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 (usually Saturday night with a Sunday date). 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, meeses! Friday …
It is 9 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 32. Sunny skies this afternoon giving way to snow into the evening and overnight. The weekend will include freezing rain, blowing snow and bitter cold. I am focused on March 1st because we need to start March and its promise of “out like a lamb” – we have the “in like a lion part” nailed!
There was so much news yesterday I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t a Friday! It certainly felt like a Friday news dump day.
There will be a new election in NC09 now that fraud has been proven. I am still waiting for an explanation about how the criminal activities of the Republican, Mark Harris, are ignored and allow him to run in the re-do election. There is a pretty good chance that in a Trump+8 district, he will win the election because of the R by his name. The Democratic House could still refuse to seat him but then it gets a little sticky – there are already a couple of Republican Congressman who are under indictment and they have been seated.
It turns out that the Democratic Party fundraiser and friend of gross and disgusting politicians got an illegal plea deal from now Secretary of Labor Acosta when he was a U.S. Attorney. I hope that there are serious penalties for this including cancelling the plea deal, sending Epstein to prison for life and charging Acosta. I am sick of men with friends in high places getting away with sexual assaults and slimey behaviour. :::insert GRRR emoji here:::
People are saying that today is Indictment Friday and the Mueller is ready to release grand jury indictments against DonJr and Kushner. Please let it be true!
See all y’all later!
Since the NC-09 elections are going back to the primary stage, I am hoping Harris doesn’t even get the R nomination. It would be easier for the D candidate to run against Harris (who may yet be indicted), but there are more important considerations than what is easier for Team D. In the meantime, I tossed a bit into McCready’s ActBlue pot as a statement about how I feel about cheaters vs non-cheaters.
Good morning meese, it’s 38 (feels like 31) with a high of 55 in Sacramento, and it is currently 39 with a high of 42 in Seattle with a 100% chance of rain. Now that’s more like typical PNW weather!
Having a breakfast and coffee at Shari’s before heading to the airport. Boarding starts in about 2 hours.
Bon voyage, friend basket!
{{{basket}}} – safe travels and enjoy your trip. {{{HUGS}}}
Friday Meese
36 degrees here in Saugerties NY going up to 42. Sitting here waiting for the plumber to show up with the part to fix my upstairs furnace – we’ve had no heat upstairs for 2 weeks.
Thoughts on BS
A Race war
Puerto Rico
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s a cloudy Friday here in Ashburn but at least it’s dry and the snow is melting, much to Monty’s delight. (Grass is better for “business” meetings.) Currently the temperature is 44 F., going up to 49 F.
Jan, sounds as if you’re in for a dismal weekend. Hope you and yours can extract some enjoyment out of being indoors. Dee, not sure whether you had a chance to see the two articles on Kamala Harris’ efforts to help PR? If only a gang of Somali pirates would kidnap McTurtle and Co., the House might be able to pass a bill to help PR and get it approved by non-villainous senators. Back on the farm, hope the plumber can solve your problem! Two weeks without heat upstairs in this weather sounds terrible.
Read to my jaw-dropping stupefaction that children in an elementary school right here in Ashburn, VA, played a “runaway slave” game in gym class for Black History month! Suspend the instigator of that travesty without pay for the rest of the year and don’t renew his or her contract.
Jan, I hope you’re right about something dropping today. Great Goddess, I remember the days—oh, years ago—when I didn’t have to think about politics and government for, like, days or even weeks at a time. Now both consume every waking moment.
Was asleep before 9 last night and didn’t wake up until a quarter to 6 this morning, so feel quite human. Big plans for today, involving doing all the stuff I haven’t done all week.
Wishing a good, reassuring day to all at the Pond and Beyond.
This!
Someone on Twitter said last week that they remember not having to think about the government for days and weeks and now they wake up worried about what fresh hell Trump and his Republican destroyers have unleashed. I will vote for whoever promises No Drama. :)
{{{Diana}}} – there are many things in life that are supposed to be boring – government and banking are really high on the list. I doubt “Vote for me, I’ll make life boring again” would work well as a campaign slogan though. ???? moar {{{HUGS}}}
Another cool, rainy day. I think I’ll move my plants back out to their summer positions this weekend. Yes it’s February & it could freeze again, but I don’t think it will; at least not a hard freeze. Also this weekend, the United Methodist Church is having a special meeting to decide what to do about the fact that GLBTQ people exist. This bothers many who call themselves Christian and we have to figure out a way to stay a church together. I hope we can reach the hearts of people who want to exclude our family members… that Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
So young to be the words of your own song
I know the rage in you is strong
Write a world where we can belong
to each other and sing it like no other
I’m dreading the special GC. There is so much going on beyond the obvious, in terms of our history with the African churches, our part as colonizers, and the role of the U.S. church going forward. I see the LGBTQIA question as far broader and more complex than soundbites allow, and as a result, I expect schism to be almost inevitable. Which will break my heart, as my congregation is not Reconciling and is unlikely to make that choice if it’s still available after GC.
I’m so sorry about your congregation! I think most churches in Austin are, I can think of one that isn’t, but there are enough churchs at the Pride parade that we make a rainbow, each congregation having a different color shirt.
The best we can hope for is the “simple plan”. I saw a story on Facebook with the headline: If you think homosexuality “isn’t African”, you don’t know Africa, or something like that. Of course, now I can’t find it. I just wish we would actually live up to that “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” slogan they came up with a few years back.
The closest Reconciling church to me is 40 minutes away. I could do that drive on Sundays if I really wanted to, but I could never be a part of the congregation in any other way so what’s the point?
If I weren’t working today AND tomorrow, I’d be writing a post about the history that makes resolving this issue so problematic and difficult. And bluntly, if it weren’t this issue “today”, it would be another issue “tomorrow”. We’ve had schism before and survived. But I’m less optimistic today, because the very issues that led to schism before (slavery/white supremacy) were never adequately resolved before reunification, and they are very much a part of what is driving us towards schism today. Any institution that reunifies without requiring some sort of Truth and Reconciliation process is going to face problems; we are very likely to be paying the piper too little, too late, but paying nonetheless. I hope I’m wrong; I don’t think I am.
Well it’s 36 feels like 26 is heading for 50. It’s also very gray and drizzly. The PV system is on but that’s all you can say for it. sigh. Meanwhile the humidity has my firewood damp enough I’m back to using up my kindling to keep the fire going. sigh. We got 7 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 157.9 – we’ll be lucky to clear 160 if it doesn’t lighten up some. I’m not gonna say clear off because it isn’t gonna do that. As much as I wish it would.
I may give twitter – my TL anyway – a miss for a day or three. It’s all Bernie and gawdhelpus Ken Starr right now. And a few comments about why isn’t the C. Hasson terrorism story getting more MSM coverage as if we didn’t know – but the tweets asking about it are keeping it out there so I RT’d the ones I saw. It’s tiring – well depressing actually. I think I’ll just boost Dee’s twitter roundup in Black Kos and Aji’s stuff for the most part and just check the TL once or twice over the day. Leave it at that. I’m tired I guess. Or maybe it’s just the cloudy days – it doesn’t seem to take much to do it right now.
Anyway even though I’m not at work I still have stuff to do. Coffee – I haven’t had any yet (one of the best things about work is coffee’s available from 8 am on) – that might help. Making Things Better Energy to everybody. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, Meesefolk; 19 this morning and going up to 37, but what matters is that my widget is showing a big ‘ol sun with nary a cloud in sight. And for once the widget is right; there isn’t a cloud to be seen, and it was scramble-for-the-sunglasses morning as I was driving in. I’m just going to ignore what is showing for the next five days…
I’ll be following the hashtag #umcgc this weekend, as well as #gc2019 and #ForEveryoneBorn. As my conversation with anotherdem indicated, this is a critical gathering for our church, a special, out-of-cycle General Conference necessitated when we were tearing ourselves apart at the regular, quadrennial General Conference in 2016. The newspapers and other media will tell you this is about us figuring out how we approach issues of human sexuality as a Church, but what it really is about is figuring out how to be a global church. The connectional system practiced by United Methodists is fairly unique (and to my way of thinking, admirable and desirable), but it also creates issues that many other churches can avoid.
For those outside of the church and tradition, it seems like much ado over what should be the obvious decision of granting those who don’t identify as straight the right to be pastors and granting all pastors the right to conduct same-sex marriages. And if we were a church in the United States only, or with decision-making left to Americans only, it would have happened years ago; those in the States who oppose the inclusive approach are in the minority. But 30% of the delegates to General Conference come from African countries (60% U.S. and last 10% mostly Philippines and Europe) , and those delegates come from churches facing different cultural contexts and different challenges in building and growing their churches. It would be a mistake to assume that the delegates from African countries are “just” homophobic or anti-gay; it would equally be a mistake to assume that the American delegates are somehow “more evolved” on the issue (unless you’re comfortable with sounding and acting like every colonizer through history). It’s a huge fkn mess is what it is, and there are four major plans being considered which will make no one happy. I don’t know what will happen, but trust me when I say that the anguish this is causing for people like AD and me, who love our church, flaws and all, is very real.
And on that note, good day to and for all!
Good morning, 40 and a chilly rain in Bellingham. The higher elevations have a snow warning in effect so the breeze is cold. I had an early appointment with the current owner of the drapery workroom I used to work with so it felt like old times to hurry out the door with work orders, a bolt of fabric and a wood cornice. This is the third (and last!) re-do of projects for my Oregon daughter. I did as much as I can now but handling floor length interlined draperies is work for a younger woman so I’m very grateful Jennifer has agreed to complete the alterations for me.
Seeing her busy workroom full of projects was fun, but coming home to my simple sewing is nice too.
Best wishes to all on this blustery day.
????
Saturday Meese.
24 degrees here in Saugerties NY, going up to 42.
Woke up to see the hit job against Dianne Feinstein – am pushing back.
Puerto Rico
That video and the “outrage” hit my timeline last night and I couldn’t reconcile what I knew about Senator Feinstein with the narrative being pushed. She is old school but she is not a climate denier – she is from California, for crying out loud! She does have her own way of doing things but she has been a politician for a long time and I could not imagine her trashing a bunch of kids. When I saw that David O. Atkins jumped on the bandwagon (“you should have voted for DE LEON!!”) that sealed it for me – he hates anyone impure and would rather Democrats lose than embrace any pragmatism – or do things other than his way.
Good advice about watching for these sorts of “news reports”. I take everything I read – good and bad – with a healthy dose of skepticism because I have seen actual fake news and the damage it can do.
I blocked more people last night than I have my entire time on Twitter. I’m more than willing to cut people some slack for not doing their due diligence, particularly on a Friday night; goodness knows I’ve been suckered on several occasions. But the people who doubled down, even after the full video was being widely circulated, got blocked. I don’t need their toxicity, their negativity, or their purity. And all this was done over aspirational, not legislative, document which will need to be rewritten as draft legislation…like the kind that Sen. Feinstein provided. (The GND text can be found here; we’re talking about [less than] a 10-minute read: https://cleantechnica.com/2019/02/08/heres-the-full-text-of-congress-green-new-deal-resolution-introduced-by-rep-alexandra-ocasio-cortez/ )
For some reason I can’t fierce this comment because it always takes me to the GND article.
I think you may have been trying when I was in the process of editing it? Does that matter?
I can fierce it now. It doesn’t really matter, except that I like fiercing your posts and comments. ????
Good morning, meeses! Saturday …
It is 34 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 36. The forecast calls for ice pellets, rain, mixed precipitation and snow. I heard the ice pellets slamming against the house at 4am while I was still trying to sleep – the precipitation just turned to rain a short while ago. I am hoping the rain helps shrink the snow piles that have narrowed our streets quite a bit. The city was out frantically trying to clear the storm drains so that the water has a place to go!
The bill to terminate Trump’s emergency declaration has been introduced and will be voted on next Tuesday. It already has 236 co-sponsors, enough to pass the House. The law states that it has to come for a vote in the Senate – Mitch McConnell can’t just put it into a drawer like he does with other House bills he doesn’t like – but it will likely get voted down. But every vote by a Republican choosing Party Over Constitution – and take a whack at Congress’ prerogative to control appropriations – will be noted and will become part of a campaign ad in 2020.
Congresswoman Lucy McBath of Georgia gave the Weekly Democratic Party Address and her topic is HR8, the gun background check bill that will come to the House floor for a vote next week. It will pass and be sent to the Senate where its fate is unknown. In theory, expanding background checks is bipartisan – in practice, there are a lot of NRA supported Republican Senators. If Mitch McConnell allows it to come up for a vote, the Republican votes against it will become part of campaign ads in 2020, especially in Arizona where Mark Kelly, Gabby Giffords husband, will be running.
See all y’all later!
Good Saturn’s Day morning, Moosekind! Gray and gloomy are the watchwords for Northern Virginia at this writing. We’re expecting major rain later today, especially tonight. The current temp. is 36 F., going up to 41 F.
Elder Son and Mr. Preschooler are coming to dinner tonight, as DIL has flown off to Colorado to see her sister. In a little while I’ll go to the grocery store to get the ingredients I need for the Steak and Mushroom pie. I’ve already started the trifle by spreading raspberry jam on the ladyfingers, sprinkling the sherry on them with a turkey baster, and covering the whole thing with a layer of rich yellow custard. The whipped cream will be spread over it all just before dinner and the sliced blanched almonds scattered on top. ‘Course, we’ll all expire of major heart attacks afterwards, but who cares?
Still haven’t heard anything about the Mueller filing on Manafort. Why? I hope I can spend at least part of the day writing Chapter 20. One can’t do housework all the time.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Filed under seal – a public version will be available at some point.
Slept in, watching the news. Cohen, Manafort, Acosta….sigh. Chilly, rainy day. I need to cook this weekend, so groceries & prep for that. And get in some exercise.
It’s 55 going to 60 overcast and drizzling at the moment in Fay., AR. I will wait until the PV system comes up/sun comes out before I go do my weekly grocery shopping. Which is supposed to be within the next hour or so. The temps are going to drop again but not until sundown. We got 2 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 160 – with enough sunshine we can easily make 200 for the month which would be nice.
By the simple expedient of doing all my twittering from what’s posted on Moose, Black Kos, Aji’s reply page, & my own Notifications page I’ve managed to miss the attack on DiFi – and am most happy to boost signals in her defense. I know darned good and well she didn’t dismiss or insult anybody who showed up in person, especially not kids. Of course kids – especially teenagers – always feel insulted when they’re told they don’t know how something works. But that doesn’t mean they were. Meanwhile I’m gonna continue avoiding my TL and the trending stuff. It’s easier on my tummy. I’ve got enough worrying about my friends health and well being issues (Aji still hasn’t gotten the path report back on last Monday’s biopsy!)
Welp, the sun just came out as I was writing this – earlier than expected – so I’m going shopping. I’ll be back to read the Dem Fighting Back post in an hour or so. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning meese. It’s 35 with a high of 44 in Bellevue, WA. The weather yesterday was wired. It was threatening to snow, and did in some parts, but overall was mostly rain and slush.
Had a good time at lunch and dinner yesterday catching up with friends and colleagues. I finished (re-)reading SEVEN TIMES A WOMAN last night, loving every moment of it!
Today is going to be fairly low-key. Will be meeting a friend and her dog, a Weimaraner, at Marymoor Park followed by hanging out with them for a bit at a local brewery. I need to go get my Malaysian food fix tonight or tomorrow night!
{{{basket}}} glad you are having a good time. You aren’t going to have a low-key meeting with a Weimaraner – they don’t do low-key. LOL. But have fun with your friend. And definitely enjoy your Malaysian food fix. moar {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 38 and cloudy in Bellingham. Most of the snow has melted away so I may do some garden clean up today. The back steps and entrance plants look very scruffy so that’s where I’ll start. Seeing some blooming primroses always lifts my spirits.
Best wishes to all.