I don't see any variables to carry over. What are they?
You can declare any variable as "private", as in:
Code:
private string myText = "This is a global, or module-level variable.";
You do not place this code within the method - instead, you put it just outside it, wherever you want, as long as it is in the same section as the methods, so you could put it just before the words "private static void keepTime()". To use it, just set the variable like a normal one - it can then be accessed and changed within any method.
Does this answer your problem?