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?
…
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.
…
Hi Folks – have a message for Denise first off – I have been asked by the Pootie people at GOS to send her sympathy for losing her elder kitteh, many thanks for getting kittens from the Shelter, especially black kittens, and would she please, please, please post pictures of the kittens in the Pootie diary.
It’s 66 heading for 85 in Fay., AR and can’t decide whether or not it’s going to be clear or cloudy – keeps going back and forth. Since there’s no rain in sight, I vote for clear. :) Glad Walker’s out – hope he gets out of politics altogether but whoever steps into his “shoes” will be as bad or worse – being groomed and funded from the same sources. sigh. Hillary has survived the first round of attacks and her poll numbers are holding steady. Comeback Granny isn’t as alliterative as Comeback Kid (as they called Bill back in 1992), but it’s as descriptive. Haven’t seen the news yet – walked in the door to things needing to be done immediately and have just gotten a breather to read emails and check in. Hope everyone’s day goes well. Happy Mabon since it will happen before I check in tomorrow :) Blessed Be – {{{HUGS}}}
Morning all – well, it’s still barely morning here in the East. Personal news – my dental surgery went fine yesterday, very little pain during the procedure (just putting in the anaesthetic, really, which he did a couple of times to make sure all was numb), and practically none since (I took the 800mg of Ibuprofen he prescribed when I got home and before bed and it was fine, no pain or swelling at all). I just can’t eat anything that needs to be chewed for a long time, as this is the temporary crown (and it’s right in front too, annoying) – but I’m relieved this first stage is over.
Political – on the drug price issue, that guy is a poster child for why capitalism needs, at the least, STRONG financial regulations to function in any manner that even minimally serves society. He, of course, is a “venture” capitalist, that is to say, thief under color of law, but the baseline pharmaceutical companies are not much better, in my view. One of the worst things I had to do at the large law firm I went to, for a couple of years, after I left the Hill, was work on testimony for a small drug company that made the drug initially used for treading the type of pneumonia that was killing AIDs patients (this was the late 1980’s), when a Senate committe was investigating their price gouging. Trying to justify that was one of the type of things that drove me out of practicing law into teaching eventually. I’m very glad both Hillary and Bernie are on top of this issue – it’s one of the ways Democrats can differentiate themselves from the Republicans in a big way that people can understand and relate to.
I’m glad Walker has droppped out, but I doubt we’ll be rid of him permanently either nationally or in Wisconsin – these guys have a way of coming back, like the proverbial bad penny.
Cloudy and warm here – we’ll be back into the high 80’s and low 90’s this week, which is usual these years, it won’t start to cool off to the high 70’s till mid October. Sigh. I miss the fall up north – next year, finances and health willing, I want to at least take a trip north or northwest to experience a real fall again.
Everyone stay well today –
Glad your dental thing was OK. Agree whole-heartedly on the Big Pharma (and especially vulture capital) companies – and the appropriate response coming from our team. Good idea to do a Fall Leaf tour next year, finances permitting. Since you’re on the Atlantic coast you might be able to get a train package to take you up to ME and back – comfortably!
The “tooth” will feel very weird for quite a while. The hard part is over, though!
The sociopathic hedge fund guy (is that redundant?) has backtracked after the bad press. But the blemish on his soul remains.
Walker is done. Apparently he not only racked up $700,000 in debt over his 70 day campaign … pumped up by delusions of adequacy … but he angered his national donors, the guys who wrecked our state by pumping their money into the recall election and Walker’s re-election. He never even called them, even the ones who were working frantically to find a way to sustain a $1 million a month campaign that got too big too fast. Billionaires scorned have long memories.
So the man whose campaign schtick included buying his shirts at Kohl’s “just like everyman” spent other people’s money like a drunken sailor.
Glad you are over the worst parts.
The drug price gouging is terrible and I remember applauding when other countries. like Brazil and Nicaragua decided to release generic AIDS drugs to their citizens free – or for a dollar a pill.
Good morning and Happy Autumn, meeses!! Wednesday …
It is 58 degrees in Madison, on its way up to 81 degrees. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast. Fall in the morning, summer in the afternoon?
Today, I will eschew the news in favor of a seasonal greeting on Mabon …
See all y’all later!
Blessed Mabon to you!
Good morning Meese
Heard Moose news on my local radio station – which covers Vermont as well as NY. Warnings are up for drivers to watch out for Moose who are doing a lot of road crossing this time of year.
RIP Yogi Berra.
Moose on the Move!! Worthy of a warning, for sure. Speaking of which, the Moose archives will be delivered soon and we will be able to redirect the dot com to the dot net and close down the old site. Target date is October 15th. It won’t impact anything here because I won’t have time to do anything with the data for a while but we may find a few old moose finding us after the redirect.
Yogi Berra added richness to our language with his malapropisms. Some of them actually had hidden wisdom. I was reading a few this morning and this one stuck out:
Indeed.
Dee, I think you will be pleased to see this story from NYC:
That is a wonderful story – thank you – will share it with my women’s group – and with women’s studies faculty!
Brava!
Skipped walking this morning because the news said there was a security issue at the Capitol and roads were blocked off, avoid the area, etc. So I get here and of course everything is normal, I could have come earlier & walked. Sigh. Or could have had 30 more minutes “sleep”. I think I did actually sleep some last night – at least, I was asleep when the alarm went off. I let it go on for a couple minutes, so I have the guitar part of U2’s Bad as my earworm: https://youtu.be/HgBtoiNxPyE. It’s very pretty.
This will make many hearts glad – one of my favorite authors, Pat Rothfuss, had gotten matching donations, up to $200,000 for donations to help the Syrian refugees: https://www.classy.org/events/worldbuilders-for-syrian-refugees/e58113.
Wonder what the issue was at the Capitol, another? Very happy to hear about the donations for the Syrian refugees!
some guy crashed his car into one of the gates — caused quite a bit of damage — and ran away. My co-worker who rides her bike to work rode by the crash scene & was surprised he was able to run from it. Evaded police for an hour or so. But there was literally no extra presence on the side of the Capitol I drive to, no one in the garage I park in, nothing.
here’s the story: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/man-crashes-into-capitol-fence-flees/nnmFQ/
Happy Mabon, Meese! A beautiful day here in NoVa for the first day of autumn, 56 F. going for 78 F. Thanks for the Mabon music, Jan!
Not much to say this morning. Pope here. Metro system mess as usual. Wondering where I can donate or sell my magickal books and tools—so far not having any luck. Pagan Pride Days have come and gone in my area.
Good old Yogi Berra. He had good innings and we’ll always remember his enjoyable “misspeaks.” Wishing a good day to all!
For those who want to watch Pope Francis’ visit to the White House without the TV talking heads, here is the White House feed. The president will speak at 9am Eastern.
The people you see in the audience are the 15,000 invited guests, some of who are not acceptable to the Republicans. For that, Mike Huckabee Tweeted an “apology” to the pope that he was sorry that the president disrespected him. Here is a photo that shows that the pope did not feel disrespected when he arrived yesterday:
Huckabee’s name ought to be spelled with a capital “F” rather than an “H.”
His comments were torched on Twitter if it is any solace.
Here is a transcript of both the president and the pope speaking:
Pope Francis and President Obama Speech Transcripts
For those coming across the video now, the speeches were delayed about 45 minutes. Just drag the counter on the YouTube until you see the president and Michelle. There is a small greeting ceremony then the speeches.
64 heading for 85 in Fay., AR – still can’t make up its mind about cloudy or clear – on this lovely Mabon morning. Hope whatever you’re harvesting, it’s a good one – giving you a secure feeling about making it comfortably through the winter. Mabon and good harvests are good things to think of instead of the news of the world. {{{HUGS}}}
Happy Mabon to all! Thanks for the link to the feed, I’m watching it now, but a bit late – the Pope looks quite comfortable chatting with the President, he apparently hides his feelings of disrespect well! /snark. It looks like a beautiful day in DC – the fall was always my favorite time there – I used to live near Rock Creek Park and walked my dog there often, so beautiful it was in September and October.
So sad to lose Yogi Berra, but he lived a very long and fruitful life.
That is a great story about providing free menstrual needs to school girls – that Councilwoman looks like someone to watch, maybe? I’m just so sad that apparently not much has changed in the more than 50 years since I began my “monthlies” if girls feel so ashamed they stay home from school during their periods.
Have a great day everyone!
I had never thought about the cost of proper feminine hygiene products … they just showed up in my house while I was growing up. But if one is living in poverty, can you afford $20 a month for what must seem like a luxury? Dee had a post not too long ago about the issue (but because WordPress searches are so awful I can’t find it!). It is nice to see someone addressing an issue that is probably not on most people’s radar. Women’s issues are low on most people’s lists and I am sure that menstruation as a subcategory is even lower.
Yes, Mike Huckabee was just one of many who decided that President Obama is treating the pontiff poorly. Here is another photo of how awful Francis feels about being in his presence:
Thanks for remembering the post (I didn’t)
Menses, periods, and the tampon tax
Thanks for the link! Now I know where to find it. :)
More on Yogi Berra – this is stuff I never knew about him (from USA Today, I hope it’s all true). I’m no Yankees fan, but he was a great human being as well as a great catcher and manager.
“The man had a career .285 batting average with 358 homers and 1,430 RBI. No catcher has ever driven in more runs in history. He was teammates with Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, and for seven consecutive years, still led the Yankees in RBI. He never struck out more than 38 times an entire season. These days, guys strike out that often in a month.”
“And Yogi is the same man who was nominated to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. The petition had nothing to do with his playing skills, but Yogi, the man. He volunteered for the Navy and served in World War II, earning a Purple Heart. He befriended African-American players and Latino players when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. He was an ambassador for Athlete Ally, which promotes LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) rights in sports. He also created a scholarship at Columbia University. The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center serves 20,000 students with its character education programs.”
I didn’t know that either, Georgie! Yay, Yogi!
I read that this morning also (in this Al Jazeera article) and it was all new to me! Probably because his career was in its heydey before I was born and I just saw him as the guy who made people laugh with his words.
He had a remarkable career and one that extended beyond the ball diamond into making people’s lives better. A great legacy.
I have read a lot about him defending black players – there were some who didn’t when baseball was integrated – Berra was a real champ!
Good morning, 44 and partly cloudy in Bellingham this morning. RonK is taking his camera to Mt Baker today so a fall photo post may result. I’m going to the pool soon and then hope to enjoy the changing season in the garden.
Xi Jinping’s visit to Seattle is interesting to read about but not so good for those trying to drive to work. My daughter was seeking alternate routes yesterday but those were all slow because the freeway was closed.
In Seattle, Chinese leader vows to join U.S. to fight cybercrime
http://www.seattletimes.com/business/economy/in-seattle-chinese-leader-vows-to-join-us-to-fight-cybercrime/
Deals done, others undone, as Chinese contingent visits Seattle
http://www.seattletimes.com/business/international-trade/deals-done-others-undone-as-chinese-contingent-visits-seattle/
Someone suggested that the pope and the Chinese president should meet while they are on the same continent. Now that would be interesting.
I hope the Chinese are sincere about cybercrime. Until all countries agree that it is wrong and there is no place for Internet criminals to hide, it really is a free-for-all.
Good morning, meese! Thursday …
It is 57 degrees in Madison, on its way up to 78. Cloudy skies are in the forecast.
I started this at 4:30 and got distracted by some things in the news. I am having a difficult time with the Republicans’ latest attempts to turn women into mere incubators who have no control over their own bodies and have no right to plan something as important as how many children they want to have and when. It is now tied up in electoral politics as we find out that Vice President Biden thinks that way but reluctantly will vote to preserve the right. I am sure that many women are sad to think that the Vice President believes that they are murderers. :(
The pope will speak to Congress today, some of them, anyway. Many of the christianists believe that the pope is only allowed to talk when he is against women and gays and not when he is for eradicating poverty and ending man-made global warming. I am not embracing Francis, the man or his church, but I welcome any words from any source that encourage others to join with the rest of us who believe that climate change is a serious concern that needs our attention.
See all y’all later!
Looking forward to what he has to say
I am not sure I will catch the whole thing live – am headed to the airport this afternoon – on my way to Asheville to the DKos regional meetup – where I will be introducing Rev. Barber on Friday (yay!) and on Saturday I get to interview one of my favorite civil rights activist vets – Al McSurely
A lot of people are totally unaware of the work of white activist anti-racist southerners, like Al, who is a key member of the NAACP in NC.
Wow, that sounds like a great way to spend the weekend!!
I will probably put my headphones on and listen while I try to get some work done. I read earlier in the week that both parties are asking their members to refrain from leaping up and cheering at the various parts of the pope’s speech, suggesting it lacks dignity and would be confrontational. What? Like a Republican Congressman calling out “You lie!” to the president during a State of the Union address? That would never happen. I have been reading some articles about what people can expect to hear from this pope and it cuts along partisan lines. I hope that people who aren’t as hyperpartisan as those in Congress listen with an open mind to the call for social justice. We shall see.
Happy Thor’s Day, Moosekind! It’s a silvery morning in NoVa, 55 F. now, going up to a high of 80 F. Dearly Beloved and I woke up MUCH too early—that’s the hell of being old. However, we do get to take naps after lunch, which is great.
The news? Three hundred stampeded to death in Mecca. Pope will address Congress. Rethugs still threatening to shut down Congress. If they do it I will invoke the gypsy curse.
Yesterday we put a reservation down on a new apartment at the retirement community. It’s not the one we really wanted, but it’s still very nice and far more affordable. No patio, but a sizable screened porch, which means we won’t be bitten to death by insects. The downsizing guru will visit this morning. We need help! I’m frantically Freecycling books but goodness, when I give away three, others ominously appear in their place.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and Beyond!
just finished reading about the disaster in Mecca. Terrible.
On the subject of being bitten by insects – I have been elated by the effectiveness of using a ” hand held zapper” which looks like a badminton racket and is powered by batteries. They are really cheap and work!
We now have three – one for the porch, one for the bedroom and one in my office.
Citronella candles – though nice are a waste of money – they don’t work. I hate having to use a variety of sprays on my body.
We have a mosquito problem as well as a horse fly problem here in the country.
Thanks for the tip, Denise! Must remember that. I’m with you, I hate rubbing goo or using sprays on my skin. Just feels so icky.
What is the gypsy curse? I hope it involves a great deal of discomfort and personal humiliation. I was reading that some freshmen Republican congressmen wrote a letter begging the leadership to not shut down the government. I think that there may very well be some jobs on the line if the Republicans shut down the government again. Last time it cost $24 billion with a b and this is close enough to the presidential election, which brings out more voters, that it might not be forgotten as quickly as last time. I also read that the USDA has no cash reserves like they did last time and food stamps will be cut off within days of the shutdown. That will be seen as plus by the soulless Republicans until they realize that the biggest beneficiaries of SNAP are rural white people … their base!
Did you see that Ted Freaking Cruz wants to hold up the emergency Continuing Resolution by adding an amendment to roll back the Iranian nuclear deal? JHC! Nothing is safe from right-wing extortion.
Jan, the gypsy curse is, “May the crusty curse of Oliver Cromwell fall upon your poxy penis.”
A most fitting punishment for the anti-woman, anti-poor Rethugs.
Congratulations Diana…..making plans for your move should be easier now that you have a destination to plan for. A screened porch sounds most inviting!
Thanks, princesspat! I hope the house sells so this can all come to pass. Downsizing and moving to a smaller place will greatly simplify matters for our heirs in the event of our demise.
Good morning Meese
Was glad to see Sister Simone Campbell of Nuns on the Bus at the papal event at the WH
Mother Jones reported
does the retirement community have a library? if you give them there, you could visit them…. (I talk to a lot of people who live in various retirement facilities, most of them have libraries)
Thanks for the tip, Denise! Must remember that. I’m with you, I hate rubbing goo or using sprays on my skin. Just feels so icky.
Yes, another, it does have a library but apparently they’re very picky about what they accept as donations. Bummer. That lets out all my Witchcraft books and Pagan fic. I’ve found someone to take my gay sci-fi novels, but he lives in Pennsylvania, so I’ll have to ship them.
Great story about Sister Simone! The pope would do well to heal the rifts with the activist nuns because they do the work that he purports to support much more than the American Catholic Bishops do.
I did not realize that she was one of those who the conservatives were claiming that an invitation showed disrespect (Bishop Robinson, I knew about). The pope reminded everyone yesterday that the types of nuns he likes are the ones like the Little Sisters of the Poor who are trying to take contraceptives away from their employees … he visited with them yesterday after his mass canonizing the religious colonialist from California. Some breaks with the past will probably never occur.
Skipped walking this morning because I wanted to see if I could sleep.
Very few thoughts in my head. Sad for the people killed in the stampede in Mecca — these seem to happen every year, though, you’d think the city/religious leaders in charge could have thought of a solution over the last 100 years or so. Still not thinking about the Afghanistan story. Just sick.
Turning up the volume on my earworm of Disappear and since finding the video, I have that playing in my head as well. Great Goddess, he was a good looking man. She done good making him.
Kitty update. Litter edition ;)
With 3 new cats added onto our elder one – four cats puts a strain on the litter-box (and my budget)
It was suggested that I switch to “Feline Pine” pellets…they last longer. In the process of ordering Feline Pine (which is about 30- 40 bucks for a 40lb bag (delivered) I happened to read some customer comments and found out that the pellets used for horse stalls are the same thing – except the price for 40 lbs is $5.99!
I headed off to my local feed supply tractor place and got 80 lbs. The cats are using it with no problem (some cats are very finicky about litter)
Happy cats and happy cat mommy.
Thanks for the newslitter, Denise!
LOL at newslitter!!
Morrissey has written a novel (for those of you who listened to college radio in the ’80’s, yes, that Morrissey), it is so awful….. I have to start taking calls & I can’t stop laughing at this sex scene: https://twitter.com/DavidUzumeri/status/647027015166599168
Good morning, 60 and partly cloudy in Bellingham. I’m really noticing the change in daylight this fall…..seems very dark this morning.
It’s another day of home maintenance for me, Yesterday our son found and fixed the plugged pipe that had stopped the water from working in the garage and today an insulation contractor is coming to look at the attic access. We need to remove and replace the very dirty and old insulation and then replace the last of the knob and tube wiring. The only way into the attic is a through a small opening in the upstairs hallway so I’m dreading the mess but it needs to be done.
The first time I heard about knob and tube wiring was while watching an episode of HGTV’s Love It Or List It. They were ripping apart someone’s house and when they discovered it, they were required to replace it all. It is extremely dangerous and I am glad to hear that you are getting rid of it!
I’m noticing it too, princesspat! I have to grope for my hearing aids in the dark now. Soon I’ll have to start using my tiny flashlight. Sniff.
The pope’s address is here on CSPAN: Pope Francis Addresses Joint Meeting of Congress
Here is a link to the transcript, as prepared. Mother Jones: Read the Pope’s Address to Congress. I am going to rush through my morning work and put up a post cherry-picking his words! :) He spoke against the death penalty and when they cut away to Chief Justice John Roberts, he looked like he was passing a kidney stone. Ha!!!
Morning all, late start for me today, good to read everyone else’s news. Denise, have a safe journey and a wonderful time in NC! Also very clever work on the cat litter situation! I too wish the authorities in Mecca could figure out how to stop these tragic stampedes, so terrible!
Good luck with the downsizing, Diana, and glad you found an apartment at the community that seems nice – I will probably be looking around for something like that in a few years, but until my big dog dies (he’s 7 1/2 or 8 years old now, rescure Rottie-retriever mix, best dog ever), I’m not going anywhere. And I love my house, so as long as I can maintain it, it’s my retreat and place of safety.
Jan, did Biden say something in particular about reproductive rights recently? I didn’t find anything in the news. As I said yesterday, I like the man, but I hope he doesn’t run.
Have a wonderful day everyone – it’s going to be a warm one here as always, in the 80’s.
Good morning, Geordie!
Here is the article with Joe Biden’s feelings on abortion. I appreciate that he has always voted against the forced-birth movement despite his personal feelings but the way he speaks about abortion makes me uncomfortable. I am adamantly pro-woman and reproductive rights are not just a philosophical discussion but a matter of life or death. It may sound sexist but men don’t get it and will never get it.
I completely agree, Jan. I respect Biden, but I would much prefer Hillary or Bernie in the White House on the issue of women’s rights, and I trust Hillary on that pretty much completely. One of the things that most appalls me about politics today is the way we are re-fighting battles I thought were settled when I was in college 45 years ago!
Oh, my Goddess, YES, Geordie! Back in the 80s I wanted to work on the plight of the homeless but found myself defending clinics after the Webster decision.
The abortion wars are heating up precisely because we never completely won this battle 45 years ago. Roe v Wade was a landmark decision but it has been attacked by the states and by Congress and has few defenders left on the Supreme Court.
The religious right lost in their culture war on same-sex marriage and now the only thing left for right-wing politicos to fundraise on is abortion. And the religious right will insist on purity: no abortions, no contraception, no exceptions for the life of the mother … no quarter. To fight against that we will need a strong anti-forced-birth voice, not someone who is conflicted about it.