A Bright Moment Amid the Sea of Closures

When I walked outside with the dogs this morning, I was greeted by the sweet smell of Springtime on the breeze mixed with the moisture of the rain which had fallen overnight. It uplifted my spirits during a period when the news of coronavirus has become so prevalent that is seems to be the only thing we are hearing. 

We are at war! But it is not a war against a virus--it is a war against ourselves and our needs to be with people and at events. We are not designed as solitary people living lives without interaction with others. 

The list of closures is expansive. 

If you can think of it, it is likely closed.

In Maryland schools close as of Monday for two weeks along with all associated activities. Additionally, gatherings of 250 or more people are forbidden--and that includes churches. The Baltimore cruise terminal is closing as well.

It should be remembered, however, that life is not ending, we are only "sheltering-in-place" until the plague passes by.

In terms of my own personal vendetta against the coronavirus, I have thus far been unsuccessful in getting refunded for travel and most lodging expenses associated with my now canceled Italian vacation. I continue to work that, however, and am hopeful that at least some money will be refunded. 

I note, however, that the wineries remain open and so there is respite from the closures and dire news.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

I Just Gotta Say This

I was amazed last evening as I watched the President speak to the nation about the coronavirus. The President gave the most cogent, thoughtful, and meaningful address of his presidency. 

It was the first speech that he has given where he did not blame Obama or the democrats for the situation we are facing. He took responsibility for the actions he was taking. Yes, there were some exaggerations--for instance the President said he took early and intense action, but I felt as if the country was taking more of an ostrich approach to the coronavirus when it all began. He also called for unity and encouraged the country to come together.

I was especially impressed with the following paragraph which displayed an acute sense of history:

From the beginning of time, nations and people have faced unforeseen challenges, including large-scale and very dangerous health threats. This is the way it always was and always will be. It only matters how you respond, and we are responding with great speed and professionalism.

Note: Speech quotes are from The New York Times

I immediately thought of the Black Plague during the Middle Ages and the Spanish Flu of 1918-1920.

The economic impact of the coronavirus is being felt--the markets are crashing, people are getting sick, but hopefully last evening's speech will help stem panic and help people approach the situation from a more rational and informed point of view.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

When to Panic? Not Now!

When panic ensues nothing good happens. 

I am concerned that we are becoming so focused on COVID-19 (a/k/a Coronavirus) that panic is setting in. 

I am seeing panic in the stock markets, and on the news, and in our leaders as they attempt to deal with the impact of the virus. It is hard to miss--but, we need cooler heads and and a calm approach to what is happening around us. 

Let me put the coronavirus in perspective.

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus World Chart
March 11, 2020

As of this morning, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracking chart, there have been 1031 cases in the U.S. with 29 deaths. 

According to the CDC, there have been 18 million cases of the flu, 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths in the U.S. this influenza season – including 68 children. 

Here is a headline from USA Today:

Coronavirus is scary, but the flu is deadlier, more widespread

I just had to cancel my April trip to Italy because of coronavirus and I am losing a bundle of money. But I have a better chance of becoming infected with the flu--and no one seems to care. 

Keep calm in the face of ensuing panic. 

Take precautions, be careful and live, live without fear!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Moon Rises

Moon Rise
Odenton, MD
March 9, 2020

The moon rose over Odenton last evening as our baseball team enjoyed perfect weather and conducted its first outdoors practice of the season. The lights of the field illuminated the players and the practice field while the moon rose in the distance. 

It was good to have practice outside and prepare the upcoming season. The team had been practicing at an indoors facility since January. Being outside again we had the room to accomplish drills and distance throwing that we could not at the indoor facility. The infield is under renovation, so we were confined to the outfield, but we still managed to have a very productive practice. Monday practices promise to be interesting as they do not begin until 7:30 PM. I have to admit that it was nice not to face rush hour traffic to arrive to practice. It was a much more enjoyable drive and took the normal amount of time to traverse the distance from Elkridge to Odenton.

