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!
Big freeze overnight & there was maybe a dusting of sleet/ice so all the schools are on a 2 hour delay — which means state agencies are, too. But I had put in for vacation today, so I’m having a leisurely breakfast, hugging my space heater & watching Stargate. I got in a 2 mile walk yesterday before the front came in. Today’s plan: housework & get to the gym. It might get warm enough this afternoon for a walk outside — this weather is freaky for us, I’m not going to push the outdoors thing.
It’s 10-feels-like- -3 in Fay., AR but this is the lowest – at least for the time being. By next week our lows will be well above today’s projected high of 32. It’s sunny, which is nice, but the PV system is off because the panels are covered with yesterday’s snow/ice mix. Once the sun gets high enough it will sublime the panels clear but that will take time so we’ll be lucky to get 4 KWHs today. Still, that’s better than the 1/3 KWH we got yesterday. The m-t-d is 62 which is most certainly not on track for 200 or even 180 which is the lowest November I’ve gotten with the 4K system thus far. sigh. We shall see what we shall see.
In 1974 I had a new baby and while I paid attention to what was going on and did watch the hearings my focus was on my 4-month-old when not demanded by my 3-year-old. But I always remember Barbara Jordan. I wanted her to be our first Black woman president. sigh. I’m not sure I’ll watch these. I have a very hard time watching anything that runs more than a few minutes. It bothers my eyes and fairly quickly that derails my focus. I hope they’ll have transcripts out somewhere so I can read it.
I hope Amelia’s managed to contact some of the folks who’ve offered to help. Her “rent” runs out today and I can’t help any more this month. Between her emergencies and a few other folks I send money to, well, I’m not that good – and the few folks I’m still in touch with from my old DK fundraiser days are pretty much tapped out, too. So back to prayers and invocations. Plus candles for folks having surgery. (I do lots of virtual candles but I only have a few real ones so they’re saved for immediate potentially life-threatening things.) Aji’s health and financial issues are so intertwined…and so many of both shouldn’t be happening at all. She’s Native so her healthcare should be covered, not putting her $50K in debt and climbing, but IHS is funded at 13% and can’t even do diabetic clinics. And even paying for it herself, many of the conditions she has that are just now being diagnosed (she finally found a decent doctor who listens to her) she’s had for years. Some since she was a child. They’ve done nothing but get worse over the decades of not being treated. Nothing new for a woman. Really nothing new for a woman of color. But still not right. And my other friends…well, none of it’s right but there’s so very little I can do about it. So. Prayers and invocations.
An amusing thing I’m not sure what the heck to think about – DailyKos is following me on twitter. I hope that doesn’t mean they’re trying to find “guilt by association” evidence to ban somebody else. Anyway, Murf’s on my lap so I’ll be reading for a bit and get my coffee when he gets off again. Healing/Helping Energy to everyone who accepts it, to their shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 49 and raining in Bellingham. I woke up at near normal time but then needed a nap. I think I can now start my day and the desk work is the first item on my list. Then I’ll move on to holiday planning. The family will be here for T Day so I’d best start delegating :)
Diana, Ron has had several growths removed from his scalp and so far so good. I hope your procedure is successful and easy.
Best wishes to all on this (for me) sleepy and rainy day.
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 12 degrees in Madison (feels like -1) with an expected daytime high of 21. Flurries are in the forecast for today. We broke a record for low temperatures yesterday – this really is quite unusual – and I am sure that the snowfalls will put November records at risk. I hope Wisconsin municipalities have budgeted enough for snow removal – it is always a tricky balance with most governmental units budgets cut to the bone.
I am trying to understand why it is news that Stephen Miller, author of some of the administration’s most cruel policies against people of color and immigrants, is found to be an out and proud white supremacist. Good lord, people, he worked for Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III – an unreconstructed klan member – and has a history since high school of hateful screeds! The real news is that the media shrugged rather than follow the breadcrumbs to the evidence of his hatred. Some twitterers were saying that it would lead to his firing. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Why fire someone who so perfectly channels the base (both meanings)? A pundit suggested that the only way he would be fired would be if somehow the attention he was getting took attention away from the Man Who Must Stay the Center of Attention. Although a surprise firing might succeed in distracting the media from the impending shitstorm of bad press from the televised impeachment hearing and the dramatic revelations from the Roger Stone trial where evidence shows that tRump lied under oath about his role in Russian wikileaks in 2016. THAT is the real news and it won’t be covered. Stone will never turn on his pal but there is a lot of new grist for the impeachment panels.
No shock that the Keggernaugh Kourt wants to deport 700,000 people who put their trust in the government and registered for the DACA program. It should be the easiest roll up of unauthorized immigrants in our history – nice job, fking berners, for putting these people on the court. I hope you’re happy.
I am not going to pay any attention to 2020 polls, especially polls out of the white states. What is it with people who think that Republican Lite is a winning strategy for our 2020 nominee? Mayo Pete saw an empty lane next to Joe Biden and moved there to claim the mantle of “moderate” and win the votes of people convinced that the only way to win is to go white, go male, and go weak on civil rights so as not to upset their neighbors who are suffering from “economic anxiety.” We will not win Iowa in the 2020 general and it makes no sense to put that much energy there for a handful of delegates – and 4 electoral votes. More people need to call it the sham that it is. We will win by flipping Arizona and Georgia and recovering Michigan and Pennsylvania and maybe Florida. Anyway, people hanging on every poll – especially polls showing that the flavor of the day – VANILLA! – is ahead in a white state, are getting on my last nerve.
I will probably turn on the hearings and watch for a while but it depends on how much time they give the Russian propagandists. It looks like it starts at 9am EST on CSPAN-3 which I don’t get and is then replayed at 11am EST on CSPAN-1. I guess that means I will have to watch it on regular TV. :(
See all y’all later!
Wednesday Meese. Impeachment Day here is cold – 19 degrees going up to a toasty 33.
C-Span hearings
Here’s the link to watch on c-span
Impeachment Hearing with William Taylor and George Kent
Some music for today
I have to decide if I am willing to watch the hearing on streaming (cspan.org) rather than the TV. The TV is certainly more comfortable – but I really really don’t want to see the network/cable talking heads during the breaks.
Charles Blow
Puerto Rico
Good morning, Meesefolk; 5 when I got up this morning and heading to a high of 23. Somehow I don’t think our 8+ inches of snow from the other day is going to melt at all today, nor am I going to bother trying to shovel any more of the walks. When the snow was coming down, I got one shovel-width cleared for all of the sidewalks. I was going to go back and get the full width of the sidewalk cleared, but not when it’s single digits.
The job search continues. Last week I took a personality assessment for a job, a move I only made because the company was fully transparent about their use of the assessment from the beginning. I wrote off the job after I took the assessment; I just decided it was best not to look back since there’s no way to improve one’s chances once the assessment is done. In a total surprise to me, I moved on to the interview round and had my interview yesterday. I tend to interview well, because my nervous energy is usually spent in a sleepless night before. By the time of the interview, I’ve reached the IDGAF stage, which is actually quite helpful for clear, concise, and cogent answers.
But yesterday was an altogether new experience: they conducted “speed interviews.” First, there was a group meeting where the company, job, benefits, pay, hours, etc were presented. Then the first two applicants to arrive were shuffled off to an interviewer; after ten minutes, they switched places for another ten minute interview. When they were done, the next two applicants went to their interviews. Our group was supposed to have been 10 people but only 7 showed up for the interview. I was the last one to arrive (despite arriving 10 minutes early), so when it was my turn, the interviewers decided to dispense with the one-on-one and switched to two-on-one for 20 minutes. The net result for me was that is was more like a traditional interview; part of the point of speed interviews is to create a pressure situation where first impressions are everything, but they lost that. I don’t think they cared, because another reason for using speed interviews is to get through a large number of applicants quickly…I think that was their primary reason. At any rate, we find out on Friday who has been selected to move on to the next round of interviews, which, I assume, is when the owner will get involved.
I actually fully enjoyed the process. When the first two applicants went off for their interviews, a company employee stayed with those of us waiting in case we had further questions. It occurred to me that she was as much a part of the process as the two “official” interviewers, so I started asking the sort of questions that I might not feel inclined to ask in an interview, from the frivolous to the serious. I also wasn’t going to sit silently with six people for more than an hour, because that would have just amped up my nervousness. So I started engaging the other applicants, and by the time I was the only one left, I felt like I had made some new, albeit very temporary, friends. It may sound overly-calculating, but I did have an ulterior motive. The job is a customer service position for a company that emphasizes creating relationships, so I figured this was as much an audition moment as the interview. I could be totally wrong; they may not ask the employee sitting with us a single thing about her impressions. But if they do, they’ll find out that I, and a few others, were ready, willing, and able to “create relationships” while we waited. And even if I don’t move on to the next round, I at least was able to enjoy the time I spent waiting.
Good day to and for all!
Holding the Good Thought on the job situation. It sounds like you had some fun yesterday so that’s good. {{{HUGS}}}
2nd freezing night in a row. I do not like this. But at least this afternoon I can uncover my plants & put them back out. Today: lunch with a friend, thaw stuff out for tomorrow, uncover & move plants, maybe go to the gym.
Funny how after 10 with a windchill of -3 yesterday today’s 20 with a windchill of 10 doesn’t seem so bad. ???????????? & it’s sunny again ???????? which helps. Some snow still and this morning’s frost as well on the solar panels but we’re supposed to get above freezing today so it should clear off possibly even by noon so we can get the good production sun on open panels. Yesterday we did get 4 KWHs and the m-t-d is 66.7 – we’ve a spate of sunny days in the forecast so…we shall see what we shall see.
Folks I’m worried about aren’t in any better shape than they were yesterday. It would be nice to see a little progress, a single bright spot indicating better things coming. sigh. But then the same is true for our nation. And the world. Right now things are so dark we can barely see the road we’re on much less if we’re going the right direction – or even on the right road. On all levels. But we keep moving. Standing still is an option but only the option of death. If we choose life, then we have to keep moving and hope we’ll come out some place where surviving isn’t a matter of chance and thriving is an actual possibility. On all levels.
Murf’s on my lap again – he’s the grumpiest of the 5 but he’s also the one who likes laps the most. So I will tour the internet for a bit before getting coffee. Healing/Helping Energy to everybody who needs and accepts it, to their shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 47 and foggy in Bellingham. I’m watching the impeachment hearings with my finger on the mute button because the R’s are indeed spewing propaganda (thanks Jan). Mr. Kent and Ambassador Taylor are prepared and impressive so I’m trying to concentrate on their words and not let the R’s upset me.
Best wishes to all on this important day.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 25 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 30. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast. We might see lower 40s over the weekend – heat wave!!
I watched part of the hearing yesterday – muting the Republican questioners because, really, life is too short. Ambassador Taylor is very impressive and at times I felt intense sorrow about what the Republicans have done to the State Department. Tears were almost welling up in his eyes when he discussed duty and country. I hope we can repair the damage that has been done.
Clearly, there is enough evidence right now to impeach – the only question left is how much Democratic leadership wants to include in the articles of impeachment. I am not sure how the process works – if they list 10 articles, I suspect that gets an up or down vote so they have to make sure it does not include things not being addressed, for example, the morally reprehensible baby caging, and some of the things from the Mueller report which has turned into a third rail. I probably won’t watch any more of the hearings but will follow it by reading trusted sources.
Deval Patrick. Sigh. I suspect this was the deal for getting Bloomberg out of the race – the powers that be are sensing that Joe Biden is not up to the task and they are terrified that one of the economic socialists will win the nomination and lose – or win and tax them!! I get the feeling that if Kamala Harris had not been erased by the media and had been able to build on her 10%, this would not have happened. I have no idea what his support is in the black community but I know that he is a favorite of Wall Street. Sigh again as we will have to deal with all the 2016 primary issues once more.
I have a busy day here as I need to move more quickly on a project that I had hoped to be able to defer until December. Now I have to figure out how to pare it down to a size that can be rolled out in early December instead of early January.
See all y’all later!
Thursday Meese.
22 here in Saugerties NY – going up to 41
Writing for my deadline – so haven’t collected any tweets. Maybe later.
One more cold day & then back to our normal sunshine & 70s. I had packed my gym bag, but then realized I’ll need to uncover my plants & put them back in their normal places. No freezes expected for weeks. I could get used to 2 day work weeks, though not the income reduction. That alarm was early, I’ll use City of Blinding Lights to keep myself awake.
Kamala2020
It’s already 33 (windchill 28) in Fay., AR heading up for upper 40s. Of course it didn’t manage to reach the projected 45 yesterday so we shall see what we shall see. It’s overcast at the moment but is supposed to clear off by mid morning. Yesterday we got right at 7 KWHs and the m-t-d is 73.7 – not great but at least what I use in a day. These wood bricks burn quite nicely but I’m using up all my kindling getting them started. Used to be I’d head for the nearest construction site and get more but now all lumber is treated and that’s not a good thing to be breathing. sigh.
I hope Diana is able to get into Moose today. She emailed me last night that she couldn’t yesterday – that she can read them but she can’t log in or out. Weirdness of the internets. Not a good problem but not a bad problem compared to what some of my friends are dealing with. Amelia’s situation is worse – same ol’ as far as needing to raise money to stay in the hotel (be nice if the “safety net” would help here – this one since it includes utilities is less expensive than most apartments in the area) but her family are all toxic emotional abusers & yesterday afternoon one of them sent her a toxic projecting email accusing her of all the abuse they are doing to her. That’s set her back a couple of weeks emotionally. I don’t know what’s more evil – our social “safety net” that punishes the poor and abuses the disabled or toxic dysfunctional families who do the same. Probably they’re so interconnected – the safety net wouldn’t be shredded, toxic, and abusing if it weren’t for toxic and abusing people – what Aji rightly calls our “colonizer” culture. Aji’s situation is “well, we can make it through this week” better – but not “we can cover the bills, finish the repair work, and reschedule our put-off doctor visits” better. Inch by effen inch.
Murf just hopped off my lap so I’d best go get my coffee before he comes back. ???????????? Healing/Helping Energy to all who need and accept it, to their shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
I will clear the cache and see if that fixes the problem – it often does. There is a pending WordPress update as well but I prefer to do those Sunday morning after a full backup in case of a catastrophe. I may be able to find time tomorrow morning but I am up against a deadline right now..
Bless you for keeping Moose up and running. Holding the Good Thought for making your deadline.
Good morning, 43 and cloudy in Bellingham. Between the hearings yesterday and an unfortunate vacuum failure resulting in a dust explosion in the basement I’m really tired today. Our son is working on another project today so I’ll rest this morning and then do some more cleanup downstairs. He needs to do some ceiling repair and a bit more sanding before the final painting so I just need to keep it clean enough to be able to breathe.
Re the hearings……I was blinking tears too Jan. Hearing truthful words, spoken in a dignified way was an emotional relief.
Best wishes to all on this cloudy November day.
Meese, I’m baaaack! Yay!
THANK YOU, BlogGoddess Jan, for fixing the problem, and thanks to bfitz for alerting Jan this morning. Things have been so smooth at the Pond lately that I’d almost forgotten how awful it is to be locked out.
It’s good to be back. This morning the big, beautiful, shining-white Lady Moon was still up when we arose. The Nicest Man in North America left our hovel at 7 this morning to get me some cold meds. Two other Raging Grannies and I were scheduled to demonstrate at the NRA headquarters this morning, so I didn’t want to stand there with a dripping nose. There were some 70 persons there besides ourselves, each holding a sign. Although it was 34 F., we felt warmed by the presence of our fellow demonstrators, and by the honks and thumbs-up signs of support from passing motorists. Good old blue Fairfax, Virginia!
My cold, which I thought had left, has returned. Bummer. I just finished interviewing a Presbyterian minister (a.k.a. “The She-Devil” when she went to her first congregation). Honestly, the hatred of patriarchal males toward women who exhibit signs of being not only human but also intelligent never fails to appall me! Anyway, she was fascinating.
Yesterday I interviewed a woman who had been a Northern Baptist minister until she and her husband moved to Tennesee. Then they had to attend the Episcopal Church because Southern Baptists are not at all like Northern Baptists. Anyway, I suspect I’ll be seeing a lot more of both women because they’re are so fascinating and they’re interested in the same things I’m interested in. One thing we need to work on is getting more diversity into this Home for the Aged. This place is a perfect sea of pasty white faces.
Gotta feed the dog and then go pick up dinner. I’ve got SUCH a headache, but I do need to work tonight. Tomorrow we’re going to the Newseum or die in the attempt. It’ll be pretty much of an all-day expedition.
May not have time to check in tomorrow morning, therefore, but will definitely be here Saturday! It’s good to be back here at the peaceful, quiet Moose Pond!
Hope everyone is having a good day. A la prochaine!
{{{Diana}}} – welcome home. ????
Was it the bad link or did it start working after I cleared the site cache? Glad to see you made it back!
Friday Meese
26 degrees going up to 50 here in Saugerties NY.
Very tired – insurance company is refusing to continue my husband’s treatment in the rehab hospital. Looks like he is coming home before his doctors and physical therapists think is wise (and safe)
Am trying to prepare – and ramping up search for a new house (where we live now is not good for him since we have very steep stairs) Wish me luck.
Puerto Rico
All the luck – and Healing/Helping Energy – in the world. {{{Dee}}}
Good luck to you for both dealing with the insurance mess and deciding where to live. :(
Thanks Jan.