Carl Vertrees

We’ve had more than a month to get used to Daylight Savings Time, and it certainly gives us hope for warmer — in addition to longer — days.

I didn’t realize we had so many clocks (in our house, in our cars, on our wrists) until I started moving the minute hands ahead 60 minutes.

The computer, the furnace thermostat and the weather station all reset themselves automatically. The digital devices seem to be a little easier to adjust than the analog ones.

One of the great advantages of daylight time is that we don’t have to turn on our porch lights in the evening to see if it’s snowing!

In mid-March, the U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act which would implement permanent daylight time in November when we would normally set our clocks back, but the U.S. House of Representatives has yet to vote on the measure. If it acts, the President would still have to sign the bill for it to become law.

Oregon was one of 30 states whose legislature adopted permanent daylight time several years ago, soon followed by Washington and California, but we’re still waiting on Congress to act because adoption would impact interstate commerce, one of its responsibilities.

“Permanent” daylight time is not a new concept.

The United States implemented it during World War II and again for several years beginning in 1973 to ease fuel consumption during the energy crisis.

But waiting for Congress to act could take years or decades. Congress is one of the world’s most disorganized, combative and disrespected organizations in the world. In the animal world, a group of birds is called a flock, a group of cattle a herd, and a group of baboons a congress. No kidding.

What is your outlook on life? Are you a “half full” or “have empty” type person? In my half-full world there is no such thing as half empty, and I have mathematic justification for my reasoning. If empty represents zero or nothing, what would half of it be? And if I’m drinking a glass of wine, I don’t worry. The glass is refillable.

I also have a curmudgeonly side. I’ve never fully appreciated fireworks and think they should be banned because of the fire hazard they pose, especially in our High Desert.

Likewise, I believe public Easter egg hunts should also be eliminated because they encourage greed among children. After they’ve reached ages 3 or 4, the participants make a beeline for the eggs they view, knocking down anyone in their way. Confine the Easter egg hunts to the privacy of your own home or yard.

Brittney Griner is writing a memoir about her captivity in Russia, planning to publish it a year from now. Count me out.

The professional basketball player was arrested by Russian officials for possession of vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage as she returned to the communist nation to play offseason basketball last February, just before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Brittney blamed her plight on hasty packing. I blame it on poor judgment. I was taught to be responsible for my own actions. I don’t think the concern about her incarceration should have been nearly as broad as it was.

In the meantime, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, is being detained on charges of espionage, likely because Vladimir Putin was looking for a pawn to leverage his position with the United States.

Likewise, I think Donald Trump should be responsible for his actions, but I’m willing to give him a lot of slack in his battles for his private and public indiscretions.

I propose that if he is willing to withdraw as a candidate for President, the various prosecutors would withdraw their charges, saving the United States the agony of his prolonged legal battles. Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. Joe Biden could do the same for Trump.

Four candidates for the Redmond school board appeared before the Kiwanis Club of Redmond on April 19. I was impressed with their presentations and motivation. I don’t know the schedules of the three other candidates, but their absence was conspicuously noteworthy. Kudos To Eric Lea, Amanda Page, Brad Porterfield and Liz Goodrich for their transparency.

We all seem contented in our own little worlds. Ginger and I stay pretty close to home, but last week we stepped out to the Tower Theater in Bend for a concert by the Kingston Trio who brought back fond memories of our younger years in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Although none of the original members still perform, their harmonies and instrumentations were reminiscent of that area, and they pleased a crowd predominantly of septuagenarians and octogenarians. Tom Dooley, MTA, Tijuana Jail anyone?