Last Light of a Really Good Day

Tops of the Trees in the Setting Sunlight
Elkridge, MD
March 11, 2019

Last evening Chris and I sat outside, again for the second night in a row. around the fire pit and watched the evening fall. It was warmer, in the 50's and for a change the skies cleared and blue was the color of the evening. 

It was a nice evening. I was able to get my chainsaw out and begin transforming the wood pile from downed trees into pieces of wood suitable for burning. We had about 5 dead ash trees felled before winter because we were concerned that they might fall on their own and do some damage. Now I get to cut them into logs suitable for burning in a fireplace or our outdoor fire pit. After cutting for a while with Chris stacking the logs, we stopped and started a nice fire around which to enjoy a bottle of wine. Then we ordered Chinese actually enjoyed our first meal of the year outside. Yes, it was cool--in the 50's, but very enjoyable. It actually wasn't out first meal outside as we had eaten lunches and dinners outside when we were in Florida during January--but it was the first of the year for Baltimore. It was quite an evening, we went outside to begin cutting wood about 4PM and by the time we finished dinner and talking and let the fire die, it was dark and after 8PM. 


Yesterday was also my first post prostate cancer treatment follow-up with the radiation oncologist. It was time to get the results from the tests that I had done last week. And the results are: everything looks good. It was good to see the treatment team again, we have formed a unique bond, and they were very encouraged by my results which seem to indicate a successful treatment. I get to visit with them every six months for the next five years before they will be able to certify me as cancer free. I have been participating in a study for prostate cancer patients and follow-up and I was told yesterday that I will be getting paid! Who knew! I had thought I was just a volunteer for the study. The pay is not enough to live on or anything like that, but it will buy lunch!

It was a great way to start the middle week of March!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 11, 2019

Maryland Home and Garden Show
Springtime Arrives
March 10, 2019

1. My, how quickly the month is passing. We are already into the middle part of the month. It is exciting and frustrating.

Our Feet
Around the Fire Pit
March 10, 2019

2. Daylight Saving Time began yesterday and it was truly an event. Chris and I were able to sit outside by the fire pit during the evening and enjoy the warmer March temperatures. It did not get dark until after 7PM. Yay.

3. Chris and I went to the Maryland Home and Garden Show yesterday and had a fantastic time. It should be renamed the Home and Wine Tasting Show. There were at least five wineries and one distillery represented. We had a great time and were able to get there early and enjoy the vendors before they got too tired.

4. I am looking forward to a week without too much rain. For a change. I am excited about getting into the yard to begin the Spring clean-up.

5. As the weather warms, so does the excitement of Springtime. Baseball season is underway and that means practice, practice, and repeat!

6. Maybe the last of the snow has visited the Baltimore region for this winter! I hope so.

7. Is there golf in my future? Time will tell!

8. Today in History. On this day during 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Lend-Lease program, which provides money and materials for allies in the war, goes into effect. The Lend-Lease program was devised by Roosevelt as a means of aiding Great Britain in its war effort against the Germans, by giving the chief executive the power to “sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of” any military resources the president deemed ultimately in the interest of the defense of the United States. The reasoning was that if a neighbor was successful in defending his home, the security of your home would be enhanced. It also served to bolster British morale by giving them the sense that they were no longer alone in their struggle against Hitler.

Headlines

How ISIS Is Rising in the Philippines as It Dwindles in the Middle East - The New York Times

New Images of North Korea Buildup Confront Trump’s Hopes for Disarmament - The New York Times

Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Nairobi crashes, all 157 on board killed - The Washington Post

U.S.-backed Syrian force attacks Islamic State enclave - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"Our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we're sick—professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, "We the people," this breed called Americans."

Source: Reagan's First Inaugural Address.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Now Arriving - DST

Look how late it is already today, and yet the day is just beginning--ah, the joys of Daylight Saving Time (DST). I only just got up with the sun, OK, there is no sun only gray overcast, yet the morning is already slipping away. 

I am encouraged to hear that DST may become the permanent law of the land. An article in The Mercury News, a San Francisco Bay area newspaper, suggests that California may adopt DST permanently and that the entire nation may also decide not to "Fall back." The chief complaint that I have heard about permanent DST is that morning will not dawn until after 9:30 AM for some cities in the U.S. A case in point, however, is Anchorage, Alaska, where sunrise in mid-December is 10:15 AM, and they do not enjoy DST anyway. It seems that Anchorage can deal with it without too many problems.

The day promises to be one of outdoors activity! There are leaves to blow and downed trees to cut, and lawns to fertilize. It is springtime, well almost. And of course there is the home and garden show to attend and dream about what could be!

I continue to find it a bit funny that I fertilize the lawn to grow grass that I then must mow. And that I continue to fertilize the lawn to grow the grass that continues to need mowing. It is a vicious cycle. Who thought of that anyway? But then, who doesn't love the smell of a freshly mowed lawn?

Well, I guess anyone who is not allergic!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Dog and Her Boys

Lily and Jax
March 8, 2019

Lily, the newest canine member of our larger family, apparently has a knack for making sick children feel better.

Lily and Ethan
March 8, 2019

Yesterday was a sick day for two of my grandsons--Jax and Ethan. Chris spent her day nursing them back to health. But, she had help from Lily, their faithful dog,  who comforted each of the sick boys as they napped on the sofa.

It was a touching scene--a a dog and her boy, sleeping together on the sofa together as the boys tried to get better. 

What a great dog Lily has become. She is attentive and loving. She takes great care of her boys! After all, what more can we expect from a dog?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Dark Season Ends

Stonehenge

I feel almost as how I imagine the druids felt when the vernal equinox occurred. The dark season is over and cue the sunlight.

Daylight Saving Time (DST), which begins Sunday morning, is the beginning of the return of the light,

Today the Baltimore region will experience 11 hours, 36 minutes and 58 seconds of daylight. The amount of daylight is increasing by more than 2 minutes and 30 seconds per day. We actually cross over the 12 hours per day of daylight on March 17th--it should be an enjoyable St Patrick's Day celebration.

The redistribution of available daylight from morning to evening changes everything! I know that personally, I will feel more invigorated during the evening and will begin to look for life outdoors to begin again. I am already thinking of getting the yard into shape for summer activities.

March is full of celebrations and events:

March 6  -  Ash Wednesday
March 10 - DST begins
March 11 - Johnny Appleseed Day
March 14 - Pi Day
March 17 - St Patrick's Day
March 20 - Vernal Equinox (Spring begins)
March 28 - MLB Opening Day

All of these events and commemorations point to the rebirth associated with Springtime--even Pi Day! Enjoy a pie for me!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Losing Daylight

Sunrise
From Route 100
March and 6, 2019

Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins during the wee hours on Sunday morning while I am sleeping. That event changes the day and the night.

I snapped this image of the sunrise yesterday morning on my way to work. The sun was beginning to rise and flood the world with spectacular colors and light. Day was dawning. 

It loved looking at the clouds and the colors of the sunrise. It was great to be driving to work in sunlight, rather than under the cover of darkness and gloom. 

And then I remembered Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday. Beginning on Monday morning, my daily trek will again occur during the hours of darkness.

But for a couple days, at least, I have been enjoying the light of the morning. It will return again in a month or so, I just need to wait for it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Jax Celebrates

Jax with his Birthday Cookie
March 5, 2019

Jax celebrated his birthday yesterday. Coincidentally, he also had the day off from school due to parent-teacher conferences.

Jax and Ethan
March 5 ,2019

The day turned into a great celebration for him, lasted the entire day. Chris was able to enjoy the festivities while I was at work. It is rare to get such an opportunity and I am glad that they all were able to celebrate together. 

The party last evening was the frosting on the cake, err cookie! It was a warm family commemoration amid the cold and definitely not spring-like weather. This morning it is a balmy 18 degrees. And it is not expected to become much warmer for a few days.

Happy Birthday Jax! Baseball season is ready to get underway.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Pelicans Posing

Pelicans on the ‎⁨Loxahatchee River⁩
Jupiter, Florida
January 21, 2019

One evening during January, while Chris and I were in Florida, we walked to the end of a dock near a pub that we frequent and enjoyed the pelicans posing for some pictures.

Pelican on the ‎⁨Loxahatchee River⁩
Jupiter, Florida
January 21, 2019

It was funny, really. The pelicans supposed that we had fish or something to feed them and all we had were our cameras to capture the moment. 

There were about six of them that settled beneath the pier and looked at us longingly. The spot where we were standing is used by fishermen to clean their catch as they return from a day on the ocean. The pelicans do enjoy the handouts. 

Chris and I enjoy the pelicans as they fly in formation along the shore, we have labeled them as "Pelicans on Patrol." Every so often, one of them breaks formation and dives into the ocean to catch a meal. 

While the weather was very cool when we were visiting Florida during January, it did not dampen our spirits too much. And the pelicans certainly were entertaining. They certainly were more interesting than trying to watch a movie on TV.  I do wish I was there right now and not suffering with the 20 degree temperature that I woke to this morning. At least there is no snow on the ground!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 4, 2019

1. It is the first Monday of March and the weather forecast for the weeks appears more suited for January. The nightly lows are going be in the teens for the next few days.

2. I am waiting for Spring. Maybe there will be warmth and flowers soon. I see leaf buds on the trees.

3. Although a big snow event was predicted for the overnight hours, I awoke this morning to no snow after a nearly day long rain event.

Unloading
Danby, NY
March 1, 2019

4. Home ownership is great, except when repairs are needed. For instance yesterday, one of the toilet seats needed replacing. Let me assure you that I do not enjoy playing with toilets!

5. During our quick trip to Upstate New York, we had the opportunity to experience snow and cold. Personally, you can keep that weather. There was not one palm tree in sight.

6. I am frustrated with my Sunday newspaper delivery. It is supposed to be on my driveway by 8 AM and it frequently, as happened yesterday, does not arrive until after 10AM. By then, I am no longer interested in reading as the day is well underway.

7. Ithaca, NY, is a strange place with respect to roads. There is one road that I have used since I was living there to come down the South Hill and for some unexplainable reason the city has closed one of the more important streets connected to it. Go figure. It does have a very difficult about 150 degree turn at the bottom, but people have been making that turn for decades, until recently when they closed off the street. Perhaps modern drivers are not as adept as more mature vehicle operators. My school bus used to make that turn.

8. Today in History. On March 4, 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. In his famous inaugural address, delivered outside the east wing of the U.S. Capitol, Roosevelt outlined his “New Deal”–an expansion of the federal government as an instrument of employment opportunity and welfare–and told Americans that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Although it was a rainy day in Washington, and gusts of rain blew over Roosevelt as he spoke, he delivered a speech that radiated optimism and competence, and a broad majority of Americans united behind their new president and his radical economic proposals to lead the nation out of the Great Depression.

Headlines

After India Loses Dogfight to Pakistan, Questions Arise About Its ‘Vintage’ Military - The New York Times

Tornadoes Kill at Least 23 in Alabama, Official Says - The New York Times

Trump blames Cohen testimony for failed deal with North Korea - The Washington Post

U.S. and China said to appear close to deal to roll back tariffs - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"Our policy of peace through strength has been vindicated wherever it's been tried…the future for world peace is bright if we Americans continue to stand firm, stand tall, and stand for freedom."


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Color of Winter

South of Williamsport, PA
Headed North on Route 15
March 1, 2019

Chris and I celebrated the arrival of the month of March by making a quick trip to Central New York to return Mom and Dad. It was quick because we found a break in the oppressive weekend storms and were able to make a dash north on Friday returning yesterday afternoon.

No, It's Not a Black and White Image
The Doan Homestead
Image from Radio Flyer
March 1, 2019

Fortunately, the roads were dry and we only experienced some light snow in the Pennsylvania mountains that created nothing more than a bit of an annoyance.

I flew Radio Flyer, my drone, and obtained some images of my parent's house surrounded by snow. It was fun to fly above the snow, but it was cold so the flight was a short 5 minutes achieving a maximum altitude of 200 feet--to get well above the trees and electric wires.

Birdseye View from Above the Back Yard
The Doan Homestead
Image from Radio Flyer
March 1, 2019

The thing that struck me about the images was the lack of color in the scenes. If you look closely at the image on the left, you will find me in an orange shirt near the lower left part of the image and there is also a black Highlander in the drive with the rear hatch up. Yet the scene seems to be overwhelmed by the contrast of black on white. 

The the lack of color defines the color of the winter, as this scene confirms. I wish there was green or blue in the scene, but winter drains the color from the world. 

Springtime is only 17 days away. I am looking forward to the explosion of color and life that accompanies its arrival.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD