Holiday Concert, Part 2

Ethan on the Risers
Arundel High School
Odenton, MD
December 17, 2019

Music runs in our family. 

Last evening, Chris and I attended our second Holiday Concert in two weeks. This one was held at Arundel high School and was principally a choir concert. There was a short interlude with a guitar ensemble which was very nice. 

The high school choral concert did not disappoint and Chris and I recalled our years in high school when we both sang in the concert choir.

But, last evening it was about Ethan, who is a true bass and sang some excellent holiday music. 

The music was a pleasant mix of songs for the season and the two choirs also reorganized by gender and performed as all female and all male choruses. 

It was enjoyable evening, even with the rain! Which has not stopped for two days. I am not really complaining because it could have been snow.

Well--on to the holidays!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Winter is Afoot

Snow Falling on the Drive
Elkridge, MD
December 16, 2019

And there it was yesterday morning as let Makayla out for her morning stroll in the yard. 

Snow. Falling from the sky and covering the ground. 

Real snow this time. More than the trace we received last week. It caused a small disaster as schools closed, but the real problem was that it rained all of the day. Nonstop. 

It always amazes me that life seems to stop in Maryland when the snow falls. Schools were canceled or delayed over much of the state. 

It can only mean that Winter is afoot.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

Monday Musings - December 16, 2019

1. December is more than half over--and there are only 9 days until Christmas. Stand-by for panic to ensue!

2. Yesterday it was over 50 degrees and I was able to work outside without a coat. It was glorious. A last gasp of Autumn before the real Winter arrives here.

3. Family NFL Weekend Results. There are just two weeks remaining in the NFL season.
  
    Ravens defeat Jets 42-21 (Thursday)
    Cowboys defeat Rams 44-21
    Steelers lose to Bills 10-17
    Redskins lose to Eagles 27-37

4. Is anyone feeling panic that the Christmas Season is slipping away?

5. I noted that the NFL is posting a trifecta of games on Saturday to fill the void created by the conclusion of the College football season.

6. There was a hint of snow for this morning and the region braced for the worst. There were 96 weather related delays. Outside of my window there was nothing. 

7. I have noted that while most MLB teams are adding talent to their rosters, the Orioles continue to be conducting a fire sale. It looks as if we are facing another 100 loss season.

8. Today in History: 1773. In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor.

The midnight raid, popularly known as the “Boston Tea Party,” was in protest of the British Parliament’s Tea Act of 1773, a bill designed to save the faltering East India Company by greatly lowering its tea tax and granting it a virtual monopoly on the American tea trade. The low tax allowed the East India Company to undercut even tea smuggled into America by Dutch traders, and many colonists viewed the act as another example of taxation tyranny.

Headlines

U.S. Secretly Expelled Chinese Officials After Breach of Military Base - The New York Times

U.N. Climate Talks End With Big Polluters Blocking Stronger Action - The New York Times

Denmark Raises Antibiotic-Free Pigs. Why Can’t the U.S.? - The New York Times

Hong Kong mall protests flare with leader Lam in Beijing - Reuters

Dozens injured as activists clash with Delhi police in citizenship law protests - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

But restoring the American dream requires more than restoring a sound, productive economy, vitally important as that is. It requires a return to spiritual and moral values, values so deeply held by those who came here to build a new life. We need to restore those values in our daily life, in our neighborhoods and in our governments dealings with the other nations of the world.

Labor Day Speech at Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey, September 1, 1980

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Fox in the Yard

The House as Winter Arrives from Radio Flyer
Elkridge, MD
December 15, 2019

I finally got Radio Flyer up into the skies yesterday. I had not flown my trusty drone since recording the aftermath of the August storms.  But yesterday seemed to be a nice day for a few quick flights and I was able, after troubleshooting some software issues, to get airborne--although I kept the altitude below the tree tops. The image of the house is from my first flight.

Fox in the Yard
Elkridge, MD
December 14, 2019

On my second flight, I decided to check out the yard, my highest altitude for that flight was 10 feet and I zipped Radio Flyer around the yard. I was surprised when I scared a fox that was lurking in the grasses around the pool. It was a big fox with a beautiful coat. It stopped and watched the drone hover while I took pictures. 

I had noticed fewer rabbits in the area lately--the fox is the likely reason. Chris and I are going to be more careful about letting Finnegan outside. We will have to clear the area before allowing him to run free. With the arrival of the fox, the yard is getting a bit dangerous. We have a big hawk and now a fox. All we need now to really increase the danger level is a bear or cougar!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Weekends Before Christmas

It is amazing how busy the weekends before Christmas can be. This weekend is the next to last one. 

Chris and I have been incredibly busy--last weekend we sojourned to Upstate New York--and so everything we would have done then, must be done this weekend along with everything we were to do this weekend--and it just all rolls together. This past week we were out doing something fun every night. 

Maybe that is why they call it the Holiday Season? Because if it wasn't the holidays we would all collapse exhausted. 

Happy Holidays!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

'Tis the Season

Jax and French Horn After the Show
Arundel Middle School
Odenton, MD
December 12, 2019

It is Holiday concert time at the schools. That time of year when the bands and the choruses show off their musical talents by performing in front of adoring parents, grandparents, and assorted other relatives. 

Last evening I attended the Holiday Band Concert at Arundel Middle School. Jax plays the French Horn in the Sixth Grade Band. The concert was in the same gym where I spend many Sunday afternoons watching Jax and Ethan play basketball and so it was familiar surroundings for some holiday cheer. 

The kids were excited and all played their best, I am sure. The music was mostly recognizable as the budding musicians plied their newly practiced talents in front of the adoring relatives. 

the concert was short, which was good because the volume of people in the gym was beginning to overwhelm the air conditioning and the humidity and temperature were rising to an uncomfortable level as we departed the venue. 

Good job Jax--you are one talented kid--French hornist, baseball pitcher/infielder, and math whiz!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

How to Drive in Snow

This was sent by a friend to brighten my day. 

Palm Tree with Moon in Front of my House
Tequesta, FL
November 16, 2019

I think it contains sage winter driving advice. Of course, this is only valid for the Northern Hemisphere, but that is where I live so it works fine. 

The best way to safely drive in snow is to get away from the region! The problem with driving in snow is not me, it is everyone else on the road. 

So when the snow falls, consider following the enclosed advice--it will be worth it, AND as an added benefit you will gain some much needed Vitamin D while working on your tan.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

First Snow

Light Snow on the Toyota
Elkridge, MD
December 11, 2019

Dusting of Snow on the Lawn
Elkridge, MD
December 11, 2019

It happened overnight. 

The first snow of the season arrived. Fortunately it was a minor snow event which only places a light coating of snow on the colder, exposed surfaces. But, the snow does signal that Winter is here, although the official arrival is not until Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 11:19 PM EST. Interesting, that mean that Winter actually begins on December 22nd in Europe and the rest of the world. 

While we experienced our first snow in Elkridge overnight, I already had a snow experience while I was visiting family in Central New York over the weekend. There was significantly more snow there than just a dusting!

Not surprisingly, there are 8 school systems that have implemented delayed opening for the morning, although I am guessing the snow is worse in the northern areas.  

But, regardless--Winter is here!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Different Anniversary

It has been one year since I rang the bell three times signifying the end of my prostate cancer treatments. 

I documented the end of my cancer treatment in my blog titled I Rang the Bell. Over the past year I have thought less and less about cancer every day. I wear a blue bracelet to remind me of what is behind me and to force me to look ahead to the future. 

I remember the celebration we held to mark the bell ringing. Many of my family and friends were there and I felt their love and support. I continue to feel their love and support.

At the conclusion of this first year post-treatment, all of the signs are positive. In some ways, my quality of life now is better than it was before the treatment! And for that I am very happy.

And now, year two begins!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 9, 2019

1. It is the 49th Monday of 2019 and the year is coming to a rapid close. Christmas is just over two weeks away and the New Year just a week behind that.

2. Traveling by car for a weekend trip to Upstate NY saw me spend 15 hours driving during a 50 hour period! Wow!

3. Family NFL Report;

    Ravens defeat Bills 24-17
    Steelers defeat Cardinals 23-17
    Cowboys lose to Bears 24-31
    Redskins lose to Packers 15-20

Deer in the Field
Near Hunt, NY
December, 7, 2019

4. I was amazed at the number of deer that could gather in one place. I saw 15 deer together. It was a sight to see all of them together in the field. I also noticed how dark their coloring had become, helping them to blend into the forest better. 

5. I have had my mandatory initial exposure to snow for this winter. I hope that is all of the snow I have to experience.

6. I suppose that rain is more desirable than snow!

7. It was interesting viewing the exterior Christmas decorations while driving through Central and Western New York. I felt that few homes were decorated for the holidays than in the past.

8. Today in History. On December 9, 1992, 1,800 United States Marines arrive in Mogadishu, Somalia, to spearhead a multinational force aimed at restoring order in the conflict-ridden country.

Following centuries of colonial rule by countries including Portugal, Britain and Italy, Mogadishu became the capital of an independent Somalia in 1960. Less than 10 years later, a military group led by Major General Muhammad Siad Barre seized power and declared Somalia a socialist state. A drought in the mid-1970s combined with an unsuccessful rebellion by ethnic Somalis in a neighboring province of Ethiopia to deprive many of food and shelter. By 1981, close to 2 million of the country’s inhabitants were homeless. Though a peace accord was signed with Ethiopia in 1988, fighting increased between rival clans within Somalia, and in January 1991 Barre was forced to flee the capital. Over the next 23 months, Somalia’s civil war killed some 50,000 people; another 300,000 died of starvation as United Nations peacekeeping forces struggled in vain to restore order and provide relief amid the chaos of war.

Headlines

With the White House absent, the impeachment process has devolved into a partisan brawl. - The New York Times

North Korea Turns Up Pressure on the United States for Concessions - The New York Times

Protesters Killed and Cleric’s House Bombed in Deepening Iraqi Chaos - The New York Times

Hong Kong sees biggest protests since democrats' election boost - Reuters

Thousands form human chain in Brussels in climate change demo - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Right now we need both realism and idealism. Millions of our neighbors are without work. It is up to us to see they aren't without hope. This is a task for all of us. And may I say, Americans have rallied to this cause, proving once again that we are the most generous people on Earth.

Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union, January 25, 1983 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD