Monday Musings - April 1, 2019

Jupiter Island Beach
March 31, 2019

1. Happy April! The month of springtime showers and flowers. It is April Fool's Day--be cautious.

2. I am enjoying the Florida house, but sadly, I have to return to Maryland and my regular life tomorrow. There is so much here that I continue to need to do.

Birds on the Beach
Jupiter Island, FL
March 31, 2019

3. The weather has been fantastic. Temperatures are in the 80's during the middle part of the day.

4. There is something very relaxing about being on the beach to start the day. Chris and I walked the beach yesterday to start the day.

5. Birds are fun to watch on the beach. Yesterday they congregated together to search for foos and security. Finnegan wanted to play with them and they were not amused by that idea.

6. I looked back and discovered that I have been preparing Monday Musings weekly for over 10 years, they began on March 9, 2009. There have been some omissions and a couple Monday musings on Tuesdays. But for the most part, I have been consistent.

7. Today in History. On this day in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other. Although the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery.

Headlines

Russia’s Military Mission Creep Advances to a New Front: Africa - The New York Times

‘Breaches Everywhere’: Flooding Bursts Midwest Levees, and Tough Questions Follow - The New York Times

White House doubles down on threat to close U.S.-Mexico border - The Washington Post

China's Xi says West has long-term economic, military superiority - Reuters 

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Since our first days in office, encouraging the kind of volunteer work you do has been one of our highest priorities. Now, this doesn't stem from any pride of authorship. Believe me, nobody in this administration thinks that we invented voluntarism. From the foundation of our Republic to the taming of the frontier, rightup to modern times and your wonderful work, voluntarism, the idea of neighbor helping neighbor, has been one of the distinguishing marks of the American experience and one of the primary causes of our nation's greatness.

 -- Remarks at a Ceremony Honoring Youth Volunteers, April 25, 1985


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL