Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Aug. 2nd through Aug. 8th

August 1, 2020 JanF Community 73

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!
 
– Page Three of Comments is HERE!
 

 

24 Comments

  1. Good “morning”, Motley Meese! The week begins …

    Morning low of 64 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 73. Chance of thunderstorms.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

  3. Puerto Rico

    If democracy is to mean anything, the electoral will of the majority needs to be heard in an up or down vote concerning statehood. Anything else is just political static to avoid confronting the profoundly undemocratic, unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico. Those that oppose statehood can vote no and can rest assured that if they prevail, they will be heard loud and clear by many in Congress. Those that favor statehood can vote yes, and should they prevail, they can begin the difficult task of pressuring Congress to act on its constitutional responsibilities.
    This upcoming plebiscite is just one step in a long political process.

    • A lot of people don’t realize that Puerto Rico would be a red state. Or maybe they do and their tweets about “we should make Puerto Rico a state, not Washington DC” are a way to look reasonable while practicing racism. DC wants to be a state and will be a deep blue state and a majority Black state.

  4. Good morning everyone! I’m watching the splashdown of the astronauts, and the news — but really, the astronaut stuff is better. And I went outside last night to look at Jupiter & Saturn near the moon, it was wonderful. Today: news/NASA TV, church, make breakfast for next week.

  6. We started the morning at 63, are at 72 now, and heading for 81 (heat index 85) with afternoon clouds and maybe rain. This is not a “normal” August 2nd but it’s pleasant and I’ll enjoy it while we have it. Yesterday we generated 21.2 KWHs which of course is also the m-t-d. August’s meet-or-beat target is 534 but that’s rather unlikely. 2015 was the only year to get over 500 at all and this has been a cloudy year. Second place would be 456 so that’s my more realistic goal.

    Aji’s new puppies (Cricket’s not “packing up” with them yet but he’s not growling at them and is keeping an aloof eye on them rather than hiding so that’s good progress) and Fineena’s PayPal account getting straightened out/getting her money back are the bits of good news. Everybody else is hanging on as best they can. With Amelia that’s not very well but we’ll see what the day brings.

    I’ve finished my Sunday chores – did it while it was cool as the vacuuming always gets me into overheating territory and cool temps help get it back down again before it causes a coughing/minor asthma fit. So…breakfast and the internet. Channeling Healing/Helping Energy to everybody everywhere to your shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  7. Good morning, 63 and mostly sunny in Bellingham. Another quiet day, another day to be grateful for my garden. I didn’t work in the garden yesterday, but I visited with my family and enjoyed being outdoors with the blooming hydrangeas. The bushes are loaded with flowers and they are just about mature enough to cut for an arrangement.

    This conversation between Bill Moyers and Heather Cox Richardson is interesting. I’m trying to find a way to be informed, but at the same time have some distance from the daily dose of news and the resulting tRump angst……

    That being said, again, one of the things that I think really helps me to write the letters and to understand what’s going on today is that, as historians, we are looking for the longer, larger picture. So it’s easy for me to see a story and say, “No, that’s not important yet. It might be important, but it’s not important yet.”

    Bill Moyers and Heather Cox Richardson on Her Daily Letters

    Time for coffee and as always, my best wishes to all on this quiet summer morning.

  8. Good morning, meeses! Monday …

    It is 57 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 70. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast.

    The Biden camp really needs to choose more wisely who they put in charge of important projects like “picking a Vice President.” It should not be old white guys – or anyone, really – who wants to be a media darling and share their bowel movements with the press. Choosing someone as compromised (and old and white and male) as Chris Dodd as an advisor on anything, is a bad sign. Joe Biden has some smart people running his campaign, they need to tell him that it is 2020 and the old ways, the ways that threw Anita Hill under the bus and embraced white supremacists as allies and Mike Pence as a “decent man”, are not going to cut it. You will want to get us enthused and this Doddering is a buzz kill.

    Is anyone else bothered by the notion that rural Sheriffs in Wisconsin are announcing that they will not enforce orders by a Democratic governor because they have interpreted them “unconstitutional”? I get that they will probably not fine anyone for ignoring Governor Evers’ mask mandate – because they are assholes – but to not do so because they feel that they have the right to interpret the constitutionality of an order makes me itchy. You know damn well that if urban law enforcement had decided to not enforce any of former Governor Walker’s orders, Republicans would be incensed. Different rules, methinks.

    I am trying to get some things done before clients wake up and want me to address their issues but I am moving in slow motion this morning. Maybe I will start with something easy just to get some things done.

    See all y’all later!

    • Is anyone else bothered by the notion that rural Sheriffs in Wisconsin are announcing that they will not enforce orders by a Democratic governor because they have interpreted them “unconstitutional”?

      Yes. It bothers me!

  9. Monday Meese
    71 going up to 88 here in Kingston NY

    Puerto Rico

  10. Good gray Monday morning, Moosekind! It’s extremely overcast, with a current temperature in Ashburn of 76 F., going up to 84 F. Heavy thunderstorms are predicted, yes, bla bla bla, flooding bla bla bla. We’re in for a week of mid-80s, which is fine with me! August can be dreadfully hot, but it’s still on a downward trend from the horrendous high 90s.

    Well, as usual, we’re all outraged. I’m getting VERY annoyed with Biden and beginning to remember why he wasn’t my first, second, or third choice in the primaries. Doddery and too collegial. As Jan put it so well this morning, he needs to wake up and remember this is 2020. The WaPo is already determinedly undermining him by bringing up Anita Hill. Of course, we do need to keep in mind how he behaved during that time, and we should naturally continue to deplore it, but when the house is burning down you need to save it, not criticize who’s putting the fire out.

    I’ve probably bored you with this statement before but if he picks anyone but Kamala, not another penny of my money will he get. It’ll go to down-ballot candidates.

    I’m still exercised about how I’m going to make sure my ballot is counted. One guy here at The Home says he NEVER mails his ballot. He goes to the election office near the airport, fills it out, registers it in the machine, and that is that. I may do that too. No way am I trusting my ballot to Rethuglican “Slow Downers” at the Post Awful!

    Never made it here yesterday because Sundays are so busy with cooking breakfast, laundry, watering the garden and picking tomatoes, and so forth. We have so many darling little grape tomatoes and Sungolds that I had to give some away to every neighbor in my corridor. The tomatoes are coming to an end, though, they look exhausted.

    We went over to Eric ‘s house on Saturday to celebrate Ethan’s birthday. The other grandma was there but the other grandpa wasn’t feeling well (NOT the virus), so he stayed home. Little Ethan was so excited by the thought of his birthday cake and his presents that he whooped, yelled, raced around, and generally made so much noise that by the time we left I had a headache. But it was fun.

    Postcard writing to voters is my chore for the day. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.

  11. Got in my 30 minute walk, it’s almost pleasant outside, 74 degrees. We got a pretty intense rainshower yesterday, I ran outside to put my basil & lavender where they’d get water. Today: work — probably go in to the office, I have several finished applications. But it’s going to be really hot this afternoon — highs of 103 for most of the week.

  12. Our overnight was 59, currently 60 and slowly but sunnily heading for 81. For August this is weird but more summer-like weather (highs in the low 90s) is due back next weekend. That will give me more comfortable mornings but less comfortable afternoons. LOL. Yesterday we generated 19.9 KWHs and the m-t-d is 21 so we’re on track. That’s a nice way to start a month anyway.

    Amelia’s fatigue has gotten so much worse since she was sick so long. February through April and the cough lingered into May. She thinks it was COVID19, so many of the symptoms (as we know them via the internet) were present. She couldn’t get a Dx from anybody even through she went to the ER twice. The 2nd trip they at least gave her “a breathing treatment” and some oral steroids. But the kinds of upsets and stresses that last year took her a week to recover from now take two. At least. Please Hold the Good Thought for her today. She has to get the bank card, deal with a Verizon screwup, get the August “rent” dealt with, and go to the pharmacy to get the meds that keep her anxiety at a low boil instead of full-blown attack – and the 1st three being very necessary and stressful, make the 4th equally necessary.

    Everybody else is hanging in there and trucking along as best they/we can. Need help, of course, but not urgently. At least not yet. As for me, going out is stressful – especially since so very few people are following any kind of safe guidelines – and I was not only out 2 days last week, I have to get out at least one day this week. The westside stores maybe I can put off until next week but out once a week is still pushing things. And sooner rather than later I need to take the Camry in for an oil change and to get the tires aired up. The tires are definitely low and there’s no sticker in the window to indicate the last time it got an oil change so my bet is it needs one.

    Meanwhile I’m watching a crow walk down the street and listening to it complain loudly to the world. You go, Bird! Hope everybody’s day & week is pleasant, productive, and safe. Channeling Healing/Helping Energy to everybody everywhere, to your shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  13. Good morning, 60 and partly sunny in Bellingham. I was outside most of the day yesterday, and the sounds and smells in the garden were relaxing. I collected flowers as I wandered around and made two fresh bouquets for the house. RonK cooked a tasty dinner and we ate outside so it was a nice day.

    Wa State has had a vote by mail system in place for about 10 yrs, and it’s secure and safe…….

    Washington was a vote-by-mail pioneer; now other states are following suit amid coronavirus

    Still, as Washington voters cast mail ballots in Tuesday’s primary — and look ahead to the Nov. 3 general election — news cycles and social media accounts are awash in efforts to discredit or question the security of mail voting.

    The dynamic creates a perhaps unprecedented challenge for faith in Washington’s elections system, even as recent years have brought acknowledgment that it is one of the safer ones in the nation. Now, officials must not only fend off domestic and foreign interference — like Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election — but also defend against the perception the system is rigged.

    Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman said she worries most about misinformation that could weaken voters’ trust in the democratic process.

    We fill out our ballots at the kitchen table after dinner, RonK takes them to the courthouse drop off box, and I keep the stubs on the desk so we can check online to make sure they are received and processed. In many ways we are now better informed voters because we can research and discuss the more obscure ballot choices. November 3rd can’t come soon enough!

    Best wishes to all on this quiet Monday morning.

    • Apparently Republicans running GOTV in the various states (including Wisconsin) are worried that the national Republican attack on mail-in voting will cause their voters to stop using absentee ballots – and stay home in the face of a deadly pandemic. We need to make sure that our voters have confidence in it and ignore the bs from tRump. That they are trying to destroy the post office is a huge concern and I hope that Nancy Pelosi gets some election year help for them. We don’t use the post office – we take our absentee ballots directly to the city clerk’s office and drop them off there. But we have the luxury of having a vehicle and the time to do that, it should not require such an extraordinary effort.

  16. Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …

    It is 54 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 70. Sunny skies are in the forecast. An unexpected respite from a too-hot summer. Yesterday was cool also but very overcast.

    The news is so unrelentingly bad that I hesitate to open news web sites. I guess not so much “bad” as “unrelenting” – I really want to fast-forward to election day so we can begin to see the end our national nightmare. I was scanning Twitter during the tRump presser yesterday and people were saying it was him reading a script and his statements were barely discernible as sentences. His campaign is going to have to rely completely on voter suppression because only the most deluded core of his supporters are blind to his unfitness and how he has destroyed America. That we even have to worry about losing to the guy whose ignorance and malignant narcissism allowed a pandemic to kill over 150,000 people (and counting) and throttle the economy is horrifying. That MAGAtism is a cult is undeniable – his supporters are blinded by the white. The people manipulating them – the fundies and the vulture capitalists – have done a remarkable job convincing them that having terrible people on the federal courts is worth destroying their own lives.

    I made a change to my business communications infrastructure and it is creating a huge mess for me and how I work. I may have to bite the bullet and upgrade my desktop Office software to something more modern but I don’t like the new look and it will make me sad. As it sits now, I have been non-productive for what will be a 3rd day so I have to make a decision soon whether trying to preserve The Old Ways is worth it.

    See all y’all later!

  17. Had a very bad night’s sleep, don’t know why. I stirred some instant tea into my tea, hope it keeps me awake this afternoon. Today: I might go into the office, I have applications to drop off, and just work. When I closed the laptop yesterday we were still working on voice mails from Friday, so there’s a lot to do, even if I don’t get any new applications.

  18. Good Tuesday morning, Meese. There’s not really anything good about it, as flooding is expected. It’s dark in Ashburn even at this hour 8:20 a.m., and raining heavily. They say we’ll have gusty winds, too. Currently the temperature is 69 F., going up to 85 F.

    I was up most of the night. Was obliged to get up at 2 a.m., so spent the time until dawn reading my friend Elizabeth Cunningham’s new book, All the Perils of This Night. It’s absolutely riveting! A bit out of her usual style, but hey—she’s almost an Indie writer, so she doesn’t have to write the same book over and over, unlike Diana Gabaldon.

    I’m looking forward to going back to bed, which I will do very soon. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.

  20. Tuesday Meese. Raining and 68, going up to 74 with thunder and lightning in the forecast for Kingston NY.

    Puerto Rico

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