It is Only One Ship

A satellite image on Friday showed tugboats and
 dredgers working to dislodge the Ever Given container ship
 in the Suez Canal.Credit...Maxar Technologies

As you have likely heard in the news, there is a big ship blocking the Suez Canal. The ship and the canal are half a world away, yet we are beginning to feel the effects of the canal's blockage here in the United States. 

The whole world is feeling the economic effects of this one ship closing the canal. It really is astounding when I think about it that the world economies are so dependent upon a few critical canals and passages around the world. 

I can think of a few others: Straits of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, Panama Canal. There may be more. 

I am not sure that people understand the size of the ship in the canal. From the New York Times article, here is an attempt to help people grasp the magnitude of the problem:

But with the ship stretching about 1,300 feet long — roughly the height of the Empire State Building — and weighing around 200,000 metric tons, by Saturday morning they still had not managed to dislodge the vessel.

Just for comparison, a U.S. aircraft carrier is about 1,000 feet long. 

As the New York Times article further noted, once the ship is cleared from the canal and other ships begin transiting, they all may arrive at destination ports at once causing additional delays in getting offloaded.

It reminds me of the horseshoe nail proverb. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Showers and Flowers

 

Narcissus in the Garden
Elkridge, MD
March 25, 2021

Although it remains the month of March, I believe that the April showers have begun a few days early. It has rained off and on for the past three days and while the rain is welcome the ferocity with which it has arrived at some points is daunting. Nevertheless, the yard has greened up nicely and the Springtime flowers are in bloom. The flowers bloom later in my yard than in most others because I have mostly shade. 

It is good to see the trees budding with leaves, the flowers blooming and to hear the peepers during the evening hours. 

Although the temperatures have warmed considerably, the rain has kept me out of the yard for most of the week. I was able to get some yard work done on Monday afternoon and the good news is that I believe that I will begin mowing likely next week! 

Hopefully the rains will abate and the land will begin to dry. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saving Money Where it Counts

Repaired Oven with Heating Element
And Louis checking it out
Elkridge, MD
March 25 ,2021

I love it when a plan comes together.

Last week, you may recall, one of the heating elements in our large oven broke. Badly. It was a total loss. I ordered a replacement which was delivered, as promised, on Tuesday evening.

Since I don't like to tackle projects after dinner and a glass, or two, of wine I decided to wait until last evening to install the new heating element into the oven. 

Whenever attempting a repair there is always an element of risk. Did I troubleshoot the problem correctly? Will the repair work? Am I missing something?

Last evening I made the repair. Amazingly, it was fairly straightforward, two screws and two clips. The old element was removed and the new one installed in about ten minutes. The hardest part of the repair was reinstalling the oven door. 

After a quick operations check to see if the oven would heat, which it did, I considered the repair complete. A few minutes of work and a $40 heating element saved hundreds of dollars which would be the cost of a new stove. 

My job is done here!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thinking Differently to Eliminate a Bias

 

I have come to the realization that how we talk about our fellow American brothers and sisters is affected by personal bias. An unconscious bias that we did not even know existed. And, worse, the bias is often perpetuated by the news media. 

Take, for example, the current violence against Americans of Asian descent. This type pf violence has spiked since the former president, whose name will not be repeated here, labeled Covid-19 the "Chinese Virus"  and also the "Kung Flu" and vehemently blamed China for the pandemic. 

The problem, as I see it, is the way we describe other's ethnicities. When the phrase "Asian American" is used, it places the emphasis on our differences. If the emphasis were place on the commonality first and the difference second, then it is my hope that we might be able to become a more inclusive, rather than exclusive, society. 

So, my proposal is, that when, for some reason it is necessary to identify a race, religion or ethnicity, the order of the terms be changed to focus upon being American first and then the particular race, ethnicity, or religion second. 

Some examples:

Americans of Irish descent. 

Americans who worship Catholic.

Americans of Asian descent.

Americans who are Hispanic.

Americans of Polish descent.

Americans of Arabic descent.

I think it works. I personally am working to evolve my thinking to remember that we are all Americans first. None of us except for the Native Americans have any more claim to being true Americans that others.

We must change the way we fundamentally think about others to help erase unconscious biases.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Birds

Nuthatch on Feeder
Glen Burnie, MD
March 19, 2021

With the return of the Springtime, the birds have become very active. Chris fed the birds around our house faithfully through the Winter and now the area is full if activity as the nesting cycle begins.

Chris and I were at a friends house for Happy Hour and dinner in Friday evening and this nuthatch was very busy on their feeder. I enjoy watching nuthatch's because the climb down trees headfirst and this particular bird had no issues demonstrating that talent on the bird feeder. 

Through the Winter, we were especially blessed by scores of bluejays, cardinals, tufted titmouse, and wrens and sparrows. We are still waiting for the finches and hummingbirds to make their way back. With the return of Spring the numbers and variety of birds has increased dramatically and we have begun counting the number of nests in the trees. It is easier to find the nests before the leaves return to the limbs.

I am enjoying the Springtime as the world wakes and we begin to shake off the year-long pandemic.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 22, 2021

1. Today is the fourth Monday of March and the first Monday of Spring. There is one more Monday in March and the 12th Monday of the year. There are 40 Mondays remaining in 2021.

2. Baseball Saturdays are awesome--even if it is youth baseball. 

Easter Cactus
Elkridge, MD
March 21, 2021

3. I may have to mow the lawn in about two weeks. I put the tractor battery on the charger to be ready. 

4. Our Thanksgiving Cactus has had a change of heart and is now and Easter Cactus. It is in full bloom right now. 

5. Fun evenings around the fire pit have begun to happen almost nightly. And it is a good way to get rid of the sticks and branches which have appeared on her lawn during the winter. 

6. The first golf outing of the year is in the books. Chris and I spent the afternoon whacking at the little white ball enjoying being outside and getting some much needed sunlight. Fortunately we started by playing only nine holes to get into shape. I have three new clubs, one of them a replacement for my driver. To say my game was ragged would be a compliment.

7. Mondays are the beginning of the workweek which stands between me and the weekend.

8. Today in History. In an effort to raise funds to pay off debts and defend the vast new American territories won from the French in the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), the British government passes the Stamp Act on March 22, 1765. The legislation levied a direct tax on all materials printed for commercial and legal use in the colonies, from newspapers and pamphlets to playing cards and dice.

Though the Stamp Act employed a strategy that was a common fundraising vehicle in England, it stirred a storm of protest in the colonies. The colonists had recently been hit with three major taxes: the Sugar Act (1764), which levied new duties on imports of textiles, wines, coffee and sugar; the Currency Act (1764), which caused a major decline in the value of the paper money used by colonists; and the Quartering Act (1765), which required colonists to provide food and lodging to British troops under certain circumstances.

Protests Across U.S. Call for an End to Anti-Asian Violence - The Wall Street Journal

Schools That Have Been Open for Months Offer Lessons - The Wall Street Journal

China Border Rules, Meant to Stop Virus, Disrupt Business and Upend Lives - The New York Times

Evidence in Capitol Attack Most Likely Supports Sedition Charges, Prosecutor Says - The New York Times

The rioter next door: How the Dallas suburbs spawned domestic extremists - The Washington Post 

Prince Harry remembers Diana’s death in book for children who have lost parents to covid - The Washington Post

European trust in AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine plunges, poll shows - Reuters

Russian jets hit gas facilities and civilian areas near Turkish border, witnesses and rebels say - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

For just a moment, let us listen to the words again: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.'' Last night when we rededicated Miss Liberty and relit her torch, we reflected on all the millions who came here in search of the dream of freedom inaugurated in Independence Hall. We reflected, too, on their courage in coming great distances and settling in a foreign land and then passing on to their children and their children's children the hope symbolized in this statue here just behind us: the hope that is America. It is a hope that someday every people and every nation of the world will know the blessings of liberty.

Address to the Nation on Independence Day - July 4, 1986

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday is Gone

Jax Leading off 3rd Base
Severn, MD
March 20, 2021

It was the First Saturday of Springtime. And what a day it was. 

Another near-normal Saturday is in the books. 

There was shopping and busy-ness during the morning. I even cleared a blockage in a drain. And then baseball to help enjoy the warm sun during the afternoon followed by a great dinner and evening at home with Patrick and Jen.

As the second sunrise of springtime happened this morning, I was again cheered by the blue sky and the golden hues as the sunlight crept down the tall and bare trees. I know that soon the trees will again be green.

The baseball game was very enjoyable even though Jax's team lost. They made it exciting at the end and while Jax's pitching wasn't as effective as last week, he made up for that at the plate where he went 2 for 2 with an RBI and he scored a run.

I am enjoying Saturdays again. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

First Day of Spring 2021

 

Daffodils in the Yard/
Elkridge, MD
March 19, 2021

The dark season is officially over! It happened at 5:37 AM EDT this morning.

It actually happened on the 17th when we crossed over 12 hours of sunlight per day--but Spring began this morning.

I have felt that we were suffering through Winter's last gasp for the past few days, but now that is over. Chris and I even have a golf Tee Time for tomorrow to celebrate the first full day of Spring.

The signs of the new season are everywhere. The trees are beginning to leaf as many of them are red with the signs of the season springing out.

I am more and more called to be outside, but the cold last week of the winter made that a miserable experience. Although I noted as I walked out of the building that I work in yesterday that the sky was clear and blue. Something which we had not seen in a few days as the first rains of March graced the land. 

But now the new season is off and running! And I will be running along with it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Broken Oven Troubleshooting

 The oven broke!

It was a serious catastrophe. It happened Wednesday afternoon as Chris was preparing the St Patrick's Day dinner. She wanted to use both the small and large overs simultaneously. The large oven, however, would not heat above 255 degrees. Which was weird. 

Last evening, as I got home, I began troubleshooting the problem with the lower oven. I went on line and located information for the model number. The stove is a Maytag Gemini which I remember installing years ago when it was new. How many years ago is a good question, because I do not remember. I know that it was more than 5 but less than 15. Or maybe it was 15 years ago. It is amazing how time flies. 

Pieces of the Oven Heating Element

Step 1: Inspect the heating elements for signs of damage. 

OK this was the easiest troubleshooting problem that I have ever had. As I opened the oven and looked at the heating element I could see it lying in pieces on the bottom of the oven. 

Well, that cinched it. A new heating element was ordered. $40 later it will be delivered Tuesday and the bottom oven should be good as new and fully functional for cooking Easter dinner!

Sometimes it is the most obvious things that are the problems.

I am hoping the replacement goes as easily as did the troubleshooting.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

St Patrick's Day 2021

 Yesterday marked the one year point of my personal struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic. It was when everything changed although the signs had been evident about a week prior and the planning for transitioning life into a new paradigm had begun in earnest.

Classic St Patrick's Day Dinner
Elkridge, MD
March 17, 2021

But, all of that aside, last evening Chris and I celebrated the holiday with a classic dinner done jut a bit differently and with fantastic results. We are hopeful that the year ahead will be far better than the one behind.

The dinner was a joy to behold and it was also great to eat. But it was not without problems--the oven decided to inject some unwarranted angst into the preparation by not heating to the desired temperature. I will be fixing the oven during the next couple of days. Apparently the lower heating element is not heating. 

But, the celebration was grand with just Chris and me to enjoy the dinner. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD