Monday Musings - October 16, 2017

1. October is more than half over! Where is the time flying?

2. Puppies are hard to train. I had forgotten that.

3. Birthdays make great reasons for family gatherings. 

4. The weather forecasters got it all wrong. It was supposed to be dry this morning. It is raining.

5. Weekend sports report: Winners: Steelers, Redskins, Penguins (Saturday). Losers: Ravens. Did not play: Cowboys.

6. Another week starts with the passing of the weekend. What a cruel cycle of days. I think I need two weekends in a row to change things up!

Headlines

Iraqi Forces Begin Assault Near Kurdish-Held City of Kirkuk - The New York Times

Partisan clash on Obamacare raises specter of government shutdown - The Washington Post

Haley: Don't let Iran become 'next North Korea' - CNN

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"Democracy is made up of specifics -- day-to-day freedoms -- just as tyranny is made up of day-to-day oppressions. Is it sincere to talk about democracy but ignore the specific markers by which we can tell if democracy truly exists? I don't think so."

Address to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, October 7, 1987

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It was a Gray and Overcast Day . . .

Patuxent Greens Hole 4
October 14, 2017

Almost as compelling as the line, "It was a dark and stormy night . . . " the thought "It was a gray and overcast day . . ." clearly is the opening phrase to a more significant and possibly interesting beginning to a book or a chapter.

Some ideas come to mind, like:

It was a gray and overcast day as we pushed away from the quay and headed off into the angry sea. 

Woodchuck Unfazed by My Presence

Or:

It was a gray and overcast day as I stepped outside and headed to my car to begin my daily trek to work navigating the traffic-jammed roads and highways of the Capitol Beltway region of Washington D.C. and Baltimore.

In reality, the sentence is:

It was a gray and overcast day as I stepped onto the tee-box,  looking downrange at the green fairway deciding where I wanted my first drive of the day to land and with a mighty swing of my driver the round began.

It was a great day in the it was cool, but not so cool that I had to wear a coat. And it was easy to follow the flight of the ball against the overcast sky.

I happened upon a woodchuck on the 14th hole. I was amazed how it ignored my presence. I drove within a few feet of it to take its picture. 

The day actually got better with the sun making an appearance during the afternoon. The lawns were mowed and the leaves removed. 

It was a gray an overcast day, but despite the gloom it was a great day filled with a multitude of activities and as darkness fell I was happy with all that had been accomplished.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Making the Cheesecake

Cheesecake Poured int the Pan

It is the family birthday season. My birthday was a few weeks ago and Chris is celebrating the anniversary of her birth this weekend.

Baked and Continuing the Cooling Process

One of the things that Chris and I do for each other is make a special celebratory birthday cake. Mine is a yellow cake with cream cheese frosting and pineapple. 

Chris likes New York style cheesecake made from scratch using a Betty Crocker recipe. The cheese cake is truly a production covering about 4 hours of preparation, baking and cooling before it can be left unattended in the refrigerator. The object is to make a perfect cheesecake without any cracks!

Like the one pictured.

It came out fantastic! A cheesecake ready for the celebration!

And I didn't wait until the last minute!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Final Four is Set

Sometimes I don't know which is the better option. Is it better for a team to consistently make the playoffs, but get eliminated in the first round or to just not make the playoffs at all?

And so goes the stories of the two local baseball teams: the Nationals and the Orioles.

The Orioles failed to make the playoffs and in fact wound up with a losing record for the 2017 campaign.

The Nationals were one of the dominant teams in baseball with a home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs and yet lost, again, in the first round.

Baseball's final four are all deserving teams. Two of them won over 100 games this year: the Dodgers and the Astros.

The defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers will play for the National League Championship and a trip to the World Series.


On the other side, the Houston Astros will host the New York Yankees to start the American League Championship series. 

Prediction: I believe the the Dodgers will face the Astros in the World Series with the Dodgers winning in six games.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Incognito Golfer

Makayla Ready for a Round of Golf

It seems that the arrival of a new puppy into the household is having an unexpected  impact on Makayla. She has come very attached to me. Too attached.

Makayla does not want to be separated from me for any reason. Whenever the puppy, Finnegan, is about Makayla finds a place close to me and parks herself. 

The other morning, as I was preparing to head out for a round of golf she figured out I was leaving and tried to disguise herself as my partner.

The ruse did not work. I knew that I was the only left-handed golfer in the house. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Crazy Puppy

Finnegan, our relatively-new Yorkie puppy, is turning the house upside down. Aside from ensuring the entire house is awake when he is awake, he loves to play with Riordin, one of our two cats. Louis, the white Ragdoll cat just looks at the dog as if to say, "Really?"

The play consists of running around the house and chasing each other. I am impressed because the cat keeps its claws sheathed. I believe that Riordin really does enjoy the play because sometimes he is the instigator.

All-in-all, the two of them provide comic relief and a needed diversion after a long day at work.

That is why we have pets anyway, right? For companionship and entertainment.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Rainy Holiday

Cleaned and Organized Garage
October 9, 2017

Rainy holidays put a damper on outdoor plans. Whether yard work or sports (like a round of golf) are planned, heavy rains force changes.

Yesterday was no exception. 

Organized Work Bench

I had planned to cut the ornamental grasses surrounding the pool, but the rain made that a non-starter as a project. It would have been miserable.

Hence, the project turned into a garage cleaning and organization day. 

The garage needed some organization. We park two vehicles in our garage and so there is limited storage space. It had become very disorganized where many things did not have a defined place.

Most items still do not have a defined location, but at least they are neatly occupying the available space. I have a plan to buy some organizing cabinets to provide even more storage which can be better organized. 

A good project and I had some excellent help as well.

Now it is off to a shortened workweek which will seem longer than a non-holiday workweek.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 9, 2017

1. Happy Columbus Day (observed). Remember there will be no mail service today and the banks will be closed.

2. Another hurricane, Hurricane Nate is visiting my area today. We actually have been in a drought and the remnants of Nate are providing needed rain.

Hank Williams Statue
Montgomery, Alabama

3. With all of the current problems associated with statues, I found and interesting one in Montgomery, It was a statue to Hank Williams.

4. Weekend Sports Report: Ravens win, Cowboys and Steelers lose, Redskins did not play. Orioles are licking their wounds during the post-season.

5. Fall youth baseball continues for Jackson. He played yesterday, but his team lost. It was an overcast day but the temperatures were warm.

6. Since it is raining, today will not be a good golf day. Bummer.

7. Holidays, like today, provide me with the opportunity to complete projects around the house. Today, I am supposed to cut and remove the grasses around the pool. It is a regular autumn project, but it may be too wet. 

8. Hard to believe, but it is already the second Monday in October.

9. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox managed a win in their play-off series to stay alive to play another game.

Headlines

ISIS Fighters, Having Pledged to Fight or Die, Surrender en Masse - The New York Times

Trump Tells Pence to Leave N.F.L. Game as Players Kneel During Anthem - The New York Times

Houston teen says she was expelled for not standing for Pledge of Allegiance - The Washington Post

Ronald Reagan Quote of the Week

"For the truth is that Americans must choose between two drastically different points of view. One puts its faith in the pipedreamers and margin-scribblers in Washington; the other believes in the collective wisdom of the people and their commitment to the American dream. One says tax and tax, spend and spend, and the other says have faith in the common sense of the people."

Remarks in Columbus to Members of Ohio Veterans Organizations, October 4, 1982

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday in Style

A Hole on The Blue Mash
October 7, 2017

Saturdays are definitely a day to enjoy. I look forward to a multitude of activities on Saturdays and yesterday was no exception.

Heron Hunting on The Blue Mash

The day began, as should every Saturday, on a golf course. We played The Blue Mash in Montgomery County, it was a course I had never played before and it was tough. But, it was a lot of fun even though I was unhappy with my score. The greens were really tough.

I did enjoy watching the wildlife along the course.

The afternoon saw Chris and I along with Finn, the Yorkie, head off to a harvest festival in the area. We had a great time and Finn was the hit of the festival. Everyone who saw him wanted to touch him. 

Finn with a Much Larger Friend

Finn was even a hit with the other dogs. One dog, in particular, took an interest in him and they played together for a few minutes in the grass. Finn was no worse for the wear, however, he was a slobbery mess when we finally had to say good-bye.

It was, overall, a beautiful day. The weather was idyllic and I enjoyed the early autumn day that reminded me of the summer days so recently past.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flying through Charlotte

Yesterday was a travel day and I had two experiences that I want to share. One was the flight and the other was the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. 

Let me write right up front, I had not flown with American Airlines in many years until this week. I have become somewhat a Southwest snob, meaning I like flying Southwest. They get right what many other airlines can't seem to figure out--like bags in the cabin.

Yesterday was a combination of two less than stellar experiences rolled into one day.

First was the flight from Montgomery to Charlotte. I was aboard a CL-65 commuter jet. 

The seats on the Canadian CL-65 are among the worst in the air. The seat back was not high enough to support my neck and so I couldn't find a way to sleep comfortably. I normally sleep with ease on aircraft. Not on the Canadair CL-65 as outfitted by AmericanEagle. As I was on a 6:15 AM flight and had been up since 4 AM, I really wanted to catch a few Z's on the way to Charlotte.

Added to the discomfort of the seat, I was in the 12th row right in front of the restroom. Since the pilot never turned the seatbelt sign off, there was almost no one moving around the cabin. But it was one on the last seats on the too small aircraft. 

Wall-to-wall People in Terminal B
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
October 6, 2017

And then came Charlotte! Ugh. The airport was wall-to-wall people. I have not seen so many people crammed into one location since the last concert I attended. It was tight, everywhere. 

There were no seats available to sit and wait for my connecting flight. Fortunately, I had a very short layover.

On top of that, here is the spot where American Airlines needs to improve. Baggage. On every flight I took during my trip, the airline was urging people to check their bags at the gate to allow for room in the cabin. This is a direct result, I believe, of their highway robbery baggage fees. 

I know it was $25 for the first bag and then it goes up, possibly $35 or $40 for the second bag. Of course people are not going to check bags to save money. That is what the airline wants. So then at the gate there is the confusion about courtesy checking bags. Courtesy being the key word. So if I want to save money, I take my bag with me and then hope for courtesy checking at the gate. 

What a mess. Total confusion in the terminal and at the gate and it just makes the entire travel experience worse.

Note to self: Avoid flying American Airlines, avoid Charlotte, and stay off the CL-65!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD