The pool has been open for almost two weeks already--and other than putting my feet into it, I have yet to enjoy except to look at it. I have spent time cleaning it and putting the chemicals into it to make the water perfect. Pools are really demanding when they are first opened--and mine is no exception.
But even tough I have not yet jumped into it, there is something peaceful about looking at a swimming pool waiting for the fun to begin.
Last evening I spent more time getting the pool ready, I used the blower to get the recently fallen leaves off the deck before the wind blew them into the water. I also confirmed that the chemicals are balanced--it wasn't as bad as I had been worried once I used a test strip that gave accurate results.
Aside from terrifying the cat, totally accidentally, while using the gas powered blower--it was a great afternoon. So far, by my unscientific count, I have spent about 9 hours working on the pool to get it ready and 0 hours in the pool swimming.
But I still enjoy just sitting outside, by the pool, thinking of 90 degrees and mid-summer refreshment.
Soon? I hope?
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Cats and Dogs Get Jealous, Too
My cat, Riordin, and dog, Makayla, are extremely jealous of each other.
The more attention one of them gets, the more the other tries to get into the situation. It causes hilarious moments as the 35 pound dog attempts to become a lap dog and the cat tries to beg like a dog for things he doesn't even like.
It gets a bit over the top when the cat tries to sit on my keyboard while the dog is getting her head scratched. It gets even more humorous when Riordin is on my lap on the couch and Makayla jumps up and tries to get her head between my hand and Riordin. I know they like each other because there are no claws or screeching (as cats sometimes do) when this happens.
Well, at least life is mostly harmonious. The competition is friendly, or so it seems. They even play together at times--well Riordin takes a friendly swat at Makayla (with his claws retracted). Makayla has been known to give Riordin a friendly lick--although I think cats really hate that.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
The more attention one of them gets, the more the other tries to get into the situation. It causes hilarious moments as the 35 pound dog attempts to become a lap dog and the cat tries to beg like a dog for things he doesn't even like.
It gets a bit over the top when the cat tries to sit on my keyboard while the dog is getting her head scratched. It gets even more humorous when Riordin is on my lap on the couch and Makayla jumps up and tries to get her head between my hand and Riordin. I know they like each other because there are no claws or screeching (as cats sometimes do) when this happens.
Well, at least life is mostly harmonious. The competition is friendly, or so it seems. They even play together at times--well Riordin takes a friendly swat at Makayla (with his claws retracted). Makayla has been known to give Riordin a friendly lick--although I think cats really hate that.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Cemeteries and Memories
Standing in the family cemetery yesterday morning with so many of my extended family brought back memories of having been there before. Too recently, I had stood in nearly the same spot thinking about the fragility of life and the end that I will someday face.
The minister's words of comfort and of the assurance of hope were almost overcome by the grief of the moment. I believe those words and I know they are true--I just wish I didn't have to experience these times in order to really deal with my hope in the future. I can't understand why we have to experience such soul wrenching sorrow in order to be convinced of the promise of eternity.
After the reason for which we had gathered, I was privileged to walk with my Mom around that cemetery to revisit the final resting places of many relatives. I remembered happy days and parties and celebrations. I thought about a trip to the old, now gone truck factory with an uncle. I remembered visits to great-grandma's house when I was a young boy. One visit was during the Cuban Missile Crisis and I remember being scared by the discussion about missiles and the "bomb" that the adults were having.
Cemeteries are peaceful, by design. And our walk was satisfying and unhurried. The monuments all have a story about a life that they represent. Walking next to my Mom, I reconnected with my family and my history. As we walked, I also learned about many of her teachers and friends who have already passed.I heard stories about how they were related and how they had interacted. So many people and so many memories still alive in her mind and now mine. I have never been afraid of cemeteries and have always been in awe of the histories of the many lives that can be uncovered.
While often called the final resting places, I know that our loved ones are not there, they have moved on across the bridge into eternity. As a result, I prefer to think of cemeteries as a place to pause and find the stories waiting to be rediscovered and memories to be rekindled.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
The minister's words of comfort and of the assurance of hope were almost overcome by the grief of the moment. I believe those words and I know they are true--I just wish I didn't have to experience these times in order to really deal with my hope in the future. I can't understand why we have to experience such soul wrenching sorrow in order to be convinced of the promise of eternity.
After the reason for which we had gathered, I was privileged to walk with my Mom around that cemetery to revisit the final resting places of many relatives. I remembered happy days and parties and celebrations. I thought about a trip to the old, now gone truck factory with an uncle. I remembered visits to great-grandma's house when I was a young boy. One visit was during the Cuban Missile Crisis and I remember being scared by the discussion about missiles and the "bomb" that the adults were having.
Cemeteries are peaceful, by design. And our walk was satisfying and unhurried. The monuments all have a story about a life that they represent. Walking next to my Mom, I reconnected with my family and my history. As we walked, I also learned about many of her teachers and friends who have already passed.I heard stories about how they were related and how they had interacted. So many people and so many memories still alive in her mind and now mine. I have never been afraid of cemeteries and have always been in awe of the histories of the many lives that can be uncovered.
While often called the final resting places, I know that our loved ones are not there, they have moved on across the bridge into eternity. As a result, I prefer to think of cemeteries as a place to pause and find the stories waiting to be rediscovered and memories to be rekindled.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Monday, May 7, 2012
Monday Musings - May 7, 2012
1. Extended family gatherings are a blessing and they happen too infrequently.
2. I went into a time warp driving north from Maryland. The trees are only just beginning to leaf.
3. Is it funny or scary when Makayla decides she needs to sit on my lap while I'm driving?
4. Don't look now, but the team from Baltimore has the best record in baseball and they just swept Boston in Fenway Park for the first time since 1994.
5. Why is it that the British royals still garner so much news in the U.S.?
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
2. I went into a time warp driving north from Maryland. The trees are only just beginning to leaf.
3. Is it funny or scary when Makayla decides she needs to sit on my lap while I'm driving?
4. Don't look now, but the team from Baltimore has the best record in baseball and they just swept Boston in Fenway Park for the first time since 1994.
5. Why is it that the British royals still garner so much news in the U.S.?
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Boys at Play
Saturday is a day for sports it seems. Soccer and lacrosse and baseball are the big sports in our area right now.
Yesterday morning, Jax had a soccer game and during the game Ethan and Lucas found entertainment on the local play ground. I did miss most of the game watching the boys play--but the day was warm and the sun bright so it wasn't all bad.
I am a bit sad that somehow we missed going to E's lacrosse game during the afternoon where he tallied two goals.
But we did get to spend the morning together and enjoy a nice lunch.
Then it was off t the house to work in the yards and around the pool. Why is it thought that there is always more work to do around the house on a nice day than there is time and energy to get it all done?
At least the morning was enjoyable.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Yesterday morning, Jax had a soccer game and during the game Ethan and Lucas found entertainment on the local play ground. I did miss most of the game watching the boys play--but the day was warm and the sun bright so it wasn't all bad.
I am a bit sad that somehow we missed going to E's lacrosse game during the afternoon where he tallied two goals.
But we did get to spend the morning together and enjoy a nice lunch.
Then it was off t the house to work in the yards and around the pool. Why is it thought that there is always more work to do around the house on a nice day than there is time and energy to get it all done?
At least the morning was enjoyable.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Saturday, May 5, 2012
From Disney to Danby
It is not just the miles--it is an entire lifetime and state of mind.
From Fantasyland and the carefree joys of childhood punctuated by happy stories and scary monsters, and into the reality of life and living.
A small town boy living in the big metropolitan area cheering for an "I think I can" baseball team who this year keep finding ways to win rather than discovering new and more painful ways to lose.
I know life can be simpler--but can it be better?
Family and friends make it all work day after day.
And the escape back to Fantasyland, whether Disney or the beach, provide the much needed pause in the middle of the frenetic pace of life.
Tomorrow I am off again to Danby and family. The counterpoint to Disney yet the same pause in the frenetic pace of life. There is no fantasy in Danby--just a rugged reality.
Maybe in their extreme difference they are almost the same, Disney and Danby.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
From Fantasyland and the carefree joys of childhood punctuated by happy stories and scary monsters, and into the reality of life and living.
A small town boy living in the big metropolitan area cheering for an "I think I can" baseball team who this year keep finding ways to win rather than discovering new and more painful ways to lose.
I know life can be simpler--but can it be better?
Family and friends make it all work day after day.
And the escape back to Fantasyland, whether Disney or the beach, provide the much needed pause in the middle of the frenetic pace of life.
Tomorrow I am off again to Danby and family. The counterpoint to Disney yet the same pause in the frenetic pace of life. There is no fantasy in Danby--just a rugged reality.
Maybe in their extreme difference they are almost the same, Disney and Danby.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Friday, May 4, 2012
Mowing the Lawn
Sometimes, it seems, mowing the lawn can be an important interlude in the cycle of the day's activities. Although technically work, there is so much more to mowing my lawn. It is a time to grasp how things are growing and developing.
Last evening, as I was mowing, I noticed the plums developing on my trees. They are growing bigger and I dream of harvesting them and enjoying their sweet taste. Truth is, the squirrels get to them before I do and I get to enjoy precious few of them. But I enjoy my plum trees--they are the first trees to blossom in the Spring and the first to fruit in the mid-summer.
I also noticed how the grasses around the pool are rapidly growing to achieve their full height and provide the privacy screen that I so enjoy.
Life has a way of getting out of control and the time spent mowing the lawn gives me the opportunity to review the activities of my life and get them back into their proper order.
To say that I look forward to mowing the lawn is not entirely correct, but I do appreciate the time to pause and reflect away from my phone and iPad. My mind is always turning while I am mowing--and when the task is completed and the mower is back into its spot in the garage, my life always seems to be a more organized.
No--I will not mow your lawn, too! One lawn a week is enough!
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Last evening, as I was mowing, I noticed the plums developing on my trees. They are growing bigger and I dream of harvesting them and enjoying their sweet taste. Truth is, the squirrels get to them before I do and I get to enjoy precious few of them. But I enjoy my plum trees--they are the first trees to blossom in the Spring and the first to fruit in the mid-summer.
I also noticed how the grasses around the pool are rapidly growing to achieve their full height and provide the privacy screen that I so enjoy.
Life has a way of getting out of control and the time spent mowing the lawn gives me the opportunity to review the activities of my life and get them back into their proper order.
To say that I look forward to mowing the lawn is not entirely correct, but I do appreciate the time to pause and reflect away from my phone and iPad. My mind is always turning while I am mowing--and when the task is completed and the mower is back into its spot in the garage, my life always seems to be a more organized.
No--I will not mow your lawn, too! One lawn a week is enough!
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Across the Bridge and Into Eternity
It is with a great deal of sadness that I report the passing of my Aunt Janice yesterday morning, after a short, incredibly sudden accident. Se was a faithful reader of my blog (one of my few) and the last surviving sibling of my Mom.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to gather with the family around her bed on Monday night and to reminisce of our childhood and the closeness that we all used to share. I realized that I have become a bit distant--and we need to tighten up the bond that we call family.
I always looked for and enjoyed Aunt Janice's comments on my blog posts--she usually had something interesting to write. I enjoyed seeing her reaction to the items I wrote.
I have many fond memories of growing up and knowing her and all of my cousins--we never understood back then in the safe 60's (yup, I wrote it) how our lives would develop and how fragmented we would become as adults.
I read an awesome book a few months ago titled: Heaven is for Real. I highly recommend it. It made me cry for joy. Some of what was written within its pages comforts me now.
When standing on the edge of eternity, it is easy to wonder if it is all real. Yeah, it is.
A pastor once told me that death is a lot like moving and changing your address. You are still alive, you just don't live at the old house anymore. Although cell phones don't reach into heaven, yet.
To all my family--may God fill you with the peace of assurance and help to turn your mourning into gladness. (Jeremiah 31:13)
For me? I'll always remember her riding in my car last summer and how much she enjoyed it and remarked that it reminded her of when she was a teenager.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to gather with the family around her bed on Monday night and to reminisce of our childhood and the closeness that we all used to share. I realized that I have become a bit distant--and we need to tighten up the bond that we call family.
I always looked for and enjoyed Aunt Janice's comments on my blog posts--she usually had something interesting to write. I enjoyed seeing her reaction to the items I wrote.
I have many fond memories of growing up and knowing her and all of my cousins--we never understood back then in the safe 60's (yup, I wrote it) how our lives would develop and how fragmented we would become as adults.
I read an awesome book a few months ago titled: Heaven is for Real. I highly recommend it. It made me cry for joy. Some of what was written within its pages comforts me now.
When standing on the edge of eternity, it is easy to wonder if it is all real. Yeah, it is.
A pastor once told me that death is a lot like moving and changing your address. You are still alive, you just don't live at the old house anymore. Although cell phones don't reach into heaven, yet.
To all my family--may God fill you with the peace of assurance and help to turn your mourning into gladness. (Jeremiah 31:13)
For me? I'll always remember her riding in my car last summer and how much she enjoyed it and remarked that it reminded her of when she was a teenager.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Trees and Green Again
The bats were flying last evening as Chris and I sat out on in our outdoor living room to enjoy one of the first, nice evenings of Spring.
The trees have filled in the voids nicely and we again have our our own private piece of the world.
We reflected upon the events of the past couple of days and counted the blessings that we have been given for no good reason other than God loves us. I reflected upon the message in church on Sunday which reinforced the concept that God owns everything and gives me the use some things for my enjoyment and his pleasure.
What a perspective changer.
I enjoy the backyard that he has seen fit to surround with a leafy canopy of green.
I leaned forward to smell the honey locust blossoms on the breeze.
And smiled remembering the gardenias I found in Disney just over a week ago.
A world to enjoy, if only I would slow down.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
The trees have filled in the voids nicely and we again have our our own private piece of the world.
We reflected upon the events of the past couple of days and counted the blessings that we have been given for no good reason other than God loves us. I reflected upon the message in church on Sunday which reinforced the concept that God owns everything and gives me the use some things for my enjoyment and his pleasure.
What a perspective changer.
I enjoy the backyard that he has seen fit to surround with a leafy canopy of green.
I leaned forward to smell the honey locust blossoms on the breeze.
And smiled remembering the gardenias I found in Disney just over a week ago.
A world to enjoy, if only I would slow down.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Family in Action
What is family?
The people who stand with you during a crisis.
They also rejoice when good things happen. And very often they help make good things happen.
I was reminded of a bible verse, Job 2:13,where Jobs friends join him after calamity takes away his family and possessions. They sat with him for seven days and said nothing. That is hard to do. But they were there.
Presence--is more important than words. Being there is the best form of comfort.
Sometimes the best thing to say, is nothing at all.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
The people who stand with you during a crisis.
They also rejoice when good things happen. And very often they help make good things happen.
I was reminded of a bible verse, Job 2:13,where Jobs friends join him after calamity takes away his family and possessions. They sat with him for seven days and said nothing. That is hard to do. But they were there.
Presence--is more important than words. Being there is the best form of comfort.
Sometimes the best thing to say, is nothing at all.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
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