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!
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Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 73 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 79. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast. It would likely be a day that I can keep the air conditioning turned off except that city workers are making a racket clearing brush nearby and if they do it again today, I will have to shut the windows to get any peace.
I have no idea how Democrats can rein in the DHS storm troopers. Blocking funding won’t work, shame certainly has no impact. How did we get to the point where these sorts of “elite forces” could have even been created? Anyone with a brain should have known that if you create something, it will be used. I was laughing at the DHS agents who feel that this is “ruining their reputation.” JHC on a popsicle stick, their freaking reputation is as brutal baby cagers and destroyers of families!! Add DHS to the list of agencies that Joe Biden will need to clean up – he has a mammoth task.
I am laughing at House Freedom Caca members going after Liz Cheney. Don’t they know that her father Dick “Dick” Cheney could have them “disappeared”??!! She is clearly setting herself up for a presidential run in 2024 and tacking towards the #NeverTrumper Lincoln Project Republicans, who envision a Republican Renaissance after they get this one pesky guy (ignoring their own role in creating him) removed, is not bad politics.
I have had some success in getting my project list under control but there are still too many things pending and worrying about them is disturbing my sleep. I have some changes I will need to make to my own IT systems soon as some of the vendors I have been using are changing their products in ways that don’t work and/or suck. I have to decide when to make those moves at the least disruptive time – likely there isn’t one and I will just have to set a date and forge ahead.
See all y’all later!
Wednesday Meese. 71 here in Kingston NY going up to 90 with rain.
Puerto Rico
Good Wednesday morning, Meese! It’s barely 8:45 a.m. and I feel as if I’ve been up for hours! Well, I have, actually. You might say from 5:10 a.m. until now counts as “hours.” It’s a perfect steam bath of a morning: 74 F., on its way up to 96 F. with possible thunderstorms.
We arrived back from Elder Son’s house at 6:45 a.m. Twenty-seven miles in 30 minutes—that’s not bad. It helped that we were abroad so early in the day. We could see thick fog hovering over the trees as we traveled. We came back early because (1) we couldn’t figure out how to make any coffee with Elder Son’s weird machines; and (2) Elder Son, like M’Daughter in Texas and Younger Son in Fairfax, does not have normal TV. We like to get weather reports in the morning and the news at dinner time. It was so annoying we decided just to come back here.
Monty really enjoyed romping in an actual fenced backyard with green grass and lots of hiding places among the shrubs. I picked some cherry tomatoes and a couple of cucumbers yesterday, an activity for which Elder Son had kindly given an invitation.
Monty was very nervous the whole time: I think he thought we were going to leave him there with a different family. He paced constantly and became frightened when we had a huge thunderstorm in Arlington late in the evening. As we couldn’t get news and weather on the telly, like normal people, I had to ask Alexa whether it was raining in Ashburn, and she said, yes, it was.
Anyway, Dearly enjoyed grilling our dinner and we enjoyed eating outside on Elder Son’s heavenly deck, two activities that we never get to do at this place.
I’ve opened the door to the screened porch so in a minute I can sit out there with the newspaper and enjoy the day before it becomes too hot.
The first thing our new president should do is abolish the Department of Homemade Security. As for Liz Cheney, whom does she think she’s kidding? You know, none of us have quite taken in what a trailblazer Hillary was and is. It was she who made the idea of a woman running for president seem normal. I was so proud to vote for her and I am so glad I took a picture of my ballot! I’ll have it as long as electronics last.
Wishing everyone at the Pond a good day without too much bad news.
It’s not 100 again today, won’t be all week. And might rain this weekend. Walked this morning, 1.18 miles. Just 1 running segment of a minute. 2 each at 45 seconds & 30 seconds. Today: got to take some finished applications in to the office, hope there are some new ones to pick up. I watched The Mandalorian yesterday, it’s good. Probably Marvel movies today. Got to get my $7 worth out of this month.
I saw where the University of Texas is determined to have in-person instruction so that they don’t have to shut down football. They plan to fill their stadium at 50% for NCAA football games. Yikes! Those 50,000 people covidding on each other then mingling in the community sounds like a recipe for disaster. Sportsball is big business and revenues from sports are huge (our university said that cancelling fall sports will cost them $100 million) but JHC! It may be one lost season but that is better than lost lives – death is forever. I hope wiser heads prevail.
May I remind everyone here that the University of Texas allows “open carry” of guns on campus. UT knows nothing and cares less about saving human lives.
It’s 76 and sunny at the moment but rain is supposed to move in later today. Which is supposed to keep the temps in the low 80s and the heat index below 90. Of course the forecast for the last several days said the heat index wasn’t going over 100 and they’ve been wrong. We shall see what we shall see. Yesterday afternoon/evening clouds held the electricity generation to 18 KWHs (m-t-d 365.48) but we did hit the 25MWH mark for the life of the system to date. That’s a W00T! I guess. Hoping I can manage to not turn on the A/C today. I don’t know though – the heat isn’t bad but the humidity is rising. That’s a catch-22 – with the lower temps I have to set the A/C lower to come on at all and then when the humidity is cut by the A/C I’m cold. I really wish A/Cs could be designed to run as dehumidifiers only alone as well as dehumidifying coolers. That would be so helpful to folks like me.
More confirmed sightings of KitFox – and one of the sighters is a rescuer herself. Aji & Wings took Kit’s bed & blanket plus one of Aji’s shirts over to her to see if she can entice him into her yard. Prayers/invocations/candles…they can’t afford the reward money but they’ll happily pay it anyway (& accrue late fees on something else) to get him back. Amelia hasn’t been able to raise the energy to get to the bank which she has to do before she can get to the grocery store. More prayers/invocations/candles… & it’s Fineena’s birthday so hopefully that’s a good thing.
The world’s in an evil mess – mostly because it’s being run by evil people. So we do our best to get those evil people out of power. Whether or not we can do it is another we shall see what we shall see. Channeling Healing/Helping Energy to everybody everywhere, to your shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 64 and sunny in Bellingham. I was outdoors for most of yesterday and avoided the news of the day as best I could. I’ve needed to prune the plants growing along the walkway to the patios for several years but my summers have been to busy with visiting family. Thanks to covid confinement I’ve got time this year, and thanks to a resting spot in the shade I can take frequent rest breaks, put my legs up, and read a book between clips. And then I come indoors for dinner (thanks RonK!) take a shower, and then take my aching joints to bed.
Shaping mature plants is a challenge for me as I don’t want them to look like they have been pruned, and so far so good. I’m grateful to have a garden to be in and today I’ll try to take a break from working and just be outdoors.
Best wishes to all.
Your garden sounds a hundred different kinds of delightful, princesspat! Perhaps you or Ron could one day put up some views of it as a blog. When you describe what you’ve done outside I always feel like booking the next flight to where you live, so I can see it for myself.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 57 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 77. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast.
Republicans are starting to make noises about the “costs” of helping Americans keep food on the table and pay rent and mortgages while most of us hunker down and wait for a vaccine. They really don’t “get” that people don’t want to be part of their herd immunity scheme and will keep their kids home and stay out of malls rather than become a casualty of Republican sociopathy. In a just world, those people would lose their jobs. In the world we have now, 40% of voters love them and want them to be in charge – in a ratfked election, that may be enough to keep them in power.
I woke up just after 2am and could not get back to sleep. So now I am up working and hope to get some quiet time to finish an important project before daybreak.
See all y’all later!
Jan, I’m impressed that you are coherent at 2 a.m.! Hope you can catch up on your sleep later.
Thursday Meese
71 going up to 87 here in Kingston NY
Looked for something to smile about
Kamala Harris Sarah Cooper
Dear Goddess, I love Kamala!
Puerto Rico
On Jan. 20, 2021 our new prez should appoint a commission headed by rational, Spanish-speaking people to help Puerto Rico and Vieques.
Happy Friday Eve. I got a text from my gym earlier this week, I’m going in this afternoon to see how they are keeping clean & social distance. I have a cooling neckerchief that I can double-over to be a mask. I can’t imagine going to they gym on a regular basis, but I’ll go have a look. Before that, I’ll see how many new library users I can get set up.
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s 76 F. in Ashburn at 9:35 a.m., on its way up to 91 F. with possible thunderstorms.
Yesterday we had the Mother of All Thunderstorms, areawide, with winds of 50 mph, torrential rain, thunder and lightning. We received 1.58 inches of rain at Dulles Airport. It was quite impressive.
Went down to the garden at 7:30 this morning. Alas, poor zucchini! The storm really did a number on it. Half of it appeared to be dead, so I pulled it up. No more are on the way.
Picked a few of the little tomatoes. The big ones hanging greenly on their stalks still haven’t turned. Problem is, the longer they hang around bein’ green, the more insects attack them. My dreams of lettuce-and-tomato sandwiches and summer spaghetti are vanishing down the drain. For a Witch, I have a really black thumb.
Since it’s a bit too humid and too dodgy, weather-wise, to go for a walk I’ll stay in and concentrate on desk work. There were some very angry-looking clouds on the horizon when I went down to the garden, but they appear to have dissipated now.
LOVE the reports of the “Wall of Dads” directing leaf blowers at the fake militia in Portland, thereby redirecting the tear gas at them. I understand that the Department of Homemade Security is rather upset about this. Gods, the Erik Prince militia even gassed the Mayor Portland! May vile and unmentionable fates befall those responsible.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.
We’re at 71 heading for 87 with a heat index barely in the 90s. (Yeah, right.) Also more afternoon rain. Which if it comes will be welcome. We got .2″ yesterday. For a while it was raining on the east side of my house but not on the west side which was a bit bizarre in an amusing sort of way. We only got 16 KWHs – or 2/3 the possible for this time of year – bringing the m-t-d to 381. But even 16 per day for the rest of the month will get us over 500. And since I’ve mostly managed to keep the A/C off, I’m still ahead of my use.
My car’s still in the shop. Tuesday close of business the office people told my son “tune-up, change wires and plugs” needed which since they did that in December and it didn’t fix the problem…but yesterday morning the mechanic himself called my son and said that since he had done the tune-up in December he didn’t want to “throw wires and plugs at it” and asked if he could have another day to try and find the real problem. Which of course we agreed to. Once we know what the problem is – and what it’s gonna cost to fix it – I get to decide on whether to tell him to do it or sell the car online (1999 Subaru Legacy Outback wagons are very popular – they don’t make that body style any longer) and buy another beater. I’d rather fix it. I like the car. I found it for my friend back in ’05 and drove it some even then and have owned it myself since ’14. And I don’t like newer cars. If I had my druthers, since I can’t afford an EV or even a hybrid, I’d have an old car – one that doesn’t have a computer in it at all. But I can’t afford to keep one of those running even if I could afford one of those that somebody else has kept running all these years. So. One more we shall see what we shall see.
Everybody seems to be in a holding pattern. Waiting. For November. For January. For total evil we fear to happen. For pushback/resistance to hold it off. Waiting. Doing what comes to hand, trying to stay busy and not think about things they can’t do anything about. Aji still needs rain and money – & for Kit to come home.
Amelia’s still trying to recoup enough “spoons” to actually leave the motel and get to the bank. Kamala’s $2K a month would be a god/dess-send – and ironic since it’s more, not quite twice as much, than Amelia gets with her monthly Social Security disability. Or I get with my Social Security full retirement. But anything will help – Amelia, Aji, Fineena…- just everybody. That’s another we shall see what we shall see.
Meanwhile as I’ve been composing this comment the temps have been rising and it’s time to close up the house. Channeling Healing/Helping Energy to everybody everywhere, to your shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 62 and partly sunny in Bellingham. For some reason Emma’s 18th birthday has crept up on us. It’s too late to order anything so today I’m going to cut Disney motifs from some floral fabrics and sew the appliques to white t-shirts, Pre covid she was going to be at Disneyland with her dance studio but she has managed the disappointment well. Just for fun I’ll make matching masks from the prints, and I’ll look for a nice pair of earrings so she will have a lasting gift.
Our son just arrived with Heidi and a bowl of fresh blueberries. His new house has a lovely garden, and the deer are willing to share the blueberries with him so he is sharing with us.
Best wishes to all.
Princesspat, love your ideas for Emma’s birthday present! Matching masks for the t-shirts remind me of the matching hijabs I saw offered for sale in a women’s dress store in Amman.
It’s great that your son lives in a house with a garden full of blueberries and that the deer are willing to share. Do I foresee blueberry cobbler or blueberry pie? I generally make blueberry cake once a summer because it’s so good for family gatherings such as barbecues or picnics. It doesn’t need frosting. But this year there are no family gatherings, so I’ll have to pass, I suppose.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 59 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 84. Sunny skies are in the forecast.
I am hoping that by the time the Democratic National Convention starts in mid-August that someone has sorted out – in the courts or elsewhere – what role federal stormtroopers can play in Milwaukee. Students will be returning to campuses in the half-dozen or so colleges in the city and it is frightening to think about protesters or just casual observers getting shot and killed by the Republican Gestapo. Our governor and attorney general have expressed opposition to tRump’s plan but the Republican state legislature and the Republican state supreme court will have no interest in protecting the city – they despise Milwaukee and, of course, those who live there. I recall that in 2018 when Tony Evers won the governorship and we swept all the statewide offices, the Republican Assembly Speaker, Robin Doodiehead Vos, said it wasn’t fair that they counted the votes from the cities since it did not reflect his Wisconsin.
Robert E. Lee High School in Fairfax County Virginia will be renamed after Rep. John Lewis! w00t! One of my friends suggested that they rename their mascot the Good Troubles. Ha!!
See all y’all later!
Good Friday morning, Moosekind! I didn’t expect to wake up to the sight and sound of rain this morning. Being deaf without my hearing aids, I am never able to enjoy the delightful sleep-inducing sound of raining falling at night.
Yesterday the weather gods did a dress rehearsal. At dinner time large, menacing dark clouds appeared, along with wild winds and the scent of rain. The air even smelled of rain. Then the gods decided that Ashburn wasn’t exciting enough and moved off somewhere else after throwing around a few lightning bolts. That’s why it was such a surprise when I took Monty out at 6 a.m. to find it definitely wasn’t the weather for business meetings.
Anyway, this morning in Ashburn it’s raining steadily, with a current temp. of 72 F. A high of 84 F. and thunderstorms are forecast for today.
Feeling very happy about the name change from Robert E. Lee High School to John R. Lewis High School. Also, although I am no fan of AOC, I have to give her credit for the speech she made yesterday. She spoke about the insults and vile language to which all women are subjected all their lives. If I didn’t know so many wonderful men, I’d be tempted to declare “Men are such beasts!” I wish the beastly ones didn’t prevail so much in society.
Well, that’s enough out of me for this morning. Miss Pink Cheeks is coming to stay for the weekend! She has an online class (English composition) from 3:30 until 5 today, and another (Mandarin) from 2 until 4 tomorrow, but other than that will be free to relax. She’s reading her way through the Anne of Green Gables series. I keep the entire set over here for her and she takes a book home and returns it as she finishes them.
Hoping for a good day for all at the Pond.
Hot morning — 82 degrees when I walked at 6am. Blech. Just did 1 mile, with 2 running segments — 1 at 1 minute, 1 at 45 seconds. Today: going in to the office because I’ve got all the people set up that I got on Wednesday, and there are more applications to do. And I’ll be done working by 3:30. There is literally nothing on TV today, so I’ll listen to U2 radio while I’m home.
It’s 72 and sunny at the moment. Widget admits the temps will get into the 90s but still says the heat index won’t get into the 100s. It’s been wrong about that every day this week except the one day we actually did get rain. We generated 18.8 KWHs and reached 400 for the m-t-d. We’ve 8 production days left in the month (counting today), 4 projected to be partly to mostly sunny, 4 projected cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. So the average of over 20/day to reach the “meet or beat” goal is very unlikely and the average 13/day to get over 500 is iffy. As with everything else, we shall see what we shall see.
Aji apparently has one of those January & July bills due Monday and hasn’t gotten a sale since the tax money came in so she’s stressed to the max. And no new sighting of Kit to make it better. Amelia did get out yesterday to the bank and grocery store. (She said the bank guy didn’t know why they’d shut down her card, expedited a new one, and since she doesn’t have a permanent address it will come to the bank for her to pick up possibly Saturday/probably Monday.) I haven’t heard from anybody else. Including my son about the car. I am very sad about a little wren I found dead yesterday when I went to refill the bird feeding station.
Apparently the poor thing hit the picture window, bounced back into the water dish, and either was already dead or drowned. I buried it in the feeding area so it’s spirit will have plenty of food for its journey. I don’t like that as an omen any more than I like it as the needless death of a living creature. What is, is. I guess.
So many evil things happening right now. Just finding ways to hang on – and help each other hang on – is getting harder and harder. But it’s doable. And we are doing it. Channeling Healing/Helping Energy to everybody everywhere, to your shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 60 and partly cloudy in Bellingham. I didn’t get as much done as I should have yesterday so I need to focus and finish Emma’s gift today. I enjoy the creativity of playing around with fabric so that’s what I did yesterday, but now that decisions are made and shapes cut out I need to finish what I’ve started!
The partly cloudy sky is now grey and foggy, a good day for sewing. Best wishes to all.
It isn’t an official day until we can weigh in on Puerto Rico!
Very true. I’ve been waiting for this. {{{HUGS}}}