Daylight-saving time is here, offering us a perceived extra hour of daylight with which to wrap up an eventful day. There’s no real science behind it, except for sociology, what with the Spring Forward vs. Fall Back conflict, which boils down to More Daylight vs. More Sleep. Your Mountain Times staff would opt for both, but we’re realistic when it comes to some things, like solar orbits and Stuckey’s Pecan Logs. We’re also somewhat vocal on the matter, so here are a few thoughts and suggestions on putting that hour to good use.

Melanie Davis: Grillin’& Grinnin’

Since I am an up-with-sun and sleep-at-sundown kinda gal, daylight saving time opens up a world of possibilities for me. I really enjoy yard work, so I love the spring and summer.

Skip the veggies and give me grilled meat.

Monday evening, for example, I got home with a couple hours of daylight to spare and spent that time pulling weeds out of my lawn.

Winter is such a lazy time. I get home from work just in time to throw a tennis ball for the dog a few times and then it is off to bed. I don’t get anything done in the winter after 6 p.m.

Daylight saving time means I get home and take a hike, fire up the grill and build a bonfire. Sounds like a perfect evening to me.

Right now, I feel a little bad for my dog. By the end of the night during warm weather, Blue is worn completely out. Just like his human counterparts in the house, he is not quite in his summer shape and was a little sore Tuesday from the exercise.

One business that will certainly be missing my winter dollars is Red Box movie rentals. Not to worry, Red Box, I will be back in October.

Tiffany Allison: Thank you, Mr. Willett

William Willett purportedly used his extra hour of daylight to perfect his scholarly leaning stance.

Like many participating in Daylight Saving Time, I too naively concede to losing an hour of sleep or gaining an hour during the day. But as I research this idea of saving daylight, my knowledge expands. I discovered the reasoning behind this day links to yet another man-made scheme to deprive me of sleep.

Benjamin Franklin, followed by William Willett, writer of the pamphlet “Waste of Daylight,” pushed this idea of advancing the clocks forward during the spring because they earnestly believed people were wasting the day away.

In reality, by pushing the clocks forward, most people do not enjoy that extra hour of daylight by sunbathing or long walks. Honestly, they just lose an hour of sleep and gain an hour of work. Whether they justify it by staying in the office later or by washing their car during lunch, most people will not stop and enjoy this extra “saved” hour of light.

I, on the other hand, will enjoy this extra hour by sleeping in late and wasting that little extra sunlight in spite of Franklin and Willett’s workaholic tendencies. So, enjoy your spring-cleaning and your after-work gardening, while I catch up on my sleep that Franklin annoyingly tried to steal.