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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– Page One of Comments is HERE!
– Page Two of Comments is HERE!
Good “morning”, Motley Meese! The week begins …
Morning low of 66 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 86. Thunderstorms are in the forecast.
Happy Bastille Day, all y’alls!!
I wonder why, indeed.
Tea is steeping, dishwasher running; I’m watching the news & Le Tour. Didn’t make it to the party yesterday, I felt kinda bad in the afternoon & was afraid to go where there’d be a crowd. Today: I think I can go to the gym after lunch, and not do anything else. I opened a tab for youtube & it had a mix for me starting with Adventure of a Lifetime. Who am I to argue?
It’s only 72 but so humid the air itself is enough to flatten you. OK not really – but it feels like it. Have almost all of my Sunday chores done – late because of a whole lot of interruptions. sigh. Still have some paperwork things to do once I finish the final Sunday chore but it’s coffee break time. We got 18 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 230 with this morning’s driblet. It’s cloudy and the forecast has afternoon rain maybe so I’m thinking we may not get much today. Relatively speaking – this time of year it’s got to be so dark the system goes into night mode for us to generate less than a good day in winter.
Evil Ones being evil – that’s an evergreen but if we can get them out of power their ability to do evil will be curtailed. So for now we mitigate however we can, mostly with donating to/volunteering for NGOs who are on the ground by the concentration camps and helping get people out of them (or preventing people from being sent there in the first place). Phone calls, letters, emails, etc to Dems in support of everything they’re trying to do – including keep it in the news, investigate the hell out of the various Evil Ones top to bottom and back to the top, and pass whatever legislation they can hooked to whatever they think they can get through the Senate & signed. At this point while I’ve done a few phones calls, petitions, emails, etc to my own congresscritters I don’t do much because this is a feature not a bug. Basically they know if they upset me they’re doing what their fascist masters want them to. And I support as best I can various Dems around the country who have a chance to win. Well, I also support Josh Mahoney who’s running against Tom Cotton – I don’t know how much of a chance he has but I’m definitely supporting him.
OK. tour of the internets then finish up the housework and do the paperwork. I’ll check back later. Everybody who’s traveling, safe travels home. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 65 and partly sunny in Bellingham. I woke up early this morning, tried to start my day, decided I needed a nap, and now I’m trying again. Last week was busy!
I’ve got some easy garden tasks and lots of laundry to do today, but I also hope to start reading a book. Between tRump angst and my twitter habit reading books hasn’t been happening so my TBR stack has many possibilities.
Best wishes to all.
LOL, princesspat, read my book! You’re mentioned in the Acknowledgments!
Diana, the Kindle app on my iPad is a virtual teetering stack of TBR books, and yours is at the top!
Yay! :)
Good morning, meeses! Monday …
It is 73 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 88. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast. The weather widget says that later in the week we will get close to 100. Thank the goddess that we have air conditioning, I can’t imagine being without it.
The white supremacist put in power by butthurt white people (from the right and the left) turns out to have racist bones in his body! NOT shocked. His Sunday morning bowel movement will be cleaned up by his political party and this outrage will be forgotten as something worse is tweeted out and the Overton Window is moved again. Soon “let’s round up people of color and send them to death camps” will no longer be “unthinkable” or even “radical” but will be “acceptable”. It will be up to people voting for Democrats to stop it from becoming “policy”.
Half way through July and I have made no progress on my planned summer projects. I need to go grab some waxing moon energy and get to it.
See all y’all later!
Monday Meese.
Dragging myself awake after returning home from Netroots Nation yesterday – exhausted.
65 going up to 85 here in NYS.
. I attended some very interesting panels, met some great new people, and saw old friends. Even got a pic with Joy Reid:
Sadly, there was not one panel at Netroots Nation addressing the situation in Puerto Rico.
Kamala 2020 from Onomastic
Didn’t make it to the gym yesterday. Just, didn’t go. I did cook up a big pan of mushrooms, so I have them to add to any frozen dinners I have this week. Brought my gym bag to work, we’ll see if I make it today. Overnight oats and tea. Allergies are really bad this morning, glad I brought several benadryl capsules — and no, they don’t make me sleepy. My U2 book club (of course I’m in a U2 book club) discussed Of Mice & Men last week, which I skipped because I can’t deal with sad. But today they’re discussing a book of interviews with Bono. Much easier on the heart.
Bonjour, mes amis, and happy St. Swithin’s Day!
Saint Swithin’s Day, if thou dost rain
For forty days it shall remain
Alors, it’s very hot and bright today, perfect for drying rugs and whatnot. Right now in Ashburn it’s 80 F., going up to 90 F. Thunderstorms Thursday and hot all week.
Had a fabulous time in Montreal staying with my married friends in their condo! At first Miss Pink Cheeks was a bit bewildered, wondering how two men could be married to each other, but she quickly bonded with her Canadian “oncles” and their talkative cat, Albert. They bonded with her too. :) The rest of her family drove up to Montreal, stopping at Niagara Falls on the way.
Wonderful as our visit was, getting home Saturday was the Day from Hell. I arrived at Trudeau Airport at 7:30 a.m., hoping to get on the 9:30 flight. Nupe! Then I tried for the 2:30 p.m. flight. Nupe again! Finally my husband bought me a ticket on the 7:41 p.m. flight, thank Goddess, or I’d still be there in Montreal, trying to get out. We boarded at 7:30 p.m. then sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half (no explanation was given). Babies screamed and women wept, knowing they’d miss their flight connections at Dulles Airport. We finally took off at 9:14, arrived in Washington at 10:30, Dearly Beloved picked me up, and I was home by 11:30. Too jazzed up to sleep, right away, I stayed up until 12:30 Sunday morning.
Naturally, I was comatose until tea time yesterday.
This will be a very busy week with child-minding the little girls down the road, DIL and Mr. Kindergartener coming to lunch today, and getting ready for M’Daughter-in-Austin’s visit Saturday or Sunday. She’ll bring the grandchildren with her. Haven’t seen them in person since 2013.
Signing off now, wishing everyone a nice, peaceful Monday!
Welp – got caught again by the “you’re logged in until you hit post” gremlins. Didn’t realize I was that close & didn’t save my comment. For which I’m pissed off at myself almost as much as I’m pissed off at WordPress for logging me out between fiercing a comment and posting one. But it’s cool today – mid 60s still and won’t get to 80. Overcast but at least the PV system is on. Got 14.9 KWHs yesterday bringing the m-t-d to 244 – not quite on track but close. Today isn’t gonna help though.
Anybody looking at that video of Pence touring – and that’s what he was doing, touring – a concentration camp & says the answer to any of this evil is impeachment…smh – feeling, not thinking. We have to stop being manipulated into focusing on twitler. It’s the whole evil party. & they will take their evil back under the radar if we fall into their trap and impeach. Why does anyone think this is hitting MSM now? It’s been going on for over a year, probably 2. It’s a trap.
I’ve now got permission to tell folks but at this point I don’t know who to tell – Bobby’s in financial trouble. About to lose his phone and probably be evicted as well. He thought he had a job lined up and could get out of this mess by himself but it didn’t happen. And any money that comes to him for the cats goes to the cats – he only takes money for himself if the note says it’s for him. Goddess! This is one of the few times I wish I was still on DK. But I’m not and the new fundraiser people have rules that make it very difficult for folks who need help to get it. Presupposing there are enough good people left at DK to actually make a real fundraiser work anyway. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I need to deal with my baking. And get coffee. Then tour the internets. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Finally able to log in, so I’ll ask here too…do you have any idea of what kind of numbers Bobby is looking at needing?
Bfitz—does he have a PayPal account?
Yes, he does – paypal.me/BobbyNeary
Update – Bobby’s got the $400 rent and the landlord is taking it but wants the deposit back. Bobby needs $90 for the phone ASAP. He’ll need about $1K by the middle of August to “pay back” the deposit that was last month’s rent, the August rent, and August phone. He’s still job hunting – says even 20 hours a week at minimum wage will take care of him and the cats so prayers/invocations/Good Thoughts for that will help.
Good morning, 63 and partly sunny in Bellingham. I was lead astray in the garden yesterday so my plan to read a book didn’t happen. Garden therapy is good for my soul but my creaky joints are not happy. Fortunately I have desk work I must do and the laundry is still waiting so I’ll give them a rest today.
Best wishes to all on this Monday morning.
Good morning, Meesefolk; 59 (!) when I got up, but going up to 88 today. The likelihood of pop-up thunderstorms is strong, but it’s anybody’s guess as to where that will happen. Even the weather forecasters just kind of wave vaguely at the map of MI on days like this, but after a drenching late spring and then nothing, we could use whatever we can get.
I spent most of the weekend outdoors working on taming my gardens. For all the time I was outside, I should be able show more progress, but apparently, getting older means getting slower. I really need to start taking a preemptive Aleve, rather than waiting until I ache at every joint, but that’s always one of those things I remember well after the fact. My gardens aren’t quite as awful as I make them sound, but I am trying to get rid of all of the black walnut volunteers that have sprouted over the past several years. Black walnuts have taproots, which are nigh unto impossible to dig up, so for the past few years, I was just cutting them back to the ground. Now I’m actually trying to get rid of them so my soil isn’t just a chemical swamp of juglone. But that means cutting them back, cutting them open, pouring spoonsful of Epsom salts into the stump, and then waiting and waiting and waiting. Basically, it’s a PITA and not very fulfilling, but after checking some stumps I treated in early June, I will say that it works. So there’s that.
Good day to and for all!
Sorry about the black walnuts being such a PITA, DoReMI.
I have a recipe for a banana-black walnut cake that I make once per summer. It’s great. Black walnuts are expensive but fortunately I don’t need more than a quarter cup for the cake.
Hope your efforts succeed!
Oh, would you send me the recipe? I usually leave our walnuts for the critters (hence the number of trees each year, because the damn squirrels never remember all of their stashes), but if I had a recipe geared towards black walnuts, I might actually use some of them.
Every few years, we get a knock on our door from someone asking if we want to sell our mature trees. We have trees with the most sought-after characteristics: significant caliper size and uninterrupted, very straight board length. We have no intention of ever having them harvested, but I suspect our commitment to allowing them to grow on will be ours alone. Someone else will own our property someday, and the temptation to sell off the trees, which can bring in as much as $20k for premium trees (ours are currently only in the $10k range), will probably end them.
Certainly, DoReMI, I’ll do it later today! Gotta run now, I’m afraid. :)
Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …
It is 73 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 88. Mainly sunny skies are in the forecast.
The press is twisting itself into knots trying to avoid calling a racist “racist” and I am not sure why.
Trump is a racist and he embraces the designation – it appeals to his base. Are they still running as though what Lee Atwater said was true – that you couldn’t come out and say the racist thing, you had to keep inferring it? I am not sure which Republican voter is turned off by the admission that their president and their party is the party of white nationalists. Senator Tim Scott? Justice Clarence Thomas? Secretary Ben Carson? Vice President in Waiting Nikki Haley? These people don’t care because it inspires their base to vote for them and keep them in power.
Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) will introduce and the House will vote on a resolution (PDF) today condemning Donald J. Trump’s racist comments. It will be interesting to see if the Republican whitewash – that tRump was simply calling out socialism and communism and anti-Israelism – finds any takers. Based on what I saw on Twitter, there are a fair number just fine with his comments. Senate Democrats plan to introduce a similar resolution which will make Mitch McConnell laugh out loud and become excited that he gets another chance to remind Democratic Senators that they are powerless.
Kamala Harris is second in a New Hampshire poll and an Iowa poll as the berned one continues to drop like a rock. He has money and bots but people are not forgetting or forgiving his role in electing Donald Trump and his every-problem-is-a-nail-and-I-have-the-revolutionay-hammer approach to America’s problems. A $15 minimum wage will not keep babies out of cages. Go away.
See all y’all later!
Well said, Jan!
Good morning Meese
Put a quick diary up at orange -bbl
Fer gawd’s sake! TEARGASSING peaceful demonstratiors? Isn’t PR part of America, a country in which we supposedly have the right to gather and protest?
May Goddess rot the gubernator’s liver.
That is the answer to most protests on the island – I’ve seen it happen far too many times
I was actually asleep when the alarm went off. Of course, this was after waking up at 3-something and at 4. Allergies are super bad this morning — eyes streaming like I’m crying. Anyway, I brought my gym stuff & I am absolutely going after work today. I’m charging my iPod & earphones, so I’ll have no excuse to not at least spend 30 minutes on the elliptical. Was looking at Amazon’s prime day deals (yes, I know they’re evil) hoping there’d be one on an iPod, since I think mine’s wearing out (it pretty much needs to be charged every time I want to use it, even if I power it off) but no such luck. I suppose I’ll end up doing like I do with my kindle & just always have a charger at hand. The one I have for my kindle is the perfect size, plugs in to it & stands up on the table when I’m reading at work. Maybe there’ll be a deal on a charger….. Anyway, here’s the song my brain was playing when the alarm went off: Heal Me. Happy, bouncy music. Distraction from the Talking Cheeto’s attempt to get someone to attack a sitting member of Congress – or several.
Good morning, Meesefolk; 70 when I got up this morning but only going up to 81 today. The relative heat we have this morning is because it never really cooled down last night. It is most assuredly not a dry heat, and there’s a strong chance we’ll get rain again today. We got some yesterday, but it was mostly just enough to steam off the sidewalk and cause my fussy pup to glare at me when forced to get his paws wet on the damp grass.
I noticed yesterday that after a slow start the Rs got their messaging instructions and did the attack on the grounds of “socialism” and anti-Semitism before pivoting to weak condemnations (I’m being generous) of 45*. I think Romney’s statement was the one I found the most laughable, while Graham’s was the most offensive. But mostly I’m finding myself having an unexpected reaction to references to “The Squad.” I know it’s being used by Team Blue as much as Team Red, but my reaction is that it’s insulting and strips these women of their individuality. I gather they were all JD candidates, but I just don’t think of Rep. Pressley as interchangable with Rep. Tlaib, etc. It just feels like another form of erasure to me…or I’m just getting grumpy, which is a legit possibility.
Good day to and for all!
The Trump administration is not really upset about the anti-Semitism – their base is filled with neo-Nazis – they are calling out anyone who is anti-Israel. How it became unAmerican to refuse to be in 100% agreement with the policies of a foreign government is beyond me.
You are right about the rudeness of the “The Squad” framing! They appear to have similar political biases (and I despise the Justice “Democrats”) but they are individuals and should not be lumped together for vilification or for lauding. I find some things that Rep. Omar says to be offensive, I am not too keen on how Rep. Tlaib phrases her attacks on those who she does not agree with, I have a LOT of problems with how AOC interacts with long-time Democrats including Speaker Pelosi. I don’t know much about Rep. Pressley except that she seemed to have responded well to some of the old-hands like Rep. Barbara Lee counseling her.
I hope that every Democrat in the House can come together in agreement that stopping Donald Trump and the Republican Party from harming people has to be our common goal. If we can stay focused on that, we will come out of this okay. Even if Democrats are not in disarray, it will be reported that way so time spent trying to smooth over every wrinkle will be wasted.
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s another hottie today. Right now in Ashburn it’s 75 F., on its way up to 93 F. with lots of humidity and thunderstorms later. (I do wish I knew how to restore the wretched weather gadget on my Dashboard.) There’ll be a full moon tonight but we probably won’t get to see it—we rarely do in this area.
More busy-ness this Tuesday, with errands in the morning and a child-minding job later in the day. I have the dad’s approval to wear my Kamala t-shirt and to play the Dictionary Game with the five girls (three residents and two visitors). I’ll pick a word at random from the dictionary and ask the child to spell it. If she spells it correctly, she receives a chocolate chip. The youngest child is five and probably doesn’t read yet, so she can be the one to dispense the chocolate chips.
Anyway, I don’t have to put anyone to bed, so that’s good. The four parents are going on a double date and will be home by 9:30 p.m. or so.
Lots to do today to get ready for the visitors from Austin on Saturday. It’s predicted to be 100 F. that day! The only comfort is, as they’re from Texas, they’ll be used to it. (Right, anotherdemocrat?)
I’m just sick about everything—the concentration camps on the border, the vituperation hurled at the four Congresswomen, the hateful treatment of demonstrators in PR and Hong Kong. Why doesn’t Thing pop his clogs? Why doesn’t he order a double bacon cheeseburger with jumbo fries and six diet Cokes, consume it all, and then lumber down to hell?
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond, and to those everywhere who are suffering, may their suffering be vanquished or at least alleviated.
Technically, we just had our first 100 degree day, but it has felt hotter than 100 for a while now.
I’ll be taking off in a minute to take my friend to get a rental car for a 2-day trip (I’ll be feeding her dogs) but will of course check back later. Cloudy all day yesterday (didn’t rain until almost dark) so we only got 8.8 KWHs and the m-t-d is 253 – we can make the target if we get more sun. And since summer is coming back starting this afternoon (high upper 80s, heat index close to 100) I expect we will.
I’ve got two main reasons I’m not in favor of impeaching – investigating hell to the yeah but not actually impeaching. Other than thinking it’s a trap which I also do. If we impeach the Rs will damn near roll in the aisles at the opportunity to show just how weak we actually are at the moment. And double down on the evils they are doing. And it’s not gonna stop anything. Solemnly writing and passing Articles of Impeachment – even if we could remove twitler from office which we can’t – isn’t gonna get a single baby out of a cage, isn’t gonna stop family separation, isn’t gonna shut down the concentration camps, isn’t gonna re-open the legal asylum access points, isn’t gonna put a single judge back on duty to hear their cases, and isn’t gonna do a damn thing about ICE raids and gestapo in the DHS & Border Patrol. Anybody looking at Pence’s face as he toured the camp – men only, makes a good RW photo op – has got to know better. Not actually impeaching we can keep investigating wherever the investigations take us – and the Rs aren’t entirely secure about how much power we’ve got. Don’t show the battle plans to the enemy and damn-sure don’t expose all our weaknesses to them.
Gotta go. Bright the day Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 65 and sunny in Bellingham. When we looked at this house 40 some years ago I was very hesitant because I could see the work needed to restore it. But the price, location, and size was what we needed for our busy family so we sat on the lawn, looking at Bellingham Bay, and decided we could live here. But changes happen, and now a new house is being built across the street and our view of the bay is going away. I’ll miss seeing the water, but fortunately our old maple trees are still sheltering the house from the street.
Time for coffee, and as always, my best wishes to all.
That’s a wrench, to have your view destroyed! Builders are such clots.