Monday Musings - June 26, 2017

1. Amazingly, this is the last week of June. July is standing in the wings ready to make a grand entrance.

2. I saw this barn in Danby on a cool but clear evening. The colors were so bright I had to snap this image.

3. Sitting in a hospital waiting for Mom's surgery and the delays have begun. Ugh!

4. The Orioles won a road series for the first time since April. They also tied the Major League Baseball record for most games allowing five or more runs per game. They allowed only three runs on Saturday to end the streak, but yesterday they allowed five runs in their 8-5 win.

5. What happened to summer? It was 50 degrees this morning in Central New York.

6. Vacation season is upon us.

7. I love the smell of a fresh mowed lawn.

8. I enjoyed watching a thunderstorm arrive yesterday. The cool air and the ozone smell preceded the arrival of the rain and wind.

9. It is fun to look back a week and then project forward. What was I doing last week at this time? What am I doing now? What will I be doing next week? They are all very different answers. That is exciting.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Corning, NY

Dinner Out

Last evening we headed out to dinner after a day of hard work around the house. Mom and Dad were in great form and surprisingly the restaurant was not too busy.

It was an enjoyable dinner and made even more special because we had all worked hard around the house planting gardens and mowing lawns. The place looked great by the time we were done.

Spending time with Mom and Dad was the highlight of the day, however. Sometimes I get so involved in the hectic pace of my own life that the joy of sharing a relaxed dinner put with my parents gets lost in the noise.

After dinner we stopped at a small ice cream shop in Danby to enjoy the sunset. I couldn't believe how cool the evening had become. The crystal cyan sky was stunning as it met the hilly horizon in the distance.

It was so cool that I had to put a long sleeve heavy shirt on to stay warm while sharing an ice cream cone with Chris.

It was a perfect ending to a great day.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Ithaca, NY

Saturday Projects

Saturday is project day. Last Saturday I played golf in the morning and general contractor in the afternoon.

The microwave died corresponding with the first day of summer vacation. That is a crisis because it stops the production of popcorn to feed the grandsons.

In the photo, I had removed the non functioning microwave and was about to begin the installation process for the replacement.

I remembered when I first installed the microwave. We have lived in the house long enough that we are replacing appliances that have already been replaced. This is the second microwave I have installed. Last year we installed the second dishwasher. It is a good feeling to have been living in the same place long enough to be replacing replacements.

I wonder about today's projects. What will be on tap?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Longest Day

The longest day has passed. 

Daylight stayed on my doorstep until almost 9 PM until the day slipped away into darkness. 

I enjoy that day every year when the light keeps the darkness at bay for the longest amount of time. From now until the winter solstice the days will progressively become shorter. But for the next month I will revel in the longer days.

The past three days were 14 hours 56 minutes and some seconds long with daylight! By December the daylight will be down to 9 hours and 24 minutes. Over 5 and a half hours of difference. 

Summer is off to a great start. 

The hot and long dog days are coming in a month to punctuate the arrival of summer. 

Bring on the heat, the fun and the vacations. Not to mention the pools.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Record Not Wanted

It is an ugly record in the annals of baseball. 

The Orioles have already set the American League record for giving up 5 or more runs in consecutive games and by my reckoning they stand at 18, with last night's 5-1 loss. They broke the American League record somewhere around 16 consecutive games and with the streak now at 18 they are two games shy of tying the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies at 20 consecutive games of allowing 5 or more runs. 

But, despite the terrible pitching streak the Orioles are only 5 games out of first and 1 game below .500!

Amazing.

The team is suffering a spate of injuries which add to the already bad situation.

Hopefully, however, this is the August-September slump happening a couple of months early and the team will get back on track soon. 

At least they won the game I attended Tuesday night, 6-5. But still gave up 5 runs!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Solstice

It happened while I was asleep last night. 

The solstice occurred and Summer arrived. It is the best season of the year. 

The trees are fully green and the cicadas have been gone for about a month. July is around the corner and I just got in from getting the pool ready for another day of heavy use by the grandsons. I love the summer pool scene! The pool is in exceptionally good shape this year and that makes it all the better.

The official arrival of Summer brings with it the vacation season and the continuation of the outdoor living season. The weather has been spectacular lately. It has been hot and steamy--just like summer weather is supposed to be. The 10 day forecast is nearly perfect. A mix of sun and rain with highs in the near 90's or 90s and lows in the high 60's or low 70s. 

Even the Orioles, the Boys of Summer, got it right last night an delivered a win to close out Spring and begin the Summer run for the World Series. I am a bit concerned that they have allowed 5 or more runs in each of their last 17 games, but hopefully that will turn around soon. 

Bring on Summer and let's enjoy the heat!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Third Eye Blind - Review

It was a hot and sultry Sunday night in Baltimore when Third Eye Blind played at the Pier Six Pavilion. 

It was my first concert at the Pier Six pavilion and I really did not know what to expect. The venue is covered open air and the sights of the city mix with the atmosphere in the concert area to create a unique environment for the show. 

Stephan Jenkins
Baltimore, MD
June 18, 2017

Third Eye Blind presented an energetic and musical show. The highlight was celebrating the 20th anniversary of their first album which was played complete and in order, except for the last song, God of Wine which was the appropriate closer for the show. Full disclosure, I like Third Eye Blind but I do not have all of the music memorized, but the music I have memorized is almost entirely from the first album. 

Shadow in the Lights

The band came on stage just after 9 PM and played a 30 minute opening set of newer music before transitioning to the first album. The setlist from the show shows that 21 songs were played. 

The set for the show was stimulating and bright. Working without the massive big screens of many entertainers, the show was reminiscent of a classic rock concert of two decades ago. I liked a comment that Stephan Jenkins made about being a real rock band with no added backtracks or synthesizers. 

The crowd was nothing short of adoring and clearly knew all of the words to all of the songs.  The band was awesome and the drummer, Brad Hargreaves, of course, stole the show during a couple of sequences which highlighted his abilities. 

This was a great show for a great classically organized rock band. The energy was infectious and most of the crowd did not sit down for the entire show. There were no "slow" songs and only a couple "slower" pieces.

It should be noted that this is an adult band and the lyrics deal with topics that are not suitable for the younger generation. 

Great show, high energy and exceptionally performed music! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 19, 2017

Summer Flowers Blooming in my Garden

1. The summer solstice is Wednesday. The longest day of light for the year will arrive. And then it will be passed.

2. The forecast for the past few days has been for rain, yet none has materialized.

3. I enjoyed a very different Father's Day. I spent time individually throughout the day with each of my children and grandchildren.

4. Third Eye Blind gives a great concert. It incredibly exceeded my expectations last evening. Unfortunately, we did not arrive home until after midnight. I fear I am going to have a very long day.

5. The red Sonoma should be removed from the driveway today. It will end an era.

6. We discovered a new place to relax in Baltimore. It is called Sand lot and it is right on the water in Fells Point with libations and lots of food. 

Baltimore
June 18, 2017

7. Baltimore has a pretty skyline, especially at sunset. 

8. The Orioles have figured out how to win again! They took a weekend series from the Cardinals, but it was with the bats and not pitching. The winning scores were 15-8 and 8-5. Way too many runs given up.

Quote for the Week

"Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession."

Ronald Reagan

Proclamation 4845 -- Father's Day, 1981, May 20, 1981

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Where does Chocolate Milk Come From?

This is serious, although I am still mystified.

According to a report in The Denver Post, 7 percent of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

The article, titled, The surprising number of American adults who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows, is really a very deep and interesting discussion about how detached from our food chain Americans are becoming. 

The article summarizes the problem as follows: “At the end of the day, it’s an exposure issue,” said Cecily Upton, co-founder of the nonprofit FoodCorps, which brings agricultural and nutrition education into elementary schools. “Right now, we’re conditioned to think that if you need food, you go to the store. Nothing in our educational framework teaches kids where food comes from before that point.”

The education system, including parents, needs to ensure the entire food chain is known. And it extends beyond chocolate milk and cows.

Brown eggs versus white eggs?

A pickle is a cucumber?

French fries come from potatoes?

Wine comes from grapes? (I had to throw that in)

I am glad that I grew up in rural America where I watched and sometimes helped farmers milk cows, we had a garden, and understood where food comes from.

Drink up and remember that a farmer somewhere is milking cows for their milk, plain white milk no matter the cow color. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Right, Wrong, and The Rifleman

Growing up, television was much different than today. We had the choice of three networks and four channels. Three channels were form Syracuse and represented the networks NBC, CBS, and ABC. Our fourth channel was from Binghamton and was a CBS channel. 

TV was black and white, our color TV was delivered during my 12th birthday celebration. We still only got four channels and had to move the antenna on the roof to see them clearly. 

One of my favorite TV shows was The Rifleman about a widowed rancher who was raising his son during the post-Civil War period in the Hollywood-style Old West of New Mexico. Unlike the TV shows of today, this show had a definite sense of right and wrong. It also portrayed civic responsibility in the idea that sometimes community came before self. It also highlighted the concept of defending those weaker than you. The show aired form 1958 until 1963, but was in reruns for many years afterwards. I can still find it on occasion. 

I realized, the other day, that much of what I learned about right and wrong and community and service came from watching The Rifleman and similar shows.

The show always portrayed a clear sense of right and wrong and it seemed, in my memory, to revolve around a conflict where "bad" showed up required someone to step outside their quiet life and take action to restore order and protect the lives and property of neighbors and friends. The show also portrayed the judicious application of force to protect and serve, a concept that escapes many today.

I'm not sure there is too much of this moralistic storytelling on television today. I find it harder and harder to watch shows on a recurring basis because morally they are self-interest oriented. 

They don't make shows like The Rifleman anymore. I wonder, is that a good thing?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD