Monday Musings - November 29, 2021

 

1. Wow. It is the last Monday of November and that means there are just 4 Mondays remaining in the year. There are 26 shopping days until Christmas.

The Family Room Decorations
Elkridge, MD
November 29, 2021

2. The house has been transformed for the Christmas season. The tree is up and the decorations have been freed from their storage boxes. The fireplace is ready for a Winter fire to warm our hearts and bodies.

3. Family NFL Update. 

    Dallas (7-4) lost to Raiders (6-5), 33-36

    Ravens (8-3) defeated Browns (6-6), 16-10

    Steelers (5-5-1) lost to Bengals (7-4), 10-41

    Washington (4-6) hosts Seahawks (3-7), tonight

4. The colder weather has kept me inside for much of my four-day holiday weekend. 

5. Does anyone have any idea how many Christmas/Holiday movies there are? I know there are a lot!

6. What is up with people who have their holiday shopping already completed? What happened to the joy of going to the stores during the season to find exciting gifts for our loved ones? I know that I do not do it much anymore, it is far easier to sit in front of my computer while watching a sappy holiday movie and complete my shopping.

7. Guess what? There is a new mutation of COVID-19. It is called Omicron! Isn't that great. Where did it come from? The unvaccinated people of the world.

8. Today in History. November 29, 1947. Despite strong Arab opposition, the United Nations votes for the partition of Palestine and the creation of an independent Jewish state.

The modern conflict between Jews and Arabs in Palestine dates back to the 1910s, when both groups laid claim to the British-controlled territory. The Jews were Zionists, recent emigrants from Europe and Russia who came to the ancient homeland of the Jews to establish a Jewish national state. The native Palestinian Arabs sought to stem Jewish immigration and set up a secular Palestinian state.

How Omicron Variant Rattled the World in One Week - The Wall Street Journal

Nissan to Spend $17.6 Billion on Battery-Powered Vehicles Over Five Years - The Wall Street Journal

Iran’s Nuclear Advances Weigh on Renewed Talks - The Wall Street Journal

As China Speeds Up Nuclear Arms Race, the U.S. Wants to Talk - The New York Times

University Scientists Warn of Backlash From U.S. Hunt for Chinese Spies - The New York Times

Man Survives Flight From Guatemala to Miami in Plane’s Landing Gear - The New York Times

Taiwan says China military trying to wear it out, but it can respond - Reuters

First suspected case of Omicron variant of COVID-19 detected in Switzerland - Reuters

Earthquake hits remote northern Peru, 75 homes destroyed, no deaths reported - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Outlaws and Doctors

Photo by Patrick Doan

 My family, which came to America during 1629, has a checkered history. Yesterday my son Patrick visited the grave of a long dead Revolutionary War relative and it reopened a chapter in our family's history that we probably should forget, but it is incredibly interesting and at times confusing. 

The site of Levi Doan's resting place, along with his cousin Abraham, is just outside of a Quaker Cemetery near Doylestown, PA. They were part of the Doan Gang, a group of five brothers and one cousin who supported the British during the Revolution by spying on the American forces and stealing horses to support the Redcoats. But they were very complicated. The stories make them sound like a cross between Robin Hood and common thieves. 

The following story, from the referenced history of the gang, shows how the Doan's were more than common thieves and murderers:

A young mother whose husband was with Washington at Valley Forge could not obtain a travelling pass from the British in order to buy food for her children. Despite repeated petitions to the British leaders, the pass was not forthcoming. Spurned on by the cries of her hungry children, she finally set out for the mills along a series of back roads that would keep her from the sight of the British sentinels. The woman was so exhausted from hunger and the long journey that she was near death the following day when she endeavored to return home. Burdened by her sack of flour, she struggled along the road, periodically dragging her cargo through the woods to skirt the British guards along the way. Suddenly she was stopped by a man. She immediately assumed from previous descriptions that he was one of the Doans. She told him of her husband at Valley Forge and her hungry children and the stranger, Moses Doan, gave her his purse with all the money he had in it. He then warned her of another sentinel just ahead on the road and disappeared before she could thank him. She pressed on and was almost home when a British guard challenged her and demanded a pass. When she could not produce it, he demanded her sack of flour which the woman, weak from her journey, gave up meekly. At that moment Moses Doan appeared from the woods. She knew it was Moses by his clothing but his demeanor was quite different from the man she had met only minutes before. He shambled over to the soldier like an old man and asked that he return the woman's flour, even offering twice its value in gold. When the guard refused and then threatened to arrest Moses, he seized him by the throat and told the woman to grab her flour and run. As soon as she was safely away, Moses drew a pistol and shot the guard in the head. Instantly, the alarm went up from the guard house and along the line of pickets. Moses escaped into the woods where he found his horse and rode for the safety of the river. Before he was to finally escape he would shoot another guard and kill a British officer who was in the lead barge pursuing him across the Delaware. Having failed to capture him, the British soldiers later attributed his escape to supernatural reasons which served to further escalate the legend of Moses Doan.

-- The Doan Outlaws of Bucks County:The Life and Times of the Plumstead Cowboys, by Peter Mulcahy

Sometimes as we search for family history, we find more than really want to know. I was encouraged, however, since the Doan's who settled in Buck's County, PA, were from Israel's side of the family. My branch is from his brother Daniel who became a respected Doctor in the Barnstable, Massachusetts, area near where the family came to America. Daniel married Constance (Hopkins) Snow whose mother, Constance Hopkins, came to America aboard the Mayflower. Yes, they were both named Constance.

So wet are not all outlaws! Just a few of us!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

History was Validated

Axis and Allies 1942 Edition
Odenton, MD
November 26, 2021

 The annual family Axis and Allies game was conducted yesterday complete with adult beverages and Thanksgiving Day leftovers. We gathered to validate or change history with respect to the outcome of World War II.

History was validated. The Allies overcame serious coordinated Axis campaign that saw the Italians conquer Africa, the Japanese achieve naval superiority, for a while, in the Pacific, and the Germans pay a bloody price for the same real estate on multiple occasions both on the Eastern and Western Fronts. In the end the Allies economic power overcame the Axis campaign and the world was saved from authoritarian and repressive rule once again.  

There were some hard lessons learned. The Japanese Alaska Campaign was an abysmal failure. It separated the fleet and ultimately cost Japan its superiority in the Pacific while also slowing the Japanese Siberian Campaign to defeat the Soviet Union and save Germany. Leaving China to China was a good approach, but I didn't commit to it early enough. And transports, transports, transports are the key to victory along with a destroyer or two.

The highlight of the game this year was participation by all of the grandsons, at least for a while. But when the game averages one hour per round--it gets a bit long.

Our holiday would not be complete without the recreating World War II--and so, after 8 hours of play when the final surrender occurred, everyone knew that it had been a very close game and the Axis had probably come too close to winning.

We will try again next year!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Day After the Feast

The football games provided a great sidelight to the day, but being with with family was the definite highlight of Thanksgiving. 

Turkey Day was a huge success from my perspective. I enjoyed time with each member of the collected family and the meal was festive and sumptuous. I even threw a football in the yard after the meal to work off some of the calories.

I am now enjoying the second day of a four-day weekend. It is the second four-day weekend of the month, the first being over Veterans Day. 

The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday to some, but for our family today is when the annual Axis and Allies competition occurs as we attempt to preserve or change the course of World War II. The game will begin about 8:30 am and continue until the early evening. Hopefully, by the end it will become clear whether the Allies have preserved the course of history of the Axis powers have mustered enough power to change the outcome of the war. 

Day 2 of the holiday weekend is at hand and the game is almost afoot.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

We're Back

 Sitting here watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and I am getting a great sense of We Are Back!

Tom Turkey Starts the 2021 Parade in NYC

I love the 95 on his hat--definitely sets this Tom apart from the others. This is the 95th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

And of course my favorite float?

Grogu in the Macy's 2021 Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC

Look out everyone--we are defeating COVID and are coming back stronger than before!

Yay, us! U.S.!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy Thanksgiving - 2021

Today is a festive and uniquely American holiday. It is a time when we pause, if even for a moment, to give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. 

To celebrate the day I spent some time looking for thoughts about giving thanks and blessings and to help set the mood for the day.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

—Oprah Winfrey

“Gratitude lifts our eyes off the things we lack so we might see the blessings we possess." 

– Max Lucado

“I’m too grateful to be hateful. I am too blessed to be stressed.” 

– El DeBarge

“Let me always, count my blessings. To be thankful for my family and friends.” 

- Catherine Pulsifer

“Men are slower to recognize blessings than evils.”

― Titus Livius

“Be grateful in your own hearts. That suffices. Thanksgiving has wings, and flies to its right destination.”

—Victor Hugo

Happy Thanksgiving. I pray the day finds you well.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Gather around the fireplace

Fireplace with Turkeys
Elkridge, MD
November 23, 2021

The late-autumn cold has forced us into the house from outside around our fire pit. The presence of a warm fire in the fireplace provides a spot for Chris and I to relax, communicate and catch up on the day's activities. Last evening the fireplace was already burning and providing warmth to the room, as I arrived home. We found our chairs and talked about the activities of the day. 

I had stopped for gas on my way home and I was still cold from the experience. Although the temperature was about 41 degrees it felt much colder. Too cold. 

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and with it the arrival of the Christmas season. And the darkest days of the year. The temperatures will continue to spiral downward and the first snow of the season should not be too far behind. The fireplace will take the place of cool evenings as we warm ourselves with a glass of wine and begin to think about the events yet to come in the days and months ahead. 

A warm fire, a glass of wine, and great conversation--I can't really think of a better way to spend an evening.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Checking the Eyes

 I had my annual eye appointment yesterday. First, let me confess that it has been almost a year and a half since I had my last appointment. And my last appointment was significant in that I determined that I wanted to switch from glasses to contacts. Which I successfully accomplished.

COVID forced me to consider contacts because I was tired of having my glasses fog over when I put my facial covering on and transitioned from warm places to cold, like outside on a warm day into an air conditioned store. The condensation was incredibly annoying. 

Having contacts has been incredibly freeing and I joked with my eye doctor yesterday about whether I had my youthful 20/15 vision back. He laughed and reminded me that contacts are a delicate balance between distance and close-up. I knew that. 

So at the end of the appointment--I am amazed at how lengthy eye appointments can be and all of the really complicated pieces of equipment that get put in front of my eyes. I do not like the part, however, when without contacts or glasses they ask me to read something. I couldn't, even though with contacts I read the smallest writing. 

Well, I have some different strength contacts to try today. I am glad I have a back-up of my current prescription at work in case I can't see the computer screen. I will see how it all goes. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 22, 2021

 

1. The fourth Monday of November has arrived. This is the last Monday before the official start of the Christmas Shopping Season. Santa Claus arrives to take the throne during the Macy's thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. There are but five Mondays remaining in the year.

2. It was a cold an chilly weekend and yet I still managed to get some yard work done in anticipation of the stormy weather to come.

3. Family NFL Results. It was a mixed weekend with two winners and two losers.

    Ravens (7-3) defeated Bears (3-7) 16-13

    Washington (4-6) defeated Panthers (5-6) 27-21

    Cowboys (7-3) lost to Chiefs (7-4) 9-19

    Steelers (5-4-1) lost to Chargers (6-4) 37-41

Final Colors of Autumn
from Radio Flyer
ELkridge, MD
November 20, 2021

4. The final stages of the Autumn colors are playing out in my back yard. Most trees are already bare and ready for the Winter, but leaves still cling to some of the trees providing a last bit of enjoyment before the gray branches and trunks become the prominent colors of the forest.

5. The stress of another COVID holiday is approaching. Our family is fully vaccinated and many are additionally boosted, but contact with those who do not accept the advice of medical professionals, rather preferring to confer medical knowledge upon themselves obtained from such authoritative sources as Facebook and Fox News, causes concern and angst. 

6. I clearly remember where I was on this day during 1963. It was a very strange ending to a day which began normally. I was in 3rd Grade at Danby Elementary School. We said the pledge and began a what we believed would be a normal day which would end with a country in mourning and Lyndon Johnson as President. 

7. Today in History. November 22, 1963. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, is assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible.

First lady Jacqueline Kennedy rarely accompanied her husband on political outings, but she was beside him, along with Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, for a 10-mile motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas on November 22. Sitting in a Lincoln convertible, the Kennedys and Connallys waved at the large and enthusiastic crowds gathered along the parade route. As their vehicle passed the Texas School Book Depository Building at 12:30 p.m., Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor, fatally wounding President Kennedy and seriously injuring Governor Connally. Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. He was 46.

How the U.S. Lost Ground to China in the Contest for Clean Energy - The New York Times

Two Fox News Contributors Quit in Protest of Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 Special - The New York Times

Austria Enters Lockdown Amid Growing Resistance - The New York Times

Global Supply-Chain Problems Show Signs of Easing - The Wall Street Journal

Advanced Maneuver in China Missile Test Shows New Military Capability - The Wall Street Journal

Truckers Steer Clear of 24-Hour Operations at Southern California Ports - The Wall Street Journal

Xi tells Southeast Asian leaders China does not seek 'hegemony'- Reuters

China downgrades diplomatic ties with Lithuania over Taiwan - Reuters

Third night of rioting erupts over Dutch COVID-19 rules - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Quick Flight on an Autumn Day

 

Guiding Radio Flyer in the Yard
Elkridge, MD
November 20, 2021

The Pool and Pool House
Elkridge, MD
November 20, 2021

I realized that I hadn't flown Radio Flyer, my drone, in quite a while. I took it outside yesterday, before I cleared the pool deck and the yard of the leaves, to record some of the images of the Autumn. It was fun flying Radio Flyer for 9 minutes around the property. I got some good images to record the way things are and I was at the controls of my drone again. It is amazing how long it takes to feel comfortable flying the drone after a long layoff.

The last flight was on April 4th and it also lasted for about 9 minutes and achieved the same stunning maximum altitude of a whopping 66 feet. 

I guess I have not been anywhere where the drone would be very useful in recording. 

One thing I noticed was the arrangement of the lawn chairs behind the pool house. They were in an interesting pattern as a result of having the propane tanks removed. The propane company no longer could reach them with their new equipment--the hose was not long enough and the pool heater was beyond end of life, so we had the tanks removed. We had salvaged the pool heater a couple weeks ago. Frankly, we had not used the pool heater in over two years. With the towering ash trees gone, the pool not gets plenty of direct sunlight to be enjoyable all season long. 

I can see the leaves in the pool deck and also in the yard. They aren ow all gone. I spent the rest of the day moving the leaves back into the wooded area from where they came.

The new pool cover looks really as it protects the pool. Hopefully opening will be really easy next year. 

The yards, the pool, and the the pool house are ready for the worst that winter can throw at them. The next time I expect to see the grass this green is in March--when the first cutting will need to be made. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD