Monday Musings - April 16, 2012

1. Tax Day is upon us! Today is Tax Day for the State of Maryland; tomorrow is Tax Day for the Federal Government. If you have not filed your taxes yet, you are probably going to be late.



2. Last evening, after a day of over 80 degree temperatures, I saw the first fireflies of the year. I was truly astonished as I do not recall ever seeing them so early. I was so amazed that I made sure to get independent verification from Chris that there were in fact fireflies in the trees.

3. I made an interesting observation in the major league baseball standings yesterday morning: both the Nationals and the Orioles were in sole possession of first place in their respective divisions. I do not believe that has ever happened before. Of course the Orioles lost yesterday and now share the division lead--but it was interesting for one day at least.

4. I am still in shock about how quickly machinery can reduce a small forest into a 10 acre patch of bare land.




5. With Ethan's birthday behind us, the family birthday season has ended. We begin celebrating family birthdays in September and conclude in April. In between, there are 11 birthdays--more if extended family is counted. I guess it gives us something to do while the pool is closed.

6. And in the pool department--I ordered the chemicals for the coming year. I always feel like a mad scientist or something after I order the pool supplies.



7. Yesterday, George Washington was selected as Britain's greatest enemy, or most formidable foe since the 17th Century. The article makes an interesting read--but essentially, Washington is the greatest enemy commander to face the British Empire! One of the rules of the competition was that the commander had to lead troops in actual combat--hence, political leaders (like Hitler) were excluded.

8. I am about to head off to the land of Mickey Mouse! The good news is that it is in Florida. The bad news is that it is no where near the beach.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cat Clipping Day's

By 8:30 AM, the semiannual clipping of Louis had been completed yesterday. Louis is a 14 pound rag-doll cat with very long fur which matts pretty badly, especially during the summer. In an effort to keep him more comfortable we have him clipped.


This is the after picture and he is sporting what is called the "lion cut." I know it seems pretty radical, but I believe he really appreciates the short cut. There is a bit of self preservation involved as well--the hair ball count goes down dramatically after he gets trimmed. Every cat owner knows that there is nothing worse than getting up in the morning and stepping into a cold and slimy fur ball with their bare foot.

The process to trim Louis is not without some danger though. He does not tolerate it too well and must be drugged. Even so, it is two person process and I caught a claw helping the groomer shave the cat.



Apparently, Riordin was unhappy that he did not get invited out for the trip. He checked out the carrier after we returned home. Little did he know where that carrier had taken his best friend.

Louis recovered nicely from the drugs--they barely affected him anyway--just taking the edge off a bit, and the day went on.

Another checklist completed on the highway to summertime!


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Day in Elementary School

I spent a day as a volunteer Dad at Ethan's school on Friday. I was part of a program they call Watch D.O.G.S.. Who knew that I was a hero of the hallways.

I learned a lot about education in America today as I saw first hand the over crowded and dirty classrooms that are part to public education. That learning can occur is really a testament to the dedicated teachers who struggle in these less than ideal conditions.

I noticed a few things during the day that show how much life has changed since I was in elementary school not just a few decades ago.

Lunch boxes have really changed. I remember metal lunch boxes in the shape of school busses or with the some Disney characters on them. The boxes are now canvass and probably work a lot better. They are adorned with current heroes and movies. The most popular among the boys is Clone Wars--I saw five boys sitting together all with Clone Wars lunch boxes.

The noise is deafening. Everywhere it seems the noise is at levels equal to that of jet engines.

Security is serious. One of my jobs was to ensure every door in the school was locked. I was amazed how many outside doors there are in a school. And I found an insecure door which I immediately secured.

I found the pace of the day slow--and that is not bad. I was able to stroll outside in the sun for a couple of hours during the beautiful day--something that I never would have been able to do at my regular job. So yeah, I enjoyed it.

As a trained Watch D.O.G.S., I expect to volunteer again. It was nice to get to know the administration and the teachers at the school.

It was a great day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Off on the Zoo Path

Although I did not get to go to the zoo last week, Chris did, twice, and took some great images of the animals who live at the Baltimore Zoo.


The zoo is really very nice, but a bit off the beaten path.

The animals were very active; providing the opportunity for some great shots.

I was reminded of an old Paul Simon song about the New York Zoo from her stories about the activity of the animals and spectators.




She was most proud of her images of the bats taken from within the darkness of the bat room.

I can see why--close up and personal with the bats.

OK--maybe that part is kinda creepy.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Forest is Lost

The forest that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago in the article Forest's Final Spring has ceased to exist.

A broken 10 acre plot of ground, devoid of life and trees, now sits where the thriving woodland community formerly stood.

It is sad and permanent. I have watched the trees be removed during the past two weeks as the plot was cleared. The heavy equipment was ruthless--no living thing remained standing. It was like a scene from Fern Gully or Avatar.

What is even sadder was the realization that in a month or so, the new empty space will seem normal to me. I won't remember the trees and the life which abounded there in advance of the construction project now underway.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Too Cold in the Stands

I went to see the Orioles play last evening. I was hoping to see them win again.

I learned that watching a summertime sport as temperatures approach the mid-40's is not a lot of fun. Frankly, I was freezing and wishing with every pitch for summertime and 80 degrees.

I thought I had dressed for the game--two shirts and a coat. But it was so cold, I didn't even want to finish my beer--because it was making me colder with every sip.

The only thing keeping me there was that the Orioles were winning.

When the lead evaporated during the sixth inning and the game was dragging, I began to think about turning the heater on in my truck and warming up.

So I left--purely for self-preservation.

On the drive home, I finally warmed up. I bet it was over 90 degrees in my truck when I pulled into the driveway of my home.

If I had known it was going to be a winter game,I would have dressed even warmer. As it was the Orioles lost in 12 innings. So I probably made a mature decision.

At least I got warm again.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Empty Gas Tank

I hopped into my truck yesterday morning, after the weekend, ready to drive off for a 5:30 AM racquetball match and start the week with some activity. I was shocked when I looked at the fuel indicator and it read: "E." "E" as we all know does not stand for "enough!"


Empty, I didn't recall leaving the truck with no gas the last time I drove it. And I was running late as I had spent an extra minute or so with Makayla. Unfortunately, the gas station is out of the way when I am running behind.

Thankfully, I have other vehicles to choose from, so I moved all of my stuff--no small task when considering my overstuffed racquetball bag to one of my other waiting steads.

There was no way I could risk heading out as I had three stops to make and tight timelines to keep. As I drove out of the drive, I realized it would be 14 hours until I returned. Ad no time for a trip to the gas station to get gored by the unreasonably high prices there.

Why, I pondered was the truck empty? I did not see or smell a leak. I don't leave my vehicles on empty because I hate getting gas on my way to anywhere. I much prefer filling up at the end of trips.

And then I remembered.

I had loaned my truck out. And my generosity was rewarded with an empty gas tank and inconvenience. I admit, there was probably only a quarter of a tank in the truck anyway--and it wasn't that the gas wasn't replaced that really bothered me--it was that it was returned empty and no one told me.

Empty is really a slap.

Yesterday was busy enough that the truck is still empty, so I have to leave earlier today to refill the tank and get over it.

But it still bugs me--just a bit.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - April 9, 2012

1. Have you filed your taxes yet? I prepared them but haven't sent them yet. Oops! No refund for me!

2. Easter allows us to live like, "Don't worry, be Happy!"

3. I just recently realized that autumn is springtime in reverse. In the spring the trees start with bare branches, then don many colors and finally turn green. During the autumn, they start out green and wind up robed in many colors before returning to bare branches until springtime comes round again.

4. Blue skies, sunny days, singing birds, and budding flowers--nice!

5. In the deepest darkest depths of despair, hope lives.

6. The hardest thing that I do is to ask for help. I seem to need more help now than ever before. And the funny thing is, people don't mind helping, they just need to be invited.

7. Five bottles of wine--equals Easter dinner for the family.

8. Nerf wars in the house and yard are great for burning off the excess energy associated with holiday activities.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy Easter 2012

I woke up before dawn, or more precisely as dawn was just beginning to break on this Easter morning.

I read an article yesterday about how the young people in America are becoming disenfranchised with Christianity.

Andrew Sullivan made the following observation: "Appearing on "CBS This Morning: Saturday," Sullivan said the crisis facing Christianity was especially bad today for one reason: "When I go and see young people, their image of Christianity these days is one of judgment, intolerance and to some extent bigotry and politics," Sullivan said. "They associate it with one political party in this country, because of the fusion of evangelical and ultra-orthodox Catholics with the Republican Party. They don't see it as the message of Jesus, they don't see it any more as a message of love and forgiveness. They see it as a bunch of people trying to control their lives through political mechanisms."

I see this. I had a conversation with a younger adult the other day that was precisely about this.

The message if Easter has become lost and strangled in political strife and religious wars across the globe.

The whole idea of Christians greeting each other in love and with the excited statement of so long ago: Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, has become muted and lost as Christ followers try to remake the world.

Maybe we have lost our vision. We almost certainly have lost sight of His vision.

Has Christ's message become confused with our own desires? As we are trying to reshape the world have we substituted our vision for that of Jesus'?

Jesus loved sinners and gave them hope. We should know--we are sinners too. We need to love sinners, too.

I am reminded, on this dawning Easter morning as I replay the events of the first Easter in my head, of the empty tomb, the confusion, the despair, the fear that those who were gathered felt as the miracle began to become clearer to them.



And I am reminded of the words of Titus 3:5: he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit,

As your Easter dawns today amid the celebration of family and friends or whatever form your remembrance of this greatest day in the history of God's relationship with man takes, pause to think about how we are being perceived by those we are most desperately trying to reach. Are we inviting and forgiving, or are we hard and judging by trying to push a political agenda onto people who don't understand it?

Happy Easter.

Christ has risen.
He has risen, indeed!



-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Reflections of Orioles Opening Day 2012

It was truly a holiday--and the crowds were crushing. I haven't see so many people at Camden Yards in a long time. It was impossible to move at the pre-game party across the street from the stadium. And as it was, that party continued throughout the entire game.


I had been in that crowd only minutes before but decided it wasn't a lot of fun and headed off to the stadium to find my seat for the game.

The day was cool--especially in the shade. The sky was clear. It was Opening Day for the Orioles and expectations for the 2012 campaign were high.




The stadium was ready to begin the 20th Anniversary celebration. And it did not disappoint.

Neither did the Orioles. The game was a gem, with the starting pitcher, Jake Arrieta, going seven innings and giving up two hits and no runs. The relief corps didn't do so well, but the O's still chalked up a win on opening day. With one game down and 161 to go, they are tied for first in the American League East.



As Patrick and I were chatting in our seats, we were trying to determine how many Opening Days I have attended--and I believe it is 10. I had thought they were 10 straight, but I did miss one year when we went to Napa for Spring Break. I guess that was a good trade.

Baseball is back! Next up, the pool!


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD