Autumn Evening on the Deck

Under the stars next to the fire table eating dinner with a jacket on to protect me from the chill. Although autumn doesn't start until Saturday, last evening it was definitely here.

The air was crisp, there were no mosquitos and sadly no bats flying overhead either. Sitting together, Chris and I, with a glass of wine just enjoying being together was a perfect ending to a hectic day. 

It was fun to spy satellites passing overhead in the small chunk of sky that we can actually see from our back deck. The trees are still full with leaves, although I can already see signs of the coming autumn as the canopy is thinning. I could see the moon shining through where before its cold light would have been obscured.

I felt summer's grip being lost on the season as autumn exerted its strength and the temperatures began to plummet. During the morning, I had noticed Orion's return signaling the beginning of the dark season.

The season is changing.

Life goes on.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Another Senseless Act of Violence

It happened again yesterday--another senseless act of violence designed to strike fear into the hearts of law abiding Americans. 

I find it hard to believe that it is happening agains and that 12 patriots are dead at the hands of a fellow citizen. It is a crime--and it should not happen. Yet, it does. The city was closed, civil liberties were abridged, and a manhunt was underway to find accomplices. 

And now, in the aftermath, instead of comforting the victims and the families of those who died, the hand wringing will begin afresh to "do something." As if something could be done to bring back those who died and who are forever scarred by the experience.

Worse, the media will begin dissecting the life of the now confirmed lone gunman looking for reasons which are clear in retrospect, but hidden with his personal demons in realtime and not easily discerned. As a result of the actions of the "do gooders"--more individual freedoms and liberties will be abridged in the name of public safety, when in reality it is a societal breakdown and systemic failure which may have contributed to the senseless act of violence to begin with. 

Now is a time to mourn, to pray, and to help the victims and their families reconstruct their lives. It is not a time to profess political agendas.

I pray for the victims and their families that they may find healing and peace and hope. I pray for our leaders that they may lead with wisdom. I pray for our country and our society that we may find hope.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - September 16, 2013

1. The second half of September has arrived. Wasn't it August just yesterday?

2. Football Sunday's mean that precious little gets done around the house while the games are on.

3. Baseball is still king--some very important games are being played every day. The Orioles finally won a series again beating Toronto in Toronto. Maybe there is still hope for the post-season.

4. In a perfect world, I'd be driving under this sign, right now.

5. As the available daylight gets shorter, why does it seem that there is more than needs to be done.

6. Why do estimates for repairs sometimes seem to be for more money than a whole new item could be purchased? Chris and I were considering redoing the pool and for the estimate we received, we could dig a whole new pool. Back to the drawing board.

7. My yard is blossoming with wildlife--most of it unwanted. I have seen numerous squirrels gathering acorns, four deer eating my foliage, and most recently a woodchuck has taken up residence in the area. It is doing a lot of eating, too.

8. It is amazing how nice a freshly mowed lawn looks, especially during the late season when it started out strewn with leaves. 

9. Why does the completion of one project make the start of another seem imminent?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Last Ride of the Plum Trees

My favorite first blooming trees of the springtime are now gone from my yard. I used to be able to enjoy the massive blooms which adorned my plum trees as spring arrived. They occupied prime yard real estate. But they are both reduced to a small stump now--and gone. 

I snapped a quick image at the recycling landfill yesterday before off-loading the second tree to be recycled into mulch. I was saddened at having to remove them--they contracted Black Knot and died before I was able to determine a course of action to save them. 

I looked for an image of the plum trees in bloom and I found that while I have a lot of the weeping cherry, the plum trees did not make the picture reel. That saddens me a bit as I know their memory will soon fade.

The yard is very open now--it looks huge. 

I know that I will miss the trees next spring, but new opportunities arise from change--and I already know my next project is to remove the stumps.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Leaves in the Pool

My Pool with Leaves and the Fountain Head

It is that time of year, after all. The temperatures are crashing, it is 52 degrees at my local weather station, and the leaves are beginning to fall from the trees--and into my pool.

They make interesting patterns on the surface of the water extending to the pool bottom as shadows when the sun shines. Yet, they must be scooped out lest they stain the already stained pool bottom even more than it already has been through years of use and abuse.

Although the water is crystal clear in the pool, being warmer that the surrounding air means that my days of lounging on a floatie with a drink in the hot afternoon sun are probably nearing an end. I may squeeze in another afternoon or two--but likely the pool will be closed before the end of September.

We were considering a pool make-over, but our Jaguar taste on a Toyota budget means the dollars and the desires are not congruent.  It has been a good year for house upkeep already--new roof, wood floors in two bedrooms, stained deck, and a shed to open up the garage for two vehicles. Maybe a pool make over is just a few dollars too far! 

I know though, I will be looking at the image in this blog during the dark and cold months wishing that I could be scooping leaves out of the pool in preparation for a party or lounging in the sun.

Once September ends, my thoughts turn to the arrival of April and pool opening which I have already penciled in for April 26th. Yup. Planning ahead for Spring Break, pools, and next summer!

Toilet Trouble--A Rant

I know that this is an unusual topic--discussing the potty habits of people at work, but this just has to be said: Guys Grow Up!

I was appalled the other day upon entering the men's restroom closest to my office and found that many (more than half) of the toilets had not been flushed after use..

What gives? That is just gross!

While I may be talked into a discussion of toilet paper being the greatest invention since the beginning of the world, I don't want the used variety floating in the bowl when I arrive.

Guys, grow up and clean up. Wives, girlfriends, kids, and housemates probably don't flush for you, so don't expect someone at work to follow and flush behind you!

And one other thing--lift the seat if you are not sitting when you use the toilet. That is gross too!

And we wonder why laws are passed governing the most obvious things, like not texting when we drive--if we can't get toilet habits down, how are we ever going to drive a vehicle?

Nuff said!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Reflection of Patriot's Day

Standing at the Orioles game last evening as the crowd sang along with Lee Greenwood and his classic song "God Bless the USA," it really struck a chord within me of how much has changed during the past dozen years.

Our lives and our country has been transformed. We no longer feel the safety of two oceans separating us from the turbulence that envelopes much of the rest of the world--but we, as a people, a society, and a country now wrestle with the chaos and conflict that lie our brothers and sisters see and live on a daily basis.

For instance, right now we, as a nation, are trying to determine a cogent course of action to respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Before 9-11, there would have been no discussion, I am sure the that President would have already acted and not made the issue of a U.S. response one to be debated upon the world stage. Alternatively, Assad's use of these terrible weapons of mass destruction would never have even made the nightly news, much like Hussein's use of similar weapons against his own people barely made a side column in the papers of his time. 

We have learned that unilateral action can have multilateral consequences. We are also tired of war and conflict, and yet I am not sure the the struggle against the forces of darkness and chaos will ever end. 

Standing at the game last night I remembered that day 12 years ago when our world changed. And I was moved to sing these words along with Lee Greenwood:

And I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

And I wont forget the men who died,

who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,

next to you and defend her still today.

‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,

God bless the USA.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Dawn for the Morning Commute

September is swiftly slipping away, even though the thermometer reads in the 90's during the mid-part of the day, I have begun driving to work as dawn breaks. The days are shorter. Darkness is lengthening its grip on the world.

The headlights are on now in the morning. I enjoy the rising sun adorning the eastern sky with its rays always wishing that I could stop to take a few images of it as it crawls across the horizon. Or better yet, wishing that I could just stop and watch the day dawn and then go for a walk or a hike in the hills to enjoy the fresh fragrances of the morning hanging in the air.

The weather this week has me believing that it still could be August, but by the weekend, I am told, I will know that October is merely a few short days away.

Autumn is in the air as the leaves are beginning to turn color, more from the oppressive dryness than colder temperatures, but nonetheless, they adorn my pool in ever increasing numbers daily.

I noticed yesterday that there in another critter munching on my foliage. In addition to the deer and the rabbits, we are now hosting a woodchuck who is growing fat for winter on my hostas.

The changes are happening as they do every year and for every season. It is just that the preparations for the coming darkness are not nearly a joyful as watching the first blooms in the springtime.

I will enjoy the dawn, because in just a few more days, the dawn will occur after I am already at work and I will miss the sunrise.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Playoff Run and the Hunt for October Baseball

Chris Tillman

Meaningful September baseball is really hard to stomach night after night when every pitch, hit, and play seems to make a difference. I want the Orioles to win so badly I sometime find it hard to watch every pitch just wishing each game could be an easy blow out and I could watch the game in the pleasure of knowing it was in the bag.

Facing the Orioles last night, the team from the north started their itching ace who was facing the Orioles ace, Chris Tillman. The resulting game had everything.

The game had drama--early between the managers and on the field between the teams. The unnamed team from the north had just come in suffering from losing three of four and scoring more than eight runs in each of their losses--the first time in baseball history that a team had scored more than eight runs in three successive games and lost all three. Most importantly, the game ended with a win for the Birds!

As for the Orioles, a pitching ace has finally emerged--the go to guy, the number one starter: Chris Tillman. The Orioles finally have a pitcher that goes out and wins the big games--I am expecting him to win every time he starts. There was in interesting stat that indicated that he is 7-2 in games he pitches after an Orioles loss--he is the stopper of losing streaks. If only we could put together a six game winning streak!

The playoff push is here--the run down the stretch. This is the exciting part of the baseball season when things begin to matter every night. Nineteen games to go and anything can happen!

Baseball, America's sport! Who needs Monday Night Football?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - September 9, 2013

1. The first football weekend of the new NFL season is complete and things are not off to a good start for some of the family's teams. I admit, we had three TVs set up to watch the games like a good sports bar with the important note that one of the sets was tuned to watch the O's fail to complete the sweep of the White Sox.

2. September's weather has been fantastic. Warm and clear. It has invited me outdoors to enjoy the evenings as they fall, much too soon as the available daylight decreases every day.

3. Dogs are fun to have around--they provide comic relief when things get too tense.

4. With the deck finally completely stained, the next project is removing two dead trees. Why does it always seem that there is a next project?

5. I think this is going to be a long week of work. First I have to catch up from being gone last week and then I need to get ready for everything that is going to happen. It is a vicious circle.

6. I have noticed that changing time zones gets a bit harder every time that I do it.

7. The squirrels have been very busy. They are grazing their way through the oak trees we have in the front of our house. And they are noisy, too!

8. I am not sure which I appreciate more, waking to the Rocky Mountains in the close distance or to the familiarity of my own backyard. I think, like Dorothy, I like my own backyard.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD