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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Happy Solstice.
60 here and sunny – going up to 78.
Not much PR news.
Went out for my walk early, hoping to see the Space Station, but it was too cloudy. I got my walk done though — it’s so hot out that my 78 degree apartment feels cool. So glad I have this 1 more day of wfh. Looking forward to my 2 hours of astronomy.
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday, Summer Solstice …
It is 70 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 97. Mainly sunny skies this morning and a chance for rain this afternoon. Has the monsoon finally arrived? Fingers crossed – we need the rain.
Sheesh! “Justice” Alito is sure a thin-skinned creature for all of his smug sanctimony as he tears down precedent and destroys democracy. Every time someone points out his personal ethical lapses – and outright grift – he pens a screed or sits for an interview complaining about it. Maybe if you don’t want to be exposed for the pile of garbage you are, then don’t sell access to the Supreme Court to the highest bidder! Embarrassing to have so much power entrusted in his and his Republican cohorts dirty hands.
Endangered House Republicans are getting nervous about the messaging bills that they are being forced by their own leadership to vote on. We will use them in ads in Biden+ districts and other districts where people did not realize what damage a House Republican majority would do and we will win back the House in 2024. Messages go both ways and the Republican message is: screw young people, screw seniors, screw minorities, screw women, screw all that is good. Message received.
I have two projects that I am working on and need to finish before people start work in CDT.
See all y’all later!
Happy Summer Solstice, Moosekind! Well, hail, for all I’ve b*tched and moaned about the lack of rain—and it’s true we’re 10 inches under normal for the year—“heavy rain” is forecast for today. Current temp. in Ashburn is 66 F., high of 69 F. The rain has already started but it’s desultory, not heavy.
Last night I went out to the porch, lit a lavender candle, and implored Yemaya to stop the rain from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. We’re still having a fire in the firepit, as far as I know, and the grimly determined High Priestess will be wearing a long summer dress and a white velveteen cloak. We’ll see what happens.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch: Drove through heavier than usual traffic yesterday morning to look after Ethan. He asked me if I liked bunnies and when I said yes, he announced that we would work on a brand-new Lego puzzle of a bunny. His poor old granny, who barely knows what Lego is, was not much help. I did manage to put a couple of flowers together, as well as a carrot.
We then walked down to the Little Free Library in the park, 3 minutes from Elder Son’s house. Ethan, aged 7, took a pic of me on my iPhone putting a copy of Heather Has Two Mommies and And Tango Makes Three into the little glass-fronted box. I took out a murder mystery, bypassing another book called Cooking in the Nude. I was of course wearing my “I’m with the banned” t-shirt.
In other news: We Dems are chortling in Virginia because Jim (Sleazeball) Morrissey was WHIPPED by Lackrecse Aird! It was like 60 to 30 percent! Salim won over Chap Petersen, which was good, the incumbent AGs won over their challengers, which was great, and so on. Republicans are so stupid. All this about “the wimmen won’t remember a thang about the Dobbs decision bah the time the next election rolls around” are living on a different planet.
And—my 25-year-old grandson in Texas won a scholarship to help him get his Ph.D.! It seems that 124,000 applied for the scholarship and 10,000 won. We are so proud of him.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and praying that I don’t get soaked tonight at the ritual…
Happy Solstice! It’s 71 heading for 92 and sunny at the moment. Widget says clouds will be moving in this afternoon. I’m sure they will. I just hope it will be later in the afternoon than the widget is saying. Yesterday we generated 20.9 KWHs and with the m-t-d at 337, if we can do 20 again today we’ll be back on track for 500. We have to get at least 17 to not lose ground.
I’ll need to close up the house as soon as I post this, then head out the door to the credit union. Today’s my Social Security “pay day” and I need to get some cash so I can reimburse my son when he brings me groceries on Sunday. I wish I had some other errands to run. I hate to “deadhead” on the gas. But I also hate to make double trips and that’s what I’d be doing if I went to the store to get the frozen things I have on my list today because I’d still have to go to the store next week for the perishables I don’t want to get until I need them. Oh well.
I’ll read the Solstice post then start my boosting chores when I get back. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Good afternoon, 63 and raining in our garden today. But rain or shine we’ll light a fire and cook a solstice dinner on the patio. Heide left us a year ago on this day, so we’ll remember her express our gratitude for Elsa who has kept our puppy love alive. Fortunately she responds to both names because we all use them often.
Ron has decided to replace his second arthritic hip so he met with the surgeon today and is on the short list whenever a spot opens in the OR schedule. Appointments are being made for January 2024 but the surgeon hopes a spot will open sooner. Given the infection he had following his last replacement surgery I’m nervous but he is increasingly uncomfortable so to him the risk is worth it. It will be good for both of us if he is more mobile because my old joints are just getting more creaky. Best wishes to all.
Good luck to RonK! I hope he can get in sooner than January 2024.
Oh, my gosh, princesspat, this sounds so serious for Ron! Here’s hoping he can get an earlier spot. People do cancel for one reason or another, so perhaps a spot will open up.
Thursday Meese. 54 here in Kingston – going up to 70 – looks like we’ll have rain all week.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
We had thunderstorms last night, feels slightly less oppressive this morning. Still supposed to get up over 100 today. In the office, sigh. At least I’m not at home running the a/c.
Caribbean Matters – posted
Good Thursday morning, Meese. Do you realize it will be July in eight days? Where does the time go?
It’s drizzling outside in Ashburn, with a current temp. of 59 F. Today it’ll go up to a whopping 66 F.! We received .54 of an inch yesterday. As Denise said, it’s supposed to rain all week. You won’t hear me complain, now that the Solstice ritual is over.
Actually, our ritual went off quite nicely last night. We held it on the screened porch, and the fire was gas flames—the best we could do, considering it was POURING out in the courtyard. As High Priestess, I was very touched by how the dozen or so people participated. We symbolically cast our unwanted qualities into the flames and set our intention for the coming year. Several people spoke of stress, anxiety, and depression, and how they wanted to embrace peace. I must confess: the participants weren’t Witches and Pagans. They’re all exceptionally broad-minded Unitarian Universalists. I love them, they’re so ready for anything!
Today, after three days of going like a bat out of hell, I’m mostly staying home and staring. Poor Dearly had a rotten night, so he’s asleep on the sofa. I’m blearily drinking coffee and lounging around in my dressing gown.
Feeling very sorry for my loved ones in Texas. My daughter says animals are dying, it’s so hot. She can’t let her dogs out to play in the yard. They can’t swim in their pool because the water is 96 F. A post office worker died, poor dear man, in Dallas. He was delivering mail in the heat. And there was ~!@#$% Abbott, signing a bill that says outdoor workers can’t stop for water breaks. Do these rich Rethugs realize that without us peasants, there’ll be no one to do the work?
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond. Try to stay away from the news, it’s too depressing.
Texas is rapidly becoming a climate hellscape to match the political hellscape. I was shocked to see that a temperature of 115 was a record in San Angelo TX – I would have though it would have gotten to that temperature in the past. The difference between 115 here and there, of course, is the humidity. In 80% humidity you are unable to release the heat from your body into the air and you burn up. Our 115s (which we will see next week) come with 14% humidity. Still hotter than Hades but we won’t drown in our own bodily fluids.
San Angelo is in west Texas, higher elevation & drier. They are generally cooler than us.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday that for some reason feels like a Friday …
It is 70 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 99. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast. There was no rain yesterday but it was cloudy over the mountains. This morning was a beautiful clear sky with Venus to the east. The moon is visible in the evenings right now to the WSW so I have to make a point to go outside at dusk.
So a bunch of billionaire thrill seekers risked their lives and are likely dead. I want to know who is paying for finding their remains – I hope their estates pay for it. Maybe their children are not entitled jerks and the money they inherit will go for good causes instead of MAGAt politics. Young people hate Republicans so we have some hope.
Skipping horse race politics, skipping the sad spectacle of more Republicans joining the Republican primary and insuring that tRump gets the nomination, skipping Hunter Biden stories. Done with the news!
I decided that since it feels like a Friday I will take tomorrow off and wrap up my work week today.
See all y’all later!
Good idea!
It’s 70 heading for 88 and sunny at the moment. The predicted clouds for today are more midmorning to midday and clearing in the afternoon. I hope so. Afternoon is when I get my best/strongest sunlight – when there are no clouds in the way. Yesterday we got 18.3 KWHs so the m-t-d at 355.5 isn’t quite back on track for 500, but it’s getting close. If we can get 19 today, we’ll get there.
It’s humid, so not as comfortable as I’d like. Still managing to not turn on the A/C. Yet. As long as the overnights are dropping down into the 60s I can manage with opening the house at night, closing in the morning, and ceiling fans.
Fineena’s housing situation was already bad. The landlord hadn’t made any of the needed repairs she’d reported to him over the last 7 years so the house could only be considered habitable because somebody was inhabiting it. And the landlord jumped her rent more than the COLA as soon as the COLA was announced, bringing the already exorbitant rent to more than her entire Social Security check. And she had been looking, as best she could/can with her internet out, but with little luck. Then a couple of days ago the landlord told her to be out by Labor Day. (He’s selling to a developer.) Anxiety attack. Then yesterday morning he texted the house wasn’t habitable and he wanted her to leave immediately. She asked him if he had a place for her to go. That set him back. He sent her a Zillow link. Then finally (so far) last night he texted back and said end of July. So. Her internet is still out but basket and some other friends are using their internets to try and find a small house with few/no stairs and a fenced (or at least fencible) backyard for the dogs within an hour’s drive from Charlotte. (Once it’s found, it will time to pool funds to get her moved.) Prayers of whatever nature would be greatly appreciated.
I’m off to do my boosting chores and read Dee’s diary. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{HUGS}}}
Bfitz, hope your solar panels get shined on.
Please let me know when funds need to be pooled for fineena!
{{{Diana}}} Thank you & will do. Healing Energy & moar {{{HUGS}}}
Good afternoon, 70 and sunny in my garden today. I was going to be outdoors by now but reading around, solitaire and listening to music have distracted me. Sometimes I need direction! Best wishes to all.
Friday Meese. 63 and raini predicted here in Kingston going up to 78.
Keeping my eye on all the early tropical storms in the Caribbean
Puerto Rico
Good morning. Back to sauna-like conditions. 80 degrees but I did my 1.2 mi. Yesterday was exhausting. We are sending out Braille e-readers (staff got 2 whole 2-hour trainings on them — keep in mind that only 2 people here even read Braille, so when the instructions say “your display should show x, we’re all unsure it actually does) and people have started calling for tech support. Which is fine; but why call at right before we close? I finally said to mine that I’m scheduled off in 2 minutes, mind if I call back in the morning? I got some watermelon sherbert, because it’s ten million degrees out, and I deserve a treat after a stressful day.
It’s 70 heading for 88 and sunny at the moment. Clouds are supposed to move in this afternoon. Well, they can drift around the sky to their hearts’ content as long as they don’t get between my PV system and the sun. LOL. That’s pretty much what they did yesterday. Mostly anyway. We generated 20.3 KWHs and the m-t-d at 375 is on track for 500. We shall see how long that lasts. Or even maybe improves?
I wonder-don’t-wonder how much money we spent looking for billionaires we already knew were dead in order to show the world that if you’re a living refugee we’ll watch you drown but if you’re a dead billionaire we’ll hunt for your body?
I’ve no updates from anybody about anything. That I remember anyway. I need to close up the house shortly. If the forecast is correct, next Thursday will be 100 for the high and 75 for the low. That’s A/C weather. But today’s isn’t. Meanwhile, I’ve got a bunch of boosting to do at twitter and spoutible. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Good Friday morning, Moosekind! Dearly, who has wakeful nights, told me that it started raining during the night and indeed, it was still raining when I got up this morning at 6:30. I’d been awake since 5, though. Yesterday’s high was 66 F. Howzat for this late in June? Today we may or may not reach 75 F. Right now it’s 65 F. and foggy. Hey, now that the ritual is over, let it rain, we need it!
My day of sitting and staring left me feeling better, although it used up only 7 calories an hour. However, today I’d better get a move on, Housekeeping is coming tomorrow to see whether they can be bothered to clean this place up. There’s a sale on. I find myself at age 79 with not enough energy to cope with all the demands I have to cope with. First-world problem, I know.
With regret, I think I’m going to have to drop out of karate. I’m just not getting it. Everyone is better at it than I am. The weather hasn’t been conducive to walking outside but I must either make time for that or for the treadmill.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It was 72 degrees when I got up, 92 now. Sunny skies – winds later.
My plans to take the morning off got caught up in Reality. I am close to being done, though, and sick of being on my computer so ready to shut it down.
See all y’all later!
Saturday Meese. Rain continues here in Kingston, NY with flash flood warnings for the entire Mid-Hudson region. 66 going up to 80.
Puerto Rico
Good morning. Slept in after another understaffed, exhausting day at work yesterday. Still freakishly hot — this is more like late July/August weather. Exercise today will be indoors. As I posted last night in Cheers & Jeers (at the orange place), confessing that I’m the worst person in the world with names — I think that the pro cyclist who goes to my church got selected to go to the Tour de France. (In my defense, it’s not like he’s there every week, I’ve met him once, and yes I am truly terrible at remembering names). But he is one of the 2 Texans who are pro cyclists, so no matter what, it is exciting that he’s going. Oh, and people who still visit the orange place – I’m hosting tonight’s music diary, posting at 6 central.