Christmas Eve 2020

Christmas Decorations
Elkridge, MD
December 19, 2020

 Well, the decade of the roaring 20's is off to a difficult start. Who knew what 2020 would have in store as it began some 51 weeks ago. 

But today is Christmas Eve and even with the modified celebrations and travel restrictions, we must not lose the Sprit of Christmas. And from what I can see, amid the pain, suffering, and pandemic people are holding onto their traditions as best that they can. 

At our house, the decorations are in place and everything is ready for Christmas. We are having a modified brunch this morning and a smaller gathering for our traditional Christmas Day meal. We will zoom with other family members and they will all be in our thoughts and prayers. Some day soon we will get to enjoy seeing and conversing with them in person. But not this year. 

My Christmas wish is that next year we can be together and appreciate each other more because of 2020. 

May you find peace and hope amid the noise and dissonance. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Star in the Sky

 

The Christmas Star through the Trees
Elkridge, MD
December 22, 2020

Chris and I finally were able to get a good view of the "Christmas Star" last evening in the western sky after sunset. It has become quite the phenomenon even making the news. It is not a star at all, however, as it is Jupiter and Saturn in conjunction. 

I guess it only happens like this every 800 or so years. Like I would be around to see it again anyway. 

We were surprised at how low the two planets are from out house. Of course that is because our house sits in a low spot. Chris found the two planets hiding among the trees as we waited last evening. We had been thwarted on other occasions due to clouds. 

The Christmas Star
Jupiter and Saturn
Elkridge, MD
December 22, 2020

Since the planets were so low in the sky from our house, we drove to some high ground for a good view and Chris brought her binoculars. It was spectacular. As it was early and the sky still not fully dark, I could not actually see the rings of Saturn, I suppose I should go out again tonight and see if I can find the rings or even a moon of Jupiter with the binoculars.

I am fascinated by the amount of interest this conjunction has drawn, perhaps because it is Christmas and 2020 has been such a difficult year. People are looking for hope and imagining that this might me the fables Star of Bethlehem appeals to their desire to have something concrete and good to believe in. Of course, astronomers say this particular conjunction was not that fable star of old--but who knows? Something similar. 

O Star of Wonder, Star of Night,
Star with Royal Beauty bright,
Westward leading,
Still proceeding,
Guide us to Thy perfect Light.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Season Happy Hour

 

Happy Hour
Elkridge, MD
December 21, 2020

Last evening Chris had to go out to finish some shopping and I determined that it would a be good time to prepare a special Happy Hour.

The lack of holiday parties has meant that some of the spirit is missing from the season. It was the first day of Winter and the shortest amount of daylight for the year and so we needed a special celebration. 

I felt we needed to get as little of the holiday spirit back and so I put together a small plate of munchies and had the wine poured and ready for when she returned home. 

It turned out that she returned home quickly because the stores were too crowded. We are being very conscious of the COVID threat and will not tarry in a crowded store.  

We enjoyed a quiet start to the evening with some munchies and a nice wine. It was an appropriate Christmas Season Happy Hour. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 21, 2020

 

1. It is the third Monday of December. Christmas is four short days away. Are you ready? More importantly, 2021 begins in 11 short days. Perhaps we will finally be rid of 2020 and the pain and suffering that it has brought.

2. Inauguration Day is 30 days from today! I hope we make it.

3. Winter began today at 5:02 AM EST. We have 9 hours and 24 minutes of daylight today in Baltimore. Now the days will begin to get longer, finally. Can Spring be that far off?

4.  Family NFL Results

     Football Team (6-8) lost to Seahawks (10-4) 15-20

     Ravens (9-5) defeat Jaguars (1-13) 40-14

     Cowboys (5-9) defeat 49ers (5-9) 41-33

     Steelers (11-2) play Bengals (2-10-1) tonight

5. Where is the President? The United States is under a cyber attack from the Russians, the coronavirus is rampaging, and our economy is slipping into quicksand and he is more interested in attacking the very democratic principles upon which our republic is based than preserving the union. 

6. I have heard it said that the president is more interested in having the title than doing the job. 

7. I was looking at images from Christmases past over the weekend and I found it interesting how we continue to make small adjustments to how we decorate the house for the season. 

8. I heard that the baseball season may be delayed until May. It was reported by CBS. 

8. Today in History. On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New Yorkexplodes in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members aboard, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents on the ground. A bomb hidden inside an audio cassette player detonated in the cargo area when the plane was at an altitude of 31,000 feet. The disaster, which became the subject of Britain’s largest criminal investigation, was believed to be an attack against the United States. One hundred eighty nine of the victims were American.

Trump Remains Focused on Reversing Election - The Wall Street Journal

Defense Officials Push Proposal to Separate NSA, Cyber Command - The Wall Street Journal

Trump says he spoke with Sen.-elect Tuberville, who has hinted at backing electoral college challenge - The Washington Post

Details emerge on stimulus checks as Congress rushes to finalize deal - The Washington Post

Some European Countries Begin Barring U.K. Travelers - The New York Times

Analysis: A President Who Can’t Put Aside Grudges, Even for Good News - The New York Times

Biden chief of staff says hack response will go beyond 'just sanctions' - Reuters

Flights cancelled, holidays in disarray as Sydney battles pre-Christmas COVID-19 outbreak - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"Is the Christmas spirit still alive?'' some ask. Well, you bet it is. Being Americans, we open our hearts to neighbors less fortunate. We try to protect them from hunger and cold. And we reach out in so many ways -- from toys-for-tots drives across the country, to good will by the Salvation Army, to American Red Cross efforts which provide food, shelter, and Christmas cheer from Atlanta to Seattle.

Radio Address to the Nation on Christmas, December 24, 1983

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Preparing for Christmas

 

Poinsettia Tree
Columbia Mall, Columbia, MD
December 26,2018

I was reviewing my images of Christmases past yesterday and came to a stark realization, it is going be very different this year as we respect the threat of COVID-19 and distance ourselves.

We need to remember the season. We need to find joy despite the upheaval of our lives. As 2019 was ending we never expected to be living through a pandemic a short year later. Everything, it seems has changed. Even travel, we cannot even think of traveling to visit family trapped in remote areas. 

Unlike last year, we do not expect a large gathering. We will be seeing family in small groups. But, the dinner will still be made and in a recent reversal of fortune, Christmas Eve Brunch will be held in rolling shifts. As for Christmas dinner? It will be small. But, we will be maintaining distance and celebrating the holiday in the best way that we can. 

It is Christmas after all. 

Celebrate!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Winter Arrived

 

The Morning after the
First Storm of the Season
Elkridge, MD
December 17, 2020

With the storm that arrived earlier this week followed by the persistent cold temperatures and ice I believe that it is safe to conclude that Winter has arrived. 

The bare trees silhouetted by the red sunrise reflecting off the still present snow confirm my assessment. 

It is cold and icy. 

The new season begins officially this coming week with the dark season reaching its maximum effect on December 21st. It is time to settle in for the winter and stay safe from the coronavirus. 

My drive still has ice on it. I had thought the rain would melt the snow, which was more slush than snow, and so I did not use my newly acquired snow blower to clear the drive. I am pretty sure there will be more storms this season and so I will have the opportunity to turn gasoline into noise and remove the snow from my driveway soon enough. We could not get lucky enough for this to be the only storm to pass our way. 

And so it begins! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Leadership: Responsible for All

 

I have written and skirted the issue of leadership during the pandemic. As most of you know I do not believe, based upon the evidence, that the current administration has handled the COVID-19 pandemic, but rather has attempted to distance itself from the mounting tragedy which embodies America's response.

The basis of my assessment is that America has about 4 percent of the world's population and 20 percent of the coronavirus deaths. Distilled down, and not addressing the economic toll, that is the basis for my assessment. The most advanced and capable country in the world has failed by almost every measure to protect not only its population, but its economy. Yes, the stock market is still strong--but that is not a measure of the economic strength.

Leaders own it all! The good, the bad, and the ineffective.

Effective leaders know they are responsible for it all. Really good leaders do not take credit for the successes--they heap thepraise for the successes on their people. They realize that success does not happen without a great team. Take the vaccine deliveries. The drug companies did a great job expediting the production and delivery of the vaccines and they were aided by the government streamlining some regulatory issues. Who should get the credit? The drug companies!

The explosive unemployment, the economic disaster that is the U.S. right now, the quarantines and the isolation, the skyrocketing death rate--who gets the blame? The leader. 

That is how leadership is--it is not a popularity contest and leaders cannot pick and choose what is their responsibility. They are responsible for all of it. Leaders cannot try to separate the vaccine from the death rate because they are all responsible for all of it. 

A good leader accepts when they fall short and stands up and takes the blame for the team and vows to turn it around and do better, not sulking off to a Florida retreat to ride out the pandemic. 

I do not understand how a leader gets a free pass where people heap credit for producing a vaccine--which really he had nothing to do with while failing to protect Americans resulting in the deaths of over 300,000 of our fellow citizens. 

A true leader is responsible for it all. It is tough and maybe not fair--but, it is what came with the job.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

While we were Distracted

.

PHOTO: REN JUNCHUAN/XINHUA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Wall Street Journal headline this morning was a stunning reminder of how myopically inwardly focused the U.S. has become while other countries continue to gain technologically reducing our competitive advantage.

The image is "recovery crew members check on capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe after it landed in Siziwang district, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in this photo released by Xinhua News Agency" from the Wall Street Journal article referenced below

The headline:

China Moon Mission Ends as Lunar Probe Returns to Earth With Fragments

Yes, we are dealing with failed foreign policies, failed domestic policies, and a runaway pandemic. We waited for a vaccine while over 300,000 Americans died and another 300,000 are expected to perish before the promise of "herd immunity" becomes a reality.

But, our competitors are still out there and they are not pausing while we try to get out of the box we have put ourselves into.

It didn't have to be this way. 

It should not have been this way. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My New Gym Buddy

 

Until September, I had maintained a gym membership for many years. Originally, Chris and I took the membership to improve fitness. And we were very diligent for some time, but eventually the membership evolved to just me and I used the gym exclusively to play racquetball. 

Fast forward to 2020--the year which cannot end too quickly. 

With arrival of the end of September, the club/gym to which I belonged to play racquetball closed because it could not compete with COVID. I played racquetball infrequently through October at an outdoor court, but when the second surge began--it was determined that I should sit it out until Spring. It really is tough to play racquetball on outdoor courts in the cold, rain and snow. Additionally, with the daylight hours being so short--it is hard to finds a time to play. I have been playing racquetball mostly at about 5:30 AM with the exceptions being for leagues and occasional special meetings. It is just dark too at 5:30 most of the year to play outside. 

Enter my new gym buddy!

Meet the NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle. It had been suggested that I call it the Mean Machine. I'm thinking about that. 

I rescued my new gym buddy from Dick's on Sunday and have completed three sessions totaling about 15 miles of riding through Glacier National Park. So far, I love it. I enjoy the rides and they are challenging. Riding the cycle at home is far more time efficient than driving to the gym and then home or to work for that same workout. AND, the added benefit is that I am hoping that I will not be soft and fat when I can again take the court and swing a racquetball racket or walk onto the golf course and whack away impotently at the little white ball which continues to vex me.

After only three rides it is hard to offer a recommendation, but I did my homework. I compared the S22i to its competitors (one of which I really wanted) and, so far, I am extremely happy with my choice. The assembly was not too difficult and as you can see from the picture, I still have not taken all of the packaging off the cycle. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cold, wet, white stuff

 

It works! It is alive!

In advance of the expected 10 inches of snow beginning tomorrow night, I was able to get my newly acquired snowblower started last evening after replacing the carburetor. I also performed an oil change and replaced the spark plug. The snowblower had not been operated in three years and it did not start the last time that me and my neighbors, who gave it to me when they moved, attempted to use it. 

The video documents the sweet sound of success as the snowblower engine operates. I know it is loud and boring, but after sitting for three years it is a great sound, especially considering that the expected storm coming tomorrow. This storm will provide the area with more snow than we have received during the past two years, combined.

Thank you to my neighbors who gave awe the snowblower, I am sad that you have moved, but I will happily remember the years we spent clearing the driveway together as I use you snowblower to again move mountains of the cold, wet, white stuff. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD