Birds in the Snow

It has been a snow day. Chris measured 8 inches of new snow! Ugh!

I have to go back out in a few minutes when the snow stops and get it off the driveway.

But, it has been fascinating to watch the birds at the feeders even on this miserable and getting colder day.

I was so fascinated, I took a few photos of them and made a movie.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Talking about the Weather, Again!

10 Day Forecast for Elkridge, MD
March 5, 2015

It is the weather after all. There isn't much we can do about it. It happens despite our plans.

I'm sitting here this morning writing and waiting for a storm that will drop 5-8 inches of snow on the region and paralyze the activities of the day. I have already changed my plans. 

Celebrations and good-byes that were planned have been rescheduled, additional groceries (including a healthy amount of wild bird seed) have been purchased and stored, and the vehicles are fully gassed and ready for any exigency. 

But there is frustration.

The weather forecasters say the storm is coming--but as I write this not a flake has fallen from the sky.

Has the storm disappeared? Changed course? Magically decided to miss this small region of the planet?

Probably not! They say the evil forces of nature are still taking direct aim at all of us who live here and we have had enough warning and should be prepared for the worst.

I remember that when I was a kid, weather just seemed to happen. We would wake in the morning and figure out the weather for the day. There wasn't a lot of preparation. During the winters in Central New York, I would wake up and see that 10 additional inches of snow had fallen and realize that I needed to shovel the driveway before the bus came to take me to school.

I detest shoveling snow probably because of those cold, dark winter's mornings of my youth.

I am encouraged, however, the 10-day forecast is now showing temperatures approaching 60 degrees!!! Yay. Maybe this terrible spate of weather is finally going to break and we will return to something more normal.

I think I will focus upon the forecast to get me through the snow that is still coming all too soon.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Iran and the Bomb

The weather is again dominating the local news, however on the international scene the Iranian nuclear desires are the big ticket item along side the continuing war against the oppression and medieval forces of ISIL. There is a deal in the works that is explained in basic terms in the NY Times article, The Nuclear Talks. 

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke before a joint session of Congress yesterday describing, from his vantage point, the problems with the negotiations and ending the sanctions against Iran in exchange for assurances that they will not pursue nuclear weapons.

I was able to watch parts of the address as it was carried live on FoxNews. 

What amazes me this morning is the uneven, partisan coverage of the address and the impending agreement with Iran. The substance of the speech is not being addressed on a factual basis, but rather from an emotional point of view. This is a recipe for failure.

I am reminded of the late 1930's and the Prime Minister of the UK, Neville Chamberlain who attempted to appease Hitler. That policy had tragic results resulting in Chamberlain's resignation in 1940 and the occupation of much of continental Europe by the Nazi forces before the combined militaries of many nations were able to liberate conquered peoples.

As I read the responses to the speech this morning in the press, I am appalled at the lack of historical context the writers possess and I am concerned that they do not see what is happening in the world today.

For instance, Iran is conducting operations in Iraq against ISIL and these operations were not well coordinated with the United States led coalition as reported on FoxNews and by others. While it may appear they are integrated and assisting, perhaps they are working to achieve their own objectives apart from the combined efforts of the coalition.

In an effort, I presume, to show balanced coverage, the New York Times published an OpEd piece written by Gholamali Khoshroo Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations. In that piece, Mr. Khoshroo writes,  "alarmist rhetoric on the theme has been a staple of Mr. Netanyahu’s career. In an interview with the BBC in 1997, he accused Iran of secretly “building a formidable arsenal of ballistic missiles,” predicting that eventually Manhattan would be within range." I found this statement to be particularly revealing since The Unites States Institute for Peace characterizes Iran's ballistic missile program as follows: Iran has the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. (Israel has more capable ballistic missiles, but fewer in number and type.) Most were acquired from foreign sources, notably North Korea. The Islamic Republic is the only country to develop a 2,000-km missile without first having a nuclear weapons capability.

This issue will continue to play out on the international stage and within the partisan halls of the U.S. government and bears watching by concerned citizens.

There is a lot more going on that the snow expected to fall outside my windows beginning tonight. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Aftermath of the Storm

Squirrel with "Snowbrella"

Sunday's storm was difficult because of the combination of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. 

During the storm, some interesting things were discovered--for instance, I saw a squirrel using its tail as  snowbrella. It was sitting in one of the planters that we put bird food in and eating away as the flakes fell from the sky with ever increasing speed.

It was an interesting use for a tail.  I found it incredibly creative. And it made me smile. Of course, I was in the warm house and the squirrel was outside in the weather.

Yesterday morning, as I was chopping my truck out of a the block of ice that had formed around it, I saw another photo-worthy sight--heavenly bamboo with berries encased in ice with the sun, yes the sun, shining through it. 

The day was was cold, but the sun melted the ice by the end of the day. The sun is getting stronger every day--it is as strong as early-October right now and getting more and more like September. 

The weather forecast suggests that March will be colder and snowier than normal. I find that to be very distressing. My forecast is that they are wrong!

I'm still waiting for global warming!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 2, 2015

General/President Eisenhower Played Baseball

1. President Eisenhower played professional baseball? Who knew? Oh the scandal. The Sporting News reports the story.

2. There is something just wrong with TV weather reporters who smile a lot when they give a miserable weather forecast.

3. Although snow covers my yard--I know the grass is underneath preparing to burst to life. 

4. I saw the movie and thought it would be better titled, 50 Shades of Boring, but this sign made me smile on a cold, snowy day. I think my safe word is "pour another one please!"

5. I have to comment on the passing of Leonard Nimoy. I will never say "Live Long and Prosper," without remembering him.

6. So let me ask--who cares about the color of the dress?

7. Ice. Why did it have to be ice?

8. I'm Sarasota dreaming this morning where the forecast for the day is sunny and 79 degrees.

9. I've been trying to plan a summer vacation--there are too many options.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Start the Celebration

Well, February is over.

Behind us, although probably not to be forgotten and we will be cleaning up the mess for a long time.

The snowiest, coldest, most miserable February in a long time. I know for the region I live in it was not the snowiest--that would be the Snowpocalypse of 2010, but it sure has been cold and miserable. Other parts of the country have seen record snowfalls raising the miserable factor to new levels. 

Someone remarked that the historic average high temperature for this time of year in the Baltimore region is 50 degrees. I would love to see temperatures even in the 40 degree range. Yesterday topped out at 31 degrees.

The Yard
March 1, 2015

But the month is behind us now and March has arrived with the promise of melting snow and warmer temperatures. It is going to be a messy start--but it can only get better from here. Later this month, the sun crosses the Equator and heads into the northern hemisphere and so things should really begin to heat up--finally. I'm looking forward to seeing green instead of brown and gray.

Despite the fact that snow completely covers my yard and more snow, sleet, and freezing rain are forecast for today and much of this week, I am still holding out hope of mowing my lawn at least once before the end of the month. 

It could happen!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Snow in my Truck

Snow in the Truck

The snow continues to cover everything in the region like a bad dream that won't end.

I want the snow to leave! It has been here too long and overstayed its welcome.

The ground here has been covered now for almost two weeks. The snow is still in the bed of my truck! Usually it goes away pretty quickly, but not this year. 

Plymouth & Brockton busses are running between
Provincetown & Boston. Picture taken on Rt 6 Cape Cod

The situation is not a bad as the Boston area. The image of the bus on a road with two stories of snow around it is stunning and sobering. Fortunately, it is not so bad here. 

Deer in the Yard
February 27, 2015

The deer are getting confused by the snow. Last evening four deer thought they were birds and checked out the bird feeders. At one point they were lined up eating from the ground under the feeder, but I was having a hard time getting a good shot and I was left with them realizing that they had been discovered and departing the area. 

This is the last day of February. It has been a month to remember, or rather a month to forget. I'm hoping that the arrival of March will turn the weather around. Temperatures are forecast to touch 60 on Wednesday and along with the expected rain, it is possible that the snow will depart and not return until long after summer come and then gone.

I know springtime will arrive when the snow melts from my truck.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Congress on the wrong path--Again

I have been watching drama play out in Washington, DC, because the city is on the verge of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana according to an article titled, Republicans Warn Washington to Think Twice About Legalizing Marijuana published in the New York Times. 

It is immaterial whether I agree or disagree with the decriminalization of marijuana--but that the Congress, which has legislative authority over Washington, DC, can override and threaten the elected officials of the District is wrong! Since when did congressmen elected from districts across the country presume to represent the citizens of DC? It is one of the interesting paradox's of our representative form of government. Washington, DC, truly is without representation.

Voters in Colorado, Washington State, and Alaska can vote to change their marijuana laws--but voters in DC cannot. Congress has the ultimate oversight and therefore the people living in DC do not have representation as the lawmakers in charge of governing them are not elected by the people.

The District of Columbia is a lot more than federal land and landmarks. The people living there deserve responsive representation. Congress should recuse itself from meddling in this and most other issues affecting the District.

The incredible tale of this issue is reported as follows in the article: A few weeks after the marijuana ballot initiative passed, House Republicans placed a provision into a large federal spending bill prohibiting the city, which is overwhelmingly Democratic, from spending tax dollars to enact the initiative. But district officials argue that the marijuana law had already been enacted and certified by the Board of Elections before Congress passed the spending bill, so there was no “enacting” for the House to prevent.

I think the Mayor said it best and succinctly, Ms. Bowser [the Mayor] said Wednesday that the city would carry out its own law and that Congress should “not be so concerned about overturning what seven out of 10 voters said should be the law.”

Congress needs to stick to the bigger issues of running the country and let the people of DC govern themselves--perhaps they need to gain statehood in order to truly achieve representation. But that is an issue for another day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Hardest Places to Live in the US

I ran across an article titled, Where are the Hardest Places to Live in the U.S. in the New York Times.  It ranks the counties in the United States by quality of life and focuses upon the hardest counties to live in. That was a new twist on the way I look at the United States. The interactive map is very interesting.

I usually look at the best places to live and never even consider the counties at the bottom of the list.

I was amazed a what the interactive map in the article revealed about some of the places live or visit:

Howard County, MD is 9th best county in the US out of 3135 counties.
Albemarle County, VA is 16th.
Tompkins County, NY is 170th.
Palm Beach County, FL is 344th.
Sarasota County, FL is 391st.

But at the other end of the list--Clay county, KY is 3135th.

The article is very interesting. I never really thought about how great the difference is between the top and bottom of the lists. When I look at the interactive map, I was amazed at the poverty and difficult living conditions along the Appalachians and especially in Eastern Kentucky.

Other observations. Wyoming, Connecticut,  and Hawaii do not have any counties in the doing worse category. 

From the article: The 10 lowest counties in the country, by this ranking, include a cluster of six in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky (Breathitt, Clay, Jackson, Lee, Leslie and Magoffin), along with four others in various parts of the rural South: Humphreys County, Miss.; East Carroll Parish, La.; Jefferson County, Ga.; and Lee County, Ark.

Personally, I found it amazing at the disparity between counties in some states. Maryland has Montgomery (6) and Howard (9) counties (9) while a short distance away is Baltimore City (2419) and Somerset County (2518). The biggest disparities seem to be in New Mexico between Los Alamos (1) and McKinley (2793) counties or South Dakota between Lincoln (8) and Shannon (3080) counties.  There are a couple of counties in Alaska for which there is no data--which I found interesting. 

The U.S. is a land of great diversity and I know that I rarely consider the quality of life of the people outside the region in which I live or visit. There is a great disparity in quality of life and despite taxes and social programs, I'm not convinced the needs of those living in the counties near the bottom are being adequately addressed. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Beating the Snow and Cold

I have been exploring ways to cope with the snow and cold. 

The view out my window is white, bare trees, and no signs of Spring. In a word--monochromatic! Or, boring.

How to cope with the snow and cold?

Colorful flowers and grilled food
to imagine being warm

1. Plan a trip, in my mind, to someplace warm, like Key West or the Caribbean.

2. Watch the Golf Channel showing a a tournament from a warm and green location.

3. Sit in the sauna at the gym and dream that it is summer in Florida.

4. Watch replays of old baseball games.

5. Get excited about Spring Training in Florida.

6. Go on a cruise to someplace tropical!

7. Get a reservation for a beach house somewhere.

8. Buy some colorful flowers.

9. Grill a steak, even if it is snowing.

10. Drive to work with the heat so high that I want to open the windows to cool off.

11. Sign up for golf lessons.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD