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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– Page One of Comments is HERE!
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Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 63 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 82. Sunny skies with a chance of thunderstorms developing tonight. The front will cool things down into the lower 70s and allow us to turn the air conditioning off.
Last night when I went to bed the news of the day was the $12 billion payoff Trump is making to his supporters to buy their loyalty as he destroys their businesses with his vanity trade war. This morning, the news aggregator is filled with stories about the damn Cohen tape! Sheesh. One of those things has electoral significance and the other is salacious click bait! As we know, only Democrats are held to account for their sexual transgressions and it will be a one day story doing no harm to Trump. At least the dead tree press was focused on the trade war which they are calling “Trump’s trade war” and describing the tariffs as “Trump tariffs”. Progress! The tariff payoff is the “privatize profits, socialize losses” that defines the Republican Party’s approach to “governing” writ large – picking winners (any Republican) and losers (taxpayers who voted for the smart person). I was laughing at Ron Freaking Johnson (Republican!) saying that this reminded him of how Russian commissars handed out largesse to those they deemed worthy. Ding ding ding!
The immigrant bashing trumper in Georgia won the Republican nomination for governor. He will present a sharp contrast to Stacey Abrams – hate versus decency. I will be curious to see how an unreconstructed Jim Crow woman basher will campaign against a black woman. If he crosses the line from dog-whistle to out-and-out racist attacks, it will be a test for Georgians. Can they reject the siren call of the Confederacy and embrace the future? Stay tuned!
See all y’all later.
I’m pulling for Stacey -have no clue what the results will be.
Sigh.
Good Wednesday Morning Meese
73 with rain here in the Hudson Valley – going up to 78. Have plumbers finally coming today to fix the pipes which have been leaking for over a week.
Perusing the PE news – yikes
“Some parts of the Puerto Rico response ‘weren’t present'”??? JHC on a pogo stick, what kind of doublespeak is that? I hope that when we take back the House, we schedule hearings to investigate his response to Maria and “present” him with a scathing rebuke. These people are shameless.
Brock, Brock, you’re a schlock.
Just crawl into a hole and wait there until a Dem. House puts you on trial.
Good Woden’s Day morning, Moosekind! Gray clouds are hanging low over our area, with the promise of rain on and off all day. Currently it’s 71 F. in Ashburn, going up to 80 F. later.
Think I’m suffering from Thing fatigue. I just don’t want to think about it right now. It’s like a dentist’s drill—I just want it to be over.
Got a few little writing chores to do today, wonder whether I’ll get any of them done. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and Beyond!
I know what you mean! I woke up this morning feeling weighted down by the stress – that is a terrible way to start the day! I am going to do a news purge by closing all 30 of the tabs I opened with news stories and going off-line to organize work projects.
So, merely 80 this morning — doesn’t actually feel any cooler than yesterday’s 87 at this time. Was watching Le Tour last night, they’re in the Pyrenees & it’s raining, deep envy. Anyway, one of the riders took a curve wrong on a descent & crashed over a wall, thankfully into a ravine instead of a sheer drop. (a rider died on that stage in ‘92) Anyway, he is helped out of the ravine & after what I swear was 1 minute, maybe 2, of medical attention — got back on his bike & finished the stage. 40 kilometers. As it turns out, he has a broken kneecap. I’m not going to post his tweet of his swollen knee, but here’s a link. He abandoned the race — after he finished that stage.
So there are more tapes. And Cohen is so very gonna flip. If you didn’t watch Rachel last night, watch it on the website, because she had 3 really smart guys on: Ambassador McFaul, Chuck Rosenburg — a former Justice Department guy, and someone else whose name escapes me but he was good, too.
I was going to post Don’t Give In (don’t give in, don’t you dare quit so easy, give all that you’ve got on your soul); but my stupid digestive system woke me up at 4:30 so I need more energy, so it’s Empress for me.
Sound and pulse and volume
Hands just reaching other hands
This is almost overload
I said almost overload
Friends and foes and princes
Are all just human in the end
This is so damn simple, yeah
It’s so damn simple
71 with 90% humidity heading for the upper 80s which will put the heat index into the 90s – how far into the 90s will depend on how humid it stays. Got 18.2 KWHs yesterday, m-t-d is 392 so 108 to reach 500 for the month and exactly one week to do it. We shall see what we shall see.
Anger has been my energy source for most of my life. It keeps/kept the Depression at bay. But it seems to be failing me now. The sorts of things that used to give me that energy are now just making me sick and sapping me instead. I guess partly because I not only really can’t do anything about it personally besides the postcards, emails, phone calls, and a few sawbucks here and there, but mostly because the current lot of Evil is being perpetrated by our government. I can’t depend on our folks to work on making it better if not downright fix it because they’re the ones doing it. Sigh. But I’ll keep on keepin’ on – I think it was Winston Churchill who said, “When you’re going through Hell, keep going” – whoever said it had a point. Where we are is definitely not a place I plan to homestead! And find what energy I can in joining with my friends and compatriots to deal with it. And the beauty of nature even where it’s starkest.
I at least got better sleep last night so whatever’s in the air has settled out a bit. The sun is shining, it’s still cool enough to have the house open which is weird for the last week of July – as is the number of adolescent birds around my feeding station right now. Need some coffee. Healing Energy to everybody everywhere. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 63 and sunny in Bellingham. My main accomplishment yesterday was a long nap, but I’m slow and sleepy this morning regardless. tRump angst/fatigue is exhausting!
Between the deer, slugs, and a bit of over watering (thanks RonK!) I’ve got some holes to fill in my flower pots so I hope to visit the garden shop today and see what I can find to fill in. I won’t be able to replicate the original plants but I’ll find something in the general color range so the overall composition remains balanced. So I need an orange trailing plant, a pinkish red begonia replacement, another sweet potato vine, and well wishes for the new tree that is now a shrub. If the deer will allow it will recover, but I won’t have tall branches for winter interest this year.
Time to find some coffee. Take care everyone.
Good wishes for the new tree coming your way!
We all shoulda been Druids.
Good morning, Meesefolk; 61 when I got up with a high of 82, and either partly sunny or partly cloudy, depending on who you ask. I’m going with partly sunny in an effort to focus on the positive.
I mentioned to my daughter yesterday that some of my reading of late was dragging me down, and it was time to stock up on cozy mysteries again for a palate cleanser. But I also mentioned that I rely on a lot of my reading to give me inspiration for topics to post, and she suggested I should combine my interests and do a post on cozy mysteries written by women of color. You have been forewarned…!
Oh, DoReMI, do mention the Blanche series! Blanche on the Lam and Blanche and the Talented Tenth are two of them. I read them all, can’t think of the author’s name but it began with an “N.” Terrific mysteries!
I’ll check it out. This really a sneaky way to justify reading something other than history, so any and all recommendations are welcome!
Good Thor’s Day morning, Meese! It was a warm, wet gray dawn when I took the dog out 20 minutes ago but now it looks as if the sky is clearing. Yesterday the chance of rain was 90 percent but today it’s 30 percent. That’s a nice change!
Currently the temp. in Ashburn is 66 F., going up to 86 F. Miss Pink Cheeks has gone home for a few days, but we’ll be getting Mr. Preschooler tomorrow for a night. Not sure how this is going to work: he’s four and has never had a sleepover before. Still, we’ll see.
I hope this latest vicious ploy on the part of House Republicans of filing papers to “impeach” Rosenstein before the summer recess is simply grandstanding. WHY haven’t the ugly charges against Jim Jordan stuck? Is he going to get away with complicity in sexual abuse of athletes? I’d love to see him in jail with Nasty Nassar, who abused 150 female athletes.
Hoping for a quiet day with not too much going on at the Pond and Beyond.
I have no doubt that the impeachment papers are just to provide content for their fundraising letters. They probably don’t have the votes to impeach and they certainly don’t have the votes in the Senate to remove.
Thursday Meese
70 going up to 87 with rain here in Saugerties NY.
Welfare for farmers when other people have a greater need is pissing me off – especially since the Orange Ass created the situation in the first place.
Farmers here are saying that $18 billion doesn’t even begin to cover their losses. Well, they backed the wrong horse and “won” bankruptcy. Serves them right for voting white identity over common sense. What part of “con man propping up real estate business with bluster and lies” made them think that they had found the right person to lead the country. Barack Obama and the Democrats had the economy humming and they decided to “shake things up”. Well , they are shook.
Upper 70s this morning — actually feels noticeably cooler than yesterday & certainly the day before. So the thuggiest of the Rethugs are trying to get rid of Rosenstein. Hope that backfires like firing Comey did.
And the Liberal Redneck did the funniest thing on Vlad & Donnie. (there’s quite a bit of swearing)
Just remember that: under this pressure, under this weight, we are diamonds taking shape.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 64 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 72. It feels like 79 and will not be very pleasant so we will likely have to turn the air on.
I had a nice day yesterday mainly offline and it helped me refresh. I have a lot of projects that are suffering because I am not focusing as well as I should. Yesterday, I saw this thread on Twitter from Jared Yates Sexton and want to share the content:
I am still not convinced it is a “plan”, I really don’t see evidence of long-term strategy or a master manipulator who is pulling the right strings. But the personal style Trump developed (or fell into) over the years is doing exactly what Jared laid out. We need to take a break from the firehose of news and terrible things, pick our battles, and above all, focus on November 6th. That is the only thing that most of us can do – vote and take back Congress.
See all y’all later!
I called it “gish-galloping into office” way back when. It is by design. They aren’t using puppets any longer – it’s robots, animatronics – you can’t see the controllers but they’re there. Once is chance, twice is coincidence – three or more times is planned and purposeful. Yes, please take care of yourself. We’re all needed but this is for the long haul. We stand our tour on the walls, then eat & rest while somebody else stands “our” station in turn. Healing Energy and {{{HUGS}}}
Thanks for sharing this good advice Jan. My PT talked to me yesterday about how increased muscle tension can increase pain and anxiety, especially at night. I was hesitant to mention the tRump angst I’m suffering from but I did (carefully) and her response was strong, “…..someone needs to take away his twitter machine and make him stop scaring me and my kids!” I have to hope millions of American voters are feeling the same way.
76 inside and out so I need to close up soon. Humidity seems to be increasing. Sigh. That means even the lower temps will be less comfortable. Woke up groggy this morning and can’t seem to shake it. Overcast skies aren’t helping with that. Got over 21 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 413. That’s 87 to reach 500 and 6 days to do it – very possible IF the sun shines. Which it’s not at the moment.
The latest OMGHOF will turn out to be another “red meat to the base fundraiser” with little or no substance – but giving the Rs the win-win of raising money and distracting us from things like 3-D guns, Puerto Rico, and getting the stolen kids back. Hillary’s help keeping the last on the radar is good. She’s using her microphone and signal-boosting ability to very good purposes, bless her. But of course she does. That’s who she is. Meanwhile I do my very small signal boosting and drop $5, $10, & sometimes even $25 to help. It’s what I can do so I do it.
Need to get some coffee. This groggy is not going away. Healing Energy to everybody. Bright the Day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Hope you’ll feel better, bfitz!
Good morning, 64 and sunny in Bellingham. Between two long naps and a PT appointment I didn’t get to the garden shop yesterday so I’ll try again today.
I’ve also got a fun book to read, Brief Cases by Jim Butcher……
Take good care everyone.
I have missed Harry. Too long since there was a new book.
Good morning, meeses! Finally Friday …
It is 59 degrees in Madison with and expected daytime high of 73 – nearly perfect. The forecast calls for sunny with cloudy periods.
Good polling news from the upper Midwest where the NBC poll shows Democrats winning governor races in Wisconsin and Michigan and holding onto Minnesota – and Senators in all three states retaining their seats. Those three states, two which went tRump and one that stayed blue by a whisker, don’t like the orange vomitsack and won’t support his re-election. I am hoping Republican incumbents in the state legislatures embrace trumpism and go down clinging to the Orange Boat Anchor. Both Republicans running for the Senate nomination in Wisconsin are trumpers of varying degrees and my advice to them is “Please proceed.”
We have a full moon and a mercury retrograde at the same time. I am not sure if the illumination from the full moon will help counteract the miscommunications from the retrograde but yesterday was nuts! I finally got off my computer at about 2:00 not sure what I had accomplished but exhausted from the interactions. Today will not be much better – I have several errands to run and a possible short trip. Anyway, the full moon is spectacular – there is an eclipse visible in the southern hemisphere which they say will last for longer than normal. We saw her all night and I am watching her disappear in the western skies now.
See all y’all later!
Friday Meese
67 going up to 88 with rain here in NY
Am furious that the death count study – farmed out to a mainland university still has no results and they want more money
Puerto Rico has scholars and researchers I’ve worked with in the past and they are far better prepared to have conducted this study
That’s ridiculous that the mainland university wants more money, yet hasn’t produced any results! Scam, scam, scam. One day we’ll control all three branches and then we’ll agitate to get PR the attention and help it needs and deserves.
{{{Diana))) It’s on purpose. Just because twitler rants like a madman, don’t be fooled into thinking anything Deplorable govt does is incompetence. He’s not the leader, he’s the scum on the seldom-emptied, never-cleaned slopbucket – the R party, all of them, make up the slopbucket and its disgusting contents. We are looking at deliberate genocide in every direction. If the population in question is perceived “not white Xtian” they’re targets. Doesn’t matter how many white Xtians get clobbered by the actions as long as the meme of “not white Xtian” is believed. And yes, the only way to stop this is getting back in office at all levels – and long enough to get the vermin & sleepers out of the civil service positions as well. moar {{{HUGS}}}
It’s kinda sad that upper 70s feels cool. Heading toward the 11th 100+ degree day in a row. But supposedly next week, it’ll go down to mere upper 90s.
Liquid water ‘lake’ revealed on Mars — so excited about this. Yeah, the Cohen stuff and recordings and blah blah blah. But — there’s definitely water on Mars, y’all!
Good Friday morning, Moosekind! It’s fair this morning with a mackerel sky of cirrus clouds over the blue and weak sunlight. We will not be able to see the full moon tonight because, as usual on esbats, we’ll have thunderstorms that will obscure the glorious sight.
Currently the temp. in Ashburn is 69 F., going up to 88 F. This will be a busy weekend, with a writers’ group meeting (and group photograph) at 3 p.m., picking up Mr. Preschooler earlier, and cooking dinner at home tonight. Tomorrow is Mr. Toddler’s birthday party, and on Sunday there’s a Formula I race to watch. In between all this I hope to get some writing done.
It does seem as if things are coming to a head, now they’ve subpoenaed Thing’s accountant. “Follow the money” has been the order of the day since Watergate. However, we’ve all been “waitin’ and wishin’ and hopin'” à la Dusty Springfield for so long I’m not sure I have any hope left.
Wishing a nice, quiet day for all at the Pond and Beyond!
65 just after dawn, still 67, and heading for 85 (air temp anyway, we shall see about the heat index). Aji’s been saying (I’m seriously paraphrasing here) somebody excised a month out of summer, started late and ended early, as far as wind & water patterns and native flora’s reactions are concerned. Pretty much same here – started late after that April hard freeze hit everything blooming and apparently the baby birds as well since I’ve got a bunch of juveniles at my feeder right now that have to be a “second try” but these temps aren’t July. They’re not even August. Overnight lows this time of year should be in the upper 70s with daytime highs hitting the century mark. I’m happy with it since it means I’ve seldom had my A/C on this summer but it’s weird. Cloudy yesterday and I only got 6.6 KWHs. The m-t-d is 420 so 80 to reach 500 for the month and 5 days to do it in. Very possible – IF the sun shines. Which it is at the moment.
Checking my twitter timeline a couple of times a day means most of the hit-and-run gish-galloping the Rs are doing have already been and gone again by the time I know about it. That helps. I know there’s a ravaging beast outside the walls and I do what I can, which isn’t much, to help keep it at bay – but I’m not going to waste energy on it’s feints and I’m not going to watch it feed. I don’t have enough energy to waste on horrified despair either. So. postcards, a very few phone calls, a (very) little money here and there, and tweeting/RTing “Moose & Squirrel” posts. And a lot of Channeling Healing Energy to everyone everywhere. Nice thing about Healing Energy – it’s “Bright Purposed” and can’t be distorted into something evil.
This time next Friday I’ll be on the road to NOLA and Denise. Hopefully about half way or more to Little Rock – I wish it were as simple as I-49 to I-40 to I-55. sigh. But I’ll manage. Not gonna have nearly as much time with her as I’d like but it’s sure as heck better than not seeing her at all which is what I thought was going on. I’ll get about the same amount of time with my brother on the way back from WDW. Meanwhile – coffee, get more addresses from the postcard people, do the protest at the Courthouse at noon. Healing Energy to everybody. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, Meesefolk; it was 63 when I got up this morning, with an expected high of only 73. It’s not even supposed to break out of the 70s until late next week; I’m not complaining at all, but this is not what I expect for late July/early August. Greyer than grey today too, but it doesn’t look like we’ll see any rain until the middle of next week.
Diana, I took your suggestion to heart and ordered the first three Blanche books. They should arrive by Tuesday, so I’ll be able to happily immerse myself after that, and it will be guilt-free too, since I’ll be “researching” for a post! I haven’t gone on Twitter yet today, but I will be watching to see how the judge reacts to the government’s claims that some of the Children are “ineligible” for reunification with their parents. If I were a betting person, I’d say that the deadline will be extended, since I’m not sure what else the judge can do. But I am even more pissed off than I already was; in what world does the government get to declare a parent somehow unfit without full hearings, representation, and due process?
Good morning, 63 and sunny in Bellingham. My usual morning refrain…..sleepy, slow, sick of tRump, and late for the pool :)
Time to find my swimsuit and a quick cup of coffee. Take care everyone.