Thursday, March 10, 2016

Buds on the Trees


Well, I thought Tuesday was great with temperatures in the 70's, but yesterday was even better. The temperatures crested 80 degrees and I wore shorts for the first time this season.

It was awesome to be outside and enjoy both the warmth and the sunlight.

While I was tracking down an errant golf ball, I discovered buds on the trees behind the house.

They were a little blurry--but they were definitely emerging from the winter slumber to restore green to the scenery.

Today marks the beginning of my southern sojourn for baseball and golf.  Be advised, I expect to be writing about mostly those topics for the next couple of days. I may be lucky enough to see the Orioles get their first Spring Training win. The are still mired at a dismal 0-9-1. I am excited about seeing Chris Tillman, our pitching ace get the start today.

Even with less than successful baseball, Spring is here. We moved some of the plants outside to enjoy the sunshine and warmth. I want the weather to continue.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Springtime Arrived


The temperature climbed to 77 degrees yesterday. It was the region's first foray into the 70's since Christmas! We had a beautiful Christmas day, but since then it has been nothing short of miserable.

Cat in the Gym Parking Lot
I was happy to enjoy the temperatures outside, despite having a racquetball match in the evening. So no, I didn't get out to swing my clubs in preparation for my upcoming trip. I could have some ugly golf outings. 

One of the things I did treat myself to was driving in Cat with the top down! I love to take that initial image of Cat once the weather warms enough for a drive. Actually, we had the top down in late February for an afternoon, but that was pushing it a but. I feel like it is really Spring now!
Spring Peeper

It was awesome to feel the warm breeze in my hair as I sped down the parkway. 

Last evening on my way home from the gym, I even heard the peepers beginning their springtime songs. 

Springtime has arrives--and not a bit too early for my way of thinking. Looking at the weather forecasts, the region is not expected to be below 40 at least the next 10 days! I need to get some of the wintering plants outside to get used to the sun again!

I can almost hear the mower revving up in the shed.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Another Day--Another Loss


The Orioles are perfect in Spring Training games. they haven't won yet and the prospects are not good for the inaugural win to happen anytime soon. 


Yesterday, with the most of the expected regular season starting lineup in the game, they were shut out 3-0 by the Twins. The O's are 0-7 (not counting one tie on the first game of the Spring Training session).

It is dismal and probably will not do a lot to sell opening day tickets when they go on sale next week.


I know it is Spring Training and I know the games are more to see who can play and who can't, but I'd like to see something other than another loss posted on the scoreboard. I am going to see the team in person on Thursday against the team that shall remain nameless form up north; I'd dearly like to beat that team--just because! Turns out, I think the game will be broadcast on MASN back to the Baltimore area! Hopefully I can get on camera!!

On the other hand, the temperature was 77 degrees at Ed Smith Stadium for the game yesterday. It was only in the low-60's here. And I know the palm trees were dancing in the 18 mph breeze!

So does it really matter if the team loses, but I am baking in the bright sun with an adult drink in my hand watching the palm trees dance?

Yes, it really does matter.

Let's Go O's!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, March 7, 2016

Monday Musings - March 7, 2016


1. March has arrived. Warmer temperatures in the 70's are in the forecast! Springtime may actually be here.

2. No good deed goes unpunished.

Jackson Turns 8
3. It is amazing how paint can be rejuvenating and therapeutic.

4. Happy Birthday Jackson. You're 8!

5. I did not attend any basketball games this weekend. I did, however, attend two birthday parties.

Ronald and Nancy Regan
6. Did anyone else notice that the Orioles are winless thus far during the Spring Training campaign?

7. With the death of Nancy Reagan yesterday, an era as ended. Ronald and Nancy Reagan were a class act as President and First Lady and they brought a resurgence to America that we are searching for again.

8. Peyton Manning is expected to announce his retirement from the NFL today. He had a great career and won two Super Bowls. 

9. Does anyone else think that watching an episode of Caribbean Life on HGTV during March makes them feel warmer?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Crazy Busy Day


No good deed goes unpunished.

I have heard that phrase repeatedly during my adult work life. It seems that it also applies to home life as well.

Newly Painted Family Room
Yesterday was a Saturday with nothing specific planned. That meant painting the family room! We had purchased two gallons of our new favorite color a few weeks ago, but had not yet had time to change the wall color. 

Yesterday was the day! And the painting went well. So well that we were also planning of refreshing the trim as well--right up until water began pouring out from under the kitchen sink after the brushes were washed.

Newly Installed Faucet
What seemed like a simple leak quickly turned into a trip to Lowe's and a $10 repair to the sprayer hose became a $350 new faucet assembly! I have to admit the existing faucet did have a drip, too and needed some work. I did have a lot of fun working under the sink installing the new faucet. To begin with, it took over an hour to get the old faucet deconstructed. 

But the new one is installed and fully functional. A new sink may be coming soon, but fortunately, Lowe's did not have the desired replacement in stock! 

By the end of the day a simple job devoted to painting the family room quickly became a new faucet! What a day!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Last Snow of the Season


Yesterday I woke up to the world repainted by the brush strokes of snow highlighting the trees and bushes. 

I am not a fan of snow, but nearly everyone I talked to during the day stopped for a moment to appreciate the beauty of the snow on the branches of the trees. Even I, a person who finds few redeeming qualities in snow, thought the scenes played out before me were especially pretty. I enjoyed the constantly changing landscape during my drive to work.

I think it was the clear, wet roads and sidewalks framed by the trees covered with the white snow that made the scene so stark and enjoyable. I took the images in the predawn light, but the day became more beautiful as the sun rose.

I am glad that I was able to enjoy the beauty, which lasted for only a few hours. 

And now it is gone!

I was a fitting end to winter! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, March 4, 2016

My Take: Too Much Reality TV


Yes, I watched some of the most recent Republican debate last evening. I compare it to the "Gunfight at the OK Corral." There were definitely a lot of shots fired.

And then there were four
March 3, 2016
The four remaining Republican candidates took to the airwaves again to enlighten us as to why we should elect them President in November. 

For three of the men, the evening can be summed up in the following paragraph extracted from the New York Times article titled, In Republican Debate, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio Wage Urgent Attacks on Donald Trump

At times, the face-off in Detroit also deteriorated into the kind of junior high school taunts that have startled many Republican elders but have done little to dent Mr. Trump’s broad appeal. As Mr. Trump and Mr. Rubio traded insults over their manhood, Mr. Trump recalled Mr. Rubio’s innuendo that Mr. Trump’s “small hands” correlated with another part of his anatomy.

My Take? Unless these guys can stop slandering each other and begin to propose solid mean to get our dysfunctional government working again, I am pretty much done with all three of them. 

The only candidate on the stage who has meaningful proposals was largely overlooked in the media bloodbath that the media would have us believe is a debate. He was mentioned only once in the article I referenced above.

The fourth candidate, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who has positioned himself as the positive-sounding and seasoned executive in the race, largely stuck to that strategy. But Mr. Kasich, who is lagging far behind Mr. Trump and the other candidates, struggled to leave a mark in the debate.

Gov Kasich left his mark by not lowering himself into the mudslinging into which the debates and the campaigning have degenerated. Sadly, I am sure he will soon be out of the race.

The media and the candidates have allowed the presidential primary season to become a reality TV show.

It is reality and it is just as bad as any other reality show currently being offered, the problem is--this one has real consequences not just for our country, but for the world.

My Take: We need substance and not sensationalism to help us elect the next leader of the free world!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Boys of Summer Return


Grapefruit League Scores March 2, 2016
Washington Post
Yesterday, for the second day in a row, I was able to check the baseball scores and find that games had been played! It made me happy.

The results don't make me particularly happy, but the idea that I can check the scores and see that Major League Baseball Spring Training games had been played warmed me against the steadily falling temperatures that I experienced yesterday.

Even better? Next week I will be climbing onto a Southwest Airlines 737 and heading to the warmth of South Florida to experience some of the games in person!

Since I have been to both of the stadiums in which I will be watching games, I know what to expect and that is simply--bright sunshine, blue skies, and the need to apply copious amounts of sunscreen! 

To say that I am excited is an understatement. The idea of getting away to Florida to enjoy an early taste of Springtime is very appealing. I am already beginning to think about wearing shorts, flip flops, and short sleeve shirts. Although, as I look at the temperature forecasts, the highs in Sarasota are projected to be 79-81 degrees while in Elkridge, the highs are going to be relatively warm topping out in the 60's and low 70's. 

But Florida has palm trees! And baseball! And Golf! and Sunshine!

Baseball is warming up in the bullpen, and with it the return of summer, pools, and outdoor living.

Maybe the groundhog was right about an early Spring!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

A Year in Space


Scott Kelly has returned to Earth! Safely. That may not seem like such a big deal to most of us, but for him I believe the readjustment is going to be interesting. 

As reported by the New York Times in the article titled, Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Returns to Earth after 340 Days in Space,  Scott set a record for consecutive days in space by an American. Couples with his other trips off the planet, he has spent 540 days in space.

I can only imagine how it feels to be reacquainted with gravity.  Going from the relative freedom of microgravity and back to full gravity will likely take some adjustment. I wonder how long it takes a body to fully recover so that every step or breath is not painful?

Scott Kelly's Last Tweet from Space
The Sunrise
It was written that he observed 10,944 sunrises and sunsets! That is almost 30 years worth of sunrises and sunsets in less than a year! That would, in an of itself, be a spectacular experience. Living in a container for almost a year, however, is not something that I long to do, even with the incredible view. I have come to appreciate the smell of the morning and the feeling of the breeze upon my face.

Scott Kelly is an American hero! We have forgotten the time when astronauts received ticker-tape parades through New York City and the entire country celebrated their achievements. I believe we have become too focused upon the mundane and the political upheavals to allow our imaginations to soar away from the planet anymore even as the possibilities are becoming reality.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Super Tuesday


Arundel Park Golf Range
February 29, 2016
March has arrived! I cannot believe that it is already the third month of the year, although I am happy to bid farewell to February. What a crazy month it was. From frigid temperatures to top-down-driving-with-your-hair-on-fire sunshine splashed warmth to close out the month.


Arundel Park
I regret that I was not able to get in a round of golf during the month, although yesterday I did make it to the practice range for a few bucket to begin trying to get my swing in shape before next week's golf trip to Florida. I was surprised that the range was empty. I even found a rare left-handed tee box right in the front of the entry instead of having to go all the way to one end.

But on to today--it is Super Tuesday. I'm not sure why they decided to call today's primary extravaganza "Super" and not "Insane" or something like that, but I already know what will dominate the news. I wished I lived in a state that was holding its primary today and that way it would all be over except the shouting. 

I am not going to make a prediction about the outcome of today's primary voting except to say that I believe one clear candidate will emerge for each party and that the rest of the primaries will be dedicated to confirming that candidates ability to win the primary on the first vote during this summer's conventions.

I remain disappointed over the media coverage and the debates.I do not believe that the American people get to adequately examine all of the candidates when the media coverage is provided commensurate with the shock effect of the individual candidates. In my estimation, each of the top five candidates (3 Republican and 2 Democrat) have significant deficits which make them less than optimal choices to be President.  

It is time to choose! I wish I could go golfing.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
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