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?
…
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.
…
– Page One of Comments is HERE!
– Page Two of Comments is HERE!
Kamala 2020
Good morning, Meese, ’tis Thor’s Day again. When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, it was “a misty, moisty morning,” just like the one described in the old nursery rhyme. Now it’s hazy outside with weak sunlight. Currently the temperature in Ashburn is 54 F., supposedly on the way up to 84 F. No idea what to expect—there may be thunderstorms and then again, there may not. A flash notification from the excitable online newspaper, The Patch, just informed me the weather today is going to be terrible.
Wow, did you all see Rachel Maddow last night? Is she always like that? A couple of times I thought she was going to burst into tears, her face crumpled so. She pronounced herself “gobsmacked” by the blatant contempt exhibited by the Barr-barian before Congress yesterday; she fears for the continued rule of law. (So do I.)
Loved the interview with Hillary, which I will have to revisit on line because unfortunately, after my long day yesterday and no nap, I kept falling asleep. Actually, I hadn’t needed a nap: when I get 8 hours’ uninterrupted sleep (happens once in a blue moon), I feel perfect and can keep going until bedtime.
Today will be full of exercise classes, walks, and a meeting this afternoon. I have not had time to type the notes from my interview on Tuesday, nor have I had time to turn either of them into acceptable articles. Also have to reread my galleys in the .mobi format. Lawks, there is too much to do!
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Yep, that was Rachel being Rachel. I put a link to the show’s tweets with chunks of it in my check-in post.
May is not starting well as far as sunshine is concerned – although we did get 13 KWHs yesterday which would have been great for February – the extended forecast is pretty much non-stop cloudy/rainy except for a “partly sunny” Sunday. Got to get more sunshine to reach the 515 goal. Cats have pretty much stopped telling me to let them out and settled for the morning. There’s only one east window so that’s the window they all want of course. Nevermind the two west windows or enough south window space on the porch for all five of them to have a window ledge each. sigh. cats. I thought I was going to be able to switch to a single food (cat chow) since all five will eat it – but nope, it gives 4 of the 5 GI problems. I’ll go back to hoping Murf will eat the Iams as he gets to feeling better.
Kamala got everybody fired up yesterday – me too to a certain extent – but as with everything else that’s gotten folks fired up, it makes no difference at all until/unless we win elections. We do not have the power to compel anything as long as the Rs hold the Executive and the Senate. And the Rs are obviously depending on election fraud and a little help from Russia to stay in power since they’ve stopped even pretending they aren’t doing what they are doing. As with climate change there have been so many points over the last 40 years we could have turned things around and prevented this from ever coming up – but we didn’t. We’ve pretty much reached the “make or break” point with both. 2020 elections will determine if we can get our “free” country back and whether we will make the now-necessarily-drastic investments to mitigate climate change before the feedback loop in both cases takes over and we can’t. Hillary was right (as usual) – election security & the franchise are the most important things we have to deal with right now. If we don’t, it doesn’t matter how good our candidates are.
I found a cup of homemade cranberry sauce in the back of the fridge that for a wonder still looked and smelled OK (which has me a little worried right there – this was from last December) so I’ve made, just came out of the oven, peanut-butter-cranberry muffins. As soon as they cool I will see how they came out with some very much needed coffee. Overcast days, even when warm enough I don’t need the heater, make me sleepy. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, Meesefolk; 43 and going up to a cloudy 64 today. I’m not giving up my sweaters quite yet, but I did take the bold step of washing and putting away one of the extra blankets on our bed last night. In another month, I may even quit using the flannel sheets, but since The Hubby tends to crank the bedroom AC to refrigerator levels, that’s something I have to weigh carefully.
I didn’t end up having the television on at all last night, so the links here are very helpful. I’ll get to them soon, but for now I have actually do what I’m paid for. Good day to and for all!
Good morning, 49 and cloudy in Bellingham. Watching Barr (the baby snatcher) try to smother Mueller’s work yesterday resulted in a long night of tRump angst so I’m weary. I have a quiet morning, but a busy afternoon. My 2x’s a month housekeeper has some extra time so we’re going to start cleaning the inside of the kitchen cabinets. She will empty and scrub them, and I’ll sort and clean the contents. It’s been years since I’ve done this so I’m glad she can help me.
I also need to have the gutters cleaned and the windows washed. We used to do that task ourselves, but managing the ladders and working on them isn’t wise now so I’ll hire someone.
I can keep our home and garden tidy but the mess in tRump America is beyond me! Best wishes to all.
Today has been quiet. I’ve been calling all week for jury duty. When I called tonite at 5 pm I was told to report to Jury duty. We’ll see if I can manage to actually make to being on an actual jury.
Are you looking forward to it, Mvgal, if you’re chosen?
Friday Meese.
52 going up to 62 here in NYS.
Rest in Peace.
Though the news of his death was trending world-wide yesterday – few politicians here acknowledged it.
“Cuchin” and “El Gallito”: The nicknames of Rafael Hernández Colón
May he rest in peace.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 37 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 59. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast.
The consensus – Barr lied and lying to Congress is a crime – is nice, I guess, but does not change anything. The people who put him in power and the people who keep him in power are just fine with that. I am glad that Speaker Pelosi did not mince words, not so thrilled that our House members think that the member of a lawless administration rejecting the oversight role of the House is a reason to act juvenile. Some decorum, guys! Anyway, the Barr “embarrassment” will fill the headlines for 24 to 48 hours then be replaced by the latest outrage. It is how the tRump presidency* is managed, fill the news cycle, purge, fill the news cycle, purge. No one remembers that this is the week that the Barr Justice Department joined a decision by a Texas judge to strike down the Affordable Care Act, taking insurance away from 24 million people and returning the power to deny coverage back to Insurance Company Death Panels. Or the revelation that DHS knew that separating families at the border likely meant that they would never be reunited because they had no way to track them. :(
Busy day here as I try to get ahead of what will be a really busy week next week.
See all y’all later!
Rainy morning. Supposed to rain off & on all day. I hope we don’t have flooding. After the horrible drought we had a few years ago, I still have trouble complaining about rain, but this is really…..enough. The news last night was really interesting — Rachel had Sen. Bennett on, he seems really great & it’s a shame there’s no way he’s earning my vote, because I’m definitely voting for one of the women. Which brings me to: Rachel is having Kamala Harris on tonight, so y’all should definitely watch.
Music: Heal Me from the show I was at. It’s dedicated to his acupuncturist friend who helped him quit drinking:
Oh, this is love like wildness
Coursing through you like a drug
And this is hurt like kindness
Breaking you with gentle hands
From Erik Loomis – Shades of Vanilla:
HA!!!!
Good morning, Moosekind. Sitting here drinking early morning tea after the Night from Hell. Every so often I have one of these, which makes me drag all day.
Yesterday began foggy, turned cloudy, and then became downright lovely. I won’t recount the awfulness of taking that dog for a walk, I’ll just say that it required a borrowed cell phone, two strong men, and a car to get him home. Once beagles decide they’re comfy standing in thick soft green grass under a shady tree, they won’t move.
Back to this morning: 60 F. right now in Ashburn, supposedly going up to 80 F. We had a tremendous downpour a little after 3 yesterday, which my husband observed as he was out in the car, but I was at a meeting.
Hoping this will be a stay-at-home, do laundry, and catch-up day. There is so much to catch up on! However, if I can hammer out the article for the June issue of the quarterly magazine here, that’ll be a good accomplishment.
I dreamed I was in Trump’s clutches last night. Oh, gods. No wonder I couldn’t sleep. I wish something beneficial for our side would happen! That would go a long way to make up for things.
Wishing a pleasant day to all at the Pond.
Seems to be 60 and heading for 70. Not sure about rain but it’s definitely overcast. The system’s on, generating at just under 1/2 KWH/hour right now. Not great or even good but it’s at least in 3 digits. Yay for late spring/early summer! We got 14.8 yesterday so the m-t-d is 28 – definitely not on track but still banking over 2x what I use in a day (of no A/C). Cats have finally settled for the morning. Murf’s still grumpy and I just don’t know if we’re dealing with health issues or that’s his personality. Somebody, I think Freddie, was “marking” overnight which is seriously not good. He’s been bothering Murf all along but this morning decided to have a go a Charlie. I may have to either give up and let these guys outside or invest in some Feliway. Charlie’s a beta but he’s the oldest cat and has been here the longest. He doesn’t need this nonsense.
Evil ones being evil. We can only stop them by voting them out. But we should keep investigating so we’ll have everything we need to jump on those bastids just as soon as they are out. & otherwise help where we can, be they individuals or NGOs/charities. Meanwhile my friends with health and lodging issues are getting nowhere. Aji still hasn’t heard from the supposedly great & understanding surgeon about the biopsy done a month ago now (should have had results in 72 hours) – that they’ve already charged her double what they swore up and down the cost was. But she did have a doctor visit yesterday and got some new inhalers to try. Seriously holding the Good Thought on that. She’s been on pred and the side effects have been troublesome (and could instantaneously switch to serious) so getting off that is a very good thing.
I’ve got a coffee/visit with Arkantart this afternoon but need some coffee now. So I’ll do that and check around online before I start removing a layer of cat fluff from the kitchen so I can do some cooking. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 51 and cloudy in Bellingham. My plans for yesterday met reality, and we’re getting a new hot water heater today. The basement laundry room was very wet, so it was good Sue was here to help me with the clean up. The leaking heater is surrounded with towels and the new heater is ordered. Crossing fingers about today!
Best wishes to all.
Aji just got the biopsy report – IT’S BENIGN!!!!!!! May or may not need surgery. The surgeon thinks the breathing issue is severe and long undiagnosed asthma exacerbated by something “eroded/abraded/herniated” in either her esophagus or trachea. So treating the asthma is step one on that and she’s already working on it.
So everybody dance/rejoice/thank whatever deity/ies you choose – and relax for a bit until we find out what’s next. {{{HUGS}}} to everybody.
WooHoo! Very happy news!
I put in to take next week off. We are short staffed next week, but the following week we have training for yet another new thing we’re doing so it’s better to be off next week. And we’ve been short staffed all week this week; I’ve basically been the only one setting up new library users, with our supervisor doing as many as he can squeeze in. I’m going to try not to waste the week, set up a schedule to actually do stuff. But I am sleeping in till at least 7 every day.
Saturday Meese
61 and fog, going up to 66 here in NYS.
Can’t believe that now Bill de Blasio is going to jump into the POTUS candidate pool. I think this is a ploy to up his profile for some other job. And he is surely thinking of a run for Gov. of NY.
Still looking for the full interview with KH on Rachel – I fell asleep 5 minutes before the program aired.
Puerto Rico
Thanks for that Rachel Maddow Show video! I have no patience for live political TV and videos are how I catch up. I put it up in a tab to view shortly.
I can’t imagine how de Blasio thinks jumping into the presidential race improves his chances for anything. May he never poll above .01%.
Kamala Harris is smart and eloquent and focused. Watching her discuss how our justice system works and is supposed to work is a powerful reminder that unless you have been oppressed – or are part of an oppressed class – you simply do know how frightening it is to realize that the rule of law is being discarded. Joe Biden will never understand what is at stake in this election, his words are just words. The rest of the white guy field can’t understand this, either. Any of the Democrats except Tulsi can probably be a good enough president to put good people on the courts and sign good government legislation and choose able cabinet members but we need someone with moral authority, someone who can speak about justice the way that Kamala Harris can speak about justice – and someone who will not let the Republicans get away with what they have done to our country (looking at you, Joe Freaking Biden, and your Dick “Dick” Cheney love).
Good morning, meeses! Saturday …
It is 37 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 66. Sunny skies with a chance for a few clouds late this afternoon.
Florida Republicans being deplorable: the legislature passed what is essentially a poll tax on released felons to block full restoration of their voting rights. As Mark Stern pointed out, they nullified the will of the voters, which is what desperate Republicans do when those pesky voters attempt to limit their power; we saw the same thing in Wisconsin and Michigan.
I hope that there are lawsuits planned and more urgently, voters rights organizations that can step in and pay the fines so that the registrations can start immediately. Florida Republicans realize that allowing fair access to the ballot is likely an extinction event – their governor and their US Senator barely won in 2018 – and they will do everything they can to bar nearly a million ex-felons from voting in 2020 and punishing their sorry asses. Help from the courts seems a long shot.
The Weekly Democratic Party Address is being handled in the House of Representatives this week meaning that there is a video and transcript. It was delivered by Congresswoman Kathy Castor of Florida, Chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and highlights the passage of H. R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act. The Fighting Back post will also include Speaker Pelosi’s feisty presser from Thursday. I should be able to get it posted in a few hours.
See all y’all later!
Good Saturn’s Day morning, Moosekind, and May the Fourth be with you! I’ve just been reading Chewbaca’s obituary. I didn’t realize that Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewie, was 7’3″ in real life. If he’d been born and brought up in this country, he would have been forced to play basketball.
Cloudy again this morning, with showers expected on and off throught the day. Currently it’s 60 F., going up to 77 F. Last night we had a lovely thunderstorm just before bedtime. Because I still had my hearing aids in, I was able to step out on to the screened porch and listen to the sound of falling rain. That’s one of the things I miss most about being deaf: going to sleep at night with the window open so I can hear the rain falling.
Had a decent night with no leg cramps, wakeups, or necessity to use a sleeping pill, so that’s good. We’re expecting Mr. T-ball player for an overnight stay, so I must remember to hide my iPad and Kindle before he arrives. I’ve bought Kamala’s book, Superheroes are Everywhere, to read to him, as well as a light-up tracing pad so he can draw and color. His birthday always gets overlooked because it happens to fall around Memorial Day. I don’t think he’s ever had a birthday party yet.
That is horribly depressing, Jan, about voter suppression in Florida. Wish I could win the lottery so I could pay all their fines! I did contribute to #BlackMamasBailoutDay. It’s ridiculous that women have to stay in jail because they can’t pay a $100 fine!
Managed to cross off two items on my “to do” list yesterday: still have the lit’ry tasks to perform somehow, this weekend. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
The thing about the Florida legislature’s nullification is that it is not done! They are setting up a “work group” to make sure that there is no way the disenfranchised can get registered and will report back in November with their conclusions. It is expected that they will close any loopholes they find and make the law worse! The idea that they are planning to block citizen ballot initiatives is deplorable – I think Michigan Republicans are working on trying to do that as well.
If the bill was for just fines it might be doable to find a way to pay them off but the restitution is worst. The problem with restitution is that it is made up by the courts and Florida courts are the very worst in that regard. So if the restitution for the crime is to pay the State of Florida for the cost of prosecution, for example, they can declare the cost to be anything – even $1,000,000 – and there is no one to stop them. It might be possible to find groups willing to pay the fines but the restitution is huge and certain to get more and more difficult as the Republicans realize that “those people” will be voting. It is so sickeningly unfair and there is no recourse. Losing the Supreme Court for a generation may very well end our democracy.
We had really intense storms yesterday.last night; they are now gone — to be back next week. Watching the news, eating breakfast. Kamala’s interview last night on Rachel Maddow’s show was just fascinating. Today: must get in some exercise, and plan out what I’m gonna do with my week.
Some good election news i the world – in local elections in England, UKIP lost bigly. 82% of offices they had – gone. WooHoo!
Close to 60 heading for 70 and very overcast at the moment. The rain, heavy at times, yesterday afternoon cut short the electricity generation (only 11 KWHs, we’re at 39 for the m-t-d) but it also cut short the cats’ whining about wanting to go outside. Today we’ve got the cloudy and drizzly in the morning but are supposed to have a sunny afternoon. This will be good for generation – and bad for my nerves as far as whining cats are concerned. LOL.
Yesterday Aji was so very low, well, let’s not find out if there’s a lower – then the biopsy report finally came through! Relief and rejoicing all around – but only slightly higher than the pure unadulterated rage at what the medical industry has done/is doing to her. Not even counting the 8x more expensive than quoted original biopsy that was so badly botched and gave her the really bad cancer Dx/Px or the 2 months before she got the results of the 2nd 2x more expensive than quoted biopsy, the surgeon is pretty sure the cardio-respiratory episodes she’s been having are due to severe, long-term, undiagnosed asthma exacerbated by something in the trachea or esophagus (my thought is it was probably caused by the untreated asthma) originally triggered by the sprayed (instead of rollered as requested) sealant for the deck & other exposed wood on their house – and could have been diagnosed and treated back in Nov. 2017 if anybody had paid any attention to anything Aji told them. So. Joy and rage – about the best I can say is it really generates some energy – and relief. So we take a few breathers, then work on what next. She’s got a couple of new inhalers – one for emergencies and one for regular use – to treat the asthma. Finding what and where the exacerbating problem is (I hope) comes next, then treating it. Stopping those cardio-respiratory episodes is job one. Then work on what, if anything, needs to be done about the benign lumps on her liver. Step by step. Prayers/invocations the steps come a little closer together now.
Nothing new for anybody else. Prayers and invocations are all I got there. I’ve got one last and partial paycheck coming, not sure for how much yet, that I’ll be divvying up – the biggest chunk will be going to Aji the way she likes best. Sales. (I’m buying a gift from them for someone – what I’m getting isn’t one of Wings’ gorgeous pieces, it’s a little stone carving by a friend of theirs that I’m sending to the Dept Chair. It represents the spirit of community building and heaven only knows but I have a clue the amount of work she put in rebuilding the dept after the previous Chair spent 6 years trying to destroy it.) The rest goes in cash or gift cards since that’s the way they need it. Then that will be that.
The Deplorables have to be voted out. There is no other way. And it has to be now, this election cycle, while we still can. Once the Rs have so locked down the election system that it is not possible for us to win no matter how many more voters/votes we have…well, ballots or bullets. Votes or violence. Whether revolution from within or invasion from without, once ballots don’t work that’s it. And on that rather deplorable note, I’ll go get some coffee and boost some signals. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 57 and sunny in Bellingham. The good news from yesterday is we have a new hot water heater, the not so good news is that the sewer line backed up and the ensuing mess in the basement was truly awful :( Fortunately the plumber responded to my plea to come asap and was able to clear the plug in the old sewer line. And my son arrived with a smile to help me clean up the mess. A gallon of clorox, lots of lysol, 3 scrubbed rugs, and loads of dirty towel laundry later we have a very clean basement. We’ll finish putting the very clean stuff back in place today. Whew….
I really need some garden time after this week! Best wishes to all.