Monday Musings - November 19, 2018

1. It is the third Monday in November. We have cruised into the last half of November and we celebrate Thanksgiving this week.

The Bar
November 18, 2018

2. Home improvement projects drag on for a long time after the enthusiasm is gone. I just want to be complete, but it seems everyday I discover something else that needs to be done.

3. Enjoying a nice November, late-Autumn, day means working outside raking leaves and getting the grounds ready for Winter.

4. Family NFL Results

    Ravens (5-5) defeated Bengals 24-21

    Cowboys (5-5) defeated Falcons 22-19

    Steelers (7-2-1) defeated Jaguars 20-16

    Redskins (6-4) lost to Texans 21-23

5. I have to report that the traffic experience in the region during last week's weather event was as difficult as expected from Maryland drivers. 

6. For those keeping up with my treatment progress, they added one in yesterday (yes, Sunday) to compensate for being off on Black Friday. I now have 30 completed and 14 remaining! Completion date is now December 10th!

7. It is amazing how pets are adaptable. Whenever we bring new animals into the house for a brief time, they all seem to adapt and get along. We enjoyed Jeremy's two dogs Saturday evening for a few hours.

8. We have had three days without rain! What a miracle. I need to drain water from the pool.

9. Next up? Christmas lights. I usually get them up on Veterans Day, but it was raining and I was heavily engaged in the basement remodel project.

10. Today in History. On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincolndelivers one of the most memorable speeches in American history. In just 272 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly reminded a war-weary public why the Union had to fight, and win, the Civil War.

Headlines

Stalemate at APEC Forum Over U.S.-China Trade Dispute: ‘Entire World Is Worried’ - The New York Times

Why Teenagers Mix Drinking and Sex - The New York Times

Yemen’s Houthis halt missile attacks on Saudi coalition - Reuters

Trump’s attack on retired admiral who led bin Laden raid escalates a war of words - The Washington Post

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

I have always believed that this anointed land was set apart in an uncommon way, that a divine plan placed this great continent here between the oceans to be found by people from every corner of the Earth who had a special love of faith and freedom. Our pioneers asked that He would work His will in our daily lives so America would be a land of morality, fairness, and freedom.

  -- Proclamation 4979—Thanksgiving Day, 1982

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD