My Take: November versus Christmas

I had the opportunity to accompany Chris into Target the other evening where the Halloween section was rapidly being replaced by the Christmas-related items for sale. 

What happened to November? They skipped right over the turkeys and the pilgrims. That is a holiday foul!

Maybe it is me; I just do not want to deal with the idea of Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, it is the holiday shopping season that I could live without. The advertisements for Black Friday sales are already in full swing--and it isn't even Black Friday yet. 

How about  breather to enjoy the season that is and not rush headlong into the season that is coming.

Fireplace at Home

On Monday evening, we transitioned from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The house is adorned with pilgrims, pumpkins (not jack-o-lanterns), and turkeys.

There is more than enough time for December decorations, when the time comes. Let's not rush the season. I almost wish for January 2nd, when we can begin to get back to a normal pace of life. 

I we are going to rush something, let's skip over it all and get right to April and pool opening season!

Like that is going to happen.

Enjoy November and Thanksgiving. I know at least one member of my family thinks that Thanksgiving is the best holiday, ever! So let's enjoy it!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Autumn's Blast

My Neighbor's Trees in the Evening Light

Green has departed the forests, except for the evergreens. All of the leaves around my yard have turned and many trees are rapidly becoming bare as autumn hastens into winter. 

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

I ran across this quote by Albert Camus yesterday and I was surprised that I never had heard it before. 

It is definitely true this autumn, when I have been appreciating the leaves as they don their autumn colors before falling into piles on my lawn ready to be swept back into the forest near the bases of the trees from which they fell.

Trees around my yard
November 2, 2015

Last evening was especially stunning as the setting sun accentuated the colors. I caught the sun reflecting off the clouds, silhouetting the nearly devoid of leaves trees around my yard. 

Sunset in the Window

It was a stark scene that foretells the winter that is to come.

I captured an interesting view of the sunset reflected in the window of Chris' car. I thought it to be interesting view of the sunset. 

And as the autumn deepens, sunset comes earlier and earlier, the dark season is at hand stifling the brilliance of the leaves.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 2, 2015

1. I can't believe that it is November already! It seems like yesterday, I was just closing the pool.

2. Happiness is something I can choose!

3. The Ravens won yesterday, they are no longer tied for the worst record in the NFL. Miracles do still happen.

GORC 80lb Wildcats after Playoff Win
November 1, 2015

4. The GORC Wildcats 80lb football team salvaged a 7-0 playoff win yesterday. Jax made a possible touchdown saving tackle on a kickoff return.

5. Congrats to the Kansas City Royals on winning the 2015 World Series. Now we can get down to business and start building the Orioles into a World Series contender.

Spruce Goose in Flight

6. On this day, in 1947, the Spruce Goose flew! It was its maiden and only flight.

7. Bad fog is cancelling flights and snarling traffic in the UK today.

8. I had another frustrating day on the golf course yesterday in that I didn't play as well as I believe that I can. I feel like I am close to playing really well, but each new round highlights another aspect of my game requiring attention.

9. China dropped its one-child policy! I think that is a win for the people of China. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Season of the Turkey

With the arrival of November, the Season of the Turkey is upon us!

As the Halloween decorations find their spots in boxes and before the onslaught of the Christmas season, there are a couple weeks of respite when the Season of the Turkey provides comic relief culminating with the celebration of Thanksgiving!

Wood to be Stacked

In preparation of the beginning of the Dark Season, coincident with the Season of the Turkey, I spent most all of yesterday working in the yard. There was wood to stack and grasses to cut from around the pool. It was a solid day of work, but the results were worth the effort.

Stacked and Ready for Winter

There is always so much to do to get ready for the season ahead and I was glad for nice weather to get most of it done. I made two trips to the landfill with trash and of course the grasses from around the pool to be recycled. I forgot to snap an image of the truck overloaded with the grasses, which were tightly strapped into place. It is always a bit comical to see how high they stack.

It was a bright and sunny autumn day, the culmination of which was Halloween and Trick or Treating. The numbers of children seemed lower this year, but the neighborhood parties were definitely increased. I was amazed at the obvious presence of the police to ensure the festivities were celebrated without incident. 

Autumn View of the Lawn
October 31, 2015

In the end, I was even able to hit a bucket of golf balls into my net and help my sore muscles stretch out after the stresses and strain of the day.

With each passing day, I am more ready for the Season of the Turkey. 

For now, I will take a deep breath and enjoy the pause before the craziness of the holiday season crashes upon me!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Halloween and the Zombie Apocalypse

Lucas: The Piñata must Die!

Coincident with the end of October, is one of those American observances--Halloween. The History Channel has a good exposé on the origins of Halloween. 

This paragraph from the History Channel article defines the context for the holiday as it evolved in America. 

Celebration of Halloween was extremely limited in colonial New England because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. Halloween was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups as well as the American Indians meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included “play parties,” public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.

Ethan in Costume

Tonight is that night that the "distinctly American version of Halloween," and the harvest celebration gets into full swing with the annual Trick or Treating which brings kids to the doors of many homes and parents follow along behind to keep them safe. 

I am not a huge fan of Halloween--but, I have come to appreciate the social exchange that occurs in many neighborhoods as neighbors meet, perhaps for the only time each year, on their doorsteps and neighborhoods are drawn together. 

Nicole, the Hostess in Costume

Last evening, I attended a Halloween party which embodies the good characteristics of the observance. Family and neighborhood friends got together, not so much to observe Halloween, but as a pretext to get together and enjoy some time away from the stresses of life. 

Tonight, I will wander a neighborhood following behind the grandchildren and their friends as we visit the holes of their neighbors. Along the way we will bee up with other neighbors that we know from years past and marvel as the growth of the kids i na year. We may exchange some punch or other adult beverage, and we will enjoy the youthful enthusiasm of the evening.

That is bad, how? I think some overly moralistic and self-anointed keepers of tradition need to get over themselves.

I do have a thought! What if the Zombie Apocalypse happened on Halloween? Would we know until it was too late? I don't want to get into a discussion of Zombies--according to the definition, they are fictional characters and they are best left that way.

They are fictional, right?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Autumn Light

Driving home yesterday afternoon after a quick round of golf, and before the ending of Daylight Saving Time causes these infrequent afternoon delights to end, I noticed the clouds in the sky highlighting the autumn leaves of the trees.

Plugged Ball in the Side of a Bunker
October 29, 2015
Timbers at Troy

It was an idyllic afternoon. 

I was able to play 11 holes of golf in less than two hours after working a whole day and enjoy the weather. 

I did encounter some interesting shots on the golf course which tested both my skills and patience, like the plugged ball in the side of a bunker on the par 3, 5th. I was able to get it out in two strokes and salvaged a double bogey on the hole.

It was a beautiful afternoon made even more so by the reflection of the setting sun off the clouds highlighting the golden and red leaves of the autumnal trees.

I definitely noticed the fast approaching darkness as the light began to disappear at about 5:30 PM. It was too bad that darkness was so quickly falling, because I was able to make par on both the 10th and 11th holes. This was a great way to end probably my last mid-week golf outing until Daylight Saving Time returns during March.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Debate-o-rama

Another debate and another loss for the American people. 

The line of Republican hopefuls were struggling to be heard and yet, when they were heard, they all sounded the same. 

I seemed like a group of angry men and women. 

Angry that they could not control the format or the questions. And if they didn't like a question they either ignored it or complained that their question was harder.

One of the funniest moments was when a particularly contentious issue was being discussed and the candidates inquired what the rules were for allowing follow-on comments. They did not like the answer--moderator discretion. It was humorous.

The NY Times provides a summary of each candidates' performance in How They Did: A Breakdown of the Republican Debate on CNBC. Reading the article is a lot more interesting that watching the so called debate. I have to agree, the CNBC moderators did not and could not moderate the event. 

In my mind, the big losers were Jeb Bush and Rand Paul. They failed to clearly get their messages out and at times appeared petty. 

There was no big winner, but Marco Rubio was clear and focused. 

Donald Trump and Ben Carson were too busy trying not to lose that  they almost failed to make an appearance. 

The rest of the crowd were lost in the noise and confusion of the evening.

What I heard--everyone has a tax plan! Everyone has a reason for trying to sound different.--but they all are beginning to sound alike and the same. 

All I heard was more whining and less substance.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

For All the Pigs in Iowa

I read a fascinating fact in the Washington Post yesterday. According to Senator Grassley, the senior U.S. Senator from Iowa, "one out of every three pigs in the U.S. lives in Iowa!" Yes, the story was about lifting the pork ban in Federal Prisons, but the factoid was interesting nonetheless.

Is it just a weird coincidence that the Presidential Olympics is currently playing out in Iowa in advance of the caucasus? Most of the candidates are spending time in Iowa and, perhaps, the will of the hog farmers is being heard in the reversal of the Federal Prison ban on pork and pork products?

Pork on a plate

I'm not sure what to do with this information. I am not sure I can even figure out why is it significant?

I wonder if the recently forged budget deal has anything to do with Iowa and the hog farmers?

Just saying.

Well, if the government is funded through September 2017 and we don't have to worry about shutdowns and furloughs, is that a bad thing?

And maybe is it all because one in three U.S. pigs live in Iowa?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Return of the Dark Season

Many people have noticed that I hesitate to call the season that officially begins during December, in the Northern Hemisphere, by its given name. I actually have a reason. By calling it the Dark Season, I can more closely align the actual season when Daylight Saving Time ends with the calendar. 

This year on Sunday, November 1, Daylight Saving Time ends and the Dark Season begins. That is the coming Sunday. By the way, did you notice that Daylight Saving Time is singular and not plural?

During the dark season, all hope of getting out of work on time and getting in a few holes of golf evaporates. One week from today, the sun will set in Elkridge, MD, at 5:04 PM and it will be dark by 5:32 PM--effectively ending outside activities.

Preparations for the dark season are in full gear! There are grasses to cut around the pool area and windows to replace. There are leaves to be raked and lawns to be prepped for the coming season. The loss of the evenings means that I will be spending more time inside--wishing that I was outside.

And with the darkness, the cold arrives! 

With the loss of thermal warming from our good friend Sol, the temperatures drop and the warm rains of summer turn into the frigid blizzards of December!

Face it--the dark season is not my favorite.

Last evening I was outside at 6 PM, in daylight, hitting golf balls into my net. Next week, I won't even be able to see my net at that time.

The dark is coming!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 26, 2015

New Entrance Light

1. I was beginning the process of installing a new light yesterday when Chris noticed it was dark in the room and turned on the light. Unfortunately she turned on the light that I was removing! I wonder if she had more nefarious motives?

2. Here is a question, why do NFL teams needing for a first down on a 4th and 8 yards to go throw a 5 yard pass and think that is somehow going to be successful?


3. The World Series is finally beginning. It is the Royals against the Mets. I am cheering for the Mets since the Royals eliminated the Orioles last year.

4. The weather this past week was mild and enjoyable. The leaves are falling off the trees in droves. I cleared them from my lawn on Wednesday and it looked as if I had done nothing by Thursday evening.

Statement on the Side of a Case of Wine

5. At a friends house for dinner the other evening, I noticed an interesting phrase printed on the side of a case of wine. It read, "Caution: You're about to have a lot more friends." 

6. I was reading an advertisement from the New York Times and was amazed to discover that modern homes burn faster, much faster, than older homes. That just doesn't make sense to me.

7. I have never caught a baseball while sitting in a stadium. Apparently, there is a science to catching baseballs in the stands as detailed in the article How to Catch a Baseball in the Stands. Who knew?

8. I was amazed at how much work I was able to get done around the house by just staying home and working yesterday. What a concept! My biggest projects of the season is still out there: cutting the grasses around the pool and replacing two more basement windows. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD