Decorating Day--Done!

Christmas 2015 Decoration

It is mostly complete. A day long event dedicated to transforming the house from Thanksgiving into Christmas.

It took most all of the day. Two Christmas trees were erected, decorated, and even redecorated. We did have remove the icicles because the cats thought they were candy--and that is a bad thing.

Snow Village Wonderland Under Construction

During the day, Chris and I listened to Christmas music, watched a campy Santa Claus movie and consumed a bottle of wine. We kept the pace slow and the mess, associated with redecorating

Mountain Snow Village
Nearing Completion

As we were preparing to do dinner and nestle down together for the evening,  we got a call from Patrick and Tina to come visit with them and lend assistance in creating their Snow Village wonderland. That was a lot of fun. They were in the middle of a mountain scene that took an incredible amount of planning and construction. That, and it also has a voice activated computer controlled light system. Pretty cool!

It was a full decorating day! The Christmas season is in full swing and the best part was, with the exception of running out to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription, I didn't grace a store or shopping mall. A nearly perfect day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Most Wonderful Time?

Outdoor Decorations are Installed

I'm sitting here listening to Andy Williams sing about "the most wonderful time of the year" as the season of the turkey gives way to four weeks of 24/7 Christmas.

It can be stifling. 

I do admit, the weather outside is fantastic and the sunrise is stunning. I'd rather be golfing, but today is decorating day. The transformation of our home into a winter wonderland. The word I use for it is, Christmasfication. 

It can be stressful, if I let it get that way.

There are 10 boxes, or more, of decorations in the attic waiting to be hauled down and installed. It is a process.

And the lists and the shopping? We have already begun the shopping process--which is a good thing. Unfortunately, no matter how early shopping begins it never seems to end. And then there are the returns.

It is still November! I cannot believe how quickly 2015 is drawing to a close.

Brace yourselves--the New Year is in sight!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Black Friday: A Worldwide Event

Black Friday, the first official shopping day of the Christmas season AND the day after Thanksgiving has moved across the Atlantic into Britain!

Who knew? And they don't even celebrate Thanksgiving. There are also reports of Black Friday occurring in India, Mexico, Canada, Romania, and France! The international flavor of commerce and especially eCommerce is bringing the blight of the American shopping season to a country near you!

One of the funniest articles that I have read in a long while was in this morning's New York Times titled, Britain Adopts Black Friday With an All-American Frenzy. 

In the article, I learned a new word, contained in the follow excerpted paragraph:

The explanation for how Britons came to embrace Black Friday seems to reside in a mix of canny unbridled capitalist opportunism, the fetishizing of things American, the explosion of online shopping and two giant retailers called Walmart and Amazon.

Do not misunderstand, although the article is humorous, it is a serious examination of how a uniquely American phenomenon has spread across an ocean and is having negative impacts on other nations and cultures.

My family is dialing back the Black Friday madness this year. No one went shopping at midnight and the shoppers in the crowd are heading out at a reasonable 9AM to risk life and limb for the remaining sale items.

In truth, Black Friday has expanded this year--I have been getting Black Friday special buys from retailers for almost two weeks now. November, it seems, is becoming a month-long series of Black Fridays.

The final paragraphs of the article provide an interesting view of Black Friday. 

Valerie Faulkner, 41, an assistant producer at an events company who was walking through the store, said she initially had no idea that Black Friday was an American tradition until she searched for it on Google.

“I don’t think most people realize it’s an American custom,” she said. “I just assumed it was some marketing ploy by shops to get rid of lousy, unwanted items before Christmas.”
Sadly, her opinion is more truth than we may suspect. I saw a news show that warned "buyer beware" on some of the deeply discounted specials as they may be of inferior quality and consist of items special built for the Black Friday frenzy.

Happy Black Friday. May all of your shopping be online!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving.

I plan to enjoy the holiday. Mixed in with the food, family, and football I will take a few moments to give thanks for the blessings that I experience every day.

Thanksgiving also rejoices and gives thanks for the blessings in the lives of others! It is good to be thankful for friends and their successes and blessings.

We live in and as part of a community, when we get together to give thanks--as in celebrating a special dinner together, we can appreciate each other better and their contributions.

The words of the classic Thanksgiving hymn ring even truer this Thanksgiving as the world is facing the fear of terrorist threats and security is on everyone's mind. We must not be paralyzed by fear, but draw our faith from God, the provider of all good things.



We Gather Together

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

-Adrianus Valerius

-Theodore Baker (translator)

Happy Thanksgiving. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Not Home for the Holiday

Where are you traveling to for the holiday?

The New York Times did some analysis of where Thanksgiving travelers are headed--and it apparently is not home!

Nope, many of the 3.6 million Americans who will be flying this holiday are heading south to enjoy sunshine and the warmth. According to the article titled, Pumpkin Pie in Miami: Thanksgiving Flight Patterns, people are traveling from the North to the south and to Vegas and Honolulu!

Turkey on a Beach

I would love to eat a fried turkey on a warm, sunny beach somewhere. 

What a dream, spend a morning golfing somewhere I will sweat instead of having to fend off frostbite while I am playing, and then change into a swimming suit and head to the beach to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and all of the fixings.

Apparently, I am not the only crazy with that thought.

The article also points out two very different types of Thanksgiving travelers. Those who able to take the entire week off and those who charge out on Wednesday or even Thanksgiving day. I found it fascinating that the busiest time to fly was Thanksgiving Day at noon!  Tough on dinner.


Driving won't be a good alternate travel plan if you are not already at your destination. From about Noon today until 7 PM the roads will be nearly impassable around the big East Coast cities according to INRIX Driving Intelligence. I hope to be off the highways early. The evening rush hour could be dramatic!

Thanksgiving is family, food, football! Adding in a warm beach in the south (or Caribbean) would just be a bonus!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: Canine Cops

For whatever reason, Chris and I watched a few police dog shows on Animal Planet over the weekend. I found them fascinating. The story of Diesel, the police dog killed in Paris also heightened my interesting police dogs.

I have always been impressed with the interaction between humans and canine in working dog situations and the shows that I watched this weekend served to cement my respect for the teams.

Yes, I wondered irrationally, why does the dog have to go in first? The answer is obvious, canine cops save human lives at their own expense.

And then, yesterday, I ran across an article in the Washington Post titled, The surprising reason more police dogs are dying in the line of duty. I was appalled at the answer. 

During 2015, 11 of 26 police dog fatalities have been due to heat exhaustion--particularly being left in a hot squad car! That is unacceptable to me. These dogs are trained to take a bullet for their handlers, they deserve a lot more respect.

My take: the use of animals in work roles means the handlers need to be more aware of their needs. Be they dogs or horses or oxen, the humans need to ensure that the health of the animals are considered at al times. Sure, some jobs are inherently dangerous, like Diesel running into a room filled with suicidal terrorists; but for an animal to die because they were left in a hot car is--criminal!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 23, 2015

1. Paranoia is rampant. The White House shut down Pennsylvania Avenue because of an apple core on Saturday. 

2. Another weird NFL weekend. The referees continually get it wrong and injuries are so commonplace now it seems that the teams are going to have to expand their rosters to 100.

3. It was cold yesterday!

4. How can a 3-7 NFL team have a shot to make the playoffs? Look at the NFC East Cowboys, they are only two games out of first place in the division. Check out the NY Times simulator and see how your team does. 

5. I spent last evening Christmas shopping on the computer. I can't believe it.

6. The presidential candidates seem intent on out doing each other with the more outlandish ideas.

7. It is the week of Thanksgiving. I cannot comprehend all of the way that I am blessed. 

8. The Ravens are done. The loss of Flacco and Forsett ended any hopes the Ravens had of winning even another game. Hopefully they can get through the remainder of the season with any other potentially career ending injuries.

9. When do pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training? Surely it is not soon enough.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday Golf and Cows

Golf Clubs Waiting the for the Next Round

This is now the second consecutive Sunday that I have not headed out to the golf course for an early morning round. The weather report made it seem like the prevailing cold would to be too numbing to attempt golf without risking the integrity of my hands and ears.

That is unfortunate, but it is a fact of the season.

My clubs are sitting patiently in the garage looking forward to their next outing. I did sneak in 12 holes on Wednesday when the temperature approached 70 degrees. I enjoyed being the only person on the course and therefore able to play at my own, relatively quick pace. The group ahead of me had teed off an hour before me. I caught up with them on the 10th hole.

Large Holstein Print

So the weather, and the season, means that I will be homebound more. 

That usually means shopping. 

Yesterday while out sampling the retailers wares, I came upon a large print suitable for hanging in someone's house. I'm not sure exactly whose house it would be suitable for. 

Would I want a cow in my living room? No, but perhaps whomever buys it (note the price $179) has never enjoyed a close up and personal experience with a holstein?

I'm pretty sure, no I'm definitely sure, I rather be golfing.

Still, that cow certainly is staring at me for some reason.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Grandparent's Day, Part 2

Jax at his Desk

In the interest of fairness and completeness, I attended grandparent's day at Waugh Chapel Elementary School yesterday and celebrated with both Ethan and Jackson.

It was a beautiful day to be out of work for a couple of hours and spend quality time with the grandsons.

The in processing into the school was smooth and enjoyable. There were a lot of grandparents trolling the halls and the staff was great in directing us to the correct classrooms and, when I happened into the wrong classroom initially, helping me find the correct classroom.

Jax Reading the Part of Rumpelstiltskin

My huge mistake of the day was forgetting to take a few pictures with Ethan, who kept me too busy to think about pictures. I did snap a shot of Jax telling the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. His class told a number of fairy tales to us. I was reminded how dark many of them are, especially when the woodsman kills the wolf in Little red Riding Hood.

I enjoyed Ethan's class because I got to do some coloring and answer a few questions about what school was like when I was in 5th grade. The time with Ethan passed so quickly. 

Did I mention food? The school had a great spread of munchies for the visitors! Awesome. 

I'm looking forward to Grandparent's Day next year!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: We Have Lost our Way

The tumultuous events of recent days have highlighted the continuing struggle between the peace-loving peoples of the world and those who would seek to enslave them. 

It is the classic struggle of the world, the free seeking peoples arrayed against an insidious abusers of power. It becomes more real when the fighting hits close to home, as it has in Paris and across Europe.

The discussions in Congress regarding suspending some basic civil liberties always follow dramatic events. One of the current discussions is about cell phone encryption. The arguments for reducing encryption ore fundamentally flawed and represent another potential intrusion into the lives of common people by not only the government, but the unscrupulous characters who could also use whatever backdoor is allowed to exist. Just look at how much money we pay for security software and updates on our personal computers to gain an understanding of the magnitude of the problem.

Syrian Refugees Coming Ashore on a Greek Island

Another discussion is about allowing refugees into the country. Both sides have taken the extreme view. One side says the refugees are only widows and children (wrong--look at the picture), the other side says that terrorists (possibly) may find a way into the country. But terrorists will always find a way into the country. Building a wall is not the answer and neither is not allowing refugees a place to settle outside of a war zone where both sides are trying to kill them.

With respect to refugees--I am reminded of the words on the Statue of Liberty: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Maybe we need to dismantle the statue and send it back to France because we have lost our way in the world. Our attitude is wrong.

Benjamin Franklin wrote something about taxes and security once which seems applicable now:

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

My take is that we need a long-term strategy and work harder to solve the crisis in Syria and the Levant. Then guess what? Neither breaking into cell phones or worrying about refugees will be necessary.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD