Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings posts give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.
Welcomings will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning). To find the posts, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).
The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.
So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?
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NOTE: The comments page will now split off after 20 or so left margin comments with the most recent comments on the current page. To see the older comments, scroll to the bottom of the page and use the link.
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67 heading for 84 in Fay., AR this Thor’s day and for some reason my Yahoo email is down. Sneaking over to GOS to read the live blog of the Pope’s speech to Congress. The Rs are not happy. Good. Although my main mantra/prayer/whatever in that direction is “render them harmless” it is very true that doing so will make them very unhappy. Still good. :) Hope everyone has a lovely day. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, meese! Friday …
It is 58 degrees in Madison, on its way up to 78. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast.
Republicans are unhappy that the pope did not once mention Jesus in his speech to Congress. Maybe he’s a Muslim!!! Well, it turns out that the pope is respectful of other religions and rarely mentions Jesus when he is speaking in front of a multi-faith gathering instead using the “God” reference. Obviously he does not realize that in America, politicians are overwhelmingly christian (91% versus 73% for the general population) mainly because there is a defacto religious test. The pope did appear to prefer visiting with the homeless over hanging around and drying the crocodile tears of Marco Rubio and John Boehner.
In other papal visit news, the pope will deliver his climate change message where it will be better received, at the U.N. General Assembly this morning. CSPAN will cover it at 10am Eastern time. Video link: Pope Francis Address to U.N. General Assembly. He deliberately did not put much on climate change into his address to Congress … his message on poverty, immigration, and the death penalty had already given the GOP the vapors … they might have booed him if he had mentioned the rising seas. More on this in the pope post.
The Senate failed to get the Continuing Resolution that included defunding Planned Parenthood through (it not only didn’t get cloture, it lost outright). Mitch McConnell has filed the clean CR to be voted on Monday, two days before the government shuts down AGAIN. The House does not currently have a clean bill and the speculation is that John Boehner will offer a separate bill on defunding Planned Parenthood, so his members have a place to express their anger, and a clean CR. That may not be enough because The Forced-Birth Base is feeling its power in the run-up to the 2016 presidential race and is demanding a blood sacrifice. There are some rumors that the Speaker’s seat is on the line but most serious people doubt that. There is literally no one else who has the votes.
See all y’all later!!
Good moring, Moosekind! A lovely gray morning here in NoVa after the sun of the last few days. It’s 60 F. now, going for a high of 75 F.
Haven’t been paying a lot of attention to the news lately owing to the upheaval in my personal life. Yesterday received glad tidings that made me feel MUCH better! It seems the downsizing team affiliated with Ashby Ponds will come to our house, help us dispose of what we can’t take with us, pack the boxes, sell the unneeded furniture and stuff, and help us move. We don’t have to pay for this service—Ashby does. Feel so relieved by this I might do some of the chores I’ve putting off, like attaching two petals to Miss Pink Cheeks’ Daisy waistcoat.
In other news I see that Bernie is polling higher than Hillary in New Hampshire. Should I be worried that he is outpolling her in two old, cold white states? Well, even if there’s cause for worry, I can’t do much about it.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and Beyond!
Too early to know for sure but I would be willing to bet that Hillary’s campaign had New Hampshire on their “will probably lose” list as soon as Bernie Sanders announced. Also, I agree with Howard Dean that Iowa is given an outsized say and doubt that anyone cares about it anymore. President Rick Santorum won it in 2012!
I am glad that things are looking up for you regarding The Move and that you have competent help.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Might as well just copy & paste yesterday’s status. Down to even the same earworm.
I really should do a diary for the Walk. So sleepy, though. Dunno that I’d have the energy to mind it. I need to take a day off & sleep in.
79 heading for 83 in Fay., AR – still can’t make up its mind about cloudy or clear but I’m ooching up on 400 KWHs for the months – still have the possibility of making 500 but if so, it will be just barely. Winding down the year. If my older son’s family wasn’t here – and I didn’t own a house I’ve put a lot of love into and 16 solar panels on – I might consider moving to FL. The politics are nasty, but even here in NW AR it’s already getting cool enough overnight that my knees and feet are starting to hurt again. Another part of winding down the year. sigh.
If I were a straight male, Pope Francis would be enough to tempt me back into the Catholic church. As it is, I thank the Goddesses that the head of an institution as large and powerful as the RC church is pushing so strongly on the rest of the issues I care about.
I’ve been silly enough to engage in some of the diaries at GOS – just the Hillary’s OK or neutral ones – but with some of those folks the “Hillary is a neo-liberal” and “Hillary is a warmonger” is just as much an article of faith as, as, well I can’t think of an example that isn’t American Taliban. I totally expect Bernie to do well if not win outright in New Hampshire – Vermont is close enough to make him “one of theirs” – and possibly Iowa, but I was delighted to see the TX Dems are as close to solid as Dems get behind Hillary considering that the Rio Grande Valley was where she started her political activities (registering Latinos to vote in 1972).
I’ve got so much stuff to do today I get a headache thinking of it – half of it is stuff my friend who is also the other office staff person would be doing if she weren’t still home recovering from surgery (on track and as well as can be expected but not due back at work even half days until 10/5) – so I’d best get to it. Hope everyone has a lovely day and a better weekend. {{{HUGS}}}
trying really hard not to cheer out loud
Boehner’s leaving Congress!!!!!
Boehner To Go Play Golf, Work On Tan
My relief to know he is no longer third in line for the presidency is tempered by wondering who will replace him.
Heard it might be Kevin McCarthy. Not good.
He would be the least qualified but since when would that stop the Republicans?
The good news is that this probably signals that Boehner will shepherd a clean Continuing Resolution through the House before he leaves. I hope he trashes the “Freedom” Caucus on his way out the door … it is unconscionable that men elected to run our government are bent on causing its destruction. How did we get to this place??
I am not sure we should be cheering. It will be entertaining for a while, watching the Republicans scrambling, but the odds of getting a BETTER Speaker are pretty slim.
The best way to run the House, for the country, would be for there to be a coalition of less batguano-crazy Republicans to make common cause with Democrats. But there is no leader for that sort of coalition. Right now there are 3 parties in the House and none of them have enough votes to elect a Speaker. I am wondering if it will matter and look forward to reading dozens of articles about it in the next few days. :)
Good morning, 53 and partly cloudy in Bellingham today. I’ll be going to the pool soon and then I hope to take another car load of something to Wise Buys, a local thrift shop that supports the YMCA. They were pleased with yesterdays bags of cloths and old toys and I am pleased with the space in our closets!
The news of Boehner’s resignation is both a relief and alarming. The timing seems self serving, but i have to assume our government will lurch along.
Words my sweet boys sang in their concert today — will warm hearts:
They’ve been talking a lot about the refugee crisis at their shows
and this is interesting, in light of Bono’s participation in the Global Citizen event about ending poverty:
Nice!
Good morning, meese! Saturday …
It is 58 degrees in Madison, on its way up to 78. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast. It is a difficult time of year for temperature control. The mornings and nights are great but by mid-afternoon, the hot sun makes the house uncomfortably warm and requires air conditioning. In a few more weeks it will be more consistently cool, I hope. I hate running air conditioning for 4 hours then opening windows.
I can’t stay long … youth sports will take me out of town again. I will put the president’s weekly address up and when I get back, I will add some more information to the pope post, things from his address to the U.N.
I am not sure what Boehner’s resignation will result in, ultimately. We are not anywhere close to getting the House back (it would take a tsunami year in 2016 an impossibility after the gerrymandering from 2010) so we will have to deal with whoever they put in charge. We will have a clean Continuing Resolution that will keep the government open until Dec. 11th but then, without Boehner to speak up for the Wall Street Republicans, what will happen? The teaparty wing would be happy to have a permanent shutdown. At some point the Chamber of Commerce crowd will have to pull the plug on the Republican Party because the bottom line for them is, quite literally, the bottom line. When those determined to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal the Affordable Care Act lead our country into financial chaos how can American businesses keep ignoring that they are propping up the clown caucus? The ideal scenario is that Republicans who still believe that a functioning government is preferable to ideological purity join with Democrats and form a new coalition, elect a new speaker, and set about doing the people’s business for the next 15 months.
See all y’all later!
Good morning, Meese! Another lovely gray day here. Even though it hasn’t rained hard, it’s dumped some drizzle, which helps the dryness. It’s 62 F. now, going up to 70 F. today.
The downsizing lady will be here Monday afternoon for a walk-through. The handyman has given us his estimate for the work that needs to be done (and there’s a lot of it). Matters are proceeding apace!
Was as surprised as anyone about Boehner! I’m trying to stay away from GOS as much as possible and it’s just as well. Don’t need to add depression to the tons of stress I’m experiencing right now. Wish my earworm would depart: it’s “Trempe ton pain, Marie.” It will not leave my head! Even “Dansons la capucine” would be an improvement.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Skipped workout, my stomach was unhappy when I started to get up. Went back to bed, dozed. Deeply bummed MSNBC isn’t having the usual weekend morning shows. I get that the Pope is cool & all, but I wanted to hear from Karnacki & MHP about Boehner
Good morning, 54 and raining in Bellingham. RonK is leaving soon to meet some of the Daily Bucket folks from dkos for a day of bird watching from a boat, but I’ve been having some balance issues again so no boats for me. Between the garden and my sewing room I’ve got lots of choices to keep me busy. And I hope to see the grand girls this afternoon. I could go to Ava’s soccer game this morning, but I’m a fair weather grammie :)
Morning all (still barely morning) from not so sunny Florida this morning – the clouds will keep the temps down to the low 80’s though, so I’m not really complaining.
I was shocked like everyone to hear about Boehner yesterday – sounds like he just had enough and said take this job and shove it. I detest the man, but I can’t blame him for sounding happy to leave idiots like my congressman Yoho (triple ugh) behind.
Diana you’re inspiring me to start trying to clear out my clutter – I’ve got so much junk to just throw away, and then books to start trying to give away. I won’t be moving anywhere for a few years, but it probably will take me years to get things under control!
Have a great day everyone – I hope Denise will give us a big update on her weekend in North Carolina when she returns!
I really do wonder if he isn’t ill. Just so sudden.
My Sunday workout group is meeting at a race that doesn’t start till 10, so I’m skipping. Really frustrated that MSNBC isn’t having the usual weekend morning shows today either.
Making two new dishes today.- one, a breakfast with potatoes, zucchini,kale, beans & stuff. The other is a southwest quinoa dish with a creamy avocado dressing.
Been cooking since I got home from church. Got the southwest quinoa/avocado thing for dinner since the breakfast thing with potatoes and black beans is still in the oven. Hope it cools off by bedtime. Completely exhausted.
Cleared out the DVR, ready to fill it back up. Zoo was scary. Not as scary as the book, but the book didn’t have Billy Burke, so….
Your descriptions of your cooking always make me hungry! You are such an imaginative cook!
I find recipes & modify them. Add or subtract stuff. It’s my way of being creative.