Cicadas Arriving

Brood X, 17 Year Cicada Nymph Shell
Elkridge, MD
May 19, 2021

They are arriving.

I found solid evidence that the Brood X, 17-year cicadas are beginning to arrive in my yard yesterday. The shells of many nymphs were found across the yard and on the house. 

They are beginning to emerge and that means that soon we will hear the noisy bugs as they begin to bate and then die.  

It is an exciting time as we greet these underground dwellers upon their emergence. I am going to hate them before they finally go away, but to have experienced one of the really fascinating and rare occurrences in nature for a second time is something that I will remember. It is not as rare as say, Halley's Comet--but, it will definitely be memorable as these big bugs begin to sing. 

With the warmer weather they will are finally emerging.

Be afraid, be very afraid!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

As the Weather Turns

 And it is here!

Elkridge, MD Forecast
May 19, 2021

The warm weather is finally arriving. The temperatures have turned over the past few days and we are now looking at highs in the 80s and 90s with lows in mostly in the 60s. 

The pool should begin heating up to swimming temperature as the outside temperatures also heat up to support swimming. No one wants to swim when the outdoors temperatures are in the 60s and low 70s. 

Sunday should be especially nice with temperatures in the 90s! It may be the first 90 degree day of the year!

Things are looking very good for Memorial Weekend! The unofficial start of the summer season.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It is Electrifying

 

Owning a home means dealing with crisis. And things generally break when it is most inconvenient to repair them causing an elevated sense of crisis. 

That happened on Friday. Just before Chris and I were to head off to the airport for our weekend in Houston, for some inexplicable reason the electricity in the master bedroom stopped working. It was weird. The circuit breaker did not pop, it was just part of the circuit stopped working--of course that included the closet and the main part of the bedroom. Fortunately, the TV still functioned, turns out it is on a different circuit. 

I spent a few minutes trying to troubleshoot the problem and almost made us late for our flight. It was the first time is a very long time that I arrived at the gate and the boarding process was underway and actually past our position in line. 

Upon returning home Sunday night, I was able to get a better handle on the problem and determine that it was a neutral wire problem. I spent about an hour working the problem, to no avail. But the effort got my mind turning on how that circuit runs through the house and where the problem might lie. 

I was fortunate to remember that, strangely, one particular outlet in another bedroom was on the circuit. Yesterday afternoon I began my troubleshooting with that outlet, which was, as best as I could figure, the first plug on the circuit. Turns out I was correct and also, lucky! After confirming the outlet was, in fact, part of the circuit and was also working I began my investigation. I found three wires in the outlet box and one loose neutral wire. I reconnected the loose wire, whereupon, electricity was restored to the bedroom. 

You cannot imagine my excitement. While it was not the first place I had looked, it certainly was not the last possible place I could have been searching to find the issue. 

Problem solved. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - May 17, 2021

 

1. It is the third Monday of May. There are two Mondays remaining in the Month of May and then June arrives. There are 32 Mondays remaining in the year 2021.

2. It is US Tax Day! Enough said.

3. Chris and I made it home last evening without incident. I really like getting onto an airplane at the location form which I am leaving and then getting off at my destination without changing planes in between. 

4. How about those Orioles? They spotted the Yankees four runs in the top of the first inning and then won the game 10-6! oK, let me enjoy a small victory for a team that is 6 games under .500 and 7 games out of first place.

5. The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway. Unfortunately, the Penguins could not hold onto a win and lost game 1 against the Islanders in overtime. 

6. Saw the sign to the left hanging in my sister's home. Definitely true!

7. Houston Hobby Airport is a very nice place to begin or end a trip. I had not been there is a few years and the construction has made it a very appealing airport. 

8. The country must be opening again. In the span of just a short month I have traveled to both Florida and Texas!

9. Today in History. May 17, 1954. In a major civil rights victory, the U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional. The historic decision, which brought an end to federal tolerance of racial segregation, specifically dealt with Linda Brown, a young African American girl who had been denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin.

Israel Rules Out an Immediate Cease-Fire With the Palestinians - The Wall Street Journal

Firms Ponder Speeding Up Plans for Return to Offices - The Wall Street Journal

A Desperate India Falls Prey to Covid Scammers - The New York Times

Train in Iowa Hauling Hazardous Materials Derails and Catches Fire - The New York Times

Black, Brown and extremist: Across the far-right spectrum, people of color are playing a more visible role - The Washington Post

What you need to know about Monday’s tax deadline - The Washington Post

United Kingdom: Free at last to hug and party: UK reopens for business - Reuters

Europe: 'I'm finally here': Greece formally opens to touristsMay 15, 2021 - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.” 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Butterflies are Free

 

Butterfly on Hand
Fulshear, TX
May 14, 2021

The other evening, sitting around the pool and enjoying the Texas warmth, a butterfly visited. The insect was fascinated by my sister Pennie’s hand. 

It was fun to watch the butterfly wander around then fly away only to return. And this happened multiple times during a 15 or so minute period.   

I was amazed that the insect kept returning to her hand and did not seem to be concerned. It was a good way to begin the weekend trip to see mom and dad. 

Yesterday we spent almost the entire day with them. There were a few too exciting moments, but we lived through them.  It can be like that when four generations of family get together.

— Bob Doan, writing from Fulshear, Texas 

Deep in the Heart of Texas

 It is amazing how places can be portrayed on the news differently than they seem in person. Texas apparently is one of those places.

Chris and I arrived yesterday morning at Houston Hobby Airport after a direct flight from Baltimore. It was a smooth flight and the crowds at the airport were much the same as Baltimore—too many people crammed into an airport where the foodservice facilities were not yet operating at full capacity, meaning long lines for almost everything. But everyone was properly masked and attempting to maintain good physical distancing.

Mom and Dad and Me
Cinco Ranch, TX
May 14, 2021

Of course, the real purpose of the trip is to visit with Mom and Dad. I have not seen them since June of last year. Here is an image taken yesterday at their residence. They are looking good. And I didn’t look too bad either, having just flown in from Baltimore. It was great to see them and we spent the evening with them and the rest of our Texas family. 

Another day waits. And the excitement that goes with it. I’m looking forward to catching up and enjoying the day.

— Bob Doan, writing from Fulshear, Texas

Get America Moving Again

 

I truly do not know if the end of COVID-19 is in sight, but the announcement yesterday from the CDC surely makes me think we are finally making progress.

Fully Vaccinated Can Go Maskless in Most Settings, CDC Says

Maybe progress is finally being made in the fight and the end of the pandemic may be in sight. 

There are still pandemic-mongerers out there as well as those who deny its existence--but, with vaccinations underway the results seem to be as advertised. 

As we begin to approach herd immunity--the county is opening for business. Those who are not getting vaccinated as slowing the process down. Sadly, many of those who are not contributing to fight the COVID-19 by getting vaccinated will be among the first to enjoy the benefits.

Well, as I travel this weekend I am thankful for the vaccine and those who like me have taken it so that we can Get America Moving Again in a rational and reasoned manner.!

I wonder what life is like in Texas. I guess I will find out later today.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Where Are They?

 They were supposed to be here by now.

Who?

The 17-year Cicada Brood X. Originally scheduled to emerge about a week ago, the cold weather has apparently delayed the arrival of trillions of the noisy cicadas. 

So, are the Brood X cicadas coming or not? Below normal temps pushed the emergence back

Cicada Larvae Holes
ELkridge, MD
May 12, 2021

The Cincinnati Enquirer, in the above article, suggests that the colder than normal weather we have been experiencing has delayed their much expected arrival. 

That is a good thing, right? 

Not really. 

Chris and I walked the yard last evening and finally identified hundreds of small holes--sure signs that the emergence is about to happen. The holes, I am told, appear a few days before the cicadas emerge to perform their 17 year mating cycle.

No, the sky is not falling, but we may go deaf before it is over. 

Some reports are suggesting that the cicadas may be with us through Independence Day. I remember the last emergence--it was something to behold and also something to forget. 

They will be here soon, Be afraid, be very afraid!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

It is Fragile

Photo:FRANCOIS PICARD/AGENCE
FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

We do not realize it on a daily basis, but our cyber infrastructure is fragile and potentially full of holes.

The ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline highlights the point. But that is not the first. Baltimore City suffered under a ransomware attack for months and have potentially lost millions of dollars. 

Theoretically, hackers could turn off home appliances and some automobiles. Think of what we have connected to the internet. Our watches, even, which allow us to know the time. It is proverbial train-wreck waiting to happen. Wait, it already has. 

The things we depend upon are connected to a fragile network which is being exploited and can be shut-off during times of crisis. 

I'm not writing this to scare, but rather to prepare for the inevitable: Life without the internet. It will happen at some point unless we become smarter about how we connect to and employ the internet. 

It is fragile!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Mid-May Cool Down

 It seems as if the region is experiencing a mid-may cool down. 

I have turned the heat back on in the house. 

Morning temperatures are in the mid-40's and the afternoons are not making it to even 70 degrees. 

This is not May weather. 

We will not see a 70 degree afternoon until Thursday. And then it is forecast to make it to only 70 degrees.  

When will it finally become warm?

I am looking forward to heading off to Houston this weekend to enjoy some warm temperatures. And of course I did get a few days in Florida with 80 degree temperatures last month. 

The heat and humidity will be here soon enough, I am sure. And I know that many people will complain--but, really? It is no fun to swim in a pool when the air temperature in below 80! I hope it warms up for Memorial Day!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD