Monday, March 9, 2015

Monday Musings - March 9, 2015

1. It was over 50 degrees yesterday for the first time since the beginning of February. 
Happy Hour on the Deck
March 8, 2015

2. Happy Hour on the deck with the fire table and snow in the background. 

3. It is amazing how one day with temperatures warm enough to allow me to venture outside into the sunshine improves my outlook on life.

4. I noticed that the tulip poplars have leaf buds on them already. Spring is surely trying to arrive.
Gridlock at Arundel Mills
March 7, 2015

5. Saturday evening Chris and I mistakenly attempted to attend a movie at Arundel Mills Mall. After thirty minutes of gridlock we finally escaped after missing the start time of the movie. Note to self: Avoid Arundel Mills Mall!

6. I am appalled at the severity of the punishment levied against Syracuse University and Coach Boeheim by the NCAA. It seems inconsistent with punishments handed out to other universities.  Further, I think the NCAA is an organization that has outlived its usefulness.

7. I find it interesting that the Maryland Legislature decided not to repeal a tax on rain. Who elected the representatives that decided that?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, March 8, 2015

History's Demise

Reading in the NY Times about the widespread destruction of antiquities by the ISIL hordes in Iraq struck a chord with me. 

If people do not have to be confronted with their history, then they are free to believe anything they want. People seem to be afraid of history when it clashes with their belief system.

I have read and heard it before. For example:

In 2001, the Taliban destroyed Budda statues that was the country's most famous tourist attraction. 

There are those who deny the holocaust ever happened.

Those who want to believe that theirs is the only civilization that ever existed.

Those who rewrite history to make their more prominent or more important.

Those who strike words from speeches and books which are contrary to their beliefs.

Those who ban books, like Tom Sawyer and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from school libraries because they contain values contrary to their narrow beliefs. 

Some people operate on the principle of: Don't confuse me with the facts.

I must strive not to impose my narrow beliefs upon the world and eradicate things that do not conform to how I believe. The world is too big and my mind is too small appreciate the diversity that is set before me and as I grapple with making sense of everything, it is too easy to eradicate those things that disagree with my beliefs--so that I don't have to deal with them.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Bird Watching on a Snowy Winter Day

I am not the only person in the house that likes to watch the birds outside the window on cold and snowy days.

Chris was busy with her camera during the storm the other day and took some nice shots of birds visiting the feeders. 

We both like cardinals and so the images captured are tend to be mostly of them; however, not just the males but the females as well. I think one of her best shots was of a female cardinal. 

When the snow is falling so quickly, what else is there to do except plan to shovel and be thankful that we are in a warm house with nature to provide entertainment. 

Stay warm!

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD


Friday, March 6, 2015

Spring Update

The Lawn
March 6, 2015
It is time for an update on Spring!

Despite the frozen world that I am awakening to this morning, with its surreal beauty, there is actually springtime occurring in the south.

I am watching the sky form behind the snowy trees, it is clear and cold but traces of orange are building with the impending dawn. 

During the night, I was awake for a few minutes and looked out upon the snow covered landscape where the leafless trees cast stark shadows across the lawn in the moonlight. It looked cold and I did not find any signs of Spring in the scene.

But Spring is coming. The Orioles are now 2-2 in Spring Training baseball games--they won two games yesterday to even the season. It is only Spring Training, but the starters were definitely playing well in the 5-0 evening win at Ed Smith Stadium punctuated by a Chris Davis three-run home run. I hope to be watching a game from there in about two short weeks!

The temperatures are warming! I see 50's in the forecast and by this time next week all of the snow in the image that I took should be a memory.

Most importantly, Daylight Savings Time returns this weekend to steal an hour of precious sleep from all of us! The morning light that I have been enjoying goes away and the evenings will be lighter, longer! A sure sign that good things are coming in terms of weather. 

And in even more convincing news--Spring officially begins in two weeks, March 20th at 6:45PM EDT!  I have it prominently marked on my calendar. The celebrating will begin!

I am done with winter and am ready to bid it good-bye. By focusing upon the signs of Spring, I can do that, at least in my mind!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Birds in the Snow

It has been a snow day. Chris measured 8 inches of new snow! Ugh!

I have to go back out in a few minutes when the snow stops and get it off the driveway.

But, it has been fascinating to watch the birds at the feeders even on this miserable and getting colder day.

I was so fascinated, I took a few photos of them and made a movie.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Talking about the Weather, Again!

10 Day Forecast for Elkridge, MD
March 5, 2015
It is the weather after all. There isn't much we can do about it. It happens despite our plans.

I'm sitting here this morning writing and waiting for a storm that will drop 5-8 inches of snow on the region and paralyze the activities of the day. I have already changed my plans. 

Celebrations and good-byes that were planned have been rescheduled, additional groceries (including a healthy amount of wild bird seed) have been purchased and stored, and the vehicles are fully gassed and ready for any exigency. 

But there is frustration.

The weather forecasters say the storm is coming--but as I write this not a flake has fallen from the sky.

Has the storm disappeared? Changed course? Magically decided to miss this small region of the planet?

Probably not! They say the evil forces of nature are still taking direct aim at all of us who live here and we have had enough warning and should be prepared for the worst.

I remember that when I was a kid, weather just seemed to happen. We would wake in the morning and figure out the weather for the day. There wasn't a lot of preparation. During the winters in Central New York, I would wake up and see that 10 additional inches of snow had fallen and realize that I needed to shovel the driveway before the bus came to take me to school.

I detest shoveling snow probably because of those cold, dark winter's mornings of my youth.

I am encouraged, however, the 10-day forecast is now showing temperatures approaching 60 degrees!!! Yay. Maybe this terrible spate of weather is finally going to break and we will return to something more normal.

I think I will focus upon the forecast to get me through the snow that is still coming all too soon.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Iran and the Bomb

The weather is again dominating the local news, however on the international scene the Iranian nuclear desires are the big ticket item along side the continuing war against the oppression and medieval forces of ISIL. There is a deal in the works that is explained in basic terms in the NY Times article, The Nuclear Talks

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke before a joint session of Congress yesterday describing, from his vantage point, the problems with the negotiations and ending the sanctions against Iran in exchange for assurances that they will not pursue nuclear weapons.

I was able to watch parts of the address as it was carried live on FoxNews. 

What amazes me this morning is the uneven, partisan coverage of the address and the impending agreement with Iran. The substance of the speech is not being addressed on a factual basis, but rather from an emotional point of view. This is a recipe for failure.

I am reminded of the late 1930's and the Prime Minister of the UK, Neville Chamberlain who attempted to appease Hitler. That policy had tragic results resulting in Chamberlain's resignation in 1940 and the occupation of much of continental Europe by the Nazi forces before the combined militaries of many nations were able to liberate conquered peoples.

As I read the responses to the speech this morning in the press, I am appalled at the lack of historical context the writers possess and I am concerned that they do not see what is happening in the world today.

For instance, Iran is conducting operations in Iraq against ISIL and these operations were not well coordinated with the United States led coalition as reported on FoxNews and by others. While it may appear they are integrated and assisting, perhaps they are working to achieve their own objectives apart from the combined efforts of the coalition.

In an effort, I presume, to show balanced coverage, the New York Times published an OpEd piece written by Gholamali Khoshroo Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations. In that piece, Mr. Khoshroo writes,  "alarmist rhetoric on the theme has been a staple of Mr. Netanyahu’s career. In an interview with the BBC in 1997, he accused Iran of secretly “building a formidable arsenal of ballistic missiles,” predicting that eventually Manhattan would be within range." I found this statement to be particularly revealing since The Unites States Institute for Peace characterizes Iran's ballistic missile program as follows: Iran has the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. (Israel has more capable ballistic missiles, but fewer in number and type.) Most were acquired from foreign sources, notably North Korea. The Islamic Republic is the only country to develop a 2,000-km missile without first having a nuclear weapons capability.

This issue will continue to play out on the international stage and within the partisan halls of the U.S. government and bears watching by concerned citizens.

There is a lot more going on that the snow expected to fall outside my windows beginning tonight. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Aftermath of the Storm

Squirrel with "Snowbrella"
Sunday's storm was difficult because of the combination of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. 

During the storm, some interesting things were discovered--for instance, I saw a squirrel using its tail as  snowbrella. It was sitting in one of the planters that we put bird food in and eating away as the flakes fell from the sky with ever increasing speed.

It was an interesting use for a tail.  I found it incredibly creative. And it made me smile. Of course, I was in the warm house and the squirrel was outside in the weather.

Yesterday morning, as I was chopping my truck out of a the block of ice that had formed around it, I saw another photo-worthy sight--heavenly bamboo with berries encased in ice with the sun, yes the sun, shining through it. 

The day was was cold, but the sun melted the ice by the end of the day. The sun is getting stronger every day--it is as strong as early-October right now and getting more and more like September. 

The weather forecast suggests that March will be colder and snowier than normal. I find that to be very distressing. My forecast is that they are wrong!

I'm still waiting for global warming!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, March 2, 2015

Monday Musings - March 2, 2015

General/President Eisenhower Played Baseball
1. President Eisenhower played professional baseball? Who knew? Oh the scandal. The Sporting News reports the story.

2. There is something just wrong with TV weather reporters who smile a lot when they give a miserable weather forecast.

3. Although snow covers my yard--I know the grass is underneath preparing to burst to life. 

4. I saw the movie and thought it would be better titled, 50 Shades of Boring, but this sign made me smile on a cold, snowy day. I think my safe word is "pour another one please!"

5. I have to comment on the passing of Leonard Nimoy. I will never say "Live Long and Prosper," without remembering him.

6. So let me ask--who cares about the color of the dress?

7. Ice. Why did it have to be ice?

8. I'm Sarasota dreaming this morning where the forecast for the day is sunny and 79 degrees.

9. I've been trying to plan a summer vacation--there are too many options.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Start the Celebration

Well, February is over.

Behind us, although probably not to be forgotten and we will be cleaning up the mess for a long time.

The snowiest, coldest, most miserable February in a long time. I know for the region I live in it was not the snowiest--that would be the Snowpocalypse of 2010, but it sure has been cold and miserable. Other parts of the country have seen record snowfalls raising the miserable factor to new levels. 

Someone remarked that the historic average high temperature for this time of year in the Baltimore region is 50 degrees. I would love to see temperatures even in the 40 degree range. Yesterday topped out at 31 degrees.

The Yard
March 1, 2015

But the month is behind us now and March has arrived with the promise of melting snow and warmer temperatures. It is going to be a messy start--but it can only get better from here. Later this month, the sun crosses the Equator and heads into the northern hemisphere and so things should really begin to heat up--finally. I'm looking forward to seeing green instead of brown and gray.

Despite the fact that snow completely covers my yard and more snow, sleet, and freezing rain are forecast for today and much of this week, I am still holding out hope of mowing my lawn at least once before the end of the month. 

It could happen!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
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