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 72 F. and sunny-hazy in Ashburnikins, going up to 81 F. There was a story in the WaPo this morning about why the expected terrible weather failed to materialize on Monday. Boiled down to one line, it was: The dog ate my homework.
My left foot has swelled and it hurts. It reminds me of the march fracture I suffered at age 22. I wish the Powers That Be hadn’t got rid of the good foot doctor, the one who knew what she was doing, and replaced her with a doddery old chap who clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing. I refuse to consult him.
Is my Alzheimer’s kicking in or what? I’m a day ahead of myself, all the time. For example, I thought the garden party was yesterday. It was not, it’s today. I’ve a mind to put on a long dress and floppy hat and attend, just for kicks.
The discounted cleaners were here yesterday, and I must say it was nice to have the shower cleaned, and so forth. I’m getting too old to do that sort of thing myself. They also put everything they saw back in the wrong place.
Back at the ranch, exciting news: Kaiser delivered a medical device for Dearly! Americans call this by various names—rollator, walker, whatever. The British call it a Zimmer frame. At any rate, he’ll be much more comfortable walking now. It even has a seat and a storage compartment. They’re $200+ on Amazon, but free from Kaiser (of course, Kaiser is rather expensive to begin with).
What else—on my way to the Banned Books Week planning meeting yesterday, I encountered the head of the Knitting Club. No story has ever been written about the knitting club, but I swear, after what she told me I’m going to write a story that will knock people’s (knitted) socks off!
The two plants I bought from Lowe’s before Memorial Day are not going to make it to July 4. The flowers are red, white, and blue. I’ve been watering them, but they still look woogly. Moreover, the lavender is not doing well at ALL. Either I’ve watered it too much or done something else awful, because it’s about to give up the ghost too.
That’s quite enough from me this morning. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
P.S. I was able to sing “Cactus Lill” this morning with only a slight rasp, so my voice is nearly fully restored.
{{{Diana}}} Yay! your voice is almost back & wonderful that Kaiser sent the walker. As to your lavender, those are really hard to get started. Some 80% of them die before they get established. But once you do get one to “take” it’ll last for years with little trouble/attention. Healing Energy & Blessed Be. moar {{{HUGS}}}
It’s 75 heading for 101, heat index 108, and overcast right now. We’re supposed to get some sunshine. I don’t know how much. We did get rain about 3 am (about .4″) which made me glad I hadn’t opened up since I didn’t have to get up to close up, I could just go back to sleep. LOL. Opened the house at 6:30 just to pull in some fresh air – outside temps were about the same as inside temps – but closed up again at 7:30. Yesterday we only generated 10.6 KWHs but because of the “extra” we’ve done the last few days we’re still on track at 463 m-t-d. We’re out of wiggle room though so I hope we get decent sunshine these last three days of June.
Fineena’s internet is still down so I emailed a potential “property” 30 miles outside of Charlotte with her questions. We shall see what, if anything, I get back from them. It looks nice and it’s really affordable for her. We’ll keep looking at other small towns around Charlotte but she’s running out of time.
Meanwhile, coming to the end of a month means a lot of desperate people trying to raise rent. Plus the already homeless ones trying to raise weekly or even daily motel money. So I’d best get to boosting the 50 or so trying to do it via my needs list on twitter. (After I boost Dee’s “roundup” above & Aji’s stuff from last night.) Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
Still hot in Tucson but not as hot as yesterday. Heading out to an appointment.
See all y’all later!
Good morning, 63 and sunny in my garden today. Per usual my mental list is longer than my knees will me to do, and I’m resisting that reality! Oh well, slow progress is frustrating but it’s better than no progress. First task to do a deep clean in the basement sewing room and study because tiny spiders are everywhere, and we both have bites. RonK is at the gym now so I’ll wait until he gets back to help move the furniture so we can thoroughly vacuum. Then I go to the lab, then I hope to work in the garden for an hour or so. Best wishes to all.
Good morning. Did my walk, it’s back to steamy — but maybe that’s the difference between my neighborhood & downtown. Reading about the gravitational waves discovery. Really cool. Two days in the office, then a 4-day weekend. I can do this.
anotherdemocrat
anotherdemocrat
Jun 29, 2023 at 07:10:34 AM
Question — I’ve been calling the songs I picked for Saturday’s music diary at the orange place “patriotic but not rah-rah” which is awkward for a diary title. Can y’all help me think of something more succinct but still descriptive? Songs so far are: Born In The USA, Our Country by John Mellencamp, Rockin’ In The Free World, one by John Legend called In America, and U2’s American Soul. They’re all “we can do better” kind of songs. When I posted this question on FB, I called it “lovingly calling the US out on our sh!t”
“Cheering when we’re right, correcting when we’re wrong” perhaps. Or just “…Correcting when we’re wrong”
Thursday Meese. Thunderstorms here keep knocking out my internet briefly. 61 going up to 81 today and they say we won’t get rain – however the clouds outside say something different.
Puerto Rico
The UN resolution supporting decolonization, and PR testimony at the UN got very little US media attention. It is the subject of today’s Caribbean Matters
Posted
It was 78, heat index 83, when I got up so, no, I didn’t open the house this morning. We generated just over 18 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d at 481 is still on track with 2 production days left in June. It’s sunny and supposed to stay that way – high is supposed to be 101, heat index 106 (which is actually lower than yesterday’s) – so I’m hoping we can get another 20-KWH day. That would get us to 500 and allow tomorrow’s generation to get us above the highest May production. We shall see what we shall see.
A/C hasn’t kicked on since 4 am but probably will soon. Might not. It didn’t kick on yesterday until almost 5 pm, just as I was getting back from a pizza run (actually it was to take the Camry’s car tags to my son at work but since he works in a pizza store. . . he made me a GF Italian sausage, mushroom, green and black olive pizza as a thank you). Didn’t have to cook last night and I won’t tonight as I finish off the leftover pizza. LOL. I’ve got the ceiling fan on to keep the air moving.
Sinusitis flare again last night. I think I slept between 2 and 4. So I’m groggy today (and my nose hurts). But there’s boosting to be done so I guess I’ll get started doing it. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
It ruins the day when we don’t get a good night’s sleep. Hope tonight will be better, bfitz!
Good morning, meeses! Thursday…
It is hot and I was too busy to break and take my walk before it hit 90 so no walk today. Tomorrow I don’t have any specific appointments so I can control my schedule better.
See all y’all later!
Good morning, 66 and sunny outside my window today. I had a long medical day yesterday with both a lab and a Dr. visit. I’m basically healthy, but it’s clear that my complex autoimmune issues, arthritis realities, and blood clot management are proving difficult for my doc to manage now. The clinic was purchased by a larger health care company (Optum) and the computer systems that are now in place just don’t work for someone like me. I’m reluctant to even try to find a new doc, but yesterday was frustrating. My doc finally gave up trying to renew my meds electronically and just wrote perscriptions for me to take to the pharmacy myself. So after I chase some spiders around in my sewing room that’s what I will do. Best wishes to all.
Oh, gods, I hate these fancy new computerized charts we’re all supposed to use! Out of sheer meanness I pretend that I can barely manage email and make them give me paper forms to fill out. Sorry to be such a Luddite but, blast it, I resent the whole mechanized, automated, assembly-line treatment of patients nowadays.
So I feel for you, princesspat.
Good late afternoon, Meese! Wurra the day. ‘Tis now 85 F. horrible degrees, Code Red and getting worse.
Called the medical facility here this morning for an appointment, got one at 10:30. Naturally the foot doctor was out today! The doctor who saw me was very nice, however. She doesn’t think it’s a blood clot. She sent me to Fairfax Radiology, where I went this afternoon, and said if there was no bone fracture it might be inflammation. If it is, she’ll put me on antibiotics. They X-rayed my pink, swollen, shiny left foot from three different angles, but I won’t know the results for 24 hours.
In the meantime I’m taking an Advil every 6-7 hours and moaning. Guess what, driving home, I heard on the radio that Washington, DC has the second worst air quality in the WORLD today! Wonder who’s first?
Damn bloody SCOTUS!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, had a pleasant event happening. One of my writers had a book published on Amazon yesterday. He had the niceness to thank the Blue Ridge Writers and mention me by name as the leader! Most enjoyable.
Well, I’m going to drag my pink, hot, swollen foot to the recliner and recline there until it’s time to go to dinner. I simply do not feel like cooking tonight.
Hope everyone at the Pond is having as good a day as possible.
Good morning. Did my 30 minutes walking, even ran a little. It is still ridiculously hot. If we’re having August weather now, what will August be like? Anyway, getting ready for work. And then a 4 day weekend! Hated yesterday’s SCOTUS ruling but it wasn’t unexpected.
Good Friday morning, Moosekind! Can you believe the year is half over? It’s just speeding by.
At the moment it’s 69 F. in Ashburn with hazy skies. Found out that Detroit was No. 1 for bad air quality yesterday and the Washington, DC area was No. 2. I don’t believe in the thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow, which might conceivably clear the air. Today the AQI is Code Orange.
The doctor called me yesterday afternoon. The X-ray results were already back! They showed no broken bones in the foot, just arthritis between the second and third toes. After breakfast I’m going to pick up my prescription. I do feel a bit better this morning, having had a decent night’s sleep and taken two Advil before bedtime last night.
“What a DRAG it is, gettin’ old,” the Rolling Stones howled back in the Sixties. LIttle did they know.
Today I’d love to get a mani/pedi. I have a doctor appointment this afternoon for a different part of the body. Tonight we’re having dinner with the people who want me to write a play. Actually, I’ve already started writing that and it’s fun to see it evolving from the original concept.
Will have to watch some karate videos as I can’t bear to tell Roger that I won’t be at the class tomorrow,. I will tell him about the suffering this week, though.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.
It seems like this year is just screaming by. May was a blur and June was no better. I need things to slow down just a little so I can get things done – at least July will have an extra day!
Glad your foot has a diagnosis!
Good morning, meeses! Finally Friday …
It is 72 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 104. Sunny skies are in the forecast. Excessive heat warning in effect for Sunday and Monday when temperatures will be between 108 and 113. We are still waiting for our first monsoonal rain; the 14 day forecast shows that we might see some the week of July 10th.
The white male privilege handmaidens on the Supreme Court are working hard to make sure that white male privilege never loses its power. Justice Sotomayor laid bare their plan and also pointed out that the court ignores what America has become and is completely out of step with them. Justice Jackson told Clarence Thomas, who apparently does not like strong Black women, that she does not have time to deal with his straw men and petulance. It sounds like some schools may have plans to mitigate some of the damage that will be done by not being able to consider race in admissions but it is a bad day for people who know that we do not live in a post-racial America. Fie on the court. Today, my daughter and her contemporaries find out if they will be given a chance to recover from the blows of the pandemic and the economic downturn by having their student loan debt cancelled. A court not enthrall to their donors would rule that states do not have standing to sue to block the loan cancellation program simply because a company doing business in their state might lose money. Certainly no individual has standing to sue because they don’t like to be taxed. But this court is unlikely to resist the chance to hurt people of modest means and people of color who wanted to get a college education to improve their chances for a successful future.
I have a full day of “finish off the week” and “finish off the month” things to do today so I best get back to it.
See all y’all later!
It’s 84 heading for 97 – slightly cooler air temps than yesterday but more humid. The heat index is predicted for the same 106 we got then. Yesterday we generated 20.8 KWHs and the m-t-d is at 502 (YAY!) so today is seeing if we can get over the best May’s ever done (512) since it’s exceedingly unlikely we can catch up to last year’s June (526). Not a great June by any means but still a decent one.
I can’t say I made up for yesterday’s lack of sleep but I did get 7 hours and am less groggy. So that part’s good. There’s not much in the world that is good. But we’re still trucking along doing the best we can. So I guess I’ll call that good, too. I’m off to twitter & spoutible to do just that. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Good morning, 63 and mostly sunny. It feels like summer today so I’ll soon be outside, doing what I had hoped to do earlier this week. Oh well, slow progress is better than none.
My friends cancer surgery was yesterday and the surgeon is quite confident all the remaining cancer is now removed. It was a long 4+ hr surgery so she will be in hospital for a few days, then home to recover for a month or so, then more chemo. But I think the worst is over now and I’m very relieved. Needless to say her family is too, and with four lovely daughters and seven grandchildren she has lots of family life to share.
I’m going to try to ignore the news today and to just feel grateful. Best wishes to all.
Friday Meese. Bad air here today
Puerto Rico
Sis, hope your air improves tomorrow!
Thanks! It is still bad – but moved to “orange” which is “unhealthy for sensitive groups”
I have to go out today – will be masked as always.
Saturday Meese. 61 here in Kingston NY going up to 84. Air still bad here.
Puerto Rico
Good morning, meeses! Saturday …
It is 75 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 104. Sunny skies are in the forecast. Excessive heat warnings are in place in the Tucson metro area Sunday and Monday. Our June, despite the 100s in the later half of the month, was cooler than normal (less hot than normal?). I think our July will be hotter.
Not much one can say about the Supreme Court’s student loan ruling. They decide what outcome they want and then interpret the laws to justify it. There is no statute or constitutional clause that says that big dollar items cannot be instituted by executive order – the so called “major questions doctrine” – it is simply made up. And the HEROES Act was plain in its statutory text that loans could be modified or cancelled and the COVID pandemic was clearly a national emergency as defined by the statute. The court just decided that programs proposed by Democratic presidents that would benefit people who are not Republican donors should not be allowed. Bastids. Joe Biden has a plan to mitigate the damage done to some of the most needy borrowers – I hope he can help enough of them. My daughter has money saved to pay off her undergraduate student loans. It would have been nice to have been able to use that nest egg to pay down her graduate school loans. If Republicans wanted to ensure that no young person will ever vote for them, they couldn’t have done a better job than to put a bunch of anti-education (for normal people) on the Supreme Court and given them power to ruin the future of millions of Americans. Bastids.
I did not finish my “end of week” and “end of month” projects yesterday but thankfully today is June 31st (and tomorrow is June 32nd!) because of the weekend. Actually, next week should be pretty quiet because a lot of people are taking Monday off and turning the Fourth of July holiday into a 4 day weekend. I hope to get caught up on quiet-time projects that need blocks of time.
See all y’all later!
When I was young, back in the Late Cretinous, a college education didn’t cost the same as a house. It wasn’t that expensive and most people didn’t have to borrow money to pay for college.
Now college presidents are paid $1 million a year and rich alumni fund the football team, not the academic life.
As a matter of interest, both the Maryland and Virginia state governments are dropping the degree requirement for certain state jobs. I don’t have a degree, even an undergraduate degree, although I’ve served time in college. Yet I managed to hold down decent jobs. Of course, it did help that I scored higher on the editing tests than anyone else ever had.
Good morning. I’m watching Le Tour, starting off in Basque country. Picking up groceries later, will do some cooking, but with a 4 day weekend, I can stretch it out. Exercise will be mostly carrying my laundry over to the laundry room.
Oh — forgot to remind y’all about tonight’s Saturday music diary at the orange place. Posts at 6pm central.