First Full Day of Winter

The View Outside
Odenton, MD
December 22, 2022

The first full day of Winter was, fittingly, a bleak and dreary day. 

It rained almost all of the day. Which was much better than other parts of the country where snow and blizzard-like conditions were the recipe for the day.

We were expecting the temperature to drop overnight, but apparently it did not and things are not too bad here on the southern part of the storm. The temperature is supposed to fall during the day bottoming out at about 9 degrees overnight. Ugh! Hopefully the roads will dry before the freeze arrives. 

We will see what the day brings.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve! That used to be a thing when I was a kid. 

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Winter Arrived

Tropic of Capricorn Through Australia

Autumn passed not so quietly into Winter yesterday with the big storm working its way across the nation.

The Sun is dancing along the Tropic of Capricorn providing the southern latitudes with their longest days of sunshine while we in the north work to overcome the darkest days of the year.

Here in Odenton, MD, we are experiencing about 9 hours and 28 minutes between sunrise and sunset. Short time. In Tequesta, FL, the daylight is about an hour longer coming in at 10 hours and 29 minutes. It is amazing what difference a a few hundred miles in latitude can make when considering the length of day. Important note, on the Summer Solstice the length of daylight is longer in Odenton (14h35m) versus Tequesta (13h53m). 

At least, the daylight will start to increase from this point on, although only a few seconds per day for a few days. 

And now, for the massive winter storm!

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Dancing Tuba-playing Santa

 

Tuba-playing Dancing Santa
Tequesta, FL
December 20, 2022

When I retired last year, I disposed of most of my collection of toys, many of them were of the singing and dancing variety. I had collected a lot of toys over the years and they adorned my office at work. 

The toys included singing chickens and turkeys and a set composed of a dancing Santa and reindeer. They all made me smile, although I am sure that important guests visiting my office wondered if I had somehow gone off the rails. But, I almost always had fun at work and never thought what I was doing as a job in the negative sense. It was a vocation and an important undertaking. 

Very few of my toys survived my transition to retirement. None were actually tossed into the trash as most were gifted to coworkers, friends, and the children in the neighborhood. 

Chris surprised me yesterday with a new animated toy. Truly a surprise because we had not brought any with us to Florida. It made me smile. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Travel day - Again

 With the monster storm headed through the country, I am glad that Chris and I decided to travel early in the week. The end of the week could be a washout. Although, I believe there is the possibility for the ever dreamed of and seldom seen white Christmas in the Baltimore area. Personally I really don't need snow, ever!

Another relatively smart thing that we did was to travel in the middle of the day rather than one of the "OMG it is so early nothing is open at the airport" flights. The trip from Baltimore to West Palm two weeks ago was actually pleasant and I am hoping the return flight is likewise enjoyable. We are looking forward to celebrating the holiday with family and friends.

It will be a short visit as I am planning to drive back to South Florida early next week. Of course all driving plans are weather dependent and the nice thing about being retired is that I do not have to get back to go to work!

Merry Christmas to all the other travelers and to those who host us travelers.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - December 19, 2022

 

1. The third Monday of December has arrived. There is only one Monday remaining in the year! Christmas is less than one week away!

2. Family NFL Report. It was a rough weekend for the family teams. Collectively they went 1-3, ugh, with the 3 likely playoff bound teams all losing! It was a good week to be a 5-8 team.

  Ravens (9-5) lose a yawner to Browns (6-8), 3-13

  Cowboys (10-4) lose to Jaguars (6-8), 34-40

  Steelers (6-8) defeat Panthers (5-9), 24-16

  Commanders (7-6-1) lose to Giants (8-5-1), 12 - 20

3. I am really upset at the NFL. I was prepared to watch the Ravens game on Saturday only to find that I had to buy a subscription to NFLHD. I am beginning to believe that Congress needs to treat the NFL as a monopoly. I dod not, thankfully, watch the game. It is likely that my TV would not have survived.

Finn, Makayla, Riordin
Tequesta, FL
February 11, 2022

Finn and Riordin
Tequesta, FL
December 17, 2022

4. I had a moment Saturday night when Chris and I were sitting on the patio enjoying adult beverages and conversation. Finn and Riordin came to the door reminding me of a scene from earlier in the year except that Makayla had been part of the pack on that occasion. I still miss my best dog.

5. Travel week is upon us. We will be heading off to the frozen northlands to celebrate Christmas. It will be good to see family and friends to celebrate the holiday. 

6. Congratulations to Argentina for winning the World Cup. It was a fantastic game and although I was cheering for the French team to repeat, I am not unhappy with the results. Unlike so many other championship games the two stars, Messi and Mbappe, one from each team, showed up and gave a championship worthy performance scoring 5 of the 6 goals recorded in the game. 

7. Today in History. December 19, 1998. After nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. Clinton, the second president in American history to be impeached, vowed to finish his term.

In November 1995, Clinton began an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a 21-year-old unpaid intern. Over the course of a year and a half, the president and Lewinsky had nearly a dozen sexual encounters in the White House. In April 1996, Lewinsky was transferred to the Pentagon. That summer, she first confided in Pentagon co-worker Linda Tripp about her sexual relationship with the president. In 1997, with the relationship over, Tripp began secretly to record conversations with Lewinsky, in which Lewinsky gave Tripp details about the affair.

U.K. Companies Tested by Fallout From Ukraine War - The Wall Street Journal

Hawaiian Airlines Passengers and Crew Injured During Severe Turbulence - The Wall Street Journal

How Trump jettisoned restraints at Mar-a-Lago and prompted legal peril - The Washington Post

An immortal World Cup final rewards Argentina’s Lionel Messi at last - The Washington Post

What to watch for during the January 6 committee's final session - CNN

Freed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout visits occupied Ukraine - CNN

5 people killed in a 'horrendous' condo shooting in Canada, police say - CNN

Russian 'kamikaze' drones hit Kyiv as Putin heads for Belarus - Reuters

Vatican dismisses Trump-supporting, anti-abortion leader from priesthood - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Lizards Amongst Us

 

Northern Curly Tailed Lizard
Tequesta, FL
December 16, 2022

One thing that has taken some time to get used to are the lizards which are everywhere. They range from very small to sizable; however, we do not have any (many) of the large iguanas in our area. With cold weather in the 30s expected next week there will be falling lizard warnings issued. When a large iguana gets cold and falls form a tree it is dangerous to those below.

Small lizards routinely dart across the sidewalks and street in front of me as I bike. I have decided that I will let Darwin determine their fate under my wheels. That are just too many to try and avoid.

Most of the lizards are the common curly-tailed lizards. On occasion I do see one with a brightly colored head scurry in front of me, but they are gone from view in the flash of an eye. 

As the weather has turned cooler the lizards are looking for warm places to reside. One enterprising lizard is making its home in the cover for the smoker. The lizard can be quite startling, as when it actually jumped onto my leg on its way to open land just off the porch. I have to admit, it was the first time a lizard had actually jumped onto me in an effort to escape. Later in the day it was back in the folds of the cover where it seems to be taking refuge from the cold. 

I remember when I first started coming to South Florida a couple decades ago that the lizards were quite an attraction. Now they have become part of the environment and we hardly notice them. Riordin does a good job keeping them out of the garage. I think he believes that he is the great lizard hunter! It gives him something to do. What else is there for an indoors cat to fill its time?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Too Weird to be True--But They Are!

 

What a strange couple weeks it has been in the world of what's true but not believable.

Who knew that a former President, one of the richest men in the world, would decide to issue digital "baseball" cards for a fee; the proceeds of which goes directly into his pocket? So, let me get this straight--this rich guy is asking less wealthy people to directly help make him richer and in return they get a digital card which has no worth? Talk about a scam!

Read about it here.

Next up, the Republicans in the House of Representatives are trying to figure out how to install one of their members who has ZERO integrity as Speaker of the House. It is not like Kevin McCarthy has a long history of supporting the great ideals of the United States, like the Constitution. In fact, he still maintains that the 2020 election was stolen from the former President AND despite actually being threatened by the insurrection on January 6, 2021, he does not support the January 6 Commission and will disband it immediately upon becoming Speaker of the House. He also supports what I call "retribution legislation" against Democrats and Republicans who voted to impeach the former President. Can't we do better?

House GOP Investigations Are Just Another Part of Kevin McCarthy’s “Counterproductive and Vindictive Agenda.

And writing about "can't we do better"--how is it possible that a former President who was sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution would suggest suspending parts of it for his own personal good? That sounds like something a third world dictator would do. 

Trump calls for the termination of the Constitution

We have got to do better if, as a nation, we want to endure. There are too many threats across the world that want to destroy us and we are only speeding our demise by continuing to allow ourselves to be led by short-sighted and vindictive persons who seek only to profit from their service.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Escaping the Heat

Chris on the 9th Tee
Jupiter dunes, Jupiter, FL
December 15, 2022

 According to the weather almanac, the high only managed to reach 80 degrees yesterday. That significantly helped in keeping our house, which still has no A/C or heat, from turning into a baker's oven. I am concerned about next week as there is the threat of potential lows in the 30's.

We were promised that the new system will be delivered between 9-10 AM this morning. We are hopeful that it will actually arrive and provide relief not so much from the heat, which is not too bad, but the humidity. And of course, allow us to silence the outdoors noises of life by closing the windows which will make sleeping far easier. I am amazed how much happens during the dead of night and before 6 AM in the morning around here. I wish we had quiet hours to enforce.

In an effort to beat the heat, we went golfing yesterday. It was great to be outside on the course smacking the little ball around on a beautiful mid-December day in South Florida. Chris had a great round; me, not so much. I did finally figure out how to hit the greens near the end of the round and finished exactly with the score I should have as a bogey golfer. I definitely need to play more so that I don't have to relearn my swing with every outing. 

Here's hoping that the promises of a repaired system ring true today.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Day 4 - No A/C

 

The lack of air conditioning in our Florida home has now stretched into day 4. It took until Day 2 (Tuesday) to realize that the system was not functioning which added a day to the entire problem. The weather has been cooperating and it remains comfortable inside. The indoors temperature climbed to 77 degrees yesterday and with the ceiling fans it was not uncomfortable. 

Thankfully, we have ceiling fans in every room except the kitchen. 

I called the HVAC service company twice yesterday. I was advised that they had put out an emergency order for a replacement. Later I was told to expect the new unit on Friday because a the replacement was being shipped from Lennox because they did not have a system compatible with mine in stock. If that is the definition of an emergency, I am sure the patient would have died! When I put the system 2 years ago in and purchased the additional service plan I was promised not to be without air for more than 24 hours! So much for promises.

We will see how today goes. The outdoors temperature is expected to rise to 83 degrees by 3 PM. We are cooling the house with the morning outdoors 70 degree air in preparation for the hot afternoon. Fortunately, we have friends who have offered us a place to stay if the house becomes too uncomfortable. 

Sadly, we have been through this before. Funny, in over 21 years in Maryland we were never without heat or A/C for more than 24 hours. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Broken HVAC

The Offending HVAC
Tequesta, FL
December 14, 2022

 I cannot escape broken HVAC systems, it seems. The system cooling (and very occasionally heating) our Florida home developed a leak in the coils. Turns out it is not a simple fix where it can just be welded. No. The entire coil needs to be replaced!

This is not the first HVAC system I have dealt with this year. Before we sold the house in Maryland we replaced one of the HVAC systems. So it seems that 2022 is the year of the HVAC system.

Turning to my Florida situation, the real rub is that I replaced the entire system during September 2020! Yup, you got that right.  Brand, spanking new inside and outside system and now it has a major freon leak in the coil! Wow! Great construction Lennox!

The good news is that the system is still under warranty and I also have a service plan. That means, hopefully, my out of pocket cost will be $0. The downside is that we do not currently have A/C in the house. For the first night since we have owned the place we slept with the windows open. The temperature went down to 69 degrees and so we are getting by without A/C--as long as it remains cool. Ceiling fans are saving the entire situation.

Hopefully, it will be repaired today!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL