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”, Motley Meese! The week begins …
Morning low of 21 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 37. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast.
Have a great day, all y’alls!!
Sunday Meese
Yawn…I overslept….
32 here in Saugerties NY going up to 43.
Bobby just sent me this – pray that it goes away
Trump is a vindictive sociopath
Denise, I hope that new storm will dissipate! Dear Goddess, PR does not need another “weather event,” as forecasters have renamed storms.
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s beautifully clear in Ashburn, with a current temp. of 32 F., going up to 46 F. later. Yesterday’s bitter wind appears to have stopped.
Speaking of yesterday, I went to the Holiday Bazaar in the main clubhouse with my two little boxes of brownies to donate. It was an enormously impressive event! Normally I pay little attention to the people making and painting ceramics, the wood-working guys, the knitters and quilters and seamstresses, but their offerings were magnificent! I regret that I couldn’t buy one of the knitted toys for a grandchild, but the youngest is three and with two sets of adoring grandparents, he has enough stuffed animals to open his own store.
I bought what I came for (a tablecloth, a set of cloth coasters, and two potholders) and was glad to have spent the money. All proceeds from the bazaar will go to the Benevolent Fund. The nice thing about Ashby Ponds is that the organization will never turn you out into the street if you outlive your money: there are four people here in that situation. Their monthly expenses are paid for out of the Benevolent Fund. I’ll be interested to hear how much money the bazaar took in.
In other news, I actually worked on the book yesterday. Now I’m at the end of chapter 3 and need to think up something exciting. Half of the chapter was devoted to the main character’s backstory: lots of narrative, which is always bad. Dialogue adds interest.
I’ll be out of reach tomorrow for a good bit of the day as I’m going to Arlington to look after Mr. Preschooler. His nursery school has a holiday but his parents do not. Wishing everyone at the Pond a good day on this solemn remembrance of Armistice Day. Imagine, it was 100 years ago. What have we learned since then? I’ll tell you: women are better at running things, including government.
Oh my gosh, it’s cold! 47 degrees, brrrrr. Definitely tights to church. Today: cooking & moving my plants together so I can cover them on Tuesday. Maybe my neighbor will finally paint my ceiling.
Here’s You’re The Best Thing About Me from the Dublin show last night.
This morning’s low, without making it above freezing, was still 10 degrees above yesterday’s low – gave everything a head start and the bird water is already thawed. ???????? We’re doing a partly cloudy day (I hope very partly) but the sun is at least there and the PV system is producing. We got 8.1 KWHs yesterday which put us a hair under the 60 that’s on track for a 180 month. I hope we get something similar today because we certainly aren’t going to tomorrow which is supposed to start with rain but become snow by the time we’re at work and stay snowing until after dark.
I baked oatmeal walnut cookies yesterday. Made the house smell really nice. Ran some errands with my friend after which she treated me to lunch. There’s now a burger place fairly close by that has GF buns. Hamburgers were always a treat in my family but never more so than now when I can’t eat them except when we find such a place. Keeping the fire going means the living area is pleasantly warm to me (at bit overly warm for my friend) but goes through wood fast. I hope that cord I’m expecting next week is a) delivered on time, b) is decent wood like oak, c) is actually cut to 14″ or less, d) hasn’t gone up in price since I ordered it 2 months ago. Seriously holding Good Thoughts and Channeling Healing Energy to everybody, right now especially Aji & earicicle as they’ve got more than a boatload of special issues right now. Seriously hoping that storm circles back into the mid Atlantic and peters out. Need to get some coffee and get back to my Sunday chores. Healing Energy to everybody everywhere shaped to the need (from storms on the east coast to fires on the west coast & everything in between – & also everything in between if one goes west to east instead of east to west). Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Sunday diary up
Good morning, 35 and will be sunny when the fog lifts. Thanks to a low energy day yesterday I’m woefully unprepared for tonight’s birthday dinner. RonK will do the cooking, but gifts, flowers, and set up are my duties. He’s ready and I’m not!
Flowers first, with hope my energy lasts for the rest :)
Take care everyone.
I logged in on mt phone, hoping I could share my pictures….. but no. Also couldn’t share my Facebook post. So here’s a link where I posted them at the orange place:
https://www.dailykos.com/comments/1808151/71971012
Monday Meese
26 degrees going up to 49 here in Saugerties NY
Last month WaPo reported this story,
which is now gaining traction because of this story:
I just read about that! I won’t click on Axios, they are the bastard child of Politico and the worst instincts of the New York Times. Digby has a good summary of his attacks on not just Puerto Rico but any state that won’t kowtow to him :
Good morning, meeses! Monday …
It is 28 degrees in Madison and that is also the expected daytime high. Sunny this morning, a few scattered clouds this afternoon then clear in the evening. Overnight and into tomorrow we will get our first below zero wind chills. It is too early for winter!
It is interesting reading about what the new Democratic House will be doing: their first bill, H.R 1, will be an omnibus voting rights and elections bill:
Obviously Trump won’t sign that bill even if the Senate passed it. Personally, I would prefer a separate bill to strengthen the Voting Rights Act because it might have a chance of passing the Senate. There is plenty of time to pass the “vote for us in 2020 and you will get these nice things” bills.
Votes are still being counted in Arizona but the number of uncounted ballots is shrinking as Kyrsten Sinema’s lead increases – it is probably over. The Democratic candidate for Secretary of State just went ahead for the first time (by 150 votes!) so there might be even more good news. The SoS is not just the first in the line of succession to the governor but also has a big say in how elections are run. Having her in place for 2020 (and the special Senate election that will occur in 2019) would be huge.
I am going to ignore the Florida recount for a while and hope that Marc Elias and his team can stop the worst that Rick Scott is attempting. It appears that the most likely cause of Nelson’s demise is going to turn out to be a poorly designed ballot in one of the counties – they put the Senate race at the bottom of a column of eye glazing instructions rather than in a prominent place on the ballot and many people did not vote in that race. :::sigh::: And third party candidates from the left appear to have sunk Andrew Gilllum’s election. I wish people were smarter about understanding the two-party system. You don’t get better candidates by ratfking elections, you get better candidates by choosing one of the two parties and working within it to get candidates who care about your issues.
Busy day here – I am still not caught up from the distraction of the election putting me behind on project work.
See all y’all later!
It’s cold this morning, and this is the warm point of today. They’re now saying it will freeze tonight. Oh — and it’s raining now. Which will make tomorrow fun. Today I wore wool socks, a turtleneck, sweatshirt, hat & gloves. Tomorrow…..even more layers.
New Year’s Day (because of all the snow) I have now idea why I can only find a video with Spanish subtitles, but anyway.
Good morning, Meese! Yikes, Apple threw the fear of Goddess into me this morning by refusing to accept my password. This is an ongoing problem with Apple. I sweartagoddess, if it ever happens that I get up in the morning and don’t have a problem with my computer, I’m going to put a lampshade on my head and sing comic songs.
Luckily I do have a spare lampshade.
It’s kinda gray this morning here in Ashburn, with the current temp. at 32 F., going up to 48 F. later. Rain is expected at evening rush hour, which means it’ll actually arrive after lunch.
Yesterday I wrote 2,000 words, including all of Chapter 4! The characters did something I wasn’t anticipating, which made it tremendous fun to write. I was so excited about it all that I couldn’t get to sleep, so got up and came into the living room to sleep in the green chair. I’m bound to flake out this afternoon after I get home.
In exactly half an hour I have to leave to drive to Arlington to look after Mr. Preschooler. Wishing all a nice, QUIET day at the Pond!
Hi Meeses – 36 wind chill 32 and “wintry mix” at the moment. The streets are warm enough that nothing is sticking and the temps shouldn’t fall enough to be a problem until dark but dawn tomorrow is projected to be 20 so we shall see what we shall see. Got over 8 KWHs yesterday which with a m-t-d of 68 did put us on track for the month – but I’m betting today we’ll fall under again. I just hope we don’t get the snow on my solar panels. Tomorrow isn’t supposed to get above freezing so snow on the solar panels means no production until the sun sublimes it off. I did breakfast sausages and meatloaf yesterday so the house still smells good, it just doesn’t smell like oatmeal cookies any longer. ????
I don’t know where my calm is coming from – it’s certainly not apathy or outrage fatigue – but I’m glad I’ve got it. It seems to be the main thing (competence being expected) my department really missed when I left and are so delighted with now I’m back working part time. Including my friend who is currently in my old position. I’m sorry she’s so stressed – even though it’s kind of confirmation that the job is incredibly stressful and it wasn’t just me – and hope I can help her to a better place now that she’s actually in the job doing the work. It’s no longer “training” of something she doesn’t do, it’s refreshers on something she’s actually doing. I also hope whoever the new person turns out to be she (probably) can support the office as I used to/am. I’ve got that same calm regarding the nation and what’s going on. Much of it is despicable, all of it is deplorable – but we will survive. And thrive once we’ve gotten rid of the cancer. I’m doing my best to maintain the same calm for my friends in gawdawful circumstances – they’re stressed enough, they don’t need the added stress of having to deal with a friend stressed out on their behalf. Healing Energy to everybody shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
You are a good person to have around, bfitz!
Thank you. I do my best. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 36 and a pinky/blue sky outside my window. Our birthday dinner was fun last night, and I managed to get everything sewn, arranged and in place. But it was a busy day! Today RonK and Ava are taking their cameras to a creek feeding the Nooksack River to photo the salmon returning to spawn, but I’m staying put.
Best wishes to all.
Good morning, Meesefolk; 34 when I left for work this morning with a high of 39 expected. Snow is moving in tonight, but I can’t see that it will last on the ground very long with tomorrow’s high of 41.
I have no idea where the weekend went; I got very little accomplished and can’t point to anything that kept me from getting things done. I did go to my church’s annual bazaar, but I didn’t get there early enough to get my annual pair of hand knit socks. Fortunately, I bought an extra pair last year and was going to give them to The Kiddo for the holidays, but they’ve now migrated to my sock drawer. Shhh, don’t tell her…! I did get my annual kitchen towel with a crocheted top, but that was it. I did a little better at the concurrent white elephant sale; I picked up some craft supplies and scored a lawnmower for $20. When Kiddo and SIL sold their house, they left their lawnmower with the new owner, so I figured this would come in handy next spring. SIL may want to replace it, but this gives them some breathing room until they do. And The Hubby said when/if they’re done with it, he can always use it.
My nephew just sent me this article, which features several quotes by him: http://laborpress.org/cwa-afscme-aim-election-organizing-at-infrequent-voters/ I’m a proud auntie, since ten years ago he considered himself a good ol’ boy conservative and had very little political involvement. But unlike the rest of my family, he was willing to listen, learn, and grow; today’s he’s not just his local’s legislative chair, he’s a registered lobbyist for his union and travels his state, as well as other states and DC to talk with legislators. He’s not a Lefty McLeftist, but his personal growth has been very impressive.
Good day to and for all!
How exciting for you!
Thank goodness for not being a Lefty McLeftist – then you would have had to talk him out of that – which might be one epiphany too many. :) In my family, my siblings – except for the ones that moved to Colorado – are dittoheads but their kids are about half mouthbreathers, half liberals. So the replacement generation will be better.
I am excited. My sister, BIL, and most of their kids are pretty much dead to me, so it’s nice to have one person from that side of the family that I still communicate with regularly…without the “we love 45* because it pisses off libs” game playing that the others engage in. Watching my nephew grow into this impressive, articulate advocate has been a joy.
Good morning meese. Checking in late from Folsom, CA, where it’s currently 49 degrees with a high of 68. Not much smoke from fires in the air this morning as compared to yesterday and the day before, but still no weather improvement until this weekend at the earliest.
Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …
It is 18 degrees in Madison (feels like 5) with an expected daytime high of 25. Sunny skies are in the forecast.
The Arizona Senate race has been called and Kyrsten Sinema will be the new Senator from Arizona, flipping the Flake seat that has been in Republican hands for about 30 years. This sets up an interesting dynamic as Jon Kyl, who was appointed to the McCain seat, said he did not want to be in the Senate past January 2019. So the Republican governor will need to appoint someone else to fill in until the 2020 election when someone will run to fill the last two years of McCain’s term. If Kyl chooses to stay until 2020, he will have to forgo the big lobbying money he has been getting but which he could avoid accounting for in the short term arrangement he was under. There is some talk of Ducey appointing McSally to that seat as a “consolation prize” for being rejected by the voters. Sounds ideal!! Please proceed – and she will be punished in 2020 and we will pick up that seat. My fantasy scenario is that Ducey appoints Cindy McCain, she switches parties to independent and provides us with a mavericky vote to block bad Trump nominations and policies.
I was reading some of the commentary last night and picking up Arizona and Nevada turned a potentially terrible outcome into a best possible case. With the number of Senators we had in tRump states and the relatively few Republican Senators up for re-election, to end up the cycle 48-52 (or 47-53 if Nelson loses) is remarkable. At the beginning of the cycle, Tammy Baldwin was on the “easy pick-off” list – she won by 11 points. Brown in Ohio, Stabenaw in Michigan, Casey in Pennsylvania – all Trump states, all solid winners. The Republicans will be defending a lot of seats in 2020 including Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina, Maine, Iowa. Our most endangered seat will be Alabama so we should pick up net 4 and the majority to help pass President Harris’ agenda.
See all y’all later!!
Tee hee, I’m on board with the entirety of your last paragraph, Jan. :)
Tuesday Meese
38 and raining here in NYS – looks like we have snow on the way in the next day or so.
Have an upset tummy – am going back to bed.
Sister Dee, hope you’ll feel better soon! Sleep quite often helps in that situation.
Sending Healing Energy – hope the nap helps. Maybe some ginger ale (or ginger tea if you don’t want anything cold) later. {{{HUGS}}}
It took me 45 minutes to get the plants covered last night — 2 layers of old t-shirts, worn out sheets & then the plant cover thing I bought at a greenhouse. Hope that’s enough for 35 degrees. I also left the porch light on, thinking the tiny amount of heat bulb might throw out might help, too. Read a funny from a friend: “we sweat through our endless summers in Austin so we don’t have to deal with winter”.
Anyway, here’s Lights of Home from my boys in Dublin.
Good morning, Moosekind! Gray and gloomy here in NoVA, with a current temp. of 40 F., going up to 46 F. We did have rain last night and very early this morning.
Am taking it slow and easily this morning after my tiring day yesterday. I wasn’t able to leave Mr. Preschooler’s house until we had a sword fight with “light sabuhs,” which I believe I won.
Have telephone calls to make this morning and some writing chores to do. This afternoon I’ll pick up Miss Pink Cheeks from school. I wish the new school would straighten things out with the bus schedule, school pickups are now onerous because of the distance involved.
Very pleased with with the news about Sinema and it appears there’s a Democratic pickup in CA-4! Good.
Hope to have time later to catch up on Moose posts in the “Featured Posts” section.
Wishing all at the Pond a nice, quiet day.
I do love the image of you wooshing a light saber around. Enquiring minds want know…did you make your own light saber sound effects?!
No, not at all! :) One presses a button on the “light sabuh” and the sound of Darth Vader’s heavy breathing can be heard.
It’s amazing what the child remembers! We had to play “Turtles” too: we lie down on our backs, waving arms and legs in the air and lamenting that someone turned us over the wrong way. I invented it, but he remembered it and wanted us to play it again.