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 (every Sunday morning). 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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Good morning, meese! Friday …
It is 39 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 52. The forecast calls for variable cloudiness.
Once again, Michelle Obama knocked it out of the park. She addressed a crowd that was estimated at 7,000 to 8,000 people in Phoenix and made the case for Hillary, for Democrats, and for turning Arizona Blue!! I hope some of that enthusiasm gets into the Senate race and helps Ann Kirkpatrick defeat John McCain. That would be a perfect bookend to President Obama’s tenure – the man who elevated Sarah Palin and her brand of Othering and made it mainstream Republicanism going down in defeat. Make them pay the price!
I have her speech and the transcript and will post it shortly.
Today, Hillary Clinton will be in Cleveland OH at 4:30pm Eastern. Tomorrow, she and Tim Kaine will be together in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for GOTV rallies and on Sunday Hillary and the Mothers of the Movement will be in Charlotte and Raleigh NC for Early Voting events. Woo hoo!!
A reminder:
See all y’all later!
Michelle Obama’s speech in Phoenix yesterday was another barn burner. It needs to be heard by everyone.
This:
Back at work. Wow that alarm was early. I muted Trump’s part of the Al Smith dinner, because his voice is just too much. But I could see that something was terribly wrong, just looking at the cardinal & the great grandson, who I thought was going to get up and escort him off. Joy Reid said it best:
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blockquote>Joy Reid @JoyAnnReid · 2h2 hours ago Queens, NY
Trump was in a room with precisely the kind of people he has spent his life yearning to be accepted and respected by, and they booed him.
That quote was perfect! I am reading the reviews and he is being excoriated for trashing that venue. That should be a warning to everyone that he will NOT go quietly … and will take down every person and institution that he thinks insulted him. I hope that includes Paul Ryan – if not destroying his majority at least destroying his speakership.
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s partly cloudy here in NoVa, with a current temp of 68 F., heading for a high of 75 F. later. We’re supposed to get rain just before tea time.
Will have a look at Michelle’s speech when time permits. I will miss her as much as I’ll miss our president! However, I think Hillary will be a wonderful president, despite the continuous presentation of her by the WaPo as flawed, barely acceptable, preferable only over the fiasco that is Thing, etc. They resolutely refuse to see the enthusiasm that I see when I visit HQ here in Reston, and in the faces of the volunteers who show up Saturday mornings to canvass for Hillary. And as soon as one shift clocks out, another clocks in! Are these actions of “unenthusiastic” people? And the people directing the show are in their 20’s. Are they the “unenthusiastic” millennials? Faugh!
Back to more personal matters. Today is our 49th wedding anniversary. The best day’s work I ever did in my life was in marrying Dearly Beloved. We won’t celebrate much because the virus still has him in its horrid grip. After he recovers completely, we’ll go out to dinner.
Last night for the first time I used my tiny crockpot to make steel-cut oats overnight. Geordie, thanks so much for telling me the proportions to use—it worked like a charm! Ate some of it for breakfast and put the rest into specially bought small containers to store in the freezer. Trader Joe’s actually sells frozen portions of steel-cut oats but they contain rice syrup and maple syrup, and I’m trying to avoid sugar.
Hoping for a quiet day with dealings with the outside world beyond what is absolutely necessary. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and Beyond!
Happy Anniversary!! I hope that your husband recovers soon and you can enjoy a delayed anniversary meal.
Here is something to cheer you up: Congressional race in Virginia shows Trump drag on Republicans
Northern Virginia will not vote for Thing … the only question is if they are willing to split their votes or if they want to punish the Republican Party for insulting them by suggesting that Donald Trump is an acceptable candidate.
Thanks for the good wishes and the good news, Jan! :)
I see Comstock signs all over my neighborhood, more of those than LuAnn signs. I have to remind myself that yard signs don’t vote and Democratic campaigns aren’t big on yard signs. I put them out to remind people that we have an election coming up, as Fairfax County now forbids candidate signs along the roadways. I understand they’re irritating and it probably doesn’t matter in a presidential election year, but we in Virginia have off-year elections too, so I would like people to be reminded then.
