Checking the Eyes

 I had my annual eye appointment yesterday. First, let me confess that it has been almost a year and a half since I had my last appointment. And my last appointment was significant in that I determined that I wanted to switch from glasses to contacts. Which I successfully accomplished.

COVID forced me to consider contacts because I was tired of having my glasses fog over when I put my facial covering on and transitioned from warm places to cold, like outside on a warm day into an air conditioned store. The condensation was incredibly annoying. 

Having contacts has been incredibly freeing and I joked with my eye doctor yesterday about whether I had my youthful 20/15 vision back. He laughed and reminded me that contacts are a delicate balance between distance and close-up. I knew that. 

So at the end of the appointment--I am amazed at how lengthy eye appointments can be and all of the really complicated pieces of equipment that get put in front of my eyes. I do not like the part, however, when without contacts or glasses they ask me to read something. I couldn't, even though with contacts I read the smallest writing. 

Well, I have some different strength contacts to try today. I am glad I have a back-up of my current prescription at work in case I can't see the computer screen. I will see how it all goes. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 22, 2021

 

1. The fourth Monday of November has arrived. This is the last Monday before the official start of the Christmas Shopping Season. Santa Claus arrives to take the throne during the Macy's thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. There are but five Mondays remaining in the year.

2. It was a cold an chilly weekend and yet I still managed to get some yard work done in anticipation of the stormy weather to come.

3. Family NFL Results. It was a mixed weekend with two winners and two losers.

    Ravens (7-3) defeated Bears (3-7) 16-13

    Washington (4-6) defeated Panthers (5-6) 27-21

    Cowboys (7-3) lost to Chiefs (7-4) 9-19

    Steelers (5-4-1) lost to Chargers (6-4) 37-41

Final Colors of Autumn
from Radio Flyer
ELkridge, MD
November 20, 2021

4. The final stages of the Autumn colors are playing out in my back yard. Most trees are already bare and ready for the Winter, but leaves still cling to some of the trees providing a last bit of enjoyment before the gray branches and trunks become the prominent colors of the forest.

5. The stress of another COVID holiday is approaching. Our family is fully vaccinated and many are additionally boosted, but contact with those who do not accept the advice of medical professionals, rather preferring to confer medical knowledge upon themselves obtained from such authoritative sources as Facebook and Fox News, causes concern and angst. 

6. I clearly remember where I was on this day during 1963. It was a very strange ending to a day which began normally. I was in 3rd Grade at Danby Elementary School. We said the pledge and began a what we believed would be a normal day which would end with a country in mourning and Lyndon Johnson as President. 

7. Today in History. November 22, 1963. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, is assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible.

First lady Jacqueline Kennedy rarely accompanied her husband on political outings, but she was beside him, along with Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, for a 10-mile motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas on November 22. Sitting in a Lincoln convertible, the Kennedys and Connallys waved at the large and enthusiastic crowds gathered along the parade route. As their vehicle passed the Texas School Book Depository Building at 12:30 p.m., Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor, fatally wounding President Kennedy and seriously injuring Governor Connally. Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. He was 46.

How the U.S. Lost Ground to China in the Contest for Clean Energy - The New York Times

Two Fox News Contributors Quit in Protest of Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 Special - The New York Times

Austria Enters Lockdown Amid Growing Resistance - The New York Times

Global Supply-Chain Problems Show Signs of Easing - The Wall Street Journal

Advanced Maneuver in China Missile Test Shows New Military Capability - The Wall Street Journal

Truckers Steer Clear of 24-Hour Operations at Southern California Ports - The Wall Street Journal

Xi tells Southeast Asian leaders China does not seek 'hegemony'- Reuters

China downgrades diplomatic ties with Lithuania over Taiwan - Reuters

Third night of rioting erupts over Dutch COVID-19 rules - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Quick Flight on an Autumn Day

 

Guiding Radio Flyer in the Yard
Elkridge, MD
November 20, 2021

The Pool and Pool House
Elkridge, MD
November 20, 2021

I realized that I hadn't flown Radio Flyer, my drone, in quite a while. I took it outside yesterday, before I cleared the pool deck and the yard of the leaves, to record some of the images of the Autumn. It was fun flying Radio Flyer for 9 minutes around the property. I got some good images to record the way things are and I was at the controls of my drone again. It is amazing how long it takes to feel comfortable flying the drone after a long layoff.

The last flight was on April 4th and it also lasted for about 9 minutes and achieved the same stunning maximum altitude of a whopping 66 feet. 

I guess I have not been anywhere where the drone would be very useful in recording. 

One thing I noticed was the arrangement of the lawn chairs behind the pool house. They were in an interesting pattern as a result of having the propane tanks removed. The propane company no longer could reach them with their new equipment--the hose was not long enough and the pool heater was beyond end of life, so we had the tanks removed. We had salvaged the pool heater a couple weeks ago. Frankly, we had not used the pool heater in over two years. With the towering ash trees gone, the pool not gets plenty of direct sunlight to be enjoyable all season long. 

I can see the leaves in the pool deck and also in the yard. They aren ow all gone. I spent the rest of the day moving the leaves back into the wooded area from where they came.

The new pool cover looks really as it protects the pool. Hopefully opening will be really easy next year. 

The yards, the pool, and the the pool house are ready for the worst that winter can throw at them. The next time I expect to see the grass this green is in March--when the first cutting will need to be made. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Recalling the Memories

 

Turf Valley Towne Square
Ellicott City, MD
November 19, 2021

I joined friends for Happy Hour last evening in Turf Valley at the Towne Square. 

It was cold! I cannot believe how the temperatures are cooling off so quickly from where we were just two weeks ago. 

While walking to the establishment to meet my friends, I walked past an open area that is clearly decorated for the holidays, complete with a Menorah. The square had a nostalgic looking fireplace and seating to enjoy the evening outside. The scene evoked many memories of fires, food, friends and good times. I do so enjoy sitting around a hot fire sipping wine with friends.

Frankly, at that moment, it was too cold to even think about enjoying sitting around the fireplace--but it made for a nice picture. I suspect that I will be seeing many similar scenes as retailers try to coax me to remember the nostalgic good times of seasons past. That is not a bad thing. But were those seasons I remember really better or is it just the way I recall them?

Maybe I'm over thinking it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Revenge and Retribution

 I watched this week as our Congressional leaders engaged in unhealthy tactics and make threats against the future that clearly demonstrated how far they collectively have fallen from a standard which could in any way be considered civil.

Maybe they all need to get back out into the real world, yes there is life outside of the Capitol, and reacquaint themselves with what it takes to be successful in business and life. 

And to be clear--I am not focusing on one side of the aisle. There is plenty of virulence to go around.

The Washington Post reported on the situation surrounding the Paul Gosar censure vote as follows:

As we wrote after Wednesday’s vote, the situation also led to the latest entry in the GOP leadership’s growing efforts to combat such things by threatening retribution — even to exploit the supposed new standards by stretching them further. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) spoke at length on the House floor likening the situation to controversial comments by certain House Democrats and suggested that Republicans, once in the majority, could also strip them of their powerful posts.

“A new standard will continue to be applied in the future,” he concluded.

While the House Minority Leader may think he is galvanizing his political base, worlds like these cannot be tolerated and are simply appalling--especially considering the circumstances surrounding the censure vote. 

The Washington Post article continues a few paragraphs later  writing:

While Democrats often sought to portray Gosar’s actions as deliberate incitement and even a threat, there is no question that careless rhetoric and allusions to even figurative violence can influence the decisions of people who would resort to actual violence. We have seen where that can potentially lead, regardless of whether specific and repeated suggestive comments about violence by a politician like Donald Trump lead to people taking up arms.

There is an election on the horizon and I believe there needs to be some serious housecleaning--on both sides!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Do You Remember the Cicadas?

Brood X Cicada
Elkridge, MD
May 28, 2021

I was reviewing my collection of images from this year and ran across one of a 17-year Brood X cicada.

They were noisy visitors to the region for over a month. In my yard it often sounded like a jet engine humming as they sang their mating songs. 

For over a month they assaulted our ears and were everywhere. It was difficult to be outdoors as their singing was so loud.

But then they were gone. Their bodies strewn over the landscape and the leaves where the females laid their eggs of the next generation were brown for much of the summer as a reminder--but now with the arrival of late-Autumn, they and any visible sign of the bugs have vanished. 

I guess I miss them. They were such an event and such a force in the region with their swarming and noisy mating. In 17 years, when they again emerge, people will be trying to remember 2021 and the last time the bugs made an appearance. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Banquet

Ethan Receiving his Personal Record Medal
Arundel High School
November, 16, 2021

Last evening Chris and I were honored to attend the Arundel High School Cross country End of the Year Banquet. 

It was really good to see all of the runners gathered together in a relaxed atmosphere. Although I had only attended two races this year, I could see that the runners, boys and girls, had blended into a true team. 

The coach did a great job talking about each one of the team members and describing their strengths and contributions to the team. The evening took me back of the football banquets I attended when I played high school football, however, with so many boys on the team the comments were not nearly so personal except for those who made the largest contributions. Last evening each member if the team, from freshman to senior, was recognized for their contributions and growth during the year. 

And at the end of the evening, Ethan received a tee-shirt from his other grandmother that really summed up the bond that cross country runners share. I found the saying on-line and put an image of a sweatshirt with the saying on it for all to enjoy.

Cross country truly is tough.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thanksgiving Cactus - 2021

 

Thanksgiving Cactus in Bloom
Elkridge, MD
November 16, 2021

The Thanksgiving cactus is in full bloom in advance of the holiday. 

I enjoy the cactus because it brings bright color into the season just as the leaves are falling from the trees in bushels. 

The cactus began to bloom almost as soon as we brought it into the house for the winter. It had been residing on the porch in a perfect location growing all year. And now, the blooms are fully opened and ready for the holiday. 

Next up, we will have to get a few poinsettias for the upcoming Christmas season as we think about Christmasfying the house next weekend.

For now, the cactus is front and center displaying the joy of the harvest season.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 15, 2021

 

1. The third Monday of November has arrived and the weather has turned colder and more seasonal. There are six Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. Our January cruise is becoming a reality. Embarkation day is creeping closer and is just seven weeks away. 

3. Family NFL Results

    Ravens (6-3) lose to Dolphins (3-7) 10-22

    Steelers (5-3-1) tie Lions (2-5-1) 16-16

    Cowboys (7-2) crush Falcons (4-5) 43-3

    Washington (3-6) defeats Buccaneers (6-3) 29-19

Our Turkey Flag
Elkridge, MD

4. The season of the turkey continues. There are but 10 days remaining until Thanksgiving!

5. With the weather turning colder any hope I had of getting in a few rounds of golf seem to be evaporating. There is something not fun about golfing in 40 degree temperatures. Surely Florida cannot be far off.

6. I was amazed at the weekend traffic. It seemed as if everyone was out and moving about. 

7. Today in History. On November 15, 1867, the first stock ticker is unveiled in New York City. The advent of the ticker ultimately revolutionized the stock market by making up-to-the-minute prices available to investors around the country. Prior to this development, information from the New York Stock Exchange, which has been around since 1792, traveled by mail or messenger.

The ticker was the brainchild of Edward Calahan, who configured a telegraph machine to print stock quotes on streams of paper tape (the same paper tape later used in ticker-tape parades). The ticker, which caught on quickly with investors, got its name from the sound its type wheel made.

What Does Inflation Mean for American Businesses? For Some, Bigger Profits - The Wall Street Journal

Covid-19 Cases Rise in North and West, Halting Delta’s Fall - The Wall Street Journal

How a 12-Year-Old From New Jersey Became the Youngest Chess Grandmaster Ever - The Wall Street Journal

Will Real Estate Ever Be Normal Again?Will Real Estate Ever Be Normal Again? - The New York Times

Crunch at Ports May Mean Crisis for American Farms - The New York Times

His Reasons for Opposing Trump Were Biblical. Now a Top Christian Editor Is Out. - The New York Times

Biden to tell Xi that China must play by the rules - senior U.S. official - Reuters

China fights biggest Delta outbreak as cases grow in city of Dalian - Reuters

Florida lawmakers to meet in special session over vaccine mandates - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

State Cross Country Finals - Not for the Weak

Ethan 1 km from the Finish
Hereford, MD
November 13, 2021

 I must confess, although Ethan has run cross country for the past two years, I never really appreciated the sport until yesterday.

Yesterday was the State of Maryland Finals for Cross Country. It was quite an event with hundreds of harriers from across the state gathered at one high school for the finals. It was a sight to see.

What was more impressive were the throngs of fans, mostly parents and grand parents who made their way to the competition and braved the cold rain and temperatures to cheer their competitors. It was weather that makes the stoutest of heart faint considering the runners were wearing only shorts and running shirts. They made me cold looking at them in the mud and the cold rain. And when I say cold, my watch indicated the temperature was 43 degrees. 

The rain was unrelenting for the entire run. The mud was becoming a problem on the course and for the spectators watching the event. The boys did a great job running. Ethan runs for Arundel High and they are the team in green in the middle of the start. The Arundel High team placed 10th overall and Ethan was 4th on the team.

Braving the rain and the cold--what a day, what a race, and I have a new appreciation for the sport.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD