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.
…
Good morning, Meesefolk; 34 when I got up with an expected high of 37. It feels a lot colder than it is because of the damp in the air, so I’m layered up like a cake looking for a birthday.
My to-do list for our holiday visit is slowly, but surely, getting whittled away. I got the dresser I’m taking down into my car, but I’m having serious doubts that I’ll be able to fit in the child’s rocker I wanted to bring. Hubby and I are each driving our own cars, but even with that, once presents and other “priority” furniture pieces are added in, it’s going to be tight. It’s not a big deal, but I really, really wanted to be done with furniture-hauling.
SILs mother was released from the hospital last night instead of today; SIL drove her home since she is under strict orders not to drive. Fortunately, she has friends and family in her area that will help her out for now, and once she’s had the surgery and they have more answers, further conversations can be held about whether she is going to stay in Ashland or move to Columbus. With all that’s been going on, I have no idea what’s happening in the political world, beyond what I see here and at The Orange. I think I’ll keep it that way at least until after the weekend.
Good day to and for all!
I used be able to get 17 Jr. High band music stands into a Plymouth Horizon (and still have enough front-seat room to drive it). You’d be surprised how much you can widget into a vehicle when you’ve got the impetus of trying to do it all in one trip. ????????????
Healing Energy to your SIL’s mother – and your entire family. And safe travels. (Staying off the internet and ignoring the political world is a very good idea for your health and well being.) {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 47 and raining in Bellingham. I finished sewing the second set of Christmas linens yesterday, and they are wrapped and under the tree, yay! I’m rethinking the rest of my sewing plans though. Jan’s observation is correct……I love the creativity but I’m weary :)
Best wishes to all.
LOL ????????????❤❤❤????????????
This was supposed to attached to DoReMI’s reply. So more LOLs ????????????
I’m doing pretty good here in Costa Mesa under a clear sky with a temperature of 69 degrees. I had yesterday off (I got a comp day for each I worked till midnight) and took my brother Bill to see a movie. Bill has 4 herniated discs so basically he sees a movie once or twice a year. He picked Fabulous beast 2 so we went to the 3:00 showing and we got the matinee discount (Yea!). Back at work today and the big book is starting to come in. It figures. The end of the semester for the teachers is this Friday and the classified and managers get a 2 week paid vacation starting next Wednesday. The bulk of the order will come during the break and the first 2 weeks during January. It’ll get hit with the deluge starting in mid-January. At least I won’t be bored with nothing to do.
Wow, that time off is very generous. Kiddo gets the 22nd-1st off with pay; semester ended last Friday. Given the number of texts I’ve received from her today, I don’t think she’s working very hard (for at least today)!
That sounds like lovely weather (if weird for this time of year). I’m glad you had a good time with your brother for his birthday. Your system is more generous than the UA system here. The last day for faculty is this Friday and for staff is next Friday. The university is shut down as of 12/21 COB until whatever start time on 1/2 – but only 3 of those days are paid holidays – the rest is either unpaid or comes out of vacation time. (Or if the governor is feeling generous he authorizes overtime to cover it. But of course the department in question has to have the overtime work for them to do in the appropriate timeframe – it must be done between 12/1 and 12/21.) Our deluge starting mid-January is entering the classes for May Intersession, Summer, August Intersession, and Fall. So yeah, not bored. ???????? {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 30 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 41. Sunny skies are in the forecast.
We are being buried in an Imelda Marcos closetful of shoes dropping! I hope people are able to keep up with all the investigations; the good news is that some are coming from New York State where the orange vomitsack has no pardon powers. May the prisons of New York fill with Trumps and their enablers.
The news will probably be light for a while now that the Republican House has shuttered itself for the next week – they appear to have no interest in stopping the government shutdown. I don’t see any way that the government stays open and – in fact – it may never open again. tRump will be unable to back down from his threats or give up his wall after it has been linked now to his short stubby — fingers. I wish he would resign so we would have a chance to get back to some semblance of normalcy. I had hoped for my anxiety to go down after the election but I am not feeling it yet. Maybe on January 3rd, when Nancy Pelosi moves into the line of succession.
See all y’all later!
ohmygoshitscold. Yesterday I barely needed long sleeves for the morning walk. This morning, it.s 40 degrees, with 20+ mph wind gusts. It feels like the arctic out there. So, no I didn’t walk this morning. Music: Give Love For Christmas — the Temptations.
All I have to say today is “RIP”
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s gray and misty here in NoVa, with a current temperature of 34 F., going up to 45 F. later. It’s supposed to rain for the next three days but we haven’t seen it yet.
We arrived back from London at 10 p.m. last night. Poor Dearly Beloved will spend most of the day in bed. I’m feeling quite tired too. There is supposed to be a big demonstration in front of NRA HQ today, with media attention, as today is the heartbreaking anniversary of the slaughter in Newtown four years ago. Denise showed pix of the murdered children and teachers at Orange. That, along with the completely cruel and unnecessary death of the seven-year-old child at the border, has me feeling somber.
Anyway, there was nothing in my email about the Grannies here going to demonstrate, so perhaps I’ll just stay home and do some much-needed tidying. After all, a person is coming at 11 to talk about The Carpet, the cleaning of. If they can do it before Boxing Day, fine. If they can’t, we’ll put it off.
Dearly Beloved is feeling the effects of traveling 7,000 miles in three days, even though it was in relative comfort, so he’s probably going to spend most of the day in bed. We will pick up the dog tomorrow, most likely. Miss Pink Cheeks slept for five hours of the seven-and-a-half hour flight home. Her family were at the airport to meet her last night.
Wishing all at the Pond a good, restful day.
Glad you’re safely home. Get some rest. {{{HUGS}}}
Thanks, we will! :)
Good morning, Meesefolk; 39 now, but heading to OH where the high will be 50. I may need to rethink all the sweaters I packed.
By now, I should be loading my car, but instead, I’m still in my jammies, haven’t had my shower, and still have to wrap a few presents I forgot to do. In other words, my vacation has officially started. ???? Hubby is going to be a bit irked; he still has enough military left in him to expect schedules to be followed. It may be a good thing we’re taking separate cars after all. ????
Good day to and for all!
Safe travels and have fun. {{{HUGS}}}
Safe journey and have a good time, DoReMI!
38 feels like 29 and overcast again. We’re supposed to get rain throughout the day with the heaviest chance about the time basket (who’s still asleep at the moment) and I are heading out for coffee with an online friend. (It’s a local, vet-owned coffee shop named “Doomsday” – their “logo” is a WWI gas mask. But the coffee is good and they serve stuff I can actually eat. “Crustless” quiches and some locally-made tamales, both of which are very good, and a GF waffle I haven’t tried yet.) We only got 1.3 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d of 63 is most definitely not on track for 180. It is still possible to reach 180 but that would require averaging 6.5 KWHs a day for the rest of the month and while doable it’s not real likely. Especially since I doubt we’ll get 2 today. But we’re supposed to get 10 days of mostly sunny starting tomorrow so we shall see what we shall see.
Now that the elections are over for a bit I’m not paying a whole lot of attention to the national scene. I’m mostly focusing on individuals I know who need help and doing my best to help them. Although a shutdown will most certainly impact me. Especially if they don’t consider getting Social Security Retirement & Disability payments out to be “essential” as not only my income is involved but all the individuals I’m trying to help are on Social Security, either retirement or Disability. And of course the Disability ones are in the most serious shape. Sigh. Food, shelter, meds or medical equipment (like CPAPs) – they are necessary for life. In the “big picture” helping one or two or three to acquire those means nothing. But it means everything to the one or two or three who are helped. As Chef Bobby says, “one heart at a time”. Healing Energy to everybody everywhere shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
It’s a dreary cloudy day here in Costa Mesa with a temp of 57. Came into work today and found out the library is closing at noon instead of 3. The Dean is taking us to lunch at noon to a restaurant called Mimi’s Cafe. After lunch I can go home early and will be paid for the 4 remaing hours. Woo-hoo!
Saturday Meese. 42 degrees here in NYC going up to 48.
Black Kos has gone on vacation till January – will miss having that safe front porch space over at Dkos. For those of you who read it – we closed with Year in Review
Puerto Rico
Good morning, meeses! Saturday …
It is 19 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 45. Sunny skies are in the forecast.
I truly despise the media. Last night, when the ruling against the ACA by the whackadoodle Texas judge came out, the Twitter hair on fire reaction was that “Obamacare has been struck down!” The more measured second pass – as often happens – put some context to it: a judge ruled against not just the mandate but struck the entire law down as not severable from the mandate and did not issue any kind of injunction blocking the implementation of the law. First, the Supreme Court in 2012 already ruled on the severability and a ruling without an injunction strikes nothing down. All of that can be attributed to the MUST BE FRIST nature of the Internet but there is no excuse to create scare headlines for the next day’s news. The ACA was not struck down, the ruling insofar as it may be necessary will be appealed and if it gets to the Supreme Court, five of the justices who ruled that the ACA was constitutional in 2012 are still on the court. I have made careful note of which news outlets chose clickbait – and misleading! – headlines and heap scorn on them. And I will go back and delete my hair-on-fire tweet. :)
It is beginning to look like tRump will blink on the shutdown, spinning it as “the Democrats are creating this shutdown – when my Republicans are sworn in in January, I will get the border wall.” Fine, whatever fig leaf he needs to cover his shrinking manhood works for me. Just don’t shut down the government and leave people without needed services – and paychecks.
Busy morning here as I try to get ahead of projects that found their way to my desk yesterday – and were added to the already too-tall stack of projects that need to be done before the end of the calendar year. I was going to go Solstice tree shopping yesterday morning but got stuck at my desk so I will go today and hope the weekend crowds are not awful. I will go in the morning in the hopes that people are all sleeping in!
The Democratic Weekly Address is from the House side of the Democratic caucus so there is a video and transcript available for my Fighting Back post (thank you, staff of Speaker-designate Pelosi!). I may swap out the ass-kicking donkey for the Badass Pelosi photo in today’s post if I can find one that has good pixels and conveys the sentiment. I am drawn to the ones with flames coming out of the White House behind her. That post probably won’t happen for a while as I need to get a few things done first.
See all y’all later!
Nancy Pelosi’s daughter enjoying(!) the photoshopped White House “holiday” trees image.
(For whatever reason, the embedded image did not show so I included it separately.)
Priceless!
Good Saturn’s Day morning, Moosekind! It’s still pitch dark and raining here in Ashburn at 7 a.m. Dearly Beloved and Mr. Paw Patrol are still asleep. I woke up at 5:30 and could not fall asleep again—I must be on London time still!
We will take our grandson out to breakfast, then drop him off at home before picking up Monty Beagle from his “hotel.” Then we’ll head back to Elder Son’s house where we left half our stuff last night: my phone, my jacket, Dearly’s cane, and his glasses. It’s hard to remember everything when you’re urging a four-year-old to put on his shoes and coat and the three-year-old is giving everyone “high fives.”
Felt depressed about the ACA until I read Jan’s post just now. Hoping that after this morning the rest of the week here at the ranch will be quiet. Dearly has contracted a cold and feels less well than usual.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and to those who are traveling like DoReMI and basket!
I was extremely irritated at the media for not being more careful with their headlines – they could literally kill people if discouraged healthcare.gov shoppers think that the ACA was overturned and don’t buy coverage! Apparently, the blue state attorneys general who were participants in the Texas lawsuit had specifically asked that the ruling not be released until after the open enrollment period (they pretty much knew what it would say) but the crazy-ass Republican judge decided that dead people don’t bother him. My local paper, which feeds from AP, headlined “Judge tosses ACA as ‘invalid'” but at least included in the first paragraph that it doesn’t change 2019 coverage and will be appealed. The Milwaukee newspaper uses USA Today feeds and had the terrifying “ACA ruled unconstitutional” and their lead paragraph set everyone’s hair on fire that millions will be without coverage. It wasn’t until the 5th paragraph that they indicated that the ruling would be appealed and it wasn’t until the last paragraph (NOT on page one) that it was pointed out that the lawsuit was a literal steaming pile of crap unlikely to survive on appeal. Bastids!!
Someone other than HHS director Seema Verma must have control of the HealthcareGov Twitter account. She would have been tweeting about how it is sick people’s fault for not being rich enough to afford health care – and because of their own terrible life decisions!
One more, from Cristian Farias at the NY Times:
Slept in, watching Up, the show on MSNBC before Joy Reid. When it warms up this afternoon, I’m aiming for a walk. Otherwise, I think the only thing I need to do is buy groceries.
Found an all-holidays song by the Indigo Girls: It’s Your Holiday Song
For every voice lifted in song
The sacred place we all belong
The chance to heal a broken world
With every voice and every song
Of every boy and every girl
It’s your holiday song
No one more true, right or wrong
Our faith calls our name
Someone else’s does the same
Seeing sunshine and blue skies again – we were only clouded in 2-1/2 days running but by the 2nd day it feels like forever! Yesterday only generated 1 KWH and the m-t-d is 64. If the sun holds today we should reach 70. That doesn’t mean it isn’t chilly cuz it is – it’s 34 – but it’s heading for mid 50s so is shaping up to be a pleasant day.
Yesterday afternoon we had a lovely visit with Arkantart at the Doomsday Coffee Shop (they’re slogan – “Make Coffee Not War”) and then visited the public library. And spent the evening reading by the fire. basket’s still sleeping but once the day gets going we’re planning to visit the Country Doctors’ Museum in Lincoln (about 20 miles out) and then do the Lights of the Ozark on the Square after lighting up time. I know a couple of neighborhoods that at least used to do some serious decorating and we may tour those as well. I’m glad we’re having good weather for his last full day here.
There are benefits to being offline all day and not getting trapped in the OMGHOF of clickbait headlines is really high on the list. Healing Energy to everybody shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 44 and cloudy in Bellingham. Our grand girls are dancing in a Christmas performance tonight so we’re all going and then coming back here for a family Christmas gathering. This will be our time with Lisa and her family so it’s been a push for me to get gifts wrapped, food prepped, and of course, a few flowers arranged. And next week we’ll do it all again, ho ho! I’m endlessly grateful for such family times, but I’m a bit weary as well.
Best wishes to all.