Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Where to Spend it All


My email inbox has become crammed with ads and offers. I cannot believe the rate at which new opportunities to make purchases are thrust at me. 

I can scarcely keep up with the influx and I am beginning to miss some of the more important items that I usually read.


I am drowning in junk mail seeking to have me purchase all sorts of needless item during this season.

And the sales: 30% off! How can I possibly resist? 

If I bought every exciting offer, I would soon be out of money.

How did so many retailers get my email address? 

In retrospect, I don't know which is a worse blight, the political ads of the now completed election season, or the seasonal advertisements clogging my inbox?

I am becoming very adept at using my delete key!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, November 28, 2016

Monday Musings - November 28, 2016


1. Today is the last Monday in November 2016. Next week on Monday we will be five days into December with the end of 2016 knocking at the door.

2. I wonder where Cuba will find itself in the post-Fidel Castro era?

3. According to a new study, my dog is a lot smarter than I give her credit for. And I just wish she would remember to stick around when I am working around the house.
Leaves Blown into My Yard

4. There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect. -- Ronald Reagan, 1985.

5. The wind storms of the past week filled my yard up with leaves. They are gone now, but it was the third time that I had removed the leaves from the yard.

6. And writing of leaves, I think they look a lot better on the trees than in my yard.

7. My washing machine is not working, again. Patrick and I determined the cause and the machine is about to receive its last repair before it will be replaced.

8. Is it possible to survive Cyber-Monday? I made it through small Business Saturday and Black Friday. 

9. I wonder what new electronics I desire?

10. Chris and I are already beginning to plan our summer vacation. We just don't know to where.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Decorations Abounding


2016 Edition of the Doan Christmas Tree
The turkeys are safely stored until next November. It was a sad repacking them as I really enjoy looking at them. They make me smile.

Christmas is arriving in the form of decorations. 

Riordin Helping Decorate
Chris and I spent yesterday, except for two emergency trips to Lowe's, decorating. And, sadly, we still are not finished. 

We made some mulled wine from a kit that we had purchased a couple of years ago and enjoyed decorating our way through the day. It definitely helped as we overcome the obstacles to completing our task.

Fortunately, we decided to erect only one tree this year. Why, fortunately? Well, it turns out that half of the lights on the pre-lit tree are burned out. I'm not sure it is repairable. So we went to the tree which requires string lights only to discover that we had reallocated the white lights formerly used on that tree for another decorating project. It is always something. So we bought new lights and found that one set was defective and that we needed five strands, not the four we had purchased. Back to Lowe's. 

Louis and Rirodin Under the Tree
Along the way we had some additional help from Riordin. He loved checking our the decorations and the boxes. We always have to ensure that he is not trapped in one of them before we put them away.

As soon as everything was cleaned up, both cats decided to claim the space under the tree. It really isn't complete yet because my Polar Express train isn't set up. We were just too tired from almost 10 hours of decorating to deal with some of the smaller details. 

So the house is nearly ready for the next holiday. This is the third monthly transformation, the first is Halloween at the beginning of October, the second is Thanksgiving and the season of the turkey at the beginning of November, and the third is Christmas which is the first weekend after Thanksgiving!

Of course, remember, I began the Christmas decorations on Veteran's Day and then did the Snow Village last weekend. 

Well, we are ready for the sprint to the New Year!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Axis & Allies 2016


Axis & Allies Being Played
The family tradition was revived again yesterday. While the women of the family braved the crowds of the Black Friday shopping melee, the guys gathered around a dining room table and replayed World War II using one of the versions of the game Axis & Allies. 

There are a different versions of the game and we own and have played most of them. Black Friday is our once per year "guy day" spent trying to recreate history. 

This year we had a new player which was exciting because it reminded all of us how complex the game was the first time we played. Although we played for 8 hours, the game was called a draw because evening activities were about to begin. I fully believe that the Allies would be the eventual winners.

It is a Black Friday tradition! It brings the guys in the family together while the women face the crowds and the stores. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, November 25, 2016

Black Friday


Today has a colorful name: "Black Friday." It has a long tradition as well. And it is not a sinister as it sounds on the surface.

I remember when I was in high school working in a clothing store in Ithaca, NY, that Black Friday was an exciting time as the shoppers seemingly appeared from no where to spend gobs of money preparing for the Christmas holiday. And the sprint to December 25th began in earnest.

But now, there are other days added in for excitement. There is Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. The Sunday after Thanksgiving seems to have escaped a naming convention. 


One of the local cities in my area has Midnight Madness scheduled for the first Friday in December! Another named shopping excursion. Even though they suffered a terrible flood earlier in the year, Midnight Madness is scheduled in Ellicott City for December 2nd.

With all of these days coming it is hard to conceive that we could possibly retain our money and our fortunes.

But the lines between the days are becoming blurred.

I have been receiving Black Friday ads and specials for almost two weeks now. And Cyber-Monday has been running for almost the same amount of time. Ugh!

Well, it is officially the holidays! The year is ending, the days are getting shorter and we need something to do after day--why not shop?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Thanksgiving Messages for 2016


Happy Thanksgiving. 

I cannot believe the holiday has arrived so quickly. It seems like I was enjoying the summer just yesterday. But, alas, not.

The weather in Maryland is still bearable. It was 24 degrees yesterday morning, but the region has escaped the snow that places like Central New York and the Mid-West have been besieged with.

As my thoughts turn to Thanksgiving, I felt a desire to see what our leaders, past, future, and present said about the holiday. 

President Ronald Reagan
During 1986, President Ronald Reagan made the following remarks about Thanksgiving:

Perhaps no custom reveals our character as a Nation so clearly as our celebration of Thanksgiving Day. Rooted deeply in our Judeo-Christian heritage, the practice of offering thanksgiving underscores our unshakeable belief in God as the foundation of our Nation and our firm reliance upon Him from Whom all blessings flow. Both as individuals and as a people, we join with the Psalmist in song and praise: “Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.”
One of the most inspiring portrayals of American history is that of George Washington on his knees in the snow at Valley Forge. That moving image personifies and testifies to our Founders’ dependence upon Divine Providence during the darkest hours of our Revolutionary struggle. It was then-when our mettle as a Nation was tested most severely—that the Sovereign and Judge of nations heard our plea and came to our assistance in the form of aid from France. Thereupon General Washington immediately called for a special day of thanksgiving among his troops.
Read more: http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/ronald-reagan-thanksgiving-1986-proclamation-that-declared-god-as-the-foundation-of-our-nation/#ixzz4QtEMaqQ5


President-elect Donald Trump
Just yesterday, President-elect Trump made the following statement about Thanksgiving:

“We are very blessed to call this nation our home,” said Trump. “And that is what America is: it is our home. It’s where we raise our families, care for our loved ones, look out for our neighbors, and live out our dreams.”
He continued: “It is my prayer, that on this Thanksgiving, we begin to heal our divisions and move forward as one country, strengthened by a shared purpose and very, very common resolve.”
“In declaring this national holiday, President Lincoln called upon Americans to speak with ‘one voice and one heart,'” Trump said. “That’s just what we have to do.”

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/11/dueling-thanksgiving-messages-from-obama-trump/#sve7iuCbQpDcKGgs.99


President Obama shared the following thoughts about Thanksgiving:
President Barak Obama
“Each year on Thanksgiving, the selflessness and decency of the American people surface in food banks and shelters across our country, in time spent caring for the sick and the stranger, and in efforts to empathize with those with whom we disagree and to recognize that every individual is worthy of compassion and care. As we gather in the company of our friends, families, and communities — just as the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag did centuries ago — let us strive to lift up others, promote tolerance and inclusiveness, and give thanks for the joy and love that surround all of us.”

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/11/dueling-thanksgiving-messages-from-obama-trump/#sve7iuCbQpDcKGgs.99


At the urgings of three Presidents, I believe we should give thanks and remember our heritage and history as a nation. 

Enjoy your day as you celebrate with family and friends if you are so fortunate. Wherever you are, at home or abroad, take some time to reflect and give thanks for the blessings that you have.

May you find peace and joy as you remember the blessings of your life and the joy that friends and family provide. God bless the USA!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Waiting for Results--Still


Amazingly, on the eve of Thanksgiving, all of the votes in our recent national election have not been tallied and finalized. Michigan, it seems, cannot get the job done and the 16 Electoral College votes there are still, as of this morning, undecided. 

From 270 to Win
The latest news is that the Secretary of State (Michigan) plans to release the voting tallies at the end of the month and most pollsters will call the state at that time. 

In this world of super fast computers, I find it amazing that the results can take so long to tally. Even in Third World countries the votes are tallied faster. 

Not that it will change the outcome, but I am amazed that it takes 22 days to get the votes counted so that a decision can be made. I'm glad that the outcome of the election is not hanging on those 16 votes. It could have been.

At least we can enjoy Thanksgiving tomorrow knowing who the 45th President will be and continue to watch the sideshow that have become the selection of the cabinet and key positions.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Tuesday Thoughts


Tuesday
Tuesday has arrived again. 

It is the day of the week that I struggle with the most. 

Trapped in between Monday and Wednesday, Tuesday almost seems not to have an identity of its own. When there is a Monday holiday, I often refer to Tuesday as the real Monday of the week.

Truthfully, Tuesday is not Monday and that is a blessing all of its own. 

Of course, getting through today means we are at Wednesday and this week that is the Eve of Thanksgiving. So, I guess, in some weird transformation, Tuesday is the Wednesday of this week!

Maybe Tuesday isn't so bad after all.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, November 21, 2016

Monday Musings - November 21, 2016


1. Thanksgiving is Thursday! Yay for Turkey!

2. An incredible weather change occurred over the weekend going from a high Saturday of 73 degrees to about 45 degrees on Sunday. Brrr.

Snow Village 2016
3. It was Snow Village weekend. The 2016 edition is up and lighted  and ready to usher in the holidays. 

4. It is amazing that we begin putting up decorations well in advance of the coming season.

5. "America is strong, stronger than the critics think. But then, for more than 200 years, when you've added things up that's the answer you've come up with. There is a power in America that has always seemed to surprise the critics and to carry our nation through, even when we in Washington stumbled. It's a power that comes not from government, but from towns and farms, from neighborhoods, schools, and churches all over America. It's the might and wisdom of a free people in a free land." --Ronald Reagan
Remarks to Local Business Leaders at a White House Briefing on Deficit Reduction, November 30, 1987

Riordin in a Bag of Snow Village Snow
6. On this date in 1620, the Pilgrims reached America. If you think about it, what a dismal time to try and start off with almost nothing in a new land. 

7. Cats are interesting creatures. Riordin likes to get into things and we have to be careful to ensure he gets out.

8. Can you believe that Black Friday sales have already begun?

9. There is nothing new about fake news--disinformation has always been around.

10. Take it slow and keep your wits about you as the week progresses.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, November 20, 2016

November Golf


I managed to get out to a golf course yesterday.


Compass Pointe
November 19, 2016
It was a beautiful morning and the temperature was in the big 60's by the time we finished our round. 

I do not expect to be able to play a round of golf wearing only a short sleeve shirt during November--but by the ninth hole yesterday, that is exactly what happened. Although I started the round with a jacket, it was off and I was enjoying  the bright sunshine at the turn. 


Compass Pointe
November 19, 2016
We played at Compass Pointe, where we have played before, but yesterday we were on the South and West courses which we had not played. It was a spectacular autumn day with a crystal clear sky and golden sunlight.  The golden and rust autumn leaves remain on many of the trees and provided stunning sights as we progressed along the course. The course is challenging and fun. The greens were very hard--the pins were in very difficult positions. 

It was just good to be outside on such a beautiful day.  And playing golf was even better.

Too soon, the cold and wintery weather will be here and I will be looking forward to Spring golf trips and pool opening day. But, for now I was able to extend the Autumn by one more day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
My Zimbio
Top Stories