I hadn’t realized that Daylight Saving Time was ending already until I turned the page of my day planner to November. There it was. At this writing it has been about ten days, and I’m still getting used to the time change.

I’m a person of routines. As such I’ve gotten into the habit of waking up at the same time each morning.

I never have to set an alarm. My body clock just does it for me.

So, on the Saturday night before the time change I set my clocks back. Sunday morning found me sitting on the edge of the bed, in a groggy state, trying to make sense of the clock on the bedside table. It was 4 a.m., according to the clock, but what was the old time?

You might say, “What difference did it make anyway?” It has to do with feeding the animals.

A few days ago, I heard someone (on a TV news show) say that animals don’t care when they’re fed.

Not so!

That’s especially true when they’re fed on a schedule.

Over the years, from my 4-H years through adulthood, I’ve learned that ranch animals thrive when they’re kept on a schedule. It’s most noticeable when fattening steers and taking care of bottle calves.

In this hectic world we are sometimes forced to be late in doing our chores. Perhaps a rancher has a meeting that runs late or maybe the tractor won’t start in the morning.

Animals have internal clocks, too, and in my experience being late means that calves are bawling because they need their bottles, and steers are pacing along the corral fence, also bawling.

Even the main herd stands at the pasture gate, waiting for the hay wagon. Animals do care when they’re fed.

Right now I don’t have any cattle to feed so why was I trying to figure out the “old time” when looking at the “new time?”

The answer is “cats.”

I know. It’s hard to believe that I have a feeding schedule with a bunch of feral cats that come running from everywhere in the neighborhood to get some food.

We have an agreement. I provide the cat food, and they keep the rodents away from the house and vehicles. I try to feed them before daylight because the deer come in and steal their food when it’s light.

So adjusting routines for feeding animals takes some “getting used to.”

Another thing is setting appointments in Craig so driving home doesn’t coincide with the crossings of deer, antelope and elk as they make their ways across the highway to other feed grounds. Driving at dusk is especially dangerous.

Oh, well. In a few weeks I’ll be used to the “new time.”

Time will pass, and before long we’ll be moving the clocks ahead again.