Showing posts with label musing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musing. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Spring is Close


How do I know that Spring is close? 

Golf Net in the Yard with Makayla
February 17, 2020
It felt Spring arriving yesterday. The temperature soared to 55 degrees and the sun was shining. I could tell that the yard was beginning to dry and I wanted to get the tractor out and start grooming the yard for the growing season except that the battery was dead. So then I decided to get my Jag, Cat, out for a drive, but the battery was dead. And my battery charger was out of the house as I had loaned it to someone. Ugh. 

Spring is definitely close. I even got my golf net out yesterday and began hitting balls into it to get my swing in shape, not that I have a swing to get into shape, before the upcoming Spring Training trip. I hit over 100 balls to begin the process. 

Perhaps I felt the need to experience Spring after spending the weekend in Upstate New York where the scenery is covered with snow and the temperatures were below 0 for most of the time I was there. Even so, I am going to enjoy the sunshine whenever it arrives as it seems that there is a definite lack of solar energy right now because of the pervasive cloud cover.

The only thing I did not do was get my drone, Radio Flyer, out to survey the winter's devastation. There are a lot of trees down and many more to fall as the ravaged ash trees become homes for insects and dinner plates for woodpeckers.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, August 15, 2019

That's Not a Sale Price


Weird things some times happen in stores when it comes to pricing items for sale.

Chris had told me about a sale that wasn't the other day in our local Target store. The posted sale price for an item was higher than the regular price and no one seemed to notice or care.  

Last evening we happened to be in the vicinity of that Target store and she reminded me that I wanted a picture of the "not" sale and so we stopped went into the store to see if the item was still advertised as she had seen it the day before. I fully expected that they would have corrected the pricing mistake, but no! There it was, still on the counter. And here is the proof.  

We looked at the labels and the sale price for some time and could not reconcile it except that the sale price was 52 cents higher than the regular price for a 32 ounce container of Chobani Greek yogurt. And I have the video proof. I'm not sure how this is a sale, but at Target, it seems that the regardless of the original marked price the item is "on-sale."

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

A Doctor's Visit


I had a doctors appointment yesterday down in the metropolis of Baltimore. 

It was a 35 minute drive that took closer to 45 because of traffic and road construction. I arrived at my appointment the obligatory 15 minutes early to complete paperwork, except then they told me that I had already completed all of the extra nonsensical forms that such places require. So I sat for 15 minutes waiting for my appointment time to arrive.

And then I sat for 15 more minutes. I was busy on my phone so I hardly noticed the time.

And then I sat for 15 more minutes. I was beginning to be a bit frustrated because I had now been sitting in the waiting room for 45 minutes. 

And then I waited about 5 more minutes before being called to the back to have my vitals taken. After that I was then shown into the exam room. To wait.

And then I sat there for 15 more minutes. 

And then then, finally, the nurse practitioner arrived to begin the process of my visit. 

All-in-all I waited a lot, but it was worth it. I was pleased that I had one of the most thorough appointments that I have ever had and that we came up with a good plan.

But why all of the waiting? I don't think I'll take the last appointment of the day again.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD


Sunday, August 4, 2019

Welcoming Rain


It rained overnight. 

The Crepe Myrtle
August 3, 2019
That in itself is not a monumental occurrence, however, it has been a few weeks since we had measurable rain and things are getting very dry. It is hard to say if we received measurable rain, but at least there was evidence of rain this morning. 

The crepe myrtle at the corner of the pool near the covered porch is in full bloom adding its splash of color to the scene. This is the time of year that crepe myrtles take over the landscape and provide color to the scene. The crepe myrtles are everywhere along the streets and the yards. 

This first Sunday of August continues the heat of the summer and that is what I love. 

Enjoy the day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, August 2, 2019

August Arrives


Well, it has arrived. The last full month of summer has dawned and portends the rapid darkening of the days and loss of daylight. 

I am hard pressed to find much good about August. 

For instance, after posting their first non-losing month since August 2017, the Orioles got thumped by the Toronto Bluejays 11-2 last evening. 

The Sycamore trees near my pool think that it is September and are dropping their leaves. Into my pool!

The lawn is getting that brown summer look to it. I still have to mow, but I create. huge cloud of dust because we actually need rain!

The first Friday in August has arrived and with it the first weekend. At least we will be able to enjoy the weather and the pool. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD



Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Tying the High


How hot was it yesterday in Baltimore? Record tying !

The official high temperature for July 30 in Baltimore was 98 degrees. It remains 98 degrees, but the high yesterday tied that record! It was incredibly hot. When I departed work to return home at the end of the workday, the thermometer in my car indicated between 99 and 100 degrees all the way home. The added degrees were likely due to the reflection of the heat off the road. I was very happy to have my truck and not be exposed to the sun and the heat in my convertible.

It was hot! 

But, the good news is that when it is hot, the pool feels even better and Chris and I were able to go swimming and enjoy the cooling effect of the evaporating water. It is very nice to have a pool right in the back yard! 

Today, however, is one of those sad days of the year. It is the last day of July and with it comes the end of my favorite month of the year. 

Well, August is coming. And the pool remains open. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD


Friday, July 26, 2019

July's Salute


Crepe Myrtle in July Against a Clear Blue Sky
Elkridge, MD
July 25, 2019
My favorite month of the year is slipping by at what seems to be an ever increasing pace. There are only five days remaining in July and 

The pool is beginning to show the signs of the lengthening summer, but the water is fantastic. The days this week have been idyllic with cooler temperatures and lower humidity. The Crepe Myrtle are in full bloom and dropping their petals into the pool at an alarming rate and require frequent removal. They are pretty gracing the surface of the pool, however. We have two colors of Crepe Myrtle around the pool, violet and red. When the petals mix in the pool it makes it look as if someone has covered the surface with confetti. I was not particularly smart in planting the Crepe Myrtle so close to the pool, but they were very small those few short years ago when I planted them. They are not towering over the pool and providing much needed afternoon shade, and color. 

July is the month when the Crepe Myrtle begin to bloom and unlike the Lilacs of springtime, their flowers and color will last for the remainder of the season well into September. 

As July slips by and August arrives next week my favorite month of the year will have passed, but the memories will remain.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

After the Sunset


After the Sunset
Ithaca, NY
July 20, 2019
Saturday evening, after a day of driving to Ithaca, I was outside after the color of the sunset had left the sky and I saw the treelike silhouetted against the waning light of the sky. It was the fitting end to a day which had seen me drive for about six hours, after flying home to Elkridge the day before form Florida. I was engaged in a travel weekend. 

The stark blackness of the trees reminded me of an event 50 years before when two Americans, for the first time in Human history, stepped foot on the Moon and the images were broadcast back to Earth for all of us to witness live. I recall the stark white of the lunar surface and the inky black of the sky. There were no trees, no signs of life except for Neil and Buzz.

Who says nothing good happens after dark?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Calling an Audible


Chris and Finnegan on the Beach with Sargassum
Carlin Park,
Jupiter, Florida
July 19, 2019
Chris and I tried to walk the beach every day while we were in Florida, but some days the sargassum washing ashore just made that impossible, especially with Finnegan.

Unfortunately, our last morning in Florida, that was the case. The sargassum was so thick on the beach and the tide was coming in--there just was no place to walk--and we went to two different beaches to attempt out morning walk.

On a morning like that we were just thankful to be in Florida enjoying the sound of the waves hitting the beach and looking to over the broad ocean. 

Life goes on and so did we. 

NOTE: Due to travel, Monday Musings was not published this week. It will return next week.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, Maryland

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Summer's Threshold


Summer, the best season of the year is upon us. 

I was out working by the pool and noticed this small butterfly. It was a reminder that summer is upon me.

Already this season the fireflies have been gracing the evening providing their cold light to brighten the evening darkness.

As the evenings have stayed moderate and the pool has warmed, the joy associated being outside has increased. I expect to see more summertime animals to grace my poolside lounging.

Friday will be one of the longest days of the year, in terms of sunlight, 14h 56m 19s. I will enjoy every second of the longest day of the year. 

Bring on the sun and the summer.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, June 15, 2019

Paying a Bundle for Cable


Every so often I take a good look at my cable TV bill and wonder, why am I paying so much for so little?


That is the truth. While the cable companies offer a plethora of channels, I usually have difficulty finding anything worth watching and default to sports or old movies. I mean, how many times can one really watch, The Proposal?

Yet, I continue to pay a a high monthly fee for cable services that I mostly don't use. Take for instance the music channels. With the advent of multiple music internet providers who really needs, or uses, the music channels provided by the cable companies? Yet the 30 or so music channels are counted into the total number of channels that I receive.

And then there are the non-HD channels. Who watches those channels? And why do the HD versions and SD versions get counted as two channels--it is really only one offering? 

I am getting perilously close to cutting the cable cord--but I have 15 months remaining on my current contract! Ugh.

I wish we could get to a place where we pay-as-we-go for cable. I think I would save a bundle instead of paying for a bundle.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Thursday Thoughts, June 13, 2019


Wow, the item I wrote yesterday about the Orioles generated about as much interest as a broken arm. I guess that is about right since the O's are one of the worst teams in baseball. I have not had an item read by so few people in a very long time. 

Triple Play
I was reminded yesterday about how life can change in a moment. A good friend passed fairly suddenly and I am still very melancholy this morning. While his passing was not unexpected, it was sudden and I had hoped that he would recover from his illness. I will miss him very much and I am still in denial about his passing.

I wondered why I pay so much for cable TV, internet, and phone. I have the "Triple Play!" Well, it is a triple play in my wallet. I am seriously considering completely changing the way that I access television and the internet. 

I think I cannot still wrap my mind  around the idea that the youth baseball season is over, well until the autumn. 

The rains returned overnight. Everything is wet.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, April 19, 2019

Dancing Lights in the Glass


Lights Dancing in the Wine Glass
Elkridge, MD
April 19, 2019
It happened again last evening. 

It has been a while, actually since the Ides of March, when Chris and I last enjoyed ending an evening around a fire pit. The weather has been too cold or our lives too busy to enjoy an evening ending glass of wine and fire in the pit. But, last evening after mulching gardens, mowing the lawn and doing some other chores around the house we enjoyed a glass, or two, of wine around the fire pit. It was nice--it was the first evening since we had left for Florida during late March that we had been together with suitable weather to enjoy a fire pit evening. 

Fire in the OPit
Elkridge, MD
April 19, 2019
Chris and I reconnect during these evenings. Life is busy, too busy, and I need an evening of staring into the flames to help me recover from the day.

I look forward to these times which are generally cell phone free zones to talk and dream, and dream some more. The future is out there and it is being shaped by the present. 

Last evening I heard the peepers as they sang the evening away to darkness, I also heard the jets flying past and the train roaring in the distance. But, I also saw that our brown bats had returned for the year as they were winging their way across the sky above our heads. Springtime has truly arrived and the almost 80 degree temperatures made it seem as if Summer were knocking on the seasonal door.

It was a perfect ending to the day, preparing me for the challenges of today.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, April 18, 2019

The Fire at Notre Dame


Notre Dame, Paris
As it Was
Much has been written about Notre Dame and the fire. I know that it is almost anti-climatic for me to write something, but now that the embers have cooled in Paris and the extent of the damage is known, I have been reflecting upon the edifice and my own personal experience confronting history inside of the building. 

Notre Dame on Fire
April 2019
I was fortunate to have visited Notre Dame twice during the early 1990s, while living in Europe, I enjoyed visiting Paris and Notre Dame, in addition to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre among the many other attractions in Paris. Caricatures of my three children still hand in our house that were drawn during a visit to Montmartre. They were much younger then, of course.

It was back in the day when cameras still used film and we never really knew how the pictures we snapped looked until after processing and printing. I have them somewhere, but failed to find them before writing this blog entry.

The Coronation of Napoleon
David
I remember standing in the cathedral, amazed by the sheer size of the place. Seeing where Napoleon once stood and crowned himself emperor was breathtaking as was the painting, Coronation of Napoleon,  by David of the scene which is in the Louvre. I also was able to walk among the gargoyles atop one of the towers of the cathedral and look out over Paris. One day, I had hoped to return to Paris and retrace my steps and visit the cathedral again, however, that will not likely now happen. 

Watching the news, during the fire, I was there in spirit with the Parisians singing hymns and mourning the loss one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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