Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Holiday Weekend in Review


It was a crazy holiday weekend.

It seemed that every time something was turned on or used, it broke. I spent hours fixing things--like the pool heaters, faucets, door knobs, and the like. I can tell that the infrastructure of my house is aging. 

Did I golf? No. Why? Because the weathermen were not accurate with their forecasts. It always seemed like rain was forecast, but in reality the the rain only occurred in ernest on Sunday afternoon. 

I also learned that the local wildlife love my house. In addition to the fawn, I have seen baby bunnies and two juvenile woodchucks in the yard. Add to that the juvenile brown snake I helped out of the pool on Saturday morning and we are blessed with a few too many juvenile animals in the area.

I also worked on Jeremy's Jeep and helped him to add additional lights. That was an enjoyable distraction from cleaning and repairing. 

Somewhere during the weekend there was a truckload of mulch, multiple shopping excursions, trips to Lowe's for parts, and even a little lounging in the pool.

Chris with the Three Dogs
Did I mention dog sitting for two additional canines? Yup, Florence and Arthur were with us for the holiday weekend. The bed got a bit crowded.

I was able to watch the rain pummel my roof and confirmed that my new gutter leaf guards did their jobs--there was no overflow! Yay!

The highlight of the weekend was, of course, the holiday family picnic. I felt Chris' pain as the date for the picnic waffled between Sunday and Monday depending upon the weather report. In the end, we got the better day on Monday and the picnic was a grand success. The pool was a balmy 82 degrees and the day was mercifully dry. 

I'm looking forward to the short week ahead, but it seems that Mondays which fall on Tuesdays are some of the busiest days!

With Memorial Day weekend behind me, I can now focus on the summer ahead. If only the weather will hold.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, May 30, 2016

Monday Musings - May 30, 2016


1. It is Memorial Day. Take a moment to remember those who gave all for our freedoms. Read the words the President Ronald Reagan spoke at Arlington National Cemetery during 1982.

2. My pool made it to 82 degrees yesterday! It was awesome, until the rains came. Again!

3. I can't believe how bad travel problems are at airports. Yesterday a computer problem snarled travelers at JFK. At one point 1500 people were in lines waiting to be checked in for their flights.

4. The killing of a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo yesterday is  reminder that zoo animals are wild, but the visitors bear responsibility for being safe as well. How did the 4 year old boy wind up in the gorilla enclosure in the first place? What were his parents doing? 

5. The weather has become a stressor. The weathermen can't seem to get a forecast right.


6. What a great way to win the Indianapolis 500--cross the finish line and then run out of gas and have to be towed to the winner's circle. Sometimes it is that way trying to get to a gas station.

7. New York City is making menu reading harder. They are now including salt content. Does anyone try to read the warning labels on everything we receive? The letters are too small to read without a magnifying glass.

8. Landing a space launch booster on a barge is an incredible feat. Elon Musk's SpaceX did it again! How Buck Rogers is that? The video in the linked article is really cool!



OK, I thought it was so cool that I included it here!

9. Did I mention that the Orioles managed to win a close game yesterday!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, May 29, 2016

A Visit from Bambi


Fawn in the Garden
May 28, 2016
I was startled yesterday as Chris and I were working around the house. We had been outside about an hour when, as I rounded the corner on the side of the house nearest the wooded area, there nestled under the lilac bush and in the Lily of the Valley patch was a fawn.

Hiding in almost plain sight, but very quiet and still, was Bambi!

We have a small herd of deer that traverse the wooded area behind the house and love to eat our plants. 

After discussing the situation with Chris and phoning a friend for some advice, we decided to clear the area and suspend our outdoor work for a couple of hours to see if its mother would return to retrieve the fawn.

I searched the internet and ran across an extremely informational site that set our minds to rest about the situation.  We learned that the fawn had probably not been abandoned and was not in any distress. I highly recommend reading this document titled, Do You Know How To Tell If That Fawn Really Needs Your Help??? It answered all of our questions and reassured us that the situation would resolve itself. 

The most important thing we learned from our reading was that this would probably be an all day event. The doe would likely not return until dusk. We also learned that the fawn was less than three weeks old.

The fawn stayed in its spot all day. It was quiet, but aware, and only moved when its location came into full sun. It moved three feet to more shaded spot under the lilac bush. 

We checked on it throughout the day and kept the dogs and kids away from it. We did advertise its presence to the neighbors who took some pictures, but did not otherwise disturb the small fawn.

Sometime between about 6:30 and 7:30 PM, the fawn disappeared. The house and the yard had been quiet for a couple of hours and we believe that its mother returned and took it away into the woods. We had hoped to catch a glimpse of mother and fawn together, but alas, it was not to be.

While we enjoyed our wildlife encounter, because it added a different dimension to the weekend, we hope it doesn't return for another day for free babysitting.

I checked the area this morning and as of 5:49 AM, the fawn had not returned. I have no idea whether deer reuse the same spots. I know that they traverse the same paths.

And that is the story of our real world encounter with Bambi.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Changing Laws for the Better


Our society has criminalized some of the most minor things. For instance, having an open container of alcohol in public in New York City was a misdemeanor, a criminal offense! 


Think about it--why would that be a criminal offense? With mandatory jail time and a permanent record? It was the same for littering and urinating in public. The Washington Free Beacon reports this morning that that is all changing. 

As quoted from an Associated Press article in The Washington Free Beacon:


The [New York] City Council on Wednesday passed a series of criminal justice reforms to sharply curtail the punishments for low-level offenses such as littering and peeing in public, an overhaul intended to help unclog the courts and jails of the nation’s largest city.
The Criminal Justice Reform Act alters the penalties for certain offenses, including possessing an open container of alcohol in public. Though the offenses will remain illegal, the legislation steers them to civil court rather than criminal court.
Public urination and most offenses in public parks will be downgraded from misdemeanors to violations and reduces the available jail penalties to just one day for violations. Currently, jail time could stretch up to 90 days for such offenses.

I am glad the courts will have more time to address those larger issues rather than being bogged down by these lesser (nuisance) offenses.

If you want to see some of the strangest criminal laws in existence in the United States, I recommend reviewing the article titled Here Are The Most Ridiculous Laws In Every State, compiled by Business Insider. I thought Ohio and Idaho were especially entertaining. And who says,  "Truth is funnier than fiction?" I can't make this stuff up. (BTW, it was Mark Twain)

Food for thought on the Memorial Day weekend.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, May 27, 2016

Memorial Day Weekend Arrives


The first, albeit unofficial, weekend of the summer season has arrived. 

I am not disappointed with the weather outlook. The first weekend of summer is a stark contrast to last weekend when we were suffering with highs in the 50's and cold rain. This weekend the lows are in the upper 60's with the highs approaching 90! Bring it on!

As I walked out of work last evening, I was hit with a blast of hot, yes it was hot and humid, air that instantly reminded my of how much I love summer. It was far better than the icy cold blast of winter and the bone chilling wet days of even last week. I strode to my convertible, named Cat, and put the top down relishing in knowing that in a few minutes I would be feeling the warm wind in my hair as I drove home in crushing rush hour traffic.

My pool is still at a chilly 66 degrees, but that is nothing that more sunshine and a little propane cannot fix. I am seriously thinking of building a solar heater for the pool. 

I was coaching at the GORC Pirates baseball game last evening, with sweat falling into my eyes and I fully appreciated that I was in shorts and a golf shirt. The sun was shining bright into my eyes and it felt like summer.

I am glad that the weather has finally caught up with the calendar.

If you are traveling this weekend, be safe. Whatever you do--please take a moment to remember those who "gave all" and those who are on the front lines of conflict around the globe protecting and securing the freedoms we enjoy.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, May 26, 2016

O's Sag


Baseball is a long-haul sport. 

Teams go through good times and bad during the course of a season. In football, a three-game losing streak might end a playoff run. In baseball, it is just the way a series may play out.

The Orioles are amidst a three-game losing streak in Houston after losing their last two the Astros. Both games were one run losses and one was a 13 inning extra inning game. Losing the past two games is frustrating, because earlier in the season the O's were winning extra inning and one-run games. On a good note, last night they made four errors (that's not the good part, wait for it) and still only lost by one run.

Clearly the problem is not pitching (although the starting pitcher had two errors last night). The problem is hitting, or rather the lack of timely hitting. 

Last night, for example, the O's had 11 hits! 
They scored only 3 runs while leaving 12 men on base!  
They committed 4 errors! They had only committed 18 errors (the fewest in all of baseball) in their previous games this season.

The night before, they had 8 hits, scored 2 runs, and left 11 men on base. And had 19 strike outs!

Losing on Tuesday night in 13 innings was the Orioles first walk-off loss of the season!

On Tuesday night, the team batting average was .190, well below their season average of .259 (as a team), Wednesday night it was a more respectable .289 (but they still lost).

Baseball has a lot of statistics--but in reality there is only one statistic that really matters--putting a "1" in the win column.

I don't mind winning ugly, but losing ugly really hurts. 

Another great thing about baseball? They get to play again today.

Let's Go O's!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

First in a String


Looking Back Toward the 17th Tee Box
Timbers at Troy Golf Course
Last evening I headed out after work and enjoyed a round of golf at my local course. It was a momentous event given the incredible cold and rain of the past weeks.

I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt--and was comfortable. I think there was even some sweat as I enjoyed the first 80 degree day during May. It was such a beautiful day and I didn't mind sharing the course with a family of geese. They watched me closely, but did not seem too perturbed by my presence. The goslings were happy to be finding food protected under the watchful eye of the adults.

Looking at the forecast, it appears that the cycle of cold, gloom, and rain is finally broken. Every day from now until June 3rd is forecast for 80 degree temperatures and no appreciable rain. June 3rd may break the string of great weather, but that is still days away and as I am fully aware, the weather can and will change. Sure, there are thunderstorms in the forecast--I can deal with those. 

Today looks as if it will be the second day in a row of moderate and enjoyable weather. I will be able to do the lawn work that I didn't start last evening because I was out whacking a small white ball with a club. 

I had to get out and enjoy the great weather. 

Memorial Day weekend is looking great!

Bring on the pool and the celebrations.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

My Take: TSA Damage Control


It appears to be a case of "too little, too late" and with that colloquialism I am referring to the replacement of the T.S.A."s security chief.

The New York Times article describes the situation and the replacement of the official in an article titled, T.S.A. Replaces Security Chief as Tension Grows at Airports and Agency


The entire security situation at many airports around the country has devolved into a nightmare for travelers and it appears that in terms of security, based upon the statistics, we are not really safe.  Security screeners failed 95 percent of the time to identify fake weapons and explosives in covert tests. For that record, and the incredibly long lines that I have been seeing on television, the chief of security was given a $90,000 bonus paid in $10,000 increments.

But the Summer travel season is already upon us! And the situation is not getting better, only worse.


Security Lines at Chicago O'Hare International Airport
In related moves, the TSA administrator apparently replaced the leadership team at Chicago O'Hare to help with the problems. The NY Times article describes the situation there:


On Sunday, hundreds of passengers, including 450 on American Airlines alone, missed flights because of waits of two or three hours in security lines, according to local news reports. Many of the passengers had to spend the night in the terminal sleeping on cots.
The T.S.A. has sent 58 additional security officers and four more bomb-sniffing dog teams to O’Hare. Last week, Mr. Neffenger apologized to passengers and briefed officials in Chicago about efforts to address the crushing delays.

I am glad that I am not traveling very much. I hate standing in security lines and missing my flight.

My Take: The moves by the TSA are principally superficial. The agency is failing to address the problems with security and have spent too much time trying to develop spectacular technology while ignoring the fundamental need for a motivated, trained workforce.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

Monday, May 23, 2016

Monday Musing - May 23, 2016


1. It rained so much over the weekend that I was greeted by a man at my door yesterday afternoon inquiring about the availability of gopher wood. His name was Noah.

2. I played nine holes of golf yesterday morning in the rain. We were supposed to play 18, but came to our senses half way through.

3. It has been so cold and rainy that many of us are beginning to wonder if we relocated to Seattle in our sleep?

4. Historical thought of the day, from the Washington Post: Hamilton’s great fear was that American democracy would be destroyed by demagogues who would “mouth populist shibboleths to conceal their despotism.” 

As of May 22, 2016
From ESPN.com
5. The Orioles have the best record in the American League. There is no time for celebration, however, because the team with the second best record is .005 behind and in second place in the division. 

6. I realized that I don't actually hold newspapers in my hands to read them anymore. I read them on line. I miss the smell of newsprint with my coffee in the morning.

7. My lawn needs to be mowed. That is something that cannot be done in the rain.

8. Maybe the Vietnam war is over! According to the Washington Post, "The Obama administration announced Monday that the United States would fully lift a longstanding U.S. embargo on lethal arms sales to Vietnam, a decision that reflects growing concerns about China’s military clout and illustrates the warming bilateral ties between the former enemy nations."

9. Does anyone else remember when Vietnam was written Viet Nam?

10. The forecast for today is 70's and chance of a thunderstorm. At least it will be 15 degrees warmer.  

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, May 22, 2016

A Day for the Pluviophile


After two days of warmer temperatures and sunshine, I have to report that the sun never shone yesterday.

It rained most of the day and the gloom was pervasive. That bright orb in the sky was a no show.

I did manage a trip to the golf driving range to hit some unsuspecting balls, however, that was the only respite form the weather that I could manage.

My pool is looking inviting--if only the temperature wasn't still in the 60's!

I learned a new word and then discovered that I am not a pluviophile!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
My Zimbio
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