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 to view previous pages, shown here with 3 pages of comments available and Page 2 circled.
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Good Wednesday morning, Moosekind! It’s cloudy but the sun is trying to break through and the sky is trying to turn blue. It’s very humid in Ashburn, 72 F. now, 90 F. later. Afternoon thunder bla bla bla. We know.
We are beaming in our family because Miss Pink Cheeks, aged 13 and in the seventh grade, made straight A’s on her final report card for the semester! Yep, Algebra, U. S. History, Health & PE, Engineering Design & Modeling, Engineering Simulation and Fabrication, Advanced Band, Invest Env Sci AA (I don’t even know what that is), and English. Can you believe that? This child is far smarter than I ever was! It’s great to be a deeply interested observer of one’s granddaughter’s progress.
In a way, being a nanny-granny to Nora has been my second chance at having a little girl of my own. My daughter was taken away at five days old by my aunt and uncle, her adoptive parents. Although it seemed the best solution then, given the extremely punitive attitude toward unwed mothers and their offspring in those days, I sometimes wonder if it wouldn’t have been better if she’d remained with me. But then we get into all the endless stuff about how happy she made my uncle, who simply worshipped her, and so on and so forth.
Thank Goddess we’re the best of friends now. She’s going to be working hard to elect Beto. Perhaps the third time will be the charm?
Coffee is dripping—yay! Cinnamon buns in the oven—another yay! I might be able to do some tidying before I go to the farmers’ market. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.
P. S. I make no comment on the current news because I am (1) too outraged, and (2) too heartbroken. We don’t want to be here all night.
Congrats to Miss Pink Cheeks!
Wednesday Meese. 59 here in Kingston going up to 69 and cloudy all day – but at least it won’t rain so I can continue to work in the garden.
Puerto Rico
Oh, merde!
It’s 75 and sunny. Heading for 95 with heat index over 100 – we’ll see how much over when it gets here. Yesterday we generated 20.5 KWHs and the m-t-d is a still-gaining-ground 349.8 (on track for 500 is 357). While it did come on, the A/C didn’t kick on until 7 pm. So some of that 17-KWH day energy can go towards today’s A/C. Which will most certainly kick on before 7 pm.
The house is open, airing out, but I’ll need to close up soon. It’ll be 85 in less than an hour. I got 7-1/2 hours of more or less sleep – very interrupted. I’m still zoning out in the middle of composing things. sigh. Oh well, this too is life, right? Nothing new that I know of with anybody. Just as well. The old is bad enough. But everybody’s still hanging on.
Off to twitter. I think I have time to set up online before I need to close up. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 73 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 99. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast. The sun is shining very brightly now but clouds are expected to move in later, I guess! Yesterday the sky darkened in the early evening and there were 7 or 8 drops of water but most of the rain was to the east (over the mountains) and to the south of the mountains (the Catalina Foothills and Tanque Verde area). There was some wind and at one point in the evening there was a nice cool breeze during a dog walk. The dog liked it a lot!
I watched the January 6th Hearing yesterday and it was powerful. When I was watching Shaye speaking and tearfully recounting how her and her mother Ruby’s lives have changed, I couldn’t help but thinking that watching that would energize MAGAts – making Black people unhappy is their goal! Later in the MSNBC broadcast, Jason Johnson, during an impassioned commentary, said exactly that. Our nation is filled with too many terrible people and they are emboldened by Republicans who stoke the hate and coddle the haters. If we lose the power to elect people who represent our values, we are sunk. And I was also outraged to find that the FBI just tells someone “you should leave your home because people might kill you.” JHC!! Do we not have any protection for those targetted by violent mobs? Jason’s rant:
I don’t agree with him that the Democrats are complicit in this – the change has to come from Republicans, Republican electeds who embolden and encourage their followers to hurt people. Democrats can only do so much.
I slept in and missed the “sweet spot” when I can connect to client computers and work on them. I have some errands to run later so I will put together some lists so that my time in the car is short and productive. I have been trying to find a new system tray weather app – the one I had can no longer find the place on the Internet where it gets the weather so it is a dead lump in my system tray. I found one that I had used in the past but which became slow and obnoxious with ads. I will give it a try again. I really want to be able to glance down in the corner of my computer and see the temperature. :(
See all y’all later!
Thursday Meese. 57 going up to 67 with rain here in Kingston NY. It’s damp and cold and this doesn’t help my arthritis. Sigh.
Puerto Rico
Good morning. I’m not allowed to log in. 80 degrees already at 6:30 am. Scary. Working in the office today. At least I get to be in a very air-conditioned building all day.
Do you get a blocked login message or the login simply won’t take? Dee had the infamous “WordPress Login Temporarily Disabled – We apologize for the inconvenience! You are seeing this message because your site has recently been targeted by attackers attempting to gain access to your WordPress Dashboard. In order to protect your site your WordPress Login page has been temporarily disabled.” message on June 15th. I need to update our security certificate and it is on my to-do list but it never seems to burble to the top of the list when I have time to look at it. I will try to do it this weekend – I have mostly caught up on my must-do projects and have will have time now to drain the swamp.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 79 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 98. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a chance of thunderstorms. Yesterday it rained in the valley for about 10 minutes around 6pm but the clouds were quite fierce most of the evening over the mountains to the east. The sun setting on them made a spectacular photo. This morning I went out on the patio to look at the early morning sky and was rewarded with a view of a brilliant waning crescent – I love how the light pollution to the east is almost non-existent.
Today there will be another January 6th Hearing and I will try to watch it. Tuesday’s hearing was so compelling it would be difficult to match that plus the topic “How tRump Subverted the Justice Department” is one that I have been following so it will likely not be shocking. The panel announced that it had some new evidence and may need some hearings in July. Go for it! The hearings are ticking off TFG and making him angry at “his Kevin” and that is delightful.
I would like to see some Republicans charged and convicted for taking part in the fake elector scheme. Ron Freaking Johnson, the second stupidest man in the Senate, should be at the top of the list.
Yesterday, my errands were extremely successful and quick. A watch repair shop that three weeks ago an internet search showed up as being in a defunct mall, showed up yesterday as having moved across the street! I am not sure if I caught it while they were moving or while the googles were catching up to the move. In any event, I stopped there and got my watch battery replaced and voila – time is no longer standing still! Time also waits for no one and I better get to it.
See all y’all later!
Good Thursday morning, Meese! Well, for once we almost had some weather yesterday. There was a bit of rain in the morning and a short, sharp, snappy thunderstorm in the afternoon. It apparently brought down trees in places that aren’t Ashburn, the town that rivals the lunar surface for ugliness. This morning we woke up to a nice, gentle rain that will apparently last until about noon.
Currently it’s 66 F., going up to about 71 F. Dearly and I are going to a hearing this morning, in a sense. I hate the hearing aids I’m using now because they’re hard to maintain. We’ve been promised a look at a new one—very expensive, of course, but Dearly mentioned taking out a bank loan if necessary. I’m so sick of his yelling at me in the evenings because he expects me to hear his soft, whispery voice over the TV, that I’m willing to do just about anything. We’ll see what happens.
I asked Miss Pink Cheeks what she’d like as a reward for making straight A’s, and she said she’d like something baked or made by me. This was a surprise as I’d first offered her an Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. She’s still out of town, but we’ll see after that.
Not much else to say this morning. Wishing all at the Pond a good day.
It is nice that Miss Pink Cheeks is asking for something baked or made by you and not a car! ;)
Good luck with your hearing aids. Why are they so expensive? Does Medicare pay for some of the cost?
Hi, Jan! Medicare covers hearing aids only in the most basic way—meaning over-the-counter ones. Commercial ones are expensive because a trained audiologist tests you and determines which ranges of hearing are deficient, and attunes the hearing aids to that.
We did go to Miracle Ear but it turned out I couldn’t be tested until I’ve seen the ENT. My left ear is still “moist inside,” according to the dazzling woman who walked us through this. She then showed me what the Miracle Ear things looked like. Hail, they’re exactly like the ones I’m using now, which are only a year and a half old.
Another hearing aid company is having a special sale next week. I’ll call today and try to set up an appointment. I won’t be able to see the ENT until July 7th, so I probably can’t get those next week. But these devices don’t have anything dangling over the ear, so I’d like to know more.
Posted
I can’t log in – but I see I’m not the only one so at least it’s not my computer. Which I wouldn’t have a clue how to fix. Anyway it’s 74 heading for 94 with a heat index over 100 and sunny so far. There’s possible “off and on” rain in the forecast for this afternoon. sigh. Yesterday we generated 19.4 KWHs – maddening as this entire week the system is capable of doing 25 a day and “normal” was 23 a day. I haven’t had even a 22 much less a 25 this year. The m-t-d is 369 so still gaining, slightly, towards that goal of at/over 500. Holding the Good Thought.
The house is open but I’ll have to close up soon. Aji got some more wonderful slow/steady rain yesterday. And one of the thought-dead red willows has leaves and blossoms on it now! Amelia’s and Jill’s situations haven’t changed. sigh. My friend came by after work yesterday and we went out for frozen yogurt. The visit was lovely and the frozen yogurt ended up being my dinner since it was a bit late to start cooking by the time she left.
The world, political and physical/environmental, is hanging on by a thread. So’s our country, at all levels. So no surprise that my friends and, to a much lesser extent, I are as well. More Holding of Good Thoughts. I’m off to twitter & DK. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 55 and partly cloudy outside my window today. I’ve been overwhelmed with family the last few days but this is a relatively quiet moment so I may be able to form a coherent thought. My sister, Erica and her family, and Ryan are still here so it’s a full house. Our son is in the hospital with a nasty lung infection and we have said our final goodbye to Heidi. It was time, but very hard regardless.
I’m very relieved our son is now getting the medical care he needs but remain concerned re how serious his condition is. If the abx clears the infection now he will be ok. And if it doesn’t there are more treatment options, so he should still be ok. So now we wait and try not to worry. Best wishes to all.
{{{princesspat}}} it’s always hard to say goodbye that last time. But only because of the love that’s there. And the love doesn’t go away. Healing Energy to your son – & the rest of your household/family, as needed. moar {{{HUGS}}}
Sending healing prayers for your son.
Princesspat, sorry your son is in the hospital. Hope they can cure his condition.
And sorry about Heidi. It’s so hard. We’ve had losses due to accidents or illnesses, and it was months before I stopped crying. I sympathize with what you’re feeling.
Friday Meese. 56 going up to 84 here in Kingston with some sun so I’ll be able to get back into the garden today.
Puerto Rico
Good morning. Another hot day. If we’re lucky, we might get a cold front and rain next week, all the way down to the 90s. Brrrrr. I’ll need long sleeves.
Good Friday morning, Moosekind! I meant to rise early, throw on some jeans, and dash out to the front of the building to see the planetary lineup, but instead I had to clean up Monty’s green vomit on the carpet. My efforts do not appear to have made much difference. I’m looking for a lawyer so I can divorce Monty. Dogs are why we can’t have nice things.
Meanwhile it’s 64 F. in old Ashburn, on its way up to 86 F. We have clear skies today and sunlight.
Just to cheer y’all up, I’m including the following link. Whatever else today brings, at least you aren’t in Florida with Burmese pythons slithering around.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61916694
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and sunshine for bfitz’s solar collectors.
I’m logged in. YAY! Thank you, Jan.
It’s 74 heading for 94 and sunny. At the moment anyway. Yesterday we generated 18.74 KWHs and the m-t-d at 387.97 is almost on track to reach 503 and beat last year’s total. Not exactly bragging rights since last year was the worst May the 4K system’s done so far. And hopefully will maintain that record. If we can get over 18 daily through the end of June, 2021’s record will stand.
Temps dropped early enough last night I could open the house before I went to bed. They’re rising so quickly now I’ll need to close up as soon as I post this comment. I need to run an errand before it gets any warmer so I’ll start my twitter stuff when I get back. I didn’t see the planetary lineup this morning because I was sound asleep between 4 and 6. That was the only time I was sound asleep. sigh. I haven’t a clue how anybody’s doing so just hoping for the best.
Now the going-to-work traffic is clearing I need to get going. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
I did not do anything – it fixed itself on your computer. I think that is how that particular problem manifests, it interacts with something in people’s browser cache and fails or succeeds but then clears itself up when the cache is refreshed by opening and closing the browser. I do think I need an updated version of PHP (one of the underlying structures for WordPress) so I will research that this weekend.
Thank you anyway. And again. For explaining. For keeping the Moose Pond going. Just for. . . Thank you.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 78 in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 99. Sunny this morning, clouding up later this afternoon – no rain expected. I went out at 3:30am and saw the moon, Mars, Jupiter and – when I moved to get a better view of the south – Saturn. I went back out around 4:30 to see if I could see Venus and I could not because of clouds over the mountains (then I had to go eyes forward on a project I was working on). So I saw 4 celestial bodies and I know what Mars looks like!
I watched the January 6th Hearing yesterday and if the plan was to make it almost impossible for Merrick Garland to ignore the criminal activities of TFG, I think they succeeded. Career Justice Department employees refused to carry out orders that they knew would break laws – and as Eric Holder said, the smoking gun was TFG’s insisting that they do so and his knowledge that they would all quit if he put someone in place to break the law for him. I wonder if the thing that led the committee to put off this hearing until Thursday was the planned raid on Jeff Clark’s home? Grab the popcorn.
I have not had time to look at the commentary on the Supreme Court gun ruling but I hope that blue states can craft ways to preserve gun safety measures and still “comply” with the #RepublicanDeathCult’s SCOTUS. I take solace in the fact that the Supreme Court is now less popular than herpes. Winning the Supreme Court will be a Pyrrhic victory for Republicans if the public loses complete confidence in it; when push comes to shove, you cannot rule without the consent of the governed and as soon as we get a Senate that has the courage to kill the filibuster and expand the court it will be game over.
Busy day that just got busier.
See all y’all later!
It’s done. Goddess help us all.
Fuck The Six!
You know what this means, don’tcha? The end of Griswold, of Eisenstadt, of Loving, of Obergefell, perhaps even Brown v. Board of Education.
I am sick.
Clarence Thomas was careful not to mention that Loving was one of the rulings to be reviewed. Because Republicans will always preserve what is important to them while they destroy everything else. He also does not see himself as Black so he probably does not even think of himself in an interracial marriage. It will be wonderful to once again have a person who identifies as Black on our nations highest court.
Good morning, 57 and sunny outside my window today. Our son is thankfully responding to the antibiotics, but he is still in the hospital tethered to a chest drain and an IV pole. The lung doc and an infectious disease doc will see him today and once they decide what’s next a consult with his vascular doc re blood thinner meds has to happen. He has been told he will need at least a month of antibiotic meds so keeping his blood thinned to a safe level has to be addressed. I’m so relieved he is getting good care.
I don’t know what I’ll do today, but as soon as I drink my coffee I’ll start sorting it out. Thanks to all for your caring thoughts.
{{{princesspat}}} sending you more of them. Healing Energy & moar {{{HUGS}}}
OMG, sending your son in the hospital and you and Ron love and healing white light.
Saturday Meese. 60 going up to 90!
Puerto Rico