First things first. Have you recouped that hour of sleep we lost last weekend after the time change? I've tried and tried but when the clock strikes 12, or a little thereafter, and I get all settled down for a good night's sleep, there's this whispering weird voice reminding me that it's not midnight, it's really only 11. And, being the night owl that I am, I spend the next hour watching the clock and waiting for my regular bedtime.

Before I go any farther with this column, is it Daylight Saving Time or Daylight Savings Time? A quick search on the web reveals that both are acceptable. However, I think I'll side with the writer who pointed out that the purpose of switching to DST is to save daylight so thus it should be Daylight Saving Time.

Anyhow, the mechanics of changing to Daylight Saving/Savings Time isn't in itself problematic. Thanks to my dear mother and several of my elementary school teachers who insisted I learn that Spring Forward in the Spring and Fall Back in the Fall ditty, I know which direction to turn the hands on the clocks.

Hmm, actually, there are only a few clocks in the Knott House that have hands-the rest are digital and, interestingly with the exception of the microwave, don't require resetting because they are ATOMIC. And, from my understanding of that technology, instead of having to worry about manually springing forward or falling back, those atomic clocks come with a little Popeye version of Father Time who has connections with the United States Naval Observatory's Master Clock. Somehow, he knows when to make the change and even alerts our computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.

What is problematic, however, are the side effects of springing forward. Not only am I groggy and grumpy but I find myself yawning and constantly yearning for at least another hour of sleep.

Let's face it, there's got to be a better way to switch over to DST than losing an hour of sleep. Think about it. When we switch back to Eastern Standard Time in the fall, we get to add an extra hour so shouldn't there be a kindler and gentler way of springing forward. Forget about advising me to move to one of the states without DST, I love where I am. And, don't suggest that I get on the bandwagon to stamp out Daylight Saving Time. If I had my way, I'd keep it year-around. Winter nights are way too long.

Yep, instead of losing time every spring, we need to figure out a better way to make the change. Okay, so why couldn't we set the clocks back twenty-three hours on the second Sunday of March. Then, we'd have a whole day to catch up with the time change and we'd end up with the same result-an extra hour of daylight for the spring and summer.

Seriously, DST is great for people like me who are absolutely worthless in the morning-thus the reason I'm still hovering over the coffee pot. Couple my complete disgust at having to start my day before nine and my love for being outdoors as long as possible on any fair-weather day then it's a no-brainer why I would be a fan for sticking with DST year-around.

In all honesty, just the thought of Ben Franklin's proverb, Early to Bed and Early to Rise makes a Man Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, causes me to break out in a cold sweat. But wait, he did say MAN, didn't he?

Okay, so there's got to be a gender-specific counterpart to that timely proverb. I bet it goes something like this- Late to Bed, Late to Rise, Makes a Woman Marvelous, Humorous, and Just the Right Size.

WOW. That changes everything-except that lost hour. But, just in case that proverb holds any truth, reckon there's any chance we could stay on Daylight Saving Time for the whole year? KNOTT MUCH.