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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I was early, so I walked more: 1.39 miles. Also, it was only 78 degrees, so yay for cooler weather. Nice cold overnight oats, tea that isn’t strong enough for the restless night I had, but at least it’s cold (after an hour & a half in the freezer, it should be) The political horror show continues.
So, I made friends with some fellow U2 fans, they are in a band called December. They did a cover — a re-interpretation really — of the song Big Country. It is soft & slow & gorgeous. You should listen to it. They also have a country-rock song about Barack Obama. No, I’m not kidding.
Thanks anotherdem……this is a lovely song. I often listen to the music you share, but I’m so late getting to the morning conversation I don’t reply.
I’m glad you like it! They are really good. They have an album of U2 covers – again really re-interpretations. And one of originals – that’s where the rockabilly tribute to Obama is, and one about the West Wing.
here’s the Barack Obama song. Country rock, by a Scottish band.
Thank you!
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 61 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 77. Chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.
Between the McSame tributes and the vulgar talking yam’s ego-injury because he is not the center of attention, the news is going to be ugly today; I will give it a pass. There were some rumblings about Mueller adhering to a “no blockbuster announcements between Labor Day and Election Day” rule* and dumping a bunch of big indictments today so I will keep half an eye on Twitter. Of course we know that it is not a rule that applies when the target of the investigation is a Democrat – thanks for destroying our country and our planet, Comey – but Mueller strikes me as a by-the-book kind of person.
Diana, people are saying that the Republicans allowing Trump to cancel the pay raise for federal workers is going to impact Barbara Comstack. I hope so! People need to realize that when Congress cedes all power to their political leader, he will take it and use it to make points instead of to govern. The teabaggers are feeling the heat from the $1.5 trillion deficit they ran up and need a “fiscally sound” thing to point to. tRump was glad to oblige because it is also a way to own the libs even though it also impacts places like West Virginia and Texas. We can run on reining in corruption and putting a check on the imperial presidency.
It is the last business day of August and there are too many things on my list to do!
See all y’all later!
Jan, thanks for the news about Comstock, that gives me hope. Rethugs forget when they unleash hate on “gummint workers” that MOST people in this area work for the “gummint” in some form.
Comstock is running a TV commercial that makes Wexton out to be the Wicked Witch of the West—scary face and eyebrows, mouth wide open. It may backfire on them. A Rethug named Jerry Kilgore ran ads years ago comparing his Democratic opponent to Hitler (and showing photos of Adolf) that totally backfired on him! People were disgusted and the Democrat won.
Can’t remember who the Dem was now. I vote in every election, so the dates and candidates kind of run together. It may have been Tim Kaine.
I think that people running ads making women look like harridans has always been questionable and this year, the Year of the Woman, it will be a third rail for them. I remember in 2012 when Tammy Baldwin was running for her Senate seat, the ads showed her in the worst possible light (hair in disarray, mouth screwed up) and with a terribly unpleasant screechy voice that they grabbed from some speech or rally. People knew that was not what she looked and sounded like and rejected the characterization and the Republican candidate. Please proceed, Republican ad makers, please proceed.
Cousin Bill Schuette, R candidate for gov here in MI, just tried a similar approach with an online ad; it was mocked so mercilessly (and included the word “policies” spelled “polices”) that it was taken down. We’ll see if version 2.0 appears anytime soon. He tried to compare Whitmer to Granholm…who hasn’t been governor for 8 years. And it showed him giving a speech with a polite, but pretty lifeless, crowd applauding (barely). The skin tones of both Granholm and Whitmer were given an unnatural tint; I’m still trying to figure out if they were trying to make them look gasp African-American. And of course, it included the obligatory black clouds scudding across the sky that is pro forma for Republican ads. I can’t say I’ve ever heard Schuette talk before, but if the clip of his speech was typical, he makes Mike Pence look like Mr. Personality. Twitter was in full mock mode; the ad was bad, but the comments were gold.
It was 66 when I got up this morning so I baked cookies. ???? I haven’t had homemade cookies in months. My own baking isn’t pretty. Not the sort of thing I’d send as a gift or take to a “dessert party” – but I like it, my kids liked it, and even some of my friends do. (The grandkids are too used to the under-baked, over-sugared, over-fatted, over-sized modern stuff. sigh.) Anyway it’s 70 now and 100% humidity going up to 86 which means the heat index will be in the upper 90s so I’ll have to close up the house in a bit – but I’ll enjoy the coolth while I still have it. Generated 10.6 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 412.8 on this last generation day of August.
Puerto Rico and Aji – not even completely to the extremes of the same thing, but large and small examples of the same thing. A totally racist and a peculiar-to-white-folks twisted “xenophobia” (that considers anyone outside the group to be not just other but alien even when the white folks are on those “others'” land) based system of genocide that refuses to assess/Dx problems, refuses to properly address/treat those problems, and spends energy that could be used to appropriately deal with those problems denying the problems exist (while implying if not stating that any problems that might exist are the victims’ fault). The land is still wonderful even with as many of her natural resources “extracted” and many/most of the people are decent – but this nation was founded on genocidal racism. Unless/until we who want to find a way to root that out we will continue to have stolen babies, dismissed health issues, and ignored disasters – the only difference will be the scope – and how much media attention they get.
Meanwhile, it’s my grandson’s 18th birthday. He’s decided he’s too old for a family party and is going to “hang out” with his friends. That feels a bit strange as of course I’ve been to the previous 17 celebrations of his birth. But then both my sons left home before their 18th birthdays, at least my grandsons have stayed with their folks until they’re more than just legally allowed to leave. I’ve sent a donation to Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree in a National Forest to honor him. Healing Energy to everybody everywhere shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 59 and sunny in Bellingham. Another slow and sleepy morning, but I’m going to the pool so time to find my swim suit and coffee.
Best wishes to all.
Good morning, meeses! Saturday …
It is 72 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 79. Light rain now with lightning in the distance, thunderstorms expected throughout the day.
Yesterday I caught a few Twitter clips from Aretha Franklin’s funeral. It turned out to be quite a marathon! Apparently the eulogy was not well received and one of the commenters in The Root’s Twitter liveblog called it “black on black” crime. Ha! But the music was great, the outpouring of love was overpowering and the Queen of Soul was honored as she deserved.
More connections between the Russian mob and the Trump campaign – and Trump. We already know that Russia ratfking the election to get their preferred candidate in the Oval Office is not a problem for Republicans – it was their preferred candidate also! – but I wonder if Russian mob money feathering tRump’s personal nest is going to make them itchy. I guess we will find out. There were no bombshell indictments of people in the campaign yesterday which makes me wonder if they are working more on plea deals as their targets ponder Manafort’s convictions. Meanwhile, the NY Attorney General is gathering evidence that the Trump Foundation is as corrupt as the man it is named after. State charges can’t be pardoned away which gives us hope that someone will pay a penalty for a lifetime of crimes.
Sixty days to the midterm and the airways are already filled with hateful ads. I saw a disgusting one during a sporting event (they should be a politics free zone, btw, for our sanity) against gubernatorial candidate Tony Evers. He is the state Superintendent of Public Instruction and as such is in charge of the process that investigates teachers who are accused of abuses. It is a long involved process to make sure that teachers have due process and the fact that some of the charges seem pretty clear cut does not shorten the investigation period. So the ads are showing pictures of little girls and men unbuckling their belts and “Tony Evers Sends Sex Offenders Back Into Classrooms”. Sigh. I wish there were a way to require fact-checking notices to be put on ads. The only recourse candidates have is a rebuttal ad but then you are just giving more attention to the mischaracterization – “No, he didn’t do this terrible thing. Oh, you didn’t hear about the terrible thing? Never mind!” Do you ignore the Swiftboating (John Kerry is the cautionary tale) or go at it directly? I certainly wish we could run on the issues but I suppose “character” is an issue that we hope to run on also. :::throws hands in the air::: Let’s just hope the campaign season moves quickly.
Senator Sherrod Brown delivered the Democratic Party’s Weekly Address and honored working people ahead of Labor Day. I should be able to get it posted in an hour or two after I catch up on some projects.
See all y’all later!
I watched the entire thing. It was awesome. The music, some of the speeches and especially from my pov – the rebukes of Donald Trump and overwhelming support shown to Auntie Maxine.
I loved seeing her Wakanda salute trending!
Saturday Meese
60 degrees here in Saugerties NY going up to 80.
Good morning, Moosekind! We had thunderstorms with lightning and rain last night, and the rain must have lasted for a while because the windows are still spattered with raindrops. The plants on my porch are somewhat wet. Currently the temp. in Ashburn is 70 F., going up to 84 F. today with more rain expected. Good.
Our poor little dog is very subdued after the terrible things that were done to him yesterday at the veterinarian’s place. We hope that in time he’ll recover something of his former spirits.
I can’t believe it’s the first of September today! It’s my little great-niece’s birthday, but Sept. 1 just sneaked up on me. I’ll send her mother an e-card, at least—they’re in Australia, so that’s the fastest way.
Hope everyone will have a good day!
I think that September snuck up on a lot of us. The good news is that it begins with a three day weekend giving me hope that I can start the work month ahead of the curve or at least caught up on August projects.
I hope Monty Beagle recovers quickly! When my little doggie started getting on in years, the vet and I decided to not have the official teeth cleaning done. She always had a tiny mouth and the combination of anesthesia and scraping and digging was more torture than treatment.
Lovely lazy Saturday. And I only need 4 lunches next week. Still working on my overnight oats recipe but it’s much easier than baking it. I should get out & walk while it’s cool…..but nah. I’m not watching the funeral but I’m just too sleepy/lazy to go walk.
73 heading for 86 – heat index might stay under 100, maybe – and sunny at the moment. Wrapped up August with 428.9 KWHs which is at least better than last year although not by much. Highest I’ve gotten in September is 458.9, so that’s the target to meet or beat. If it stays as sunny as it is right now, we’re off to a good start.
Something in the air is bugging my eyes so I’m going to have to plot my days around less online activity for a while. Oh well. There are only a few “tasks” I have set myself so if I do them and get offline instead of getting caught up in the OMGHOF it will be better for my stomach as well as my eyes. ???????????? I did enjoy the tributes to Aretha Franklin though – there were enough of them I didn’t have to wade through muck (although I did have to dodge some McCain funeral tweets) to get to them. Aretha will be remembered long after McCain is forgotten. Meanwhile I’ve got to get some stuff done so I can get over to Dem HQ by noon (football home game, kickoff at one so traffic will be horrendous). Healing Energy to everybody shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 58 and cloudy in Bellingham. A fall breeze is blowing, and I’m starting to see colored leaves on my old maple trees so it’s time to start closing windows, putting the fans away and getting the house and garden ready for winter. I’ve enjoyed the garden this summer, but I’m ready for a rest from keeping everything watered.
Best wishes to all.