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 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 (right before “Leave A Reply”) and use the Pages Tool, shown here with 3 pages of comments available.
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Happy I’m Irish Day – or at least the family lore says we are. Among other things. It’s 65 heading for 70 and overcast enough the lights are on. We’re supposed to get scattered thunderstorms. How scattered and how thundery we shall see. We generated 13 KWHs (m-t-d 180.77) yesterday so still good for the minimum goal of 300.
It didn’t cool down early enough for a fire yesterday so I didn’t get my laundry done. I’m not sure about today but tomorrow it won’t get warm enough to worry about so I’ll do the laundry then. Tonight’s issue is daylight “savings” time – will the temps drop enough before dark to start one. If they don’t, no fire. I have enough trouble breathing without a house full of smoke.
I’ve discovered that although none of the pharmacies that are supposed to give vaccines actually have any to give, the hospital system does. Now I’ve been stopped by their appointment software. It wants my insurance information but won’t accept it. I’ve a call in at the actual office and hoping somebody will call back to straighten it out. There were openings as early as next week. I doubt there will be by the time I get the call back and can actually schedule an appointment. sigh. If I don’t hear back from them in another couple of hours I’ll try the online appointment thing again.
Need to get my muffin bread in the oven and then deal with twitter stuff. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Bfitz, how frustrating! Hope you manage to get through to get an appointment.
Good morning, 32 and sunny in Bellingham. I had forgotten the tree guys were coming to finish pruning the hedge and taking out the tree by the porch yesterday. Big relief to have the tree gone, and a bonus is 3 end tables for the patios. The tree trunk was straight and the cuts were just the right size so they put them in place for me. I worked on cleaning moss off the patio pavers and just generally enjoyed being outdoors. Today I’ll clean the sawdust off the porch.
Best wishes to all.
Three new end tables! How lovely to have meals outside with the family!
not gonna pretend this didn’t make me cry
Sry missed posting and wishing a Happy St. Pat’s Day to those who celebrate.
Had two doc appointments and spent rest of the day fighting with insurance company, Medicare, and Social Security. Sigh.
Puerto Rico
v
I have Justice Sotomayor’s book on my nightstand. I haven’t read it yet (I am seriously behind in my reading) but her presence there is a comfort – a reminder of the good that can come from good government. Her confirmation hearing gave the first glimmerings of what the GQP had in store for America but it was the high water mark of the sad Supreme Court legacy of the Obama Administration. I hope Joe Biden moves quickly to fill the court openings he has right now including DC Circuit – our Senate majority is thin and fragile. I have no doubt that if the Senate falls back into Republican hands, they will halt all judicial confirmations and leave them for the next Republican president.
I hope you got your insurance issues resolved. No one needs that hassle on top of having to deal with the medical issues themselves!
Holding the Good Thought on the insurance/Medicare/Social Security issues.
this is so awesome! Irish Brangra dancers:
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 34 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 45. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast. The rain has ended and we are heading into a warming period – 50s tomorrow, 60s on Sunday.
Yesterday’s news was very discouraging to watch unfold. The rush to protect the Atlanta killer from any agency in his killing spree – from “he was having a bad day” to “it wasn’t a hate crime” – shows just how far we have NOT come since law enforcement coddled the white supremacist in Charleston after he slaughtered the Black church members. Ron Freaking Johnson is not afraid of Capitol rioters or the Atlanta killer and probably not the guy who was parked outside of the Vice President’s house with deadly weapons precisely because they are his tribe. As long as those people are in positions of power, the promise of America will be delayed.
I got my Biden Bucks and my daughter got some money from the CARES 2 package (HEERF) related to helping college students who are sticking it out through the pandemic with expenses related to education. It was a surprise and most welcome. It is comforting to know that Democrats are in charge for at least four years and that ordinary people’s needs will come ahead of the donor class. I will pump the Biden Bucks into the economy later this year when it is safe to travel.
See all y’all later!
So happy that you and Daughter received some Biden bucks, Jan! Life is already starting to look better.
Good morning Meese. 41 and raining here in Kingston NY – going up to 46.
Puerto Rico
Dee, hope PR and Vieques will get some relief from the passage of the new bill!
Chilly morning in the 40s, but a gorgeous afternoon in the low 70s with no clouds anywhere. Going to get my car inspected this morning, so I made sure my kindle was all charged up. And another U2 concert to watch this afternoon.
It’s 37 going to 45 and very overcast even though the rain’s pretty much finished. Got the lights on. The PV system is on but that’s all you can say about it. Yesterday afternoon didn’t exactly clear off but it lightened up enough to generate 8.4KWHs (m-t-d 188.98) but I seriously doubt we’ll get even that today.
The world’s decided I don’t need any help apparently. I can’t manage to get a vaccine appointment via the WRMC online application, they haven’t called me back, my tax refund is still not here, and there isn’t even an estimated date for when I should get my stimulus money. My regular Social Security – which deposited just as it should yesterday – will have to do for good news for me. And it is. I’m very thankful for that.
I’m so glad that not only are the Dems in charge, Dems with experience are in charge. And that for all the grandstanders get the Press/air time/social media, there’s a solid group of relative newcomers who are paying attention/listening to and watching their mentors. It’s a breather at least. If we can pass enough good legislation to secure our election system/voting process and get enough judges into the Court system it will be more than a breather. With structure repaired we might be able to make meaningful and generational change dealing with this WASP supremacist violence. Starting with getting the Deplorables out of our supposed Justice and Law Enforcement groups.
I need more coffee. When the PV system is cranking at 100 watts per hour or less, it’s too dark for me to fully wake up. Then off to twitter for my daily “chores”. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Dear Goddess, bfitz, I hope you get your stimmy and your tax refund soon! The IRS seems to get both earlier to taxpayers who file electronically. I read in a financial advice column to file the tax return in as early as possible so scammers can’t get the refund. As Dearly regards tax refunds as manna from heaven rather than what they really are, we file the minute we get all the documents.
I did file online. And yes, as soon as I got the documents I needed. All 2 of them. LOL. Which is why I’m surprised I haven’t gotten it yet. Mine was submitted and accepted on 2/12. And sat in pending for a week before that because IRS wasn’t taking them until then.
Good morning, 43 and mostly sunny in Bellingham. The tree that was removed was one of 5 aspen trees growing as a cluster with ferns and salal planted under them. The tree guys were careful, but some of the salal plants were broken and the ferns were walked on so I cleaned and pruned the plants in that bed yesterday and then cleaned the porch. I took my time but my knees are talking to me today.
Yesterday was a hard news day so I’m going to take a break from being informed and listen to a vintage Willy Nelson concert before I hobble forth and meet the day. Best wishes to all.
I’ve really enjoyed the vintage concerts U2 put out this week, and the live tweets fellow fans have done. Remembering better times.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 25 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 50. Sunny skies are in the forecast. I slept later than usual and I don’t know if it is because of the time change or if it is the calm that is settling over me from being vaccinated and having the Biden-Harris team in charge of the country. The last i that needs to be dotted and t that needs to be crossed is getting my daughter vaccinated. She won’t be eligible until we reach Tier Everyone, unfortunately. I personally think that college campuses should have been moved up on the list to try to get young people inoculated before Spring Break. All students have to be tested before they leave and when they return but vaccinating them would have been a better idea.
Xavier Becerra was confirmed for HHS by a vote of 50 to 49 (Susan Collins voted to confirm, one Democrat – Mazie Hirono – did not vote for some reason.) Republicans despise Becerra because as California Attorney General he fought back against them,, their bullsh*t, and their deplorable president. Yes, he is partisan and, yes, he will protect womens right to choose and, yes, Joe Biden gets to pick who will manage the department that will insure Americans stay healthy without going bankrupt. Elections have consequences and I am glad that someone who will tick off Republicans by his mere presence on a daily basis is part of the administration. Now, confirm the women who will fill out the team at Justice and explode more heads.
Lots of great legislation coming out of the House. I hope that some of it gets a hearing in the Senate. I want the Senate to change the filibuster rules but I want the “test” legislation to be HR4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, not HR1. I have not looked at S1, the Senate version, but HR1 seems aspirational rather than practical – it has too many poison pills that will allow Republicans to reject it in ways that will look reasonable to their constituents and will likely end up in the Supreme Court. Reauthorize a strong Voting Rights Act going after the most egregious abuses, make it Supreme Court proof, and deal with the rest of it later.
I am putting a circle of white light around Joe and Kamala as they visit Atlanta today. May their journey be safe and uneventful and their presence healing to those in pain.
I am compiling a to-do list for the weekend so that I can finish up the quarter with a flurry of activity. It is hard to believe that next week is already the last full week of March! Time seems to be flying in 2021.
See all y’all later!
Friday Meese. 26 here in Kingston NY going up to 42.
I’m livid that FBI Director Wray is already making noises that Atlanta shootings were not racially motivated.
Maybe he should listen to this
Well, Director Wray was picked by The Former Guy because he was telegenic – and would do his bidding. That makes him tainted and so it is not a shock that he would toe the party line that white men killing people who make them angry is “just fine.” Of course, the killings were racially motivated, his choosing Asian women as a source of danger to his attainment of heaven is clearly racially motivated and fed by the most despicable tropes. I am sick of white men saying that other white men who kill are having “bad days” instead of calling it what it is – white male christians proving their privilege.
I have a Puerto Rico diary going up at 8:30 AM EDT – on the horrid behavior of tourists in Puerto Rico – ugh!
Puerto Rico
Well, yesterday was less productive than I hoped. Did get the oil changed, but they said I had to get at least 2 new tires for my car to pass. Sigh. And by the time I got that hit to my stimulus check done, it was too late for the inspection, so I’m going back today. And it is chilly this morning — 49, but will be gorgeous this afternoon with 72 degrees & clear, sunny skies. When I log off at 3:30, I am so going for a walk.
Posted:
Good Friday moaning, Moosekind! Wow, what a 24 hours! BTW, before I forget, it’s sunny, windy, and chilly here in Ashburn today. It’s 36 F. now, possibly going up to 50 F., with wind gusts of 25-35 mph. A good day to stay IN, in other words.
And that’s precisely what my poor husband will do. On Wednesday Monty and I waited all day for him to come home from the doctor. He was away from 9:30 until 6. When he arrived back he looked like a zombie, with the left side of his face covered by an enormous white bandage. What could be seen of his left eye, which wasn’t much, was black. Yesterday he looked even worse, but had to go back for a post-op checkup.
The cancer inside his nose was so deep the doctor had to excavate it, then create a skin graft. He is now subject to all sorts of restrictions: must have ice against the swelling and bruising at least 15 minutes a day, must be surrounded by firm pillows in bed so he can’t turn over, and so forth. I’ll spare you the rest of the details. Anyway, the poor darling will have to be tucked up on the sofa, unable to do anything but watch telly (it hurts his one remaining eye too much to read and anyway that eye is swollen shut), so he’s basically out of action.
We put Monty in the dog hotel as looking after Dearly is going to consume most of my time. Oh, what a business! Don will have to pick him up tomorrow morning as one of my former Circle Sisters insists there is no such thing as “former,” and that we must do a Zoom Ostara ritual at 10 a.m.
Yesterday I was so outraged about the slaughter of the Asian women in Atlanta that I could only utter obscenities, so it’s just as well I didn’t post here. I have an Asian daughter-in-law and two beautiful, brilliant Asian grandchildren. The idea that anyone would threaten them would make me shape-shift into a raging harpy and tear that person apart with my velociraptor-like claws!
OK, now that I’ve told you how I really feel, let me just say that living in a country filled with evil white men who think it’s a fabricated story when babies and children are slaughtered with guns is not a good feeling. As far as I’m concerned, the American experiment has failed.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond. Sigh. Are we in for another year of school shootings?
Sorry to hear about your hubby, I hope his recovery is quick and complete! I have an Asian daughter and she has many Asian friends so the Atlanta thing has my mom hackles up as well. I wanted to scream at the idiot Chip Roy from Texas who claimed that his free speech rights give him permission to spew hate that is shown to incite his followers to violence against Asians. Perhaps in a court of law but as a matter of decency, it does not give you that permission. I despise these people.
I just looked a my calendar and realized that the Spring Equinox is tomorrow! I am completely unprepared mentally for that.
Bloody time change always effs up Ostara. Which of course is a reason we can never use for why we should get rid of it. sigh.
{{{Diana}}} Healing Energy to your husband & your household/families’ households. moar {{{HUGS}}}
Sending all good thoughts to you and your husband. I hope the swelling goes down & he feels better soon.
It’s 43 heading for 60 and sunny. Helps lift the heart a bit. Which is needed as we get our noses rubbed – one more time – the crap that is our Deplorable and deadly society. Yesterday was dark as if to go with the news. Just 1.7 KWHs – a 10th of what Monday produced – so the m-t-d is only 190 right now. But it is a sunny day and we should get over the 200 mark by mid afternoon.
We have so very much on our plate right now. Pandemic first but really close to it is getting Decent food, water, heat, and shelter to everybody. Including those poor kids & their families in separate cages on the border/in ICE custody. The WASP supremacist Deplorability is woven into the very fabric of this nation. But the foundation is a goal. One of good for everybody. I’ve been using The Tower (Tarot Major Arcana 16) as my focus for some time now. Blasting the WASP supremacist system as well as throwing the Deplorables out of power leaves us with possibly salvageable walls and a foundation of solid rock. Thus mote it bey.
There be folks in need. Mostly I can’t help. But I can boost a few links and so I shall. And read (and boost) Dee’s diary. More coffee first. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 46 and cloudy in Bellingham. The bookstore cafe is open again so my son and I enjoyed lunch there yesterday. Bing there felt so “normal”…..a welcome feeling.
Busy day today, but some fun tomorrow. Our sons will be here digging out the spent soil from RonK’s veggie garden and replacing it with new topsoil. And our Edmunds daughter and her family decided it’s safe to visit so we’ll have a rain or shine family lunch on the patio, yay! I want to do as much prep as I can today so tomorrow I can just relax and be with the family I’ve missed so much.
Feeling grateful, and as always sending my best wishes to all.
Saturday Meese. 21 degrees here in Kingston NY, going up to a sunny 58 – Yay!
I’m going to take a drive to look at the roadside daffodils.
Puerto Rico
Good luck finding daffodils. I don’t have to look for them – there are multiple patches of them in my yard. ????
Wishing you a happy daffodil excursion, Dee!
Good morning, meeses! Saturday, the first day of Spring …
It is 28 degrees in Madison with a expected daytime high of 57. Sunny skies are in the forecast.
A quick scan of the news suggests that nothing much is new; it was refreshing to see some Democratic Senators come around on “reforming” the filibuster. But really, the talking filibuster is still going to block legislation, the only difference is that it will also block all other Senate business (which is why it was replaced in 1972). What it really boils down to is if the Democrats in the Senate want to continue a practice created in the Jim Crow era to block the rights of Black Americans or if they want to make a break from the racist past of the U.S. Senate and return to the majority rules enshrined in the Constitution. If Mitch McChinless really thinks that a future Republican Senate (with a House majority and the presidency) will vote to ban all abortions, vote to ban collective bargaining, vote to ban same-sex marriages, he has not been paying attention to his caucus. Even a Republican majority can’t be found who will vote for those things and the other things he vows “will surely follow” if the minority would lose its veto power.
I woke up with plans to “get things done” and as often happens on Saturdays, I got distracted and am left hoping to “get things done” tomorrow.
See all y’all later!