The boys worked hard, but the rising moon was the highlight of the evening for me. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musing - March 9, 2020

Orion in the Night Sky
March 7, 2020

1. Well, hard to believe, but this is the 2nd Monday in March and we are sliding through the month. All too soon, or not soon enough, April will be here. 

2. The Democratic primaries have gotten a lot simpler with just Sanders and Biden remaining in contention. 

Fire Pit
Elkridge, MD
March 8, 2020

3. I took a picture of the constellation Orion the other night. It seems to be the one constellation that follows my year and when it finally disappears from the night sky, I can finally enjoy the summer. It, however, still graces the evening sky!

4. Fire pit! Yes. Yesterday evening was so beautiful that Chris and Spent about three hours around our fire pit enjoying the sunset and the end of the day. We listened to Sirius XM's Top 1000 Country Songs of all time!

Tete a Tete Daffodils
Odenton, MD
March 8, 2020

5. Spring is here. I saw this bunch of Tete a Tete Daffodils in a yard yesterday. A bright bunch of sunshine.

6. The bills for the apparently strong economy of the past few years are beginning to come due. It seems that the fox has been guarding the hen house!

7. Springtime yard work is therapeutic. Yesterday, raking leaves and setting up the pool area helped to shake-off the winter's doldrums.

8. I survived another "Spring forward" start of Daylight Saving Time! The shortest day of the year is behind me. The ground hog was correct with the prediction of an early Spring!

9. Today in History. On March 9, 1959, the first Barbie doll goes on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City. Eleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc. with her husband in 1945. After seeing her young daughter ignore her baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an important niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future.


Headlines

Coronavirus Updates: U.S. Cases Cross 500, and Deaths in Italy Surge - The New York Times

Oil Prices Dive as Saudi Arabia Takes Aim at Russian Production - The New York Times

Italy locks down millions as its coronavirus deaths jump - OANN

 Brace for quarantines, U.S. health official warns - Reuters

 North Korea fires three projectiles into sea, South Korea says - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday's Business

Saturdays always seem busy, and yesterday was typical. Soon, Saturdays will be filled with baseball doubleheaders, but this Saturday allowed us to do some work around the house and enjoy the Home and Garden Show.

The day began cold, with temperatures in the 30's, but it made it to 40 by 1000. No matter the weather, the remaining ornamental grasses around the pool needed to be trimmed and Chris and I were done with the task at the landfill dropping them off by about 1030. Then it was a stop at the farm store for peanuts to continue feeding the bluejays. I think the peanuts remain in the bed of the truck this morning. Oops.

Tractor Part with Damage Highlighted
March 8, 2020

Then it was time to repair the tractor. Fortunately, I had a pretty good idea what had happened and I had the spare part already in hand. It was a fairly straight forward replacement and I was done in about an hour. The damaged part was, in my estimation, the result of a poor design. A spring attaches in the hole and over time had worn through the metal. This part activates the mower blades and so there is a great deal of pressure on the point. It seems to me they could have done a better job designing this part to minimize the potential stress so that it would last longer. I guess it is all part of planned obsolescence. 

Gobbler at the Home Show
March 7, 2020

After lunch we headed off to the annual Home and Garden Show in Baltimore. We enjoy walking around and seeing dreaming of remodeling, although for this year our budget is going to resurface the pool. It seems that always find something interesting and it turns out that we found bees wax and pine tar infused cloths to replace plastic wrap! They are reusable and cleanable. Very cool since we are trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to reduce our plastic footprint. 

We also managed to come home from the show with 8 bottles of wine. It is amazing how that happened. We go to a home show and find wineries! Imagine that! And there was this magnificent gobbler at the home show as well. I had to take an image of him. He was much better looking than the red kangaroo that was also on display. 

After returning home we enjoyed dinner and settled in for the evening and enjoying the last night of Standard Time until November, or maybe ever if Congress decides to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, which I wish they would. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

First Yard Work of Spring

Grasses in the Truck, Crushed Down
Elkridge, MD
March 5, 2020

It seems that good work begets more work!


Thursday afternoon the weather was fantastic and Chris and I made good use of the weather to cut most of the grasses around the pool. This is an annual task that must be done to prepare for the Spring. This year, unlike the recent few we allowed the grasses to remain and dry over the Winter and provide cover for the birds. 

The grasses always fill the truck to over flowing and by waiting until they were dry, they also took up more room and so we were able too only cut one side of the pool. The remainder will have to be done today to complete the job. 

After the grasses were in the truck, I started up the tractor to blow the remnants off the lawn! And guess what? The mower deck broke near the end of the job. It was not unexpected, I had identified a failing part last year when I performed routine maintenance and bought a replacement. But it is such a hassle to remove the mower deck that I decided to run the deck until the part failed. Well, now I get to replace the part while I am doing Springtime routine maintenance on the tractor!  

But the lawn looks good. 

There is always one more thing to do, it seems!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

12? You are 12 Now?

Jackson on his Birthday

Jackson celebrated his  12th birthday yesterday. 

The bundle of joy who had major open heart surgery at 6 days old is living proof of miracles. 

He is a basketball all-star, a solid baseball player, devious, funny, and a brilliant mathematician.

To think, it all started 12 years ago and except for a very diligent nurse it might have had a very different ending.  

But here he is now--ready to face the world and preparing for another exciting baseball season. 

Now if we could only teach him how to blow out birthday candles. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And Then There Were Three?

I have not written much about politics since the impeachment trial, but I think I need to swing back and note a few developments that have occurred during the past week. 

It was a turbulent week for the Democratic presidential hopefuls. The field was dramatically reduced after the South Carolina primary and that led to Super Tuesday--primaries in 14 states, becoming a four candidate race which has since reduced to three. 


As I see it, "We the People" again have a wide spectrum of political views with which to affiliate themselves. On the far right, there is the President and the Republicans who have abrogated any centrist and moderate view of the future. On the far left, there is Bernie Sanders the self-proclaimed democratic socialist. Somewhat right of the far left is Elizabeth Warren and squarely in the middle is Biden. It is as diverse a field as we had for the 2016 election when we had the same candidates on the far left and right with Clinton trying to be the moderate-centrist candidate. 


The next big question is what will Elizabeth Warren do about her campaign. We may see something soon as the results from the first round of primaries and caucuses suggest that 2020 is not her year. The big question outstanding is if she chooses to terminate her campaign, will she support Sanders or Biden. I see her as holding down the piece of political continuum in between the two of them. 

Time will tell how this shakes out. I am encouraged by the high turnout of voters during the primaries! Americans hopefully are making their voices heard and are voting to shape the future of the country.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Who Are Those Guys?

After returning from Spring Training, it dawned upon me that I have not provided an assessment of the Orioles based upon my observations of the team.

I saw the Orioles play three games, in person, while I was in Florida and I have to admit that I was impressed with the team. They won all of the games and they displayed some real grit and played solid baseball. The hitting was impressive and the pitching was solid. 

Yes, I was impressed with Chris Davis--who has knocked in three homers, struck out only once, walked six times and is batting .556. Wow! But others on the team are equally as impressive at the plate. Ruiz (.611) and Santander (.412) are equally as impressive at the plate.

As a team, the Orioles are among the leaders in all of baseball at this juncture--I never saw this coming. Here are some of the team stats:

Batting Average - 2nd (.288)
Stolen Bases - 2nd (14)
Slugging - 3rd (.468)
Doubles - 2nd (26)
Homeruns - 6th (14)
Extra Base Hits - 1st (44)
Runs - 3rd (73)

There is some good hitting on display right now! It was fun to watch. 

From a pitching perspective, they are much more middle of the road--but still effective. They have given up a lot on tuns in two games, which have raised the Earned Run Average, but overall they are in the top half of the league and hear the top in most pitching statistics. 

Yes, it is only Spring Training, but I am excited about the upcoming season and I have tickets to Opening Day on March 26th when the Orioles will face the team from the North whose name shall remain unwritten!

Let's Go O's!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD