Monday Musings - August 1, 2022

 

1. Welcome to August 2022. It happened overnight and today is the first of five August Mondays. There are 22 Mondays remaining in the year. We are on the downslide. 

2. With the passing of my favorite month of the year, it is time to begin planning for the dark season while still enjoying the fading light as the next month's vernal equinox approaches.

Sunflowers in PA
North of Scranton on I-81
July 31, 2022

3. Driving to and from Central New York this weekend, I noticed the flowers at the rest areas. The summer flowers were visually stimulating and provided a brief relief from the highway stretching out in front of me with traffic consisting of a lot of trucks.

4. Sadness at the passing of Nichelle Nichols, Lt Uhura (Star Trek). She helped to change the face of television and our country.

5. The green hills of Upstate New York make driving a pleasure. Around every corner and turn there is more natural beauty to enjoy when driving during the Summer and Autumn. I do not enjoy the drive during the Winter, however. 

6. For those who live in Maryland, I have renamed Route 100 as the Maryland Racetrack. I am continually amazed at how fast some drive. I believe I have been passed by people speeding over 100 MPH on the 55 MPH road.

7. Today in History. On August 1, 1943, 177 B-24 bombers take off from an Allied base in Libya, bound for the oil-producing city Ploiești, Romania, nicknamed “Hitler’s gas station.” The daring raid, known as Operation Tidal Wave, resulted in five men being awarded the Medal of Honor—three of them posthumously—but failed to strike the fatal blow its planners had intended.

Operation Tidal Wave began ominously, with an overloaded bomber crashing shortly after takeoff and another plunging into the Adriatic Sea. 167 of the original 177 bombers made it to Ploiești, whose oil fields and refineries provided the Germans with over 8.5 million tons of oil per year. Whereas most Allied bombing in World War II was carried out from a high altitude, the bombers that raided Ploiești flew exceptionally low in order to evade the Germans’ radar. The bombers lost the element of surprise, however, when one group veered off on the wrong direction, forcing the others to break radio silence in order to direct them back on course. This unplanned adjustment also led to the bombers approaching from the south, where the Nazis had concentrated their anti-aircraft batteries.

Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese and US officials say - CNN

Northern California wildfire exploded in size over the weekend - CNN

Democrats' climate and health initiative back on the table this week - CNN

First Ukraine Grain Shipment Departs Since Invasion - The Wall Street Journal

People Start Buying More Essentials at Dollar Stores - The Wall Street Journal

Europe’s Energy Crisis Threatens to Slow Green Transition - The Wall Street Journal

Inflation spurs U.S. consumers to spend more on credit cards - Reuters

As Pelosi begins Asia tour, China warns against visiting Taiwan - Reuters

U.S. considers crackdown on memory chip makers in China - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Tournament

Elm Tree Golf Course 18th Green
Cortland, NY
July 30, 2022

 The Troy Whittemore Annual Golf Tournament played on Saturday. It was held at a different golf course than in previous years, this one in Cortland, NY. The course was fun and challenging. I would like to say that the team I was on won the tournament, but in fact we worked hard to finish at par.

It was a beautiful upstate New York day. Although the temperature was in the 80s, it seemed much cooler. The course is very open and I did not lose a ball, which is rare for me. The team played well together. We did great on the par 5 holes, there were three and we birdied two and eagled one. The par 3s were tough and we made bogey on two of those and par on the other two. We actually wished there was another par 5.   

Hole 3 
Troy Whittemore Golf Tournament
July 30, 2022

Chris and I sponsored a hole and had a nice sign on the hole.

Next year the team will do better and we may even have two teams in the competition. 

—Bob Doan, Cortland, NY.

Taking a Break

 Downsizing and packing has become the primary reason for my existence, it seems. I was happy that yesterday we decided to take a break. 

Timbers at Troy
From their Website

I actually played nine holes of golf, just to see how the game would be tomorrow at the tournament. I should hold my own and contribute positively to the team.

I knew it was time to head home when torrential rains started just as I finished the 9th hole about 7:30 PM. I was considering playing a couple more holes, but the rain convinced me otherwise. 

I got drenched anyway getting my clubs into the truck and returning the cart. 

Tomorrow we are playing the Elm Tree Golf Course in Cortland, NY. I have never played the course before and it should be exciting. I usually do terrible on courses that I have never played, but it is for a good cause, the Troy Whittemore Scholarship Fund!

Today, then, is a travel day. Off for Central New York and a much needed continuing break from packing, downsizing, and house selling! Who knew retirement could be so exhausting?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Downsizing - Dog Days

 Aside from being in the middle of the dog days, today is a dog day.

Makayla in Front of the Door
Elkridge, MD
July 28, 2022

Makayla is going to the groomer. We are getting her shaved. I actually do not like to get her shaved, but hew skin has become so sensitive that it is hard to keep her brushed. She looks more like a mop right now than a Keeshond. She is also serving as our dog welcome mat. That is she lies in front of the door most of the day and doesn't even move when we pass by her.

As the downsizing continues, we realized yesterday that we have completed most of the packing prep and and are down to mostly things that we need to keep out until we depart. The Pod arrives in two weeks and that is when everything, including the items already boxed, will get loaded and ready for transfer to Florida. 

Florida seems like a dream now. I have been away so long. It has been cooler there than here. And I miss sitting on the beach for Happy Hour.

This weekend will be different. We are heading to New York for Annual Troy Whittemore Memorial Golf Tournament! At least there will be a change of scenery and I will get to play some golf, or rather the course will get to frustrate me.

And the Dog Days of Summer continue.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles Magic in July

 I have to write about the Orioles because something really exciting happened last evening--the Orioles are no longer in last place in the division. The Red Sox claimed that wit their loss and the Orioles win. 

The Orioles continue to play solid baseball and are winning the close games. For instance last evening the O's came from behind with 3 runs in the 8th inning to defeat the Rays, 5-3. 

And it is a team effort with different guys leading the team every night. 

Trey Mancini

Sadly, one of the guys which has been leading the resurgence of the Orioles, Trey Mancini, is rumored to be on the trading block. He is mired in an 0-22 slump which has seen his batting average fall to .266, but his WAR is still 1.6--which is not shabby but well below his 9.7 career WAR. He is THE clubhouse leader and I believe his loss would hurt the Orioles overall. But then, I thought keeping Chris Davis was a good idea--until it wasn't.

For now, the O's are fun to watch and root for. They are actually winning games. But beware--August is at hand the and Orioles slumps begin in August as the long baseball season begins to take its toll on the players. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Downsizing - That Empty Sound

 It has begun. 

The Emptying Wine Room
Elkridge, MD
July 26, 2022

As I walked into the house yesterday I noticed the empty sound had begun in some of the rooms where the carpets and furniture have been removed or reduced. 

It is eerie and weird. 

I think maybe that the downsizing is getting serious. A bit too serious.

The empty sound is only the beginning because we still have a lot of furniture yet to remove and items to pack.

Amazon was not helpful yesterday. We needed more newsprint for wrapping and we went to Lowes in the morning to get some, but they didn't have any. So, I ordered from Amazon with a delivery time of 1-5PM. Then it changed to 2-6PM. The newsprint arrived about 8PM. Not very helpful--but the wrapping and packing will continue today. 

Another day of wash, rinse, repeat.. 

On the exciting news note, the movement into new homes begins today when Cory and Julianne settle on their new townhome. This comes a week before Patrick and Jen settle. And then hopefully, by the end of August we will settle on our home. It is definitely an exciting time with many moves coming during the next few weeks.

And the empty sound in the house will only get more noticeable.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - July 25, 2022

 

1. The final Monday of the month of July has arrived. My favorite month of the year will soon be complete and it is all a downhill slide into darkness from here. There are 23 Mondays remaining to celebrate during 2022. 

2. Yesterday afternoon during the 3 o'clock hour it was reportedly 97 degrees. Hot! And where was I? By and in the pool which had cooled a degree overnight to 89 degrees. It actually felt very good. 

My Empty Wine Rack
Elkridge, MD
July 24, 2022

3. What is sadder than an empty wine rack? Probably nothing. I boxed up my wine collection yesterday as we cleaned closets in preparation for the move. The wine rack is on the cut line. We are unsure whether it moves to Florida or is sold.

4. The heat has been stifling. I noted, however that it was 8-10 degrees cooler in Jupiter, Florida every day of the current heat wave! Just saying.

5. We are off to the annual golf tournament for my nephew's scholarship fund this coming weekend. Due to COVID concerns, it is being played for the first time in two years. I wonder if it is cooler in Central New York?

6. What is the plan for the day? More of the same.

7. Today in History. On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first baby to be conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) is born at Oldham and District General Hospital in Manchester, England, to parents Lesley and Peter Brown. The healthy baby was delivered shortly before midnight by caesarean section and weighed in at five pounds, 12 ounces.

Before giving birth to Louise, Lesley Brown had suffered years of infertility due to blocked fallopian tubes. In November 1977, she underwent the then-experimental IVF procedure. A mature egg was removed from one of her ovaries and combined in a laboratory dish with her husband’s sperm to form an embryo. The embryo then was implanted into her uterus a few days later. Her IVF doctors, British gynecologist Patrick Steptoe and scientist Robert Edwards, had begun their pioneering collaboration a decade earlier. 

Investors Bet Fed Will Need to Cut Rates Next Year - The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. Middle Class Is Getting Squeezed in 2022 - The Wall Street Journal

Challenges to Gun Laws Take Off, After High Court Ruling - The Wall Street Journal

Trump's damage to US politics is already tainting the 2024 elections - CNN

Russia and Turkey will use naval forces to escort vessels carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea - CNN

Myanmar junta executes leading democracy activists - CNN

The Ukrainian nationalists standing in Russia’s way on eastern front - Reuters

Oil rises in volatile trade, Fed hike weighs - Reuters

Migrants increasingly die crossing into U.S. from Mexico - Reuters

Claim that sex ed ‘grooms’ kids jolted Nebraska politics a year before it swept nation - The Washington Post

‘The stakes could not be higher’: Kansas abortion vote set for Aug. 2 - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It is all in a Saturday

 I felt the loss of the youth baseball season yesterday. I missed the usual Saturday doubleheader in the heat and had time to accomplish an assortment of tasks and projects around the homestead. 

Jen and Patrick's New Home
Glen Burnie, MD
July 23, 2022

The heat was pervasive! When Chris and I were finally able to fall into the pool about 5PM, the air temperature was 97 and the pool water was 90 degrees. I cannot remember the last time that the pool reached 90 degrees without the aid of the heater. Chris and I enjoyed the warm water which quickly evaporated from our skin making us feel cool. It was very refreshing after a day of working in the heat.

I started the day on the mower! Yup, the lawn needed mowing and I was on the tractor by 8:30 while temperatures were still in the low 80s. 

Disassembled and Empty Bar
Elkridge, MD
July 23, 2022

I transitioned from the mower to disassembling the bar. I was able to remove the top to make it easier to move. Patrick and Jen arrived somewhat later and the four of us loaded the bar and all of the stools, except one, into the truck to transition to their storage room. The bar will remain there until the 13th when the movers will install it in Patrick and Jen's new house.

After the bar was safely in the storage room, we went to their new house to check things out. Although we were not able to enter the house, we could see that it is in near-ready to move in condition. We spent time meeting a neighbor couple and hearing their tale of settlement and move-in--and they were moving in as we were talking. They were the first one to move in on there street. 

The evening was quiet and now we are preparing for a busy Sunday. We are going back through the house and beginning the final packing process. Totally emptying closets and cupboards in preparation for the arrival of the Pod in two weeks.

So much to do and so little time, it seems.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Downsizing - A Last Hurrah

George, Sue, and Chris at the Bar
Elkridge, MD
July 22, 2022

We enjoyed our Friday evening happy hour with friends last evening.

We hosted at our home and enjoyed a great evening--but it was tinged with a hard reality.

Today our bar will depart and begin its journey to a new home. It is not going far and will stay in the family as it will eventually grace Patrick's new home. 

Although we have had the bar just less that four years--it has become a focal point for happy hours and parties. I enjoy sitting behind it and ensuring guests have what they need in terms of drinks and the bar is a great place for discussions. The first gathering around the bar was a party we held when I completed radiation therapy for prostate cancer! It was a great way to inaugurate the bar as well as the remodeled basement entertainment area. 

As a counterpoint, last evening was the last time the bar will host discussions in this house.  

It has been a great run! And the bar is going to a good home where it will be in the center of many more parties and meetings!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Summer Heat

 Yesterday was on of the hottest days of the summer. And I worked outside most of the day. 

I started early. 

Old Caliper and Bracket in a Box
Elkridge, MD
July 21, 2022

First, I replaced the broken antenna on my Jaguar. That was harder than it needed to be because the pliers kept slipping off the slots in the nut which holds the antenna onto the car. Other than that it was easy.

Following that, it was another trip to the dump to get rid of more downsized items. And I needed to make rim in the garage to do a brake job for Chris's Highlander. 

So, in the heat of the afternoon, in a small space I was able to clear in the garage, I did brakes on the Highlander. Who knew that the core charge for old calipers is $45 each? I need to turn them in today.

It went well and now, in addition to new tires, the car has new brakes. One of the rotors got warped and I replaced the calipers, rotors, and pads. Yay me!

Hopefully that will solve the problem.

Did I mention the lawn needs mowing? That is today's project in the heat!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD