worm Moon, will be amazingly bright as it rises above the horizon tomorrow night. This full Moon is the first of three supermoons in 2020—the other two occurring in April and May. Our Kent School Little School just completed a spectacular unit on space, completely transforming their physical space into outer space. It was so impressive. But, the most magical part was our three- and four-year-olds’ knowledge of all things space. It was a highlight of last week.
For those of you on Spring Break, enjoy. And, hold on to your hats! It’s March.
That's Another Story 