My neighborhood is eclectic. It’ll vote for a Democratic senator who is pro-choice, then turn right around and elect a Rethug governor in the same election! LuAnn has done a good job in her ads of pointing out that Barbara (“transvaginal probe voter”) Comstock thinks Roe should be overturned. That will not go down well with NoVa women.
{{Diana}}} – Happy Anniversary. Glad you and your husband were able to achieve this.
Thank you, dear Sister Moose bfitz! It’s a beautiful day, too, just like that day 49 years ago.
Something I’ve often pondered is why the three oldest cousins in our generation have remained married (51 years, 50 years, and 49 respectively), but our younger siblings have divorced, one more than four times. He once began a letter to our aunt, “I know you’re sick and tired of attending my weddings, but…” That always makes me laugh!
I’ve an aunt who’s been married 5 (or possibly 6) times and 2 others who were married once each (although the youngest of them divorced after something like 50 years just a couple of years before he died). Two of my sisters have been married twice, one has been married once and still is although I have no earthly idea why (heh) – I was married once for 8-1/2 years and that was enough for me. My brother is on his 3rd wife and unfortunately that one is coming unglued, too.
It’s interesting to see who hangs together and who doesn’t as it were. I always admire people who are still together and happy about it.
Cheers Diana! And may your husband be well soon.
In the 30s when I got up, heading for mid 60s and sunny. Had a fire last night and will again tonight. Got over 9 KWHs yesterday and hope for as much today.
Managed to luck into Hillary’s speech at the dinner last night. As usual, she did a good job because as usual she was prepared and poised. The idea that somebody who couldn’t beat Trump could beat Hillary would be laughable if it weren’t so insulting. She didn’t know who she was going to be running against when the Klown Kar started off, so she prepared against all of them – and prepared to tie all of them to Trump even when nobody thought Trump would win the nomination. She’s that good.
I have some work to do – still 14 months and 1 week to retirement – so I’d best get to it. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Yay, retirement! Are you secretly or openly crossing the months off on a calendar? During my last six months I was crossing off weeks!
For people who have prepared for it, as you have, there is nothing more wonderful than retirement. Believe me, it’s YUUUGE!
How is it that your weather is colder than mine? I’m jealous! Isn’t Virginia supposed to be colder than Arkansas? Half the weather dudes up here are forecasting a cold, snowy winter for us and the other half is advising us to keep the shorts and bathing suits out. Gods.
I’ll start marking things off with the 2017 calendar in January as each month will be the last of those before I retire. :)
Our weather is being weird. Last week we were in the upper 80 with lows in the upper 60s – most folks in my neighborhood had their A/C back on. A front came through and last night was the coldest of this wave – tonight will be in the 40s and next week’s lows will in the 50s with the highs in the mid to upper 70s. And basically, that’s Global Warming – weird weather because the polar ice that used to control the jet stream is no longer strong enough to do so, thus the jet stream flops around like a slow-motion unstaffed fire hose. Basically keep a variety of clothing handy. sigh.
Here is the CSPAN link to Hillary’s Cleveland OH rally: 4:30pm Eastern.
Good morning, 49 and partly sunny in Bellingham. An old friend stayed over night last night so we enjoyed reminiscing, but I slept so late this morning I was barely awake to see her on her way! Time to find some coffee.
Good morning, meese! Saturday …
It is 41 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 59. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast.
Yesterday’s speech by Hillary in Cleveland OH set a different tone. I think that after that last debate, and maybe the dinner, she is confident that she has vanquished her foe and that it is safe to pivot to Presidential. At least that’s what I felt, see for yourself:
Hillary and Tim will be together in Pennsylvania today – first Pittsburgh then Philadelphia.
Next week is the last full week of October and, while I welcome it since it signifies that the election is nearly over, I have some work deadlines that have suffered while I have been agonizing over the day-to-day election news. So I will probably be doing early quick check-ins and then ducking out for the rest of the morning – at least until I get caught up.
This week, the president’s weekly address is less newsworthy than his remarks on the Affordable Care Act on Thursday so I will substitute that. Marketplace Open Enrollment starts on November 1st and a lot of people, me included, will be looking for new plans that better meet our family’s needs. A lot is on the line in this next election including making care more affordable and fixing a few of the problems that only a Democratic Congress is interested in fixing.
See all y’all later!
Diana, when we talked about yard signs and enthusiasm, it reminded me of an article I read a couple of days ago that I think answers that question. This year there are a lot of people who support Hillary but in a more quiet way because of a number of things. One was the awful attacks during the primary that no one could really be for Hillary because, in the berner mind, she was too flawed and pretty much Republican-lite. They claim that we are now choosing the lesser of two evils when really we are not – we are for Hillary Clinton. The other is the scariness of many of the Trump supporters and that, for safety reasons, we do not want to wave a red flag in their faces.
Here is the article: There’s a new “silent majority,” and it’s voting for Hillary Clinton
“As interesting to the media” is what struck me. No, we are not! We go about our lives, taking care of our families, wanting good schools and a bright future for our children and grandchildren. We care about the things the Michelle Obama talks about and that Hillary Clinton is going to champion as president. The Obama Coalition are now Hillary voters:
There is more and it is worth a read. The bottom line is that we are big, we are diverse, and we have everything to lose and nothing to gain if Democrats don’t keep the White House. THAT is pretty motivating.
Good Saturday morning Meese
We are having a spate of bad weather here – with high winds, pouring rain and temps dropping.
Watched Hamilton’s America last night – really enjoyed it and wish I could get tickets – sigh.
Just saw this WaPo story:
Good for Steve Crump for confronting this young racist on camera.
The sad thing is the age of the racists. I think their ranks will shrink as the older racists die off but how can you have any hope for the future if you are tied up in knots of rage that people of color have rights – and are a hell of a lot smarter than you?
I was scanning the news and noticed that Trump will be speaking in Gettysburg today. Do you think that his followers carrying their Confederate flags and talking about secession will be welcomed there?
He,(and his minions) will dishonor Gettysburg – like he has done with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
Up for ungodly hour workout. It’s 50 degrees so I’m wearing a long sleeved shirt. Back later.
Low 40s at dawn which comes later every day – late enough now that I can’t leave for the Farmers’ Market until after 7:30 (can’t drive safely until I get enough daylight). Not a lot of stuff I eat at the Market any longer anyway – but my apples and eggs are still there. Also the folks who make the soap I use, the healing salve I put on the scar on my foot, and the beeswax candles I use for “purposing” – so there’s still stuff to buy even though my food is mostly coming from the Co-op and local grocery stores now. The faculty took up a collection and bought me a Co-op gift card for my birthday, so I got supplements as well as groceries this week. :)
Between the Hillary hate (which is still out there loud and proud) and the Media’s insistence that women and minorities are invisible, they’ve really confused themselves on the hows and whys of Hillary winning. I don’t know how we can break up this corporate media logjam, but I certainly hope we do. It would be nice for the nation to get information rather than infotainment again. AR early voting starts Monday. If I’m not first in line, I’ll be close. :)
Got stuff to do before heading for Dem HQ. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
3.3 miles, 1:14. Glad I grabbed a jacket on the way out, it was cold. Remember, just a couple of days ago, it was in the 70s this time of day. This felt seriously cold. I’m home with my warm fuzzy slippers on.
Good morning, 46 and partly sunny in Bellingham. My sleep pattern seems to be changing…..middle of the night wake ups, then another 4 to 5 hr sleep session. I’m getting enough sleep to feel rested, but the timing interferes with being online when you all are. One of these days I hope to be back in sync.
Cold rain has thwarted my garden shopping this week, but the sun is shinning now so I’m going to try again today. My ideas and plans keep changing so I need to act before I have a major re landscape project underway!
Our ballots arrived in the mail so we’ll gather round the kitchen table and vote soon……what a relief it will be when this endless election is over.
So nice to be able to vote – and to do it together.