It's Been a Year

Patrick's Double Birthday
Elkridge, MD
March 31, 2021

Last evening we celebrated a birthday. Actually, we celebrated two birthdays. The one that was not celebrated last year at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the current birthday. 

The family gathered together for the celebration. A good old fashioned BC (before COVID) celebration. Mind you--most all of the adults present were vaccinated! And so we are beginning, hopefully the AC (After COVID) new normal. 

Last year, we stopped by his house and sang Happy Birthday at a respectful distance. This year, following the CDC guidelines, we celebrated with no masks and a small family gathering. Our family is part of the herd!

It was a great gathering and we are hopeful that it is the beginning of something great. Like the prairie dogs sticking their heads out of their burrows, we are testing the waters of normalcy. I am even seriously considering going to a baseball game.

Baseball begins its season today!

Perhaps, AC is growing closer.

Happy Birthday Patrick--hopefully this it the beginning of something big!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

 

Here is an interesting twist on the news. Or is it entertainment? Or something more sinister?

An article in the Wall Street Journal this morning reports:

Cable-News Viewership Falls After Trump’s Exit

From the article:

U.S. cable-news viewership fell for all major networks in the first three months of the year, as the country moved past the presidential election and its chaotic aftermath.

Fox News lost 32% of its total prime-time audience compared with the quarter ended Dec. 31, Nielsen data show. CNN and MSNBC had smaller declines of 16% and 7.8%, respectively, though each fell more substantially from highs they hit in January.

I have to admit--I am not watching the news as closely as I did before President Biden was inaugurated. I am not as fearful that some great travesty or policy statement will occur overnight which could create chaos or destroy the stock market. 

I am more confident that a more rational and reasoned approach to governing has arrived. 

Are there problems? Yes. But, they are being addressed. 

Maybe we are moving towards a kindler and gentler time?

I hope so.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunrise Surprise

 

Oo the Ramp to MD 100
Elkridge, MD
March 29, 2021

One of the enjoyable things that results from resetting the clocks for Daylight Saving Time is that I get to experience the sunrise again for a few weeks as I make my daily trek to work. 

The lengthening daylight at both ends of the day has benefits. Some mornings, like yesterday, I get to enjoy a spectacular sunrise adorning the sky and brightening my daily journey. 

I enjoy the sunrise and the dawn of the day. 

The brilliant sunrise reflecting upon the clouds started my new workweek off in a brilliant fashion. 

I could not resist taking a quick image of the scene as it filled my vision. And then I realized how different this March is from just a year ago when everything was shutdown. We are beginning to restore normal despite rising numbers of infections. But the traffic has returned, children are in school, and we are moving forward. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 29, 2021

 1. It is the last Monday of March 2021. It is the lucky 13th Monday of the year and there are 39 Mondays remaining. 

2. The big ship moved and was partially freed, but remains blocking the Suez Canal as this morning begins. 

3. Ferocious rain battered the land yesterday. It was a good day to remain inside and watch movies. 

Opening Day 2018
OPACY
March 29, 2018

4. I am amazed at how green the grass has become. I know that some places have already begun mowing, and I am a bit envious--but, the lawn care season is nevertheless underway.

5. It is Holy Week. Sunday is Easter.

6. Chris and I enjoyed another Saturday afternoon baseball game. It was good to be outside in the sun enjoying baseball.

7. MLB begins on Thursday. Here in my prediction for the Orioles: 75-87. I did not attend Spring Training this year and so I do not have any special insight into the team. But, I will attend games at Camden Yards, a/k/a OPACY. The last time I attended Opening Day was during the 2018 season and I unfortunately will also miss this year's Opening Day game.

8. Today in History. March 29, 1973, Two months after the signing of the Vietnam peace agreement, the last U.S. combat troops leave South Vietnam as Hanoi frees the remaining American prisoners of war held in North Vietnam. America’s direct eight-year intervention in the Vietnam War was at an end. In Saigon, some 7,000 U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees remained behind to aid South Vietnam in conducting what looked to be a fierce and ongoing war with communist North Vietnam.

U.S. Not Ready to Lift China Tariffs, Trade Representative Says - The Wall Street Journal

Pandemic Accelerates Retirements, Threatening Economic Growth - The Wall Street Journal

As U.S. vaccination rates trend upward, more people are traveling or planning to. Here’s how to do so safely. - The New York Times

Birx Lashes Trump’s Pandemic Response, Citing Needless Deaths - The New York Times

Former Trump officials offer stark assessment of previous administration’s coronavirus response - The Washington Post

At least four dead in Nashville after powerful storm triggers flash flooding - The Washington Post

Oil slumps as Suez Canal container ship starts to move - Reuters

Backlogs from Suez stranding could take months to clear, Maersk says - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

As I said, America's program for economic recovery is designed not merely to solve an internal problem; it is viewed by my administration as part of an essential effort to restore the confidence of our friends and allies in what we're doing. When we gain control of our inflation, we can once again contribute more helpfully to the health of the world economy. We believe that confidence will rise, interest rates will decline, and investment will increase. As our inflation is reduced, your citizens and other world citizens will have to import less inflation from us.

As we begin to expand our economy once again and as our people begin to keep more control of their own money, we'll be better trading partners. Our growth will help fuel the steady prosperity of our friends. The control we regain over our tax and regulatory structures will have the effect of restoring steady growth in U.S. productivity. Our goods will go into markets not laden down with the drag of regulatory baggage or punitive levies, but with a competitive edge that helps us and those who trade with us.
Address of the President and Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau of Canada Before a Joint Session of the Parliament in Ottawa
March 11, 1981

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge ,MD

It is Surely Spring

Lowering the Water in the Pool
March 27, 2021
Elkridge, MD

 The March rains filled my pool nearly to the top. Yesterday I spent some time lowering the water level. 

I was very happy that the water was clear and it looks as if it will be an easy pool opening season. That would be spectacular. My back-up pump worked perfectly and in about an hour I had lowered the water about six inches. I added a bit of chlorine to supplement that which is already in the water and I will be ordering the chemicals necessary for a proper pool opening in about one month from now. I am currently planning for the last weekend in April to open the pool and begin the best season of the year. 

Yesterday was a beautiful weather day overall, in advance of the rains which are already falling this morning. We enjoyed an afternoon baseball game and some wine with a neighbor around the fire pit to cap off the evening. 

I enjoy days like yesterday. Soon, hopefully Saturday's will be filled with visiting wineries and enjoying finding good wines to enjoy.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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