Twice as Warm is Still Below Freezing

Ice, why does it have to be ice?

My driveway and presumably the street I live off are a sheet of glazed water-covered ice this morning. The most slippery combination known. 

The temperature seems to be moving up in terms of dozens.

Two days ago it was 0 degrees. Yesterday it was 12 degrees, and this morning it was 24 degrees. At least the trend is in the right direction. Yesterday the region officially ended the deep freeze as the temperature rose about 32 for the first time since December 30th. 

I am hopeful of making it to work on the ice covered roadways. At least the schools have a two hour delay so there will be somewhat less traffic on the roads.

It is still dark outside.

And the ice is lurking!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 8, 2018

1. It is the second Monday of 2018. It is hard ti believe that a week in the new year has been completed.

2. It was 12 degrees warmer this morning than last with a temperature of 12.7 degrees. 

3. It was amazing that both the Mega Millions and Power Ball jackpots were hit on successive days for more that $400 million each. There are two very happy people out there.

4. Chris and I spent a busy Sunday watching sports. We watched most of the NFL playoff games and also were treated to two youth basketball games won handily by our grandsons' teams.

Beach Home St Croix

5. I have found a couple interesting articles for headlines this morning. I intentionally stayed away from the politically charges headlines of the past few days because, frankly, I'm tired of the same finger pointing and accusations that continue to be replayed in the media.

6. The cold is supposed to break this week and we are expecting temperatures above freezing for the first time since December 30th when the temperature crawled up to a balmy 33 degrees.

7. Wouldn't it be nice to have a beach home in St. Croix or almost any Caribbean Island right now?

Headlines

Beijing bets on facial recognition in a big drive for total surveillance - The Washington Post

Woman run over with her own car while trying to escape cat attack, troopers say - ClickOrlando.com
Boeing 747 retirement: Farewell to the 'Queen of the Skies' - CNN

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"It was once written that America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. I have no fear that the character and generosity of our people will erode. But I am concerned that we don't draw from that deep well of compassion and goodness nearly enough. Together, we can bring back the recognition voluntary action, private initiative, once enjoyed. We will remind the American people of how good and how great they really are. And in so doing, we will ensure our inner strength for generations to come." Remarks at a White House Luncheon for Members of the President's Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives, December 8, 1982

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Messages from the Ice Box

It is cold.

How cold is it?

It is so cold that I saw a polar bear walk by headed south.

The temperature outside my window hit 0.9 degrees this morning. And since it is not dawn yet, I expect it to head lower as dawn approaches. Maybe it will go into negative numbers. 

It is cold. Just too cold to mention. 

I wonder if they truck will start in the cold?

The Christmas decorations are going to stay on the house for a while yet.

January 2018 is off to an extremely cold start. Too cold. Maybe it will warm up soon. 


Q: When are your eyes not eyes? 

A: When the ice cold wind makes them water! 

The cold weather is the big story of the New Year. 

I am watching HGTV's Beachfront Bargain Hunt  about a couple from D.C. looking at houses in St Croix, Virgin Islands. 

Stay warm!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

On to the Playoffs

No, I don't feel any better that the Bills made the NFL playoffs for the first time in 17 years because of a Ravens defensive collapse.

Jeremy in his Steeler's Garb

It was hard to watch my team "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" with less than a minute left of the clock. The Ravens went from playoff-bound to spectators with one improbable 4th down and 12 yards to go play. Properly defended; the Ravens are in the playoffs. As it is, they are on the outside looking in.

All of the family's teams, except one, met similar fates this season. The Redskins and the Cowboys, similarly underperformed. Only the Steelers demonstrated excellence on the football field.  

They are so good that they do not have to risk the frigid temperatures this weekend as they have a bye.

I suppose that given the playoff choices, I will have to throw my support behind the Steelers. 

And so the playoffs begin! May the best team win without gratuitous assistance from the referees.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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

The Day After or is it the Next Day?

King Wenceslas

The Feast of Stephen, or St Stephen's Day.

Boxing Day.

Kwanzaa begins..

The Second Day of Christmas.

Today is a day with multiple identities.

I remember the carol of Good King Wenceslas giving alms to the poor on the Feast of Stephen. I am not sure that I fully understood the confluence of all of these celebrations where I was a kid. 


I was reminded while in church on Christmas Eve that the traditional religious view of Christmas conflicts with the secular view. According to classic Christianity, the christmas season begins on Christmas and runs for 12 days until January 6th, which is Three Kings Day, or the Epiphany. 

For the secular world the Christmas season officially begins on Black Friday and ends on Christmas Day and is devoted to an orgy of shopping and preparation. 

Actually, today is the second busiest shopping day of the year as shoppers rush back to the stores with their gifts to exchange them and get what they really wanted for Christmas. 

I hope today is whatever you want it to be. For me, I took a day of vacation to decompress from the hectic shopping and preparation season.

Merry Christmas!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - Christmas Day Edition 2017

Christmas Eve Eve Brunch Preparation

1. Merry Christmas to all. I pray that your day is well. 

2. Children make the holiday.

3. I discovered that we have been saying "swaddling cloths" wrong in the Christmas story. 

4. It is tough to deal with sadness during the Christmas season.

5. It should be Christmas every day and maybe the world would calm down!

6. Finnegan had a mano-a-mano problem with a Christmas toy.

Headlines

Trump spends Christmas Eve calling troops, golfing and tweeting - The Washington Post

D.C.-area forecast: A blustery Christmas Day is just the start of a very cold week - The Washington Post

The stock market's record-breaking run keeps going, but for how long? - Los Angeles Times

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

We can experience the same PEACE and JOY as the shepherds and the Magi did almost two thousand years ago. If we make that peace and joy a part of our lives, our example will serve as a guide and an inspiration for everyone we meet. Nancy and I pray that the joy of this holiday season will remain with us all throughout the coming year. May God bless you.

Ronald Reagan

Message on the Observance of Christmas December 21, 1984

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: Upside Down Christmas Tree

Do we really need a twist on the idea of how to display a Christmas Tree?

The newest fad is the upside down Christmas Tree.

I am not a fan.

There is something unsettling about seeing a tree on its top. I am not sure why the idea of an upside down tree is being embraced as widely, except that it is just new. 

Proponents of the new approach to a traditional symbol say that it leaves more room under the tree for presents. Really? 

Trees still grow from the bottom to the top, right? We are living on Earth, not in some artificial gravity environment. 

It seems to me to that the fad is nothing but a marketing ploy to get us to get on board and replace our artificial trees.

My Take: NO to the upside down Christmas Tree. I like my trees displayed the way they grow. Hopefully the new display techniques is just a passing fad.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Eve Eve

I remember as a kid that one of the toughest days of the year was the day before Christmas Eve. It was a day that signified the end of the preparation and the beginning of the main event.

We dubbed December 23rd as Christmas Eve Eve.

It was a day on which we often had to go to school and do the normal activities associated with life, yet the weeks of preparation and excitement were beginning to draw to a close. 

I hope you are similarly caught up in the excitement of the season. 

At least it is a Saturday! There is still time to get the last minute things done. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Frenetic Friday

It is the Friday before Christmas, which is three short days away. 

Jax at Waugh Chapel Elementary
December 20, 2017

It has been a busy week, Chris and I attended a "Holiday" Concert at Waugh Chapel Elementary the other evening. Jax is in the Chorus. I especially enjoyed seeing him in the sweater he was wearing.

A three-day weekend and then it's over for another year. 

The Christmas cards are all mailed and the presents prepared, well mostly. 

If only the meals were fully purchased. We are still deciding on the meat for Christmas. Who really wants to eat a big meal on Christmas, anyway? There are so many other things to be do with the available time.

The weather is supposed be rainy, but the high tomorrow is expected to be 62 degrees! How could that be bad?

I do remember last Christmas, however, when it was 70 degrees on Christmas Day. That was awesome. 

I hope you are ready for however you celebrate. Some of my friends are planning on being on a beach somewhere!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Arrival

Later this morning, at 11:28 AM EST Winter arrives officially. Although the official arrival is today, the presence of the dark season has been with us for some time.

We have seen snow, cold, ice, and of course the ever prevalent darkness.

At least from today forward the daylight will begin ot get stronger and longer. 

Melbourne, Florida

I may even begin to think about preparations to open my pool and plan my Spring Break vacation to somewhere a lot warmer than Maryland!

At least the guys-only Spring Training/Golf outing is mostly planned for mid-March to Sarasota. The summer cruise is also planned for late August. 


All of the planning activities help to thwart the gloom caused by the ever-present darkness. 

But, the summer is coming! 

For me, of course, it cannot arrive quickly enough. But at least knowing that is it coming helps throw off the cold darkness associated with the winter.

Now if I could just keep the snow from arriving.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday Hump Day

The mid-point of the workweek is a cause for celebration every time it comes around.

Wednesdays are "hump" day.

The day when more of the workweek is behind rather than in front of me.

This week is has a special significance because next week is the "in-between" week and many people are taking the whole week off to recover from the fevered pitch of the holiday shopping season while preparing for the demise of 2017.

It is essentially a one-week holiday! Or ten days off for the price of four! Or looking at it another way, two three-day weekends with a four-day workweek sandwiched in between.

I am wishing that I was someplace warm for the holidays. Wouldn't it be great to wake-up on Christmas morning and get in a round of golf in 80 degree weather before the families get together and the gift exchanges happen?

Well, maybe not.

I wonder how many people will actually be at work on Friday?

Enjoy hump day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Transportation under Attack?

The past two days have been sobering for the traveling community on both coasts.

The Atlanta airport was shut down on Sunday because, apparently, a rat chewed through a wire. Can you believe that air travel along the entire Eastern seaboard was crippled by a rat? The fire caused by the rat completely snarled air traffic on a busy holiday Sunday.

Derailed Amtrak Train in Washington

And then there was the horrific train derailment near Olympia, Washington. I saw images of the scene. It is amazing that more people were not critically injured. The scene was unimaginable. Was speed involved? It almost certainly was. The latest reports indicate the train was traveling 80 mph round a 30 mph curve.

Is it really that easy to upend our transportation networks?

It is a sad beginning to the holiday rush for many families and my prayers go out to the victims and their families. I also pray the the weather holds and does not offer up a blizzard or something during the next couple of weeks.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD