Has Autumn Gone Missing?

When I looked outside yesterday at the beginning of the holiday, I was not expecting the sight that confronted me. 

Leaves were everywhere across the yard and my pool! The trees around my yard are losing their leaves and yet have not yet transformed from their summer green into the autumn colors. 

The leaves are just falling from the mostly already barren trees without providing the autumnal display that in some way makes the season special and exciting. 

There are leaves everywhere, But I have not had the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy their burst of color. The mum and the mandevilla continue to brighten the covered pool area providing some small splash of color against the otherwise drab background which is prepared for the coming winter weather.

Many of the trees around my house have already shed their leaves in preparation for winter's howling winds. 

Even the temperatures are confusing. The mild temperatures may have confused the leaves and the trees, stifling their anticipated show. There are pockets of trees which are transforming--mostly small stands of maples it seems. 

But despite autumn's delayed arrival, it is surely here as the leaves are falling in ever increasing numbers from the trees. I need to rake the lawn and move the leaves back into the wooded areas where they can rest more comfortably.

I am sure autumn is not missing, only giving us a respite before handing off the weather to winter. And really, who wants that weather any sooner than need be?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 14, 2013

1. Happy Columbus Day celebrated. In some ways this day is really the celebration of the subjugation of the native western hemisphere peoples day. But hey, it's a holiday and a day off.

2. The Government shutdown is about to enter its second week with little hope for resolution in sight. I ran across this political cartoon which aptly expresses how I feel.

3. I was corrected in my blog about the marathon yesterday. The news video shows the guys at mile 13--yes after the first half of the marathon they were still in really good spirits.

4. Some of the best government shutdown political cartoons of the week.
  
  a. The Tea Party strikes

  b. A scary truth

  c. Who is in charge?

  d. And the best of all--former presidents weigh in:

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Races, Marathons, and Life

Did I ever say how impressed I am that two of my sons ran and finished a marathon yesterday? They ran 26.2 miles? I've never even walked that far in a single session. I have walked over 6 miles doing Volksmarches in Germany, but never anything over 10, let alone trying to run 26.2.

It was a great Baltimore day for running. Temperatures in the 60's, a light drizzle to keep everyone cool, and nice crowds lining the race way. The Baltimore Running Festival was awesome.

They guys started in great spirits on their 26.2 mile journey through Baltimore and the ended together--the way they trained and the way the chose to end working through the cramps and the pain to be victorious--together, a true team.

With Their Medals after the Baltimore Marathon

The video is a news clip that shows them competing in the race together at about the 13 mile mark--a half marathon distance--which is how they ended--with exactly the same time crossing the finish line.

Although they say that running is a solitary sport, these guys have proven that running can be a team sport. 

The pathway to yesterday's success began back during March as they trained for the Frederick Half-Marathon and made the decision to go for the Maryland double--completing both the Frederick Half and Baltimore Full Marathons. I remember the cold May morning in Frederick when this dynamic duo of a team conquered the Frederick Half-Marathon and I promised then that I would be there for them at the finish of the Baltimore Marathon. And I was.

I am not a runner--I don't have the right mindset for it, but I appreciate those who do run. I am in awe of their accomplishment. And they indicated that there will be more marathons in the future. 

Congrats to both of them on this awesome accomplishment.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rain, Traffic, and Taxes

This week has been a difficult week for travel around the area.

Wednesday there was a terrible accident on a major highway near me which closed the road during the morning rush hour and the resulting regional traffic disaster changed my normal 15 minute commute into an hour and forty-five minutes of excitement on the highway. I did enjoy watching the sunrise during my extended commute--but I admit my backside began to hurt a bit from just sitting in traffic idling at about 4 mph on four lane highways where the average speed is normally closer to 70 mph. 

And then, later in the week, the rains came.

Traffic in our region simply fails to move when the rain comes. My commute on Thursday and Friday was tortuous. I mean--really hard, long, slow, and painful. Thank goodness for Sirus Radio in my vehicle or I am sure I would go crazy listening for traffic reports trying to find a way around the mess--etxcept, there isn't any.

We needed the rain. I believe it had been over a month, maybe closer to mid-August since we has seen any appreciable rainfall. Of course, it really didn't need to come all at once.

At least the governor is happy about the rain. He hadn't had the opportunity to tax anything new in a while. And I am serious. Since the governor has been in office there have been 32 new taxes or significant fee increases totaling $2.3 billion!!! And we actually do have a Rain Tax!

At least someone is happy about the rain and the misery it can cause. I have to take more water out of my pool after closing it to keep the level down where I want it for the winter. 

The commute will always be bad during rainy weather, but to tax me on top of that? 

Well, as Benjamin Franklin said:

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.

And maybe rain.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Into the Darkness

Although it is only October, I have already done three days in a row of going to work in darkness and coming home after dark. Usually, I do not get to experience the thrill of Alaskan-like sunshine depravity until after Thanksgiving--but this year is crazy in more than one way.

First off, for those of you who were following my furlough exploits, I was not clear in stating that I am no longer furloughed. Congress, in a rare moment of lucidity passed a bill which allowed for many civilians related to military support to be recalled to work, and I was among that blessed group. That is why I am not answering the house phone during the middle of the day.

No, I am at work missing all of the sunshine and more recently, rain. AND NOT complaining about it.

This week has been busy with late, long meetings followed by racquetball matches. Or a family emergency that we are working through. I am leaving the house about 5:10 AM and returning somewhere close to 8 PM.

All of the travel in darkness means that I am not in a very good mood. Last evening I was at the pharmacy trying to pick up one of my regular prescriptions and was informed that the Federal Government, which is shut down I remind you, had changed some rules and I now needed to show my drivers license before they could even order my medication. Did they call me? They had had the script for four days. No. Did I want to verbally eviscerate the pharmacist? You bet! I was tired and not in a particularly good mood from driving in traffic in the rain.

Some federal worker, one of my brethren, somewhere, had reinterpreted a rule and the impact was placed squarely on me. I hope the slug is still furloughed. I had been trying to get to the pharmacy to pick the prescription up for three days. Now, I need a return trip tonight. Like that is going to happen.

What I really needed was a great dessert to drown my sorrows. Like the one I bought at Wegman's last week. But, it is already eaten. I must have an eating disorder if I think a good dessert can solve the problems of the world. Or even just my little portion of it.

Where is the ice cream? Maybe I can eat my way into next springtime.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Halloween Comes with the Decorations

The pumpkins are on the porch. The decorations are displayed in preparation for the hoards of children dressed in costume offering a trick or a treat. Our garden is ready for their visit. It is more than likely we will not even be home to celebrate the holiday as we will be strolling through another neighborhood with the grandsons watching them extort candy from the people living there.

But it is coming. Maybe too soon the cold weather will be here and the moon will illuminate the bare branches of the trees on the lawns giving them their eerie October appearance.

Autumn is here and with it the annual Halloween celebration. I've never been a huge fan of the celebration as it is a bit dark. But, my house is decorated.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Autumn Graces the Trees

The colors of autumn are slowing beginning to change the greens of summer into oranges and reds. One of the first trees to experience the transformation is just up the street from us. The reds of autumn are arriving on its branches daily. 

I have seen the changes starting in many other trees, but this is one of the first in our neighborhood.

Autumn had arrived. With the rain of Monday and the cooler temperatures, I suspect that more and more of the trees will begin to don the festive colors of the season.

I was concerned that the extremely dry conditions of the past two months would mute autumn's colors. The sycamore trees, for instance, have already shed most of their leaves and hence will not be fully engulfed in their yellow costume for the season.

It has arrived, this season of transition. I can already see the changes in the trees and feel the coolness in the breeze.

Next, the harvest!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Gravity -- Movie Review

Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and space. Sounds like a perfect mix? Right?

Well . . . not so much.

Gravity is a movie about space, trying to survive a series of disasters and return back to earth alive. That is the short story. Actually that is the long story, too.

The imagery and photography are spectacular--especially in 3D (which I highly recommend) and Sandra Bullock plays one of the best roles that I have seen her perform. George Clooney is adequate. Neither gives anything close to an Oscar worthy performance.That is the good news. 

The problem is with the script, the plot, and the science. Nothing that is depicted in space in the movie is accurate. That is sad because it highlights the lack of knowledge that most Americans have about space.

The plot is nonexistent. The movie is a plotless action movie set in space. The event which sets into motion the is loosely based on a historical event from a few years ago, but that is where any similarity to reality or the laws of physics ends. Added to that,  there is no character development--and by the end of the movie I really did not care if the main characters lived or died. And they really did not do anything to make me want to care about their outcome. 

The action scenes--and the movie is mostly action, are fun to watch and the 3D really makes them come alive. If I checked my knowledge of space science at the door I probably would have enjoyed the movie more--but, where the movie makers could have taken time to provide a rudimentary education about space and space operations, they decided to take a Buck Rogers approach to orbital mechanics and fictionalize the results. Sadly, it did not work for me.

The ending is a page right out of American space flight history with Gus Grissom's Mercury flight. 

One interesting note--only two actors are ever depicted on screen (alive) during the movie--Bullock and Clooney. I think they probably could have used some help.

RECOMMENDATION: Not suitable for the under 12 crowd. There are some graphic and disturbing scenes. I cannot recommend this movie except for the incredibly awesome on orbit images of the earth, the shuttle, the Hubble, the ISS, and the Chinese space station. Fortunately it is a short movie running just over 90 minutes.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 7, 2013

1. The surest sign of ineptitude is the inability to resolve disputes amicably in order to serve the greater good of society.

2. Sadly, we elected our congressional representatives and they are doing just what we asked them to do--be singly focused upon a limited set of issues with little regard for governing the country.

3. Maryland's new cell phone and seatbelt laws are another example of legislative powers gone wildly awry.

4. They're back. The stink bug blight is underway.

5. Furlough Day 7 has turned into back to work day!

6. I watched a great football game yesterday. Denver and Dallas played a classic games where each team played awesome offensive football. 99 points were scored--the fourth most points scores in an NFL game scoring game of all time and one quarterback passed for over 500 yards and the other for over 400 yards. Yet, sadly, the game ends because of clock management. Earl Weaver had it right when he said something to the effect that in baseball there is no running out the clock--you still have to throw the ball over the plate.

7. The first weekend in October 2013 provided some fantastic weather for us to enjoy. It was reminiscent of summer. It is summer's last gasp. The last, parting kiss until next year. 

8. The government shutdown continues at the expense of the American public. And Congress does not seem to care.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Furlough Day 6: Completed Tasks and Uncertainty

Delivering the Ornamental Grasses to the Recycling Center

The grasses have been trimmed. The task was finally completed after realizing that operator error played a huge part in the problems I was having with my battery powered trimmer. The image I published yesterday of the battery contains the clue to the problem with the trimmer--which failed to work properly both on Friday and again on Saturday morning.  I was charging a 24V battery with an 18V charger.

Dumb!  Who knew they would fit? And the indicator confirmed that charging was occurring. Black and Decker should have known better. And, duh, so should I.

It worked a lot better after it received a 24V charge. Yay.

The job is done. The grasses are at the landfill for recycling into compost.

It was a unusually warm October day. A great day to enjoy a soccer game and work outside. A great way to get ready for the darkness and the cold which will be coming all too soon.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge ,MD