Welcome to the Freezer

Frozen Meat

If a piece of meat in the freezer could talk it would describe conditions similar to what we are experiencing with the weather right now.

It is dark and cold. Frigid, even.

From WBALTV.com

I found a headline in this morning's Washington Post especially humorous:

Dear Northerners: We get that this weather is no big deal for you. Now please shut up.
There are some very funny things written in the article comparing our eight-day long deep freeze to experiences around the country with the cold.

I found this one particularly funny, having been to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the winter:

From WBALTV.com

The people from Michigan would love to tell you about the time they were frozen to their snowmobile for 70 hours until they were licked free by a domesticated elk — but frankly, that is what you sign up for when you live in Michigan. If you live in Michigan, you get cheap real estate, nice lake access and below-zero mornings.

It is not what we sign-up for living in the mid-Atlantic region. 

According to the forecast, there is almost no hope of getting above freezing until Monday!

At least no one can say we are having a "mild" winter! Maybe there will be fewer insects this summer.

Spring cannot be too far off. The Baltimore Orioles pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training in 39 days.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

1st Storm of 2018

Out the Back Window

The first Nor'Easter of 2018 is cruising up the coast and eastern Maryland is paralyzed by it.

Looking up the Driveway

The ability to handle snow in  this region continues to be less than optimal. Add to that the drivers do not respect the snow and wind up becoming obstacles along the roadsides to be avoided.

Schools are closed. It is the first snow day of the season and there is less than an inch of snow falling in our area. Of course, there is a lot more falling elsewhere. The wind is blowing the snow around and the frigid temperatures mean that all of the snow if going to stay around for a while.

I have to admit that because I grew up in Upstate New York that the amount of snow falling this morning is nothing more than a nuisance. Sadly, though, it is paralyzing the region. 

I do like the way that the local news media covers these weather events. They send people everywhere to cover the differing conditions. 

The coverage of the storm is better than watching a sporting event. We get it from every possible angle.

They are calling this one Snow-icane, because of the hurricane force winds some areas are experiencing

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Last Project of 2017

Jeremy Working on the New Stairs

The year seems to pass with home improvement projects punctuating many weekend activities. 

Old Stairs

The final house project of 2017 was replacing the attic stairs at Jeremy's house. It was not a difficult project, as projects go, but it was challenging. 

The existing stairs did not seal against the ceiling and one of the arms was broken. The new attic stairs are insulated and definitely fit tightly to the ceiling. I am hopeful that they significantly reduce the heat loss going up through the attic.

We were greatly aided bu a YouTube video which gave us some important tips which made the demolition and the reinstallation a bit easier. What did we ever do before YouTube?

And that, was the final house project of 2017. It was completed on New Year's Eve!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

As the Year Begins

January 1, 2018
Looking up the Driveway

The new year has begun in a frigid fashion. 

I did a short flight with my drone, Radio Flyer, yesterday to work on my controls and getting the basics of flying down. 

I snapped a few images and they just speak to the cold. The sunset was just building in the west and the snow was not melting at all due to the cold. 

Finnegan with His Bone
in Front of the Fireplace

I get a chill just looking at the pictures. The scene is so cold. 

It was so cold yesterday that except for refilling the firewood in the garage from the pile outside and a short drive flight, all I did was watch movies and keep the fire stoked. 

Finnegan had the best idea. Take a nap with his bone in front of the fireplace. 

The cold is going to continue until next week. Except for a brief few hours tomorrow, the forecast does not have the area rising above freezing until Monday next week! Ugh! Is it too late to take an early winter vacation to the south? Although it is 39 degrees in Tampa this morning. Jupiter, however, is showing 64 degrees. A heat wave!

Stay warm.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 1, 2018

1. Happy New Year, 2018 has arrived.

2. I wish I was celebrating the start of the new year someplace warm, like Miami! It is too cold here.

3. It is kinda weird when New Years falls on a Monday. We get to start the workweek with a holiday.

4. Baseball season cannot be far off.

At Dawn New Years Day 2018

5. The Christmas season is slipping away. The Snow Village has been packed up and one Christmas Tree has been likewise stores.

6. Winers and Losers. Winners: Steelers, Cowboys. Losers: Ravens, Redskins, Penguins. The Ravens loss was especially crushing as the score that knocked them from the playoffs happened with 44 seconds left in the game. 

7. It is 4.5 degrees this morning as the first dawn of 2018 arrives. 

8. And so, what great New Years resolutions did you make?

Headlines

Kim Jong-un Offers North Korea’s Hand to South, While Chiding U.S. - The New York Times

1 in 10 young adults have been homeless over the past year, survey finds - The Washington Post

Words banned for the new year? 'Fake news' gets top vote - Associated Press

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"This season, in and around the New Year, is a season of love and hope; a time for reflection; a time of expectation; a time when people in America, just like people all over the world, gather with family and friends to remember in many different ways the blessings of God and to look to the future with hope."

New Year's Radio Address to the People of the Soviet Union, December 31, 1986

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

New Year's Eve 2017

New Year's Eve has arrived and the end of the year is at hand. 

The weather is frigid! It is 14 degrees this morning and as the weather forecasters say, "the temperatures are going to struggle to get into the 20s today."

Struggle? That is the best that we can do?


The bone chilling cold is going to affect many outdoors activities today. For instance, the Ravens are playing a game with definite playoff implications today--and although there are many tickets available, there is no way that I want to be trapped in an outdoor stadium with temperatures in the teens! 

If the Ravens win their game against the Bengals, they are in the playoffs. If they lose, they need either Buffalo or Tennessee to lose to make the playoffs. 

And then there are the midnight fireworks--also too cold to consider attending. I didn't even buy any fireworks of my own to launch at midnight this year. I guess there is still time to get some, but it will be too cold for the fuse to light probably.

The cold is just paralyzing. If there is no good reason to be outside, I don't want to be outside. 

Where is that warm, sandy, palm tree lined beach that I'm dreaming of? Now that is the definition of my white Christmas. 

Have a happy and safe New Year's Eve celebration. Stay warm and sober.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Through the Bookstore

The other day I was at the mall and wandered into a bookstore. I admit, it has been a while since I was in a real bookstore. I used to frequent them regularly, but as of late I have been using online sites to purchase the books I read. 

Books in the Bookstore about Politics

Bookstores are becoming a dying breed, following the way of the video store.

I enjoyed my foray into the store. I discovered that the I had forgotten how bookstores reflect the mood of the country. In this particular store there were many politically-oriented books representing multiple sides of the current state of affairs here in the United States. I found a table full of books espousing a wide variety of opinions. It was fascinating to examine them and get a sense about the political perspective of the authors.

The smell of the new books also brought back fond memories of wandering between the stacks and examining the many titles to be found there. 

I will have to visit bookstores more regularly to stay in touch with the issues that are finding their way into print. And not just the fiction, either. I wonder which of the books would be branded Fake News?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Last Friday

The last Friday of 2017 has arrived.

The last Friday of the year is beginning in a frigid manner. It is bitter cold. The temperature outside my window is 16 degrees! And that is 3 degrees warmer than yesterday morning. It is too cold to go outside and do much of anything except complain about the cold.

And it is expected to get colder! I can hardly believe how cold that it is going to get. The New Year will likely begin with temperatures in the single digits! 

I really need a one-way ticket to someplace warm! Is it time for Spring Training yet?

I am glad that I have a lot of wood to stoke the fireplace and keep the house toasty warm.

As the end of the year arrives, it is a good time to conduct a review and set objectives for the year ahead. Some people call them resolutions, but in reality I am more successful if I consider them strategic objectives for the new year. 

Happy Last Friday!

May the year ahead find all of your objectives met.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Final Gift Arrives

We are in the midst the 12 Days of Christmas. In our own way, we have been celebrating a continuing Christmas season.

New Sofa in the Family Room

I am happy that Christmas does not end on Christmas Day. Yesterday, we received the final gift of this Christmas. Chris wanted a new sofa, it was truly the most important thing on her list and I was able to make it happen. Sadly, the sofa was not ready before Christmas, but I was therefore able to get it under the tree in the form of a picture and the contract.

We retrieved the sofa from the furniture store yesterday. The salesman helped us load it into the truck and then we were off on our adventure. The sofa was well wrapped and there was almost no chance that it would get dirty on the short drive from the furniture store to the house. Believe it or not, we actually had little trouble getting it into the house because it was so well wrapped and protected. It took about 10 minutes for me to install the legs and then we had one brand spanking new sofa.

The smartest thing we had done was to prepare the space in advance and relocate the existing sofa to a safe place until a decision about its final disposition is made. We have three options: relocate within the house, sell, or donate. My vote is for the donate option, but I'm currently in the minority as the other vote is for relocating or selling.

The new sofa is now in place and we are adjusting to its differences. So is Makayla. She was allowed to sleep on the old sofa, but not the new one. It may become an issue. Why do new things have to be so difficult?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Drone Warrior

I have not written about the gifts of Christmas, but I did receive one item that I anticipate will be appearing in my blog on a regular basis and so I need to announce its presence up front.

I received a DJI Spark Drone that is going to be adding a new dimension to the images and videos that I share. I named my drone Radio Flyer, because it is red, and it has been legally registered with the FAA. 

My flying privileges had been revoked because of an ugly accident while flying Patrick's drone on Easter and so I am taking a slow and methodical approach to learning to fly. I am deliberately learning the controls and keeping the drone on a very tight leash until I become more proficient with it. 

Finnegan, Chris, Patrick, and Me in an Open Field

That means I will be flying low, slow, and taking my time. I have to train myself to manage the controls properly. My natural instincts are exactly opposite how the controller is laid out. It is going to take a lot of training to get my hands moving properly.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD