Winter Arrives

Shoppers at Wegman's Preparing for the Storm
January 12, 2019

The Baltimore-Washington region has been dodging the storms of Winter for some time now, but the area is finally taking a direct hit.

There are 5 or more inches of snow on the ground with more falling. 

Ugh!

Evening January 12, 2019
As the Storm Begins

I wish I was in Florida right now watching this on the news rather than living it in person. Experiencing snowstorms virtually is much preferred to actually living through them.

Think about it--I have to spend hours shoveling the driveway and in the end all of the snow will melt away. It is wasted energy. But if I don't shovel the snow will melt to ice before it finally goes away. 

Finnegan in the Snow

Chris and I prepared for the storm yesterday, as did thousands of our new best friends from around the region, by hitting the stores and stocking up on supplies. We shopped at Wegman's for food. Although the real reason we went to Wegman's was to get guacamole for the football games, we came out other essential storm supplies. Sadly, the Cowboy's did not take the game seriously, although the Chief's won their game earlier in the day.

Snow on the Deck Before Dawn
January 13, 2019

The snow fell overnight and it fell in a great amount. As I write this it is still snowing and I am beginning to think about breakfast and heading out to shovel.

While we were preparing for the storm we were dreaming of being somewhere warm. I believe that every snowstorm cements our decision to head south as soon as I retire. I can scarcely believe that I am thinking doubt retirement, but it seems that as more and more of the people that I know retire, it becomes more real for me.

Well, as with every snowstorm in the region, most everything is closed. Chris and I have to attend a birthday party for our youngest grandson later in the day that I expect will occur, but other than that, we are not likely to venture out until much later in the day. It is not that we are afraid to drive in the snow, no, we are afraid of the other crazy drivers on the road who either are paralyzed by the driving conditions or ho think that because they have a 4-wheel drive vehicle that they can drive as if the roads were clear.

And now that it is dawn, I can clearly see that the snow continues to fall stacking up into piles on the ground.

It is time to get moving and clear the mess.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunrise There's a Fire in the Sky

Sunrise from LifeTime Fitness, Columbia, MD
January 11, 2019

Yesterday morning, I was leaving the club where I play, or rather I attempt to play, racquetball about 6:40 AM. I was treated to a stunning sunrise building on the horizon. I caused me to grab my cell phone and snap an image. Later as I was driving to work the sunrise became even more stunning, but as I was driving I could not get an image of it to share. 

I was excited, and I know most people do not get too excited about such things. But I was excited about the sunrise at 6:40 AM because t means the dark season is departing and the daylight is returning. We have gained 13 more minutes of daylight since the solstice. The amount if daylight is rapidly increasing, during the next seven days we will gain another ten minutes of daylight. Yay! I note that in Jupiter, Florida, they have already an hour more of daylight per day than Baltimore does! Something about a change in latitude.

And of course, the mixture of the warmth of Florida coupled with the sunrise reminded me of the song Knee Deep by the Zac Brown Band. The refrain contain the magical sunrise words:

Wishin' I was
Knee deep in the water somewhere
Got the blue sky, breeze and it don't seem fair
The only worry in the world
Is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise, there's a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise

A warm thought for a cold, January Baltimore morning where 3-5 inches of snow is expected. I might change the words of the song some:

Hating that I'm
Knee deep in the snow out here
Got the gray sky wind and it don't seem fair
The only worry that I have
Will I freeze right in this spot
Sunrise, and it weren't even seen
But snow keeps falling
And so not to to be mean
But I think I'm gonna need a change of scenery

or something

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cold Day

Yesterday was a cold day. Too cold for me, but just right for January. Today is colder. This morning the temperature is 23 degrees outside my window. What a change from the 50s of three days ago. 

I don't like it much when the cold weather actually arrives.

Added to the cold, there is 4-6 inches of snow in the forecast for the weekend. I need to find the snow shovels. I think they are in the shed. With the other stuff I don't use often. 

With the weather looking bad, the weekend project will be devoted to decorating the basement, it has been a bit of a blank canvas since the remodel project was completed. It is hard to say, but the weather will certainly determine the weekend activity.


Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Bleeding Heart Liberal

I was called something yesterday that I never thought that I would hear: 

Bleeding heart liberal. 

Wow! It is amazing how three words can be used to define a person. I think they were meant to convey a negative connotation.

Being called a bleeding heart liberal still amazes me and I frankly don't know how to respond, but here is how I am feeling. 

First, I'm honored that I something that I wrote regarding current events in America struck a chord with someone and generated a response.

Second. I'm a bit scared that a label was used in place of engaging in a rational discussion and to ultimately agree, as I do, that we each are entitled to our opinions, especially after careful consideration and investigation. I served 21 years in the Air Force and continue to work as a Federal employee to guarantee each American that precious right to an opinion.

Third, I am happy that my obvious and overt support for definite conservatives such as Ronald Reagan, George Patton, George HW Bush, and George W Bush, to name a few, has not overshadowed my ability to keep an open mind on issues and evaluate them on their merits. I didn't realize that there issue I was writing a liberal vs conservative issue to begin with.

I found an interesting quote that is more applicable today than I originally realized:

“If fascism ever comes to America, it will come in the name of liberalism.”  - Ronald Reagan, 1975. Checked at Snopes.com.

The thought is even more interesting and potentially applicable today since fascism is generally defined as extreme right-wing philosophy.

So, if my opinion on one issue makes me a bleeding heart liberal, maybe that is not a bad thing--so I will own it.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tear Down This Wall

I watched the President's remarks last evening and I watched the rebuttal from the Speaker if the House and the Senate Minority Leader. 

Nogales, Texas Wall

The President's address was fraught with untruths and misrepresentations of the truth. The facts can be checked at Fact Check. 

In listening to the response to the President, I was shocked at the way he liberally misused partial truths and untruths to attempt to justify an embarrassing wall. 

In one instanced he said: In Maryland, MS-13 gang members who arrived in the United States as unaccompanied minors were arrested and charged last year after viciously stabbing and beating a 16-year-old girl. 

When last i checked geography, the wall would be constructed no where near Maryland. I am not sure how the this incident was related to a wall on the southern border. He never asserted that the unaccompanied minors came to America through the area where the wall would be built, or how a wall would have kept them out of the country.

And finally, two years ago, the President was elected and both the House and Senate were controlled by the Republicans. Why didn't the wall get funded then? Why has this waited until he could focus blame on the Democrats rather than realizing that the majority of Americans do not want to fund a wall. There are other ways to ensure border security. 

Americans have been against walls, it was Ronald Reagan who standing at the Berlin Wall uttered the famous words: “Secretary General Gorbachev, if you seek peace–if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe–if you seek liberalization: come here, to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” President Reagan went on to say: “Standing before the Brandenburg Gate, every man is a German, separated from his fellow men. Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar.”

Despite what the President saying about walls being built because we love those inside, history paints a different story. They become objects of oppression.

I support the image that Senator Schumer made when he said: The symbol of America should be the Statue of Liberty, not a 30 foot wall.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Shutdown continues

As the partial Federal shutdown continues, the dysfunction in Washington becomes more apparent and dangerous. 

Airport Lines Aggravated by Government Shutdown

As the weather turns colder, so does the hope for a speedy end to the battle over a wall for the southern border.

We have fought wars over that southern border and now, it appears, we are fighting a war which threatens the very Republic. Sadly, the situation has devolved into a standoff in which neither side wants to be seen a flinching.

It is a stupid as playing chicken or having a duel. 

Sadly, however, the people paying the price for the insanity are those in our country least able to afford the cost: the poor, the Federal workers, and those who depend upon Federal contracts for their survival. 

The New York Times had an article describing the impact of the shutdown: 
As Government Shutdown Persists, Americans Feel the Bite

The opening paragraph describes the impacts:

WASHINGTON — The impact of a partial government shutdown began to ripple across the economy as it stretched into Day 17, with mortgage applications delayed, public companies unable to get approval to raise capital and thousands of Secret Service agents expected to show up for work without pay.

President Trump and congressional Democrats have made little progress in negotiations to end a shutdown that has affected about 800,000 federal workers, many of whom will miss their first paycheck this week, and who owe a combined $249 million in monthly mortgage payments, according to the online real estate firm Zillow.

And the situation will only get worse because hidden in the campaign promise that the President is trying to fulfill was a statement that Mexico will pay for the wall. Yet, all I see in my tax dollars headed for the next iteration of the Great Wall of China--except, where are the Mongul Hordes? 

President Trump’s desperate, nonsensical claim that Mexico is paying for the wall - The Washington Post

Border Wall

An excerpt from that article lays out the situation:

Now President Trump faces a similar conundrum: He promised that Mexico would pay for his plan to build a wall along the southern border. But he did not make this promise just once or even two dozen times. From his announcement speech to the election, he declared 212 times that Mexico would pay for the wall, according to the comprehensive record of Trump’s speeches, interviews and tweets maintained by factba.se. That works out to almost every two days during the campaign.

Mexico refuses to pay for the wall, and Trump has engineered a government shutdown to try to force Congress to appropriate the necessary funds. Yet he insists that Mexico is paying for the wall because of a reworking of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that his administration negotiated — though it is not yet ratified by Congress

We don't need a wall, we need a functioning, funded government and leaders with less ego and more compassion.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 7, 2018

1. It is the first Monday of January 2019. I can't believe that the first weeks has already passed. Seven days down and 358 to go until we can do the New Years stuff all over again.

2. The Federal Government remains partially shutdown. Sadly. There is no end in sight. Well, until the tax returns are not paid out and then there will definitely be a groundswell against the shutdown.

3. I noticed how dark the neighborhood was last evening as the Christmas lights have been turned off and put away by most of the houses.

4. While I often complain about the weather, I cannot complain about yesterday's 54 degrees and sunny for a January day! Bring it on. 

5. I attended two youth basketball games yesterday and I am happy to report that both Jackson and Ethan were winners. The games were close and exciting.

6. Yesterday would have been a good day for January golf, but, I was busy elsewhere.

7. I am amazed how quickly time passes when I have a lot to do, but drags when I am just waiting for the day to end.

8. Today in History. On this day in 1789, America’s first presidential election is held. Voters cast ballots to choose state electors; only white men who owned property were allowed to vote. As expected, George Washington won the election and was sworn into office on April 30, 1789.

Headlines

2 Americans Said to Have Joined ISIS Caught on the Front Lines in Syria - The New York Times

Contradicting Trump, Bolton says no withdrawal from Syria until ISIS destroyed, Kurds’ safety guaranteed - The Washington Post

U.S. says suspected USS Cole bombing planner killed in Yemen strike - Reuters

Trump Has Promised to Bring Jobs Back. His Tariffs Threaten to Send Them Away. - The New York Times

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

The one thing our Founding Fathers could not foresee -- they were farmers, professional men, businessmen giving of their time and effort to an idea that became a country -- was a nation governed by professional politicians who had an interest in getting re-elected. They probably envisioned a fellow serving a couple of hitches and then eagerly looking forward to getting back to the farm.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

De-Christmasification

Last View of the Christmas Tree
January 5, 2019

It happened yesterday. 

The de-Christmasification of the house is complete. Well, lest you wonder, I provided a link to the word Christmasification in the urban dictionary.

Chris and I worked through most of the day to get the Christmas decorations into the boxes and back into their storage places. It was a difficult process given we have many decorations and they were everywhere around the house. 

It took, all told, about six hours form start to finish, remembering of course that we had already taken down the exterior decorations. The decorations are back in the boxes and the boxes are back in the attic. The attic is, of course, above the garage and accesses via rickety steps.

I do so hate lugging the boxes up and down from the attic. 

Gear Case Kit for Stanley
Garage Door Opener

As an added benefit, the garage door opener broke during the process. The gear case failed and so I had to go on line and order a replacement  I have repaired it once before, a few years ago and I am fortunate that I actually have the ability to rebuild the motor. I have been advised that the way my garage door opener is installed cannot be replicated today and it would require a major change to replace the entire unit. Ugh!

Always something it seems.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Nero is Warming Up

People sometimes say things that reveal how they really view the world and the situation at hand--and it can be scary.

Trump Suggests Government Shutdown Could Last for ‘Months or Even Years’ - The New York Times

A sweeping statement such as was made by the president is frightening. Not just personally, but for the sake of the entire nation and all of the people of the world who depend upon the United States. 

The idea that our leaders have devolved to making such threats shows a lack of appreciation for the things that are truly important in America. 

This just shows how bad things really are and how egos are blinding our leaders to what is truly important and good about America. Closing the government for years would be cataclysmic and possibly begin a chain of events form which we might never recover. Not only that, but even a threat such a this is a clear violation of The Constitution because the executive branch and the Congress would be in a situation where they would not longer be meeting the following:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

All of can think of is the image of Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

New congress? Same old Stuff?

It was a momentous day yesterday as Nancy Pelosi became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House for the second time. In fact, men don't do it that often, the last time was six decades ago.

So now we have a Congress divided. But, in reality, the Congress has been divided for two years now. I was encouraged by Ms Pelosi's words provide at least a veil of bipartisanship. Perhaps, the Congress will unite against the Executive and begin to move the country forward on a more moderate course. 

We can only hope that the Congress can begin to forge a more realistic course. 

I must be dreaming. 

The first thing the Congress needs to do is to get the government moving again? End the shutdown!

I'm dreaming, I'm sure. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD