Monday Musings - August 19, 2019

1. August is in its last half ad Labor Day is almost here. I am thinking of closing the pool.

Tree Limb Against Pool house
Elkridge, MD
August 18, 2019

2. We had a ferocious storm yesterday afternoon. There are lots of trees down in the neighborhood and a big brach fell onto my pool house. You can see the fallen branch on my pool house. I am going to have a quite a mess cleaning that up. The branch is tangled in another tree. Ugh. Sounds like more chainsaw work! The storm was ferocious--it was a microburst.

T-104 Timer
Before Replacement
August 17, 2019

3. I realized why Maryland drivers do not use turn signals--they know where they are going.

4. The timer for my pool broke last week--I had just installed it at the beginning of the season. Thankfully, Amazon had a new one in my hands ready for installation yesterday, just before the storm descended.

5. I can feel the end of the pool season coming, sadly. Later this week we are supposed to get some nights in the 60's--which really takes the heat out of the pool. Pool closing day is scheduled for September 8th. I am closing it early this year because we have not been swimming much during September and I have just been adding chemicals to keep it swim ready for the copious quantities of leaves that fall from the nearby trees.

6. I keep mowing my lawn, and it keeps growing. It seems like a vicious circle. 

7. Today in History. On August 19, 1909, the first race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, now the home of the world’s most famous motor racing competition, the Indianapolis 500. Built on 328 acres of farmland five miles northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana, the speedway was started by local businessmen as a testing facility for Indiana’s growing automobile industry. The idea was that occasional races at the track would pit cars from different manufacturers against each other. After seeing what these cars could do, spectators would presumably head down to the showroom of their choice to get a closer look.


Headlines


One Minute It Was an Afghan Wedding. The Next, a Funeral for 63. - The New York Times

When Cities Try to Limit Guns, State Laws Bar the Way - The New York Times

U.S. President Trump does not want to do business with China's Huawei - Reuters

Asia stocks rise as stimulus, policy hopes calm nervous investors - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD