It Just Exploded

 

My Irreparably Damaged Baseball Glove
April 29, 2022

The unthinkable happened at baseball practice on Thursday night. My 50 year old baseball glove literally exploded while I was warming up a pitcher preparing to conduct batting practice.

OK, maybe exploded is a bit dramatic, but as the image shows there was major damage as well as more to laces which are on the backside of the glove. 

I considered repairing the glove with new laces and during the inspection I found the damage even more extensive than I had at first believed. As can be seen from the image, I had fairly extensive repairs done last season with darker lacing along the top. But, as also can be seen, I have not properly cared for my glove over these past five decades and the time it has spent in a hot vehicle has taken a toll on the laces. Looking over the glove, I could see that the laces were worn and broken in many other places.

Bottom line--it was time to purchase a new baseball glove, which I did yesterday. Who knew that some gloves are $400? OMG! As I am not actively playing, but rather coaching I decided on a glove far less costly. The new glove is being conditioned and hopefully I will be able to at least bend it by Sunday when the team plays a doubleheader.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cold--Really?

 

Two nights of  freeze warnings during late-April! The daily highs have been barely 60 degrees. 

This does not seem like late April! I usually am seriously thinking of opening my pool by this time of year, but now I am waiting for temperatures at least in the high 70s. 

Cold. 

Too cold! 

There is at least a forecast of 80 degrees for Wednesday next week--but then the highs are expected to be back into the 60s.

Not a good week to open the pool, yet. 

It has not been particularly good weather for baseball, either.

I'm hoping that warmer weather will soon appear and finally send the remnants of Winter into the distant past. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tough Loss

 

On a cool evening in Clinton, Maryland, the 14U Severn Seminoles baseball team played to a hard fought loss. The game ended on a bases loaded steal of home base with a 3-2 count on the batter and two outs. 

Jax on the Mound
Clinton, MD
April 27, 2022

The loss stung--but, the team played well and overcome adversity all night. Although Severn scored first, the home team came back with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Although the second inning saw the side retired in order, Severn scored a run in each of the next four innings to take a tenuous 5-4 lead when the home team came to bat with time running out. With their backs against the wall, the home team, the 14U Full Count Rockers got the job dome by getting the tying run across the plate and then loading up the bases; setting up the final desperation play to win the game. It was a great call during a at a critical point in the game.

Jax had a good night at the plate going 1-3 with an RBI single and a deep fly ball to center field which was caught. He also was strong on the mound pitching 3 innings and allowing 1 earned run. He threw 67 pitches, while facing 18 batters and striking out 4 and walking 4.

Severn was aggressive at the plate and the hit of the night, by Eric, was a monster double to deep center field which on some fields would have been a home run. The team also turned two double plays--including on unassisted by Jacob, the first baseman.

Too bad the well-played game resulted in a loss because thew boys definitely played like winners. 

Baseball is back and so am I.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rain and Baseball

 

Rains came yesterday afternoon. 

I was preparing to coach the 14U Severn Seminoles in a game and mere minutes before the two-hour cut-off for calling a game, it was called due to rain. At least I didn't have to leave the house, but dinner was already on the table at 4PM--which is really early for us.

At least I was able to spend the evening at home and not out in the cold and rain!

There is another game tonight--over an hour drive away. Hopefully, it will not rain! Perhaps it will even be warm. I could use some mid-Summer baseball weather.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Canopy Returns

Hidden Building Trick
Elkridge, MD
April 26, 2022

It has been a busy two weeks since arriving back in Maryland. The pace of life is faster with more distractions and Chris and I are getting fewer things accomplished than we had hoped, but the downsizing is beginning. Of course, Easter and then Mom's Celebration of Life Service, with corresponding travel, probably contributed to much of the activity in which we have been engaged. 

With those two events completed, perhaps we can begin to control our activity level more. I have managed only one bike ride since returning, although much of that is due to the cold temperatures we have been experiencing. The 30 degree temperature difference is partly to blame. 

Spring, however, is in full swing. I noticed this morning that the tree canopy has matured enough to hide the building on the hill behind our house. It is not fully mature, but still sufficient to provide shade and seclusion to the yard. I mowed for the second time yesterday and I am beginning the pool opening process. I have some left-over plumbing work to accomplish,  reattach the motor for the pump and then it will be off to buy the chemicals necessary to bring the pool to life. 

Another great day ahead and perhaps, weather permitting, a youth baseball game this afternoon as I make my return to coaching.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - April 25, 2022

 

1. The last Monday of April has arrived. Wow--it came fast. I was able to enjoy some nice weather yesterday. There are just 35 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. The quick trip to Upstate New York was blessed with good weather. It was neither as cold nor as rainy as the weather predicted. 

Damiani Winery
Burdett, NY
April 24, 2022

3. I had not traveled Interstate 81 through Pennsylvania for quite a while and traveling it this weekend reminded me that it is really a truckers highway. One of the most frustrating things is when trucks pass trucks on long uphill sections and slow traffic significantly.

4. Wine tasting? Well of course. While in New York, Chris and I tasted quite a few wines. That made the best of the reason we were back in Central New York. Well, of course being with family was another good reason. We enjoyed some nice wines along the east shore of Seneca Lake on Sunday morning as we began our return trip to Maryland. 

5. During our drive yesterday, Chris and I witnessed different aspects of Spring. In Central New York, Spring is just beginning to show as the early Spring flowers are in full bloom and the trees were budded, but bare. Then, around Central Pennsylvania, we noticed the trees were beginning to turn green with signs of new leaves. Here in Maryland, the leaves are large enough to provide shade and canopy, although not yet full in size. 

6. Today in History. On April 25, 1983, the Soviet Union releases a letter that Russian leader Yuri Andropov wrote to Samantha Smith, an American fifth-grader from Manchester, Maine, inviting her to visit his country. Andropov’s letter came in response to a note Smith had sent him in December 1982, asking if the Soviets were planning to start a nuclear war. At the time, the United States and Soviet Union were Cold War enemies.

U.S. Wants to See Russia Weakened, Says Defense Secretary Austin - The Wall Street Journal

Beijing Braces for Omicron Wave With Hoarding and Testing - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. to reopen Kyiv embassy soon, says Russia has failed in war aims - Reuters

Panic buying in Beijing stores amid COVID lockdown fears - Reuters

Analysis: U.S. trucking downturn foreshadows possible economic gloom - Reuters

In Mariupol, echoes of history, utter devastation and a last stand - The Washington Post

France’s Macron wins second term decisively - The Washington Post

Foreign investors are ditching China. Russia's war is the latest trigger - CNN

McCarthy's latest genuflection to Trump paints America's possible future - CNN

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Life Well Lived

Etna Church 
Etna, NY
April 23, 2022

 On Saturday, family and friends gathered to celebrate the life of my Mom, Sidney Doan. 

We gathered inside a small church in Etna, New York. The church was filled two overflowing and the service which was planned for an hour took two hours to complete as so many people took time to express their memories of how Mom's impact on their lives. 

The service was at times funny because of the stories being told and other times tearful as we collectively grieved her passing--but in the end it was a celebration and for me it was uplifting to see so many of my relatives and friends gathered together, many of whom traveled great distances to be there. 

Mom touched many people during her life and for this day, for one last time, she was the star and the subject of our gathering. I have to smile about how many people mentioned that she made the best pumpkin rolls.

My Mom
Sidney J. Doan
1935-2021

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sandals

My Sandals

I am on the road again headed for New York and a reunion with family. We are attending the Celebration of Life for my Mom who passed during December. It has been a long wait, but we needed the weather to be nice. It promises to be a nice Spring day following 12 inches of snow earlier in the week. 

As I was packing for the short trip I came across my sandals. I have not worn them since returning to Maryland from Florida. That was over a week ago. Prior to that I think I had worn them nearly every day. It is funny how the weather determines what I wear. I have also been trapped wearing jeans for the past week. I miss my shorts. 

The sandals reminded me that warmer weather is coming. It cannot get here fast enough. I’m sure it will be here soon. 

For the service tomorrow I was advised to wear essentially throw-away shoes because mountains of mud are expected. I did not bring my sandals even though warmer weather is expected. 

Wearing the sandals will come soon enough maybe as soon as I return to Maryland. 

-- Bob Doan, somewhere in PA along Interstate 81

Sunbeam

Finnegan and Louis
Elkridge, MD
April 20, 2022

What could be better on a cold Springtime day than lying in a warm sunbeam on the floor? 

Nothing, it appears.

That is how I found Louis and Finnegan yesterday.

Yes, for those of you who know the saga of Louis, the white cat, he has returned for a few weeks while his human takes a vacation. His return has been very smooth and the greeting he received from the rest of the pack was very touching. He has slipped right back into his old roles of trying to kill me by sneaking up behind me when I am working at the kitchen counter and also serving as the resident trophy cat. 

What is a trophy cat? 

A trophy cat is one which is always around, but does not like attention, to be picked up, or touched. It wants to be seen, but not openly acknowledged. It exists to be admired and cared for. They make good cats for those who do not enjoy having a cat sitting in their lap, except on very rare occasions. 

Which brings me back to the sunbeam. It is one of Louis's favorite spots in the house. Yesterday, Finnegan joined him for some midday warmth. I was sorry that I could not likewise find a sunbeam to enjoy.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Yellow

Image from Somewhere too Far North

 It is Springtime, according to the calendar and not the weather, and there is something exciting about yellow flowers. 

Even in my own house I have yellow tulips and yellow mums, roses, and lilies to brighten the mood and stave off the cold. There is something inherently bright and warm about yellow. Perhaps because it is the color of the sun and the thought of yellow brings imagined warmth.

My Yellow Tulips
Elkridge, MD
April 20, 2022

Yesterday on the news, I saw tulips covered in snow. The Nor'easter left snow across the northern part of the country, temporarily stopping Springtime in its tracks. Fortunately early Spring flowers are resilient and do not wilt or die because of freezing temperatures and snow. The tulips stood strong in the face of Winter's dying gasp.

Fortunately, all I experienced was the cold. And wind. 

I am preparing to travel to the frozen north. I believe the temperatures will moderate before I arrive and that the snow will melt. But, I am looking forward to seeing multitudes of yellow daffodils, tulips, and other Springtime flowers.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD