Monday Musings - May 18, 2020

1. It is the third Monday of May and the month is slipping away. We continue to grapple with the coronavirus and the economy is only beginning to show signs of life.

Starfish in the Sky
Elkridge, MD
May 16, 2020

2. While out for a walk on Saturday, yes I went for a walk after walking a round of golf earlier in the day, Chris spied what she called a starfish in the sky. It was the pattern created by contrails and it did seem to be a starfish pattern. The beach, the ocean, and the surf are definitely calling out to us. 

Patrick on the Stump Grinder
Elkridge, MD
May 17, 2020

3. Yesterday provided a much needed opportunity to remove four tree stumps from the yard. Three of large stumps were the result of the China provided Emerald Ash Borer which killed the majestic ash trees and the last year's loss of our weeping cherry tree was the fourth. It was six hours of hard work in the yard and it would not have been successful without the great help of Patrick who shifted off with me manning the stump grinder. Thanks, Patrick! Next time, we will definitely rent the bigger one with the hydraulic drive. The manual one is not suited for the size stumps that we removed. 

4. I have noticed traffic increasing as I head out for limited drives. People are moving around, finally.

5. We had two 80 degree days in a row--it was fantastic. But the weather gods are sending rain and cooler weather for the next week. Summer is only about a month away! Bring on the sun and heat. 

6. I am amazed at the numbers of nails and metal strips in the wood from the felled trees that my saw blade continues to get dulled cutting. We even found nails and metal strips in one of the stumps we removed yesterday.

7. Funny Joke for the Day. Why do seagulls fly over the sea? Because if they flew over a bay, they would be bagels.

8. Today in History. On May 18, 1920, Karol Jozef Wojtyla is born in the Polish town of Wadowice, 35 miles southwest of Krakow. Wojtyla went on to become Pope John Paul II, history’s most well-traveled pope and the first non-Italian to hold the position since the 16th century. After high school, the future pope enrolled at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University, where he studied philosophy and literature and performed in a theater group. During World War II, Nazis occupied Krakow and closed the university, forcing Wojtyla to seek work in a quarry and, later, a chemical factory. By 1941, his mother, father, and only brother had all died, leaving him the sole surviving member of his family.

Kim Jong Un Disappeared From View, But North Korea’s Problems Never Left - The Wall Street Journal

On Furlough From the Kingdom, Disney Workers Try to Keep the Magic Alive - The Wall Street Journal

Where New Yorkers Moved to Escape Coronavirus - The New York Times

McConnell admits he was wrong to say Obama didn't leave Trump a pandemic 'game plan' - NBC

Hong Kong: Lawmakers carried out during parliament mayhem - BBC

What did eight weeks and $3 trillion buy the U.S. in the fight against coronavirus? - Reuters

Fired inspector general was examining whether staffer did Pompeo’s errands, official says - The Washington Post

China under-reported number of coronavirus cases, Chinese medical advisor says - Fox News

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Remarks at Memorial Day Ceremonies Honoring an Unknown Serviceman of the Vietnam Conflict

May 28, 1984 

The Unknown Soldier who is returned to us today and whom we lay to rest is symbolic of all our missing sons, and we will present him with the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration that we can bestow.

About him we may well wonder, as others have: As a child, did he play on some street in a great American city? Or did he work beside his father on a farm out in America's heartland? Did he marry? Did he have children? Did he look expectantly to return to a bride?

We'll never know the answers to these questions about his life. We do know, though, why he died. He saw the horrors of war but bravely faced them, certain his own cause and his country's cause was a noble one; that he was fighting for human dignity, for free men everywhere. Today we pause to embrace him and all who served us so well in a war whose end offered no parades, no flags, and so little thanks. We can be worthy of the values and ideals for which our sons sacrificed -- worthy of their courage in the face of a fear that few of us will ever experience -- by honoring their commitment and devotion to duty and country.

-- Bob Doan, still stuck in Elkridge, MD