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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Good morning, 43 and partly cloudy in Bellingham. I had plans for today, but woke up with a stiff neck. I’ve got a heated rice pack wrapped around my shoulders so I hope that helps. I suspect my anger and frustration re the ugly tRump mess some people in our country are reveling in made me clench my teeth while sleeping. So I’m going to try to avoid the news of the day as best I can.
Take care everyone.
I have found that skipping news immersion first thing in the morning saves me at least an hour and lots of angst. I scan the headlines on my aggregation site just to be sure I am not missing something I need to know, save off a few promising stories then go back to my work projects. After lunch, when I am finished with project work, I flip through Twitter to see what is new and to read the articles I saved off. By changing my news feeds from a firehose to a drinking fountain where I can take careful sips, I can better manage my sadness and anger. A lot of us are struggling with the wounds that the Ford testimony and the outright misogyny of the Republican Senators and their president have reopened – we need to take care of ourselves so that we can be part of the resistance and not collateral damage. It is a difficult balance.
That’s sensible, Jan. You’re right about the anger and sadness.
Very wise, Jan. That firehose is the principal weapon they’ve been using on us since the beginning. It’s a powerful weapon if they are controlling it. But we have the strength to control that power, too. At least to the extent of not letting it damage us. ❤
Stilled pissed at Republicans here in Costa Mesa with temperature of 72.
MVgal, I immediately visualized your going around to all the Republicans in Costa Mesa with a thermometer and scolding them if their temperatures turned out to be 72—LOL!
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Okay, still pissed but at least chuckling at what I’ve typed.
Stay pissed – channel the anger (which you’re doing ????) into precinct work and GOTV. If that temp’s the high, nice. If the low, not so good. ????
I did another lip sync video. The Walk theme this year is “step to zero” so I used that song from the 80s, Saved By Zero:
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 50 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 59. Cloudy and rainy today, the first of 6 days of expected rainy weather.
When I went to bed last night, the news seemed to suggest that the Kavanaugh confirmation was leaking Republican votes. Heidi Heitkamp courageously signaled her intent to vote NO and the only remaining Democrat who has not weighed in is Joe Manchin. Last I heard, he was still trying to read the FBI “investigation” report but kept getting kicked out of the sekrit room Mitch McConnell set up for Senators to read the 1,000 page document one hour at a time. I believe that they are going to vote on cloture today setting up a vote on Saturday or Sunday. One Republican Senator said he can’t make it Saturday so Sunday is the safer bet. Chuck GrASSley has said that they have not heard from four Senators and people were speculating that Cory Gardner of Colorado was the guy who was (pretending to be?) still weighing his vote. The people who are in the “he does not have the judicial demeanor after his rant during the hearing” camp apparently struck a nerve because Kavanaugh wrote a “I will never hit you again” op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. Since it is a Republican mouthpiece, that op-ed has to be for Republican waverers, not Democrats. Anyway, the drama is not over yet.
For what it is worth, I think it is bs that the Kavanaugh confirmation is a distraction from the important work that Bernie Sanders wants people to focus on – we can multi-task and, really, the issues that Bernie Sanders wants people to focus on are ratfking a few House races. I never thought that “Medicare for All” as a name for single-payer was a smart strategy and I don’t think running on single-payer in this election is a good idea. We can run on protecting the ACA and pre-existing conditions and the essential benefits requirements this year. There is plenty of time after we win back the House to craft a health care policy that will improve on the ACA first adding a public option then using that to demonstrate how single-payer would work. We win in 2018 on saving the ACA, we win on bringing back government oversight, we win on protecting Medicare and Social Security.
See all y’all later!
So sick of BS and his BS.
Very well put, Dee! :)
The two meanings for BS have so paired themselves in my mind it’s a wonder I don’t slip and call him that. ???? ????????
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Friday Meese
52 going up to 65 here in Saugerties NY.
Sitting here grinning because I’m using the puter without wearing glasses for the first time in 20 years.
Trying to stay sane and hopeful that we will do the blue wave in just a few weeks.
Yay for reading a computer without glasses! I am envious of you – as I age it gets more difficult to find the right head angle to see the computer screen properly.
There will be a blue wave – I am convinced that the “Kavanaugh bump” that Republicans are claiming is a figment of their imagination. I still believe that the election will hinge on health care and oversight and that the only “Kavanaugh bump” will come if the Republicans force him through and then we add “Justice Kavanaugh plans to rule against the protections for pre-existing conditions” to the campaign ads as a way to get people to the polls.
Yay for your wonderful new eyes, Dee!
{{{Denise}}} – W00t!!! about being able to see again! ???????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ????????????
That’s just amazing…enjoy!
Yea! from someone still wearing glasses.
Friday, yay! And 1st weekend of the Austin City Limits Fest. I don’t have a ticket, so I will watch Sir Paul, Hozier, and whoever else on youtube. Which is fine — no crowds, no being on my feet too long, or dealing with drunks. Speaking of: the vote on Kavanaugh today, I’m trying not to be furious about it, but throttling Mitch McConnell in his cradle is working its way to the top of my Tardis list. Not above saving Stevie Ray Vaughn, Prince, John Lennon, Michael Hutchence, and giving David Bowie early warning about his cancer so maybe saving him. But right below the “saving people” item is doing something about him, decades ago. Today’s song is one I heard about from U2: Women Of The World. Lyrics are simple: women of the world, take over, because if you don’t the world will come to an end, it won’t take long.
Enjoy your Austin City Limits via youtube. ???????????? It was noisy and crowded enough back when I lived in Austin. It’s got to be exponentially worse now.
Better than strangling anybody at birth (although a bunch deserve it), go back to 1978 and stop the changes in law and FCC rules that allowed media consolidation. The Rs would not be in power right now if it weren’t for the Kochs et al turning the “free” press into a RW propaganda machine. ????????????
Good Friday morning, Moosekind. The tree in the woods I can see outside my window is already so bare of leaves I can see the few apples still clinging to some of the branches. The wind will eventually blow them down for the deer and rabbits. Yesterday it was 90 F.! Right now in Ashburn it’s cloudy and 63 F., going up to 74 F. Next week the temps. will be in the low 80s, which we’ll miss as we’ll be away.
Another busy day looms. Hope to attend a meeting this morning about the health care program here. I was going to skip getting a mammogram this year but yesterday I talked to our neighbor across the hall. Her mammogram caught a lump that was so deep inside it couldn’t be felt by fingers. She is now in talks with the surgery and oncology team. This makes me think it’s better to be safe than sorry.
This afternoon is the Writers’ Group meeting. I’m seriously tempted to quit the group as the “leader” has no control over the people in it. We’re supposed to read our writings for 5 minutes each but some people take 10 minutes and others take 20, which is very inconsiderate. The meetings are supposed to last for an hour, which leaves some people no time to read. Moreover, they’re a staid bunch. I’m going to shake them up by reading the third chapter of Saving the World Through Sex, just to see what happens.
We have the original and two copies of The Letter, and I’m going to ask Dearly to make copies of the colored pages of our passports. Some of our relatives in Kent are already making plans to meet us for dinner next week.
Hoping this will be a dull Friday for all at the Pond and Beyond, but not counting on it…
A dull Friday would be welcome. We are all still waiting for shoes to drop from the Mueller investigation – or not! It is possible that he is respecting the pre-election silence that James “I hate wimmins” Comey never did, to his eternal shame.
Have fun shaking up the Writers’ group. Getting ready for the trip sounds good. Also very much hoping for a dull and boring Friday. ????✈???? ????????????
There are many forms of resistance; shaking up the Writer’s Group may be one form of yours!
Thanks for the book recs yesterday; I’m one chapter away from finishing the first Agatha Raisin book, and it was just what I needed…a feisty, often curmudgeonly, older woman finding her way? For some reason, I can relate to the character wholeheartedly!
You’re welcome, DoReMI! The latest Agatha Raisin book just landed in my Kindle app, so now I have something to read on the plane going over. (I’m not terribly keen on watching movies on the plane, they’re generally boring and interrupted by the food service anyway).
Reading is a very pleasant, entirely legal anodyne with no dangerous side effects.
In Fay., AR it’s 70 with 100% humidity heading for mid 80s which is the peak of this warming spell. We’re supposed to start inching down again beginning tomorrow. The projected rain’s been going north of us – but it continues to be projected through next week. Got 11.4 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 47 – still on track for 300+ but we shall see what we shall see. Need to check in a few places online, then getting back off again. I spent most of yesterday offline and it definitely helps my stomach and my sleep. Wish it were cooler though. I’ve been hankering for an apple pie but it’s too warm to have the oven on. Oh well, I have the ingredients and will wait upon the weather. Healing Energy to everybody shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. ????????????{{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 45 and cloudy in Bellingham. My stiff neck is better this morning but I still have to be careful turning my head. I’ve got music playing and have only glanced at the news and that’s my plan for the day!
I replaced my old and very slow mini iPad yesterday so I have a few things to learn, and to find. Where are my missing photos?!!! I read on it with the Kindle app so I got the a non glare screen cover. I hope that will make reading outdoors easier than it was this summer.
Take care everyone.
{{{princesspat}}} try alternating ice and heat for your neck. Healing Energy & moar {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, Meesefolk; 39 when I got up this morning with an expected high of 55. I had the bedroom windows wide open last night, but it was one of Hubby’s night’s home, so between the Human and Canine Furnaces, I was nice and toasty and actually slept pretty well.
My mood was spiraling out of control yesterday, so I backed away [mostly] from the internet. It looks like I’m going to do the same today, although today I can “blame” work. It looks like Manchin will vote like a man, rather than a Dem; usually I’m willing to cut a red state Dem some slack, but this isn’t one of those times. Heidi Heitkamp showed us what she’s made of. I’m afraid Manchin is going to do the same thing by voting yes.
On Manchin, it appears that once his vote was not going to stop the confirmation, he decided not to risk that it would trigger any of his voters. He actually has a better record on voting for reproductive rights than some of his fellow Democrats and certainly better than Collins or Flake. Heitkamp is the true profile in courage – her vote was also superfluous but she chose to come out against the perjurer with the partisan rage. She may lose her seat and it may prove to be the one that we needed to regain the majority but her statement about the Kavanaugh vote will be an important reminder of what the Republicans did to the court.
My current fantasy about Manchin is that he win in a squeaker…and that women boycott and/or protest at his victory celebration. But I’m enough of a pragmatist to realize he’s better than the alternative, although if I had to vote for him, it would be stomach-churning.
Good morning meese. Late checkin from Folsom with current temp of 58 and high of 76. The intersection near my house was closed in all directions with lots of police. I couldn’t make out what happened, but I saw an SUV, a motorcycle and a tow truck. Hoping it wasn’t a fatal accident…
Hope not, too. Sending Healing Energy in your direction – both to you directly and to the accident folks. ????????????
Good morning fellow meeses. It’s partly cloudy here in Costa Mesa with a temperature of 71. My state wide library committee is starting to gear up. All the community college libraries will all linked together using the same library software. I’m reading whole bunches of background material on the new system. We’re trying the first virtual meeting the third week of the month. More updates to follow.
Hope they worked out most of the bugs before they started this process! ????????❤
It’s not your mother’s library anymore!
Saturday Meese
51 here in Saugerties going up to a rainy 66.
Snap.
PR
Good morning, meeses. Saturday …
It is 55 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 57. It is raining now but expected to end soon giving us cloudy skies. The rain will begin again tonight. It sounded like constant rain all night long at times quite heavy and there are flood warnings for some of areas of the city. :(
Well, it is done. It was probably done back in July when they named Kavanaugh to take Kennedy’s seat on the court. For what it is worth, the Kennedy votes the last term were not much different than the Kavanaugh votes would have been – that session yielded 5-4 anti-woman, anti-union, anti-immigrant, anti-voting rights and anti-LGBT decisions. The difference now is that the sneering drink-reddened face of Brett Kavanaugh, another butthurt privileged man, will be delivering the rulings. I will say it again – the court has been illegitimate since the Rehnquist court put their thumbs on the scale to make sure a Republican was given the presidency and every single Republican member of the court got there by either lying or being the nominee of an illegitimate president – or both! The Republicans have captured the court but in the process they have destroyed its legitimacy and its standing. We will take back Congress then the presidency and they will be left with their Pyrrhic victory as the court becomes the only thing Republicans control – and we craft legislation that bypasses its jurisdiction and use the states to add amendments to the Constitution to protect voting rights and guarantee that there will never be another stolen election.
And, gawd, anyone who thought that Susan Collins was an ally has not been paying attention over the past 20 years. No Republican is an ally – their party needs to be burned to the ground and every last ember stomped until there is nothing left.
See all y’all later!
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s another cloudy day here in Northern Virginia. What gives? The current temperature is 62 F., going up to 77 F. Yesterday it stayed cloudy until tea time, when all of a sudden we were treated to blue skies and sunshine.
Ashby Ponds is having a fall festival today. I wanted to take The Littles—well, at least the nearer ones—to it, but their mother wants them to attend a church picnic, so that’s that. It’s just as well because today is the day we must pack, leaving one-third of our carry-on suitcases empty. We plan to buy rain jackets at Marks & Sparks.
Yesterday at the Writers’ Group meeting I read a few pages of Chapter 3 from Saving the World Through Sex. I passed around a hard copy of the cover so they could see what Carmela Sandoval looked like. Despite the fact that Chapter 3 is the least sexy in the book, from where I sat those listenng looked as if they’d rather be harvesting opium poppies in Afghanistan: in other words, anywhere but the Creative Arts Classroom of the Home for the Aged. Only one person commented, the man sitting beside me, who said: “I want to know what happens next!”
Other people, who read innocuous pieces about their pet canaries, received more flattering comments. It’s my turn to “lead” the meeting in two weeks and after that I’m going to drop out. They’re nice people, but too staid for me and they’re only writing for their family members. As I said before, I want to shake people up.
Enough of that. I’m not in a good mood this morning because of the Fools on the Hill. What was the Timothy Leary mantra of the Sixties? Something like “Turn on, tune in, and drop out”? Not going to use any mind-altering substances, but I’d like to think about something other than politics today.
Hope it’s a quiet, nonpolitical, satisfying day for all at the Pond.
Good morning, Meesefolk; 61 now with a rainy high of 75 expected. So much for doing yardwork today…maybe tomorrow.
It occurs to me that I’m leaving for my mini-vacation with college girlfriends Thursday (really, really early on Thursday), so I should give some thought to getting ready. We ended up choosing Duluth instead of Madison, and the long-range forecast shows highs of mid-40s. I will need to find a cardigan that can be worn with everything, since I’m not doing checked baggage. Fortunately, our idea of a night out has evolved to bottle(s) of good wine and snacks in the room, which means no dress shoes or fancy attire required. So today will be devoted to the mundane: picking up dry cleaning, doing laundry, preliminary packing. It’s a distraction, and one I’m going to embrace.
That sounds like an exciting and fun trip!
Maybe not exciting, but always fun. And lots of silliness…we haven’t lost our ability to laugh at even the smallest moments…even without wine. ????
Being with friends is headier than the most powerful of intoxicants. ????????????
Good morning meese. 58 with high of 77 here, and no more rain in the forecast for now. Oh well. It was good to have a little break!
I picked up the first Agatha Raisin book on a whim yesterday and started reading it last night. I think I’m in love with her. She’s like a modern day version of Jane Marple but without the easy (and to me at times too convenient) familiarity with village life. The quiche mystery…!
Thank you Diana and DoReMI for the recommendations! ❤️????
{{{basket}}}! Read and enjoy!
She’s so flawed…irascible and often unlikable, but I’m still drawn to her. On the third book now, despite knowing that this is to the detriment of my Tuesday post!
Breaks are good – give you a breather and the energy to deal with the not-so-good. And “cozy” mysteries – and some science fantasy – are a very good way to do it. ????????????
Slept really, really well. Wake up to the nightmare of this corrupt cesspool we call a government. I hope people in Maine & West Virginia follow their senators at all public events chanting “shame”. I asked for book suggestions while I wait for Rebecca Traister’s book from the library — and she herself responded to me! Squee! Anyway, I’m watching Joy Reid’s show — opening panel is a great one of smart women. Women Of The World, Take Over.
Back from shopping – mostly stocking up this week as the Co-op is doing its Owner Appreciation Weekend (October & April) and everything is 15% discounted. So I got supplements, non-toxic, non-allergenic cleaning supplies, and 100% post-consumer recycled paper products – and a little food. 71 heading for 81 and 100% humidity. Maybe rain, maybe not. Temps will be inching down over the next week. Partly cloudy at the moment. Got just over 10 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 57.8 so still on track for reaching 300 this month. Yesterday sucked. It wasn’t surprising but it still sucked. We’ve got to get Congress back. And someday, somehow, we’ve got to get a “free” press back. As long as the MSM is the propaganda arm for the same group that the Rs are the political arm, we will be able to do enough damage control to keep the Ship of State afloat – that and only that, and only because the owners want the Ship of State kept afloat. Nothing more. Meanwhile, one foot in front of the other. We do whatever we can find to do to make things better. Healing Energy to everybody shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 41 and partly cloudy in Bellingham. RonK and our sons are going for a hike on Mt Baker this morning so I have a quiet day ahead. I hope to finish the last two pillows and to stay away from the news. Teeth clenching anger isn’t good for my health!
Take care everyone.
Staying away from the news is much better for your health! Do what your hands find to do, those are the loving, caring acts that brighten Life itself. ❤❤❤
For the first time in my life, I have TMJ symptoms, and since it started only about two weeks ago, I’m reasonably certain it’s Kavanaugh-related. Rapey, dunk frat boys who haven’t grown up (to quote Orrin Hatch) are apparently a huge stressor for me. For now, I’m just giving up raw apples (but not baked!) and keeping nsaids nearby; teeth clenching anger will eventually find home in something productive…like voting. But sewing sounds good too; I have a few small projects begging for completion, so I may follow your example.