Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Jan. 22nd through Jan. 29th

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?

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.

26 Comments

  1. Good “morning”, Motley Meese! The week begins …

    Sunday morning low of 32 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 43. Scattered clouds are in the forecast.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

  2. The media acknowledged that “some women” were marching yesterday but the crowd size reports don’t match the reality of the “photographic evidence” I saw. I will put some Tweets up in the front page Obama post later this morning.

    ThinkProgress has a good followup:

    On Saturday, speakers at the Women’s March on Washington urged protesters to continue organizing against a White House that they say will be hostile to people of color, women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, and Muslims. Some of the steps that activists, civil rights lawyers, filmmakers, and actresses suggested included calling members of Congress, running for political office, challenging the Democratic Party’s “old guard,” and holding the media accountable.

    One note: it was not the Democratic Party’s “old guard” that let us down in the election and holding elected Democrats’ feet to the fire is a good plan but not if it burns them off. We have no power in the House, filibuster power in the Senate – something that can be revoked at any time – and we have the courts, with a 4-4 tie at the top. We still have public opinion on our side but after yesterday’s demonstration of how the truth and the media will be treated in the Republican president’s administration we cannot rely on facts to get to those who can put pressure on their congressmen.

    Stay strong – stay together!

  3. Good Sunday Meese.

    I hope marching translates into voting.Republicans out of office.

    • Me, too. There are those who think the marches and protests of themselves will change things. They cherry pick history a lot (just like they cherry pick information about Hillary – did you know she’s not a feminist? sheesh). But we just had over 2 million good people get together over the country for these marches. If they made contacts for further work culminating in GOTV in 2018 (and any special elections between now and then), we will win back Congress sooner than anyone could hope. If not…

  4. Local news says there were 60,000 at our march yesterday. Going to post pictures later – will be photobucket links. Got beans cooking, I think I have enough breakfast in the freezer for the week, and lunch too so I’m good there. Huge winds howling outside, and we’re dry enough that that’s a fire danger. I might or might not get in some hill work this afternoon.

  5. Good morning, 41 and still dark in Bellingham. My daughters and their families were marching in Portland and Seattle yesterday, so my phone was buzzing with photos. We have talked all year about complacency and low voter turnout. How I hope the marches will lead to sustained involvement. I know my daughters will find their way to be more politically engaged.

    My sons were with me yesterday on what was to be the day we finally finished the sewing room project, but alas I made a measurement error so one of the carpet pieces will now need a seam and be rebound. So the room is a torn up mess again, and I’m smarting from making such an error. I got all the hard parts right, but it’s still annoying to transpose a number and thus have something made the wrong size. Grrrrr!!!

    So today I will avoid the basement, finally focus on my desk mess, and hope I can keep my numbers straight.

    Best Sunday wishes to all.

  6. Good morning, Meese! Late to check-in today because we took Miss Pink Cheeks out to breakfast. It’s a drizzly gray day here in NoVa, with a current temp. of 47 F., going up to 52 F. later.

    Was very proud of the marchers yesterday. Wish I could have gone but my age forbids that. M’daughter and political granddaughter marched in Austin! That pleases me because m’daughter takes little interest in politics as a rule.

    Hoping something great will come out of this. I need to print out the phone numbers of my Congress critters and put them right on my desk where I can see them. My stupid phone doesn’t alphabetize numbers and in addition, puts in the numbers of Facebook friends whom I barely know and would NEVER call. One day, when I have absolutely nothing better to do, I’ll Google how to get rid of those numbers.

    Wishing all a peaceful Sunday.

  7. Already had the high for the day (55) and we’re now on a gentle down slide until about dawn tomorrow – been raining to one degree or another since 7 last night. Just barely getting enough light to register on my PV system but got 4.8 KWHs yesterday and 8.5 the day before. Not a great month so far but could be worse (as far as sunshine is concerned). Got everything done except putting the clothes up after they dry. (Lemon almond muffins this week.)

    I have been saying for years that we have got to find a way to circumvent the media until we can get enough power to break it up. 6 RW mostly Bircher corporations own – and have owned for several decades – 90% of the media and influence the rest. The media was paid/ordered to slime the Clintons since the 1980s and they haven’t stopped. They are the reason at bottom we are in this situation. No matter what else people point to – the Russian intervention, Comey letter, what Bernie said, constant sliming of Hillary while “normalizing” Trump – the media’s handling of the issue is what did the damage. And except for the Russian connection, the media will do what it’s paid to do which is be the propaganda arm of the Birchers just like the R party is the political arm of the Birchers. This will continue until we can change who is paying the media. So when we have over 2 million marchers around the country, we will have to find some other method to get the news out – circumvent the media is job two (voting rights is job one) if we are going to get any permanent (or even generational) progress made.

    OK – need to get over to DK and check kosmail (got two potential new folks to add to my community lists – cancer, unemployed, and effed up insurance both medical and disability so medical and other bills – I’m waiting for permission to add them). Also read Denise’s diary, check out what Europe has been saying in the Village Sunday roundup diary, and see if there’s anybody I need to respond to in yesterday’s Street Prophets. Bright the day and wind to thy wings, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  8. Good morning, meeses! Monday …

    It is 36 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 41. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast. We will get some snow and mixed precipitation later in the week.

    The Women’s March has rolled out 10/100 – 10 actions for the first 100 days.

    It doesn’t end here – now is not the time to hang up our marching shoes – it’s time to get our friends, family and community together and make history. That’s why we’re launching a new campaign: 10 Actions for the first 100 Days.

    Every 10 days we will take action on an issue we all care about, starting today.

    Action 1 / 10 – THE FIRST ACTION

    Write a postcard to your Senators about what matters most to you – and how you’re going to continue to fight for it in the days, weeks and months ahead. We’re offering printable postcards for you to download.

    You can go it alone, or consider inviting some friends, neighbors and fellow Marchers over for a drink or dinner sometime in the next ten days to talk about your experience and fill out your postcards.

    There you go! Something positive to do – follow up the optics of the march with the optics of millions of postcards delivered to our Senators. It is not just about the gross Republican president, it is about the damage the Republican Congress is planning. They need to know that those who marched were only the tip of the iceberg; those who stayed home and watched and cheered – voters – aren’t going to sit and watch everything we hold dear destroyed. Personally, I am not going to use the Women’s March postcard (I don’t want to give the staffers at Ron Freaking Johnson’s office an easy way to find and toss my postcard) but I will use their wording “Hear Our Voice” and identify myself as part of the movement.

    For those who thought there would a break from the daily NPD freak show that was tRump campaigner and then PEEOTUS – there will be no pivot to the important job of the presidency. When SCOTUS appointed frat boy George W. Bush, they made it okay for an unqualified daddy-obsessed sociopath to be president. When Barack Obama won, and made “being smart” okay again, made “dignity and grace” okay again, and made “caring and thoughtful” okay again, I had hope for our country. Now, another unqualified daddy-obsessed sociopath is president and we are going to be subjected to a daily sh*tshow. I am going to try to focus on solid practical things like making Congress the firewall it needs to be and acknowledge but then pass quickly over the things that I can’t effect.

    See all y’all later!

  9. Good Minday morning Meese
    Hi ho…hi hi… it’s back to school I go …first day of classes …40 degrees and rain.

    If you missed this from British satirist ‘Jonathan Pie’ (Tom Walker) – it should put a smile on your faces

  10. A full 5-day work week. Haven’t done that in…. since before Christmas. Didn’t walk yesterday — the wind was incredible. 30 mph a lot of the day & gusts up to 50. Just didn’t want to be outside. Slept really, really badly. Wind blew up the dust & cedar pollen. Brain is playing Patti Smith’s People Have the Power on repeat.

  11. Good rainy Moon Day morning, Meese! It’s 45 F. right now, going up to 49 F. with high winds and rain forecast for our area. I was to drive to Arlington County today to look after Mr. Newbaby this afternoon, but my DIL texted me that she would take off work for the afternoon to stay with him. I was all set to go over there, but the thought of driving in high winds and rain was making me nervous. We agreed that I’d go over another day, when it’s nice enough to take him to the park.

    Our new tenants moved in, so yesterday the little girl and Miss Pink Cheeks played chess after tea. Miss PC spent the day with us. She has chess instruction this afternoon so we won’t pick her up from school until 4:20 p.m.

    The Indivisible team is sending out great action plans for every day of the week! I just printed out today’s instructions, which involve calling my senators. It’s really nice to know specific things to do every day. Jan, I’m going to look at the site you mentioned as well.

    Wishing all a good day!

  12. 33 at dawn and foggy, 39 right now sunny and heading for 55. 5-day weeks somehow don’t feel as long as 4-day weeks. At least not 4-day weeks that start on Tuesday. We won’t have another holiday until March 24th (staff gets the last day of Spring Break) but I’m tromping my way through the “last” of every date we pass. Still planning on retiring at the end of the year.

    Sent “no on any appointee who has Russian connections, no on any appointee unless/until they get a clean bill of health from Ethics” post cards to my Senators today. Need to write a “hands off my Social Security” to all three congress critters. That and the community needs stuff I do at DK are my “Resistance” activities. I’ll add more as can.

    Had a meeting this morning so just getting started on my day. Need to get some paid work done but also get out a fundraiser diary – another person with cancer (gtghawaii) getting crapped on by the system – then add the links to my community needs list during my lunch. Bright the day and wind to thy wings (enough to soar, not enough to do damage), Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  13. Good morning, 35 and mostly sunny in Bellingham. I have a busy day ahead and I’m off to a slow start. I hope to solve my carpet problem this morning and then the rest of the day will be what it is.

    Best Monday wishes to all!

  14. Good morning, meese! Tuesday …

    It is 34 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 41. The forecast calls for light rain this afternoon turning into mixed precipitation overnight.

    The Republican yaministration is in disarray! Yesterday we heard from the press secretary that it makes The Donald sad when people say mean things about him. Good lord, you can’t make this stuff up. The man who ran against political correctness wants everyone to be nice to him. Tough snot, as they say.

    Aetna was ruled to have lied about the reason for getting out of the healthcare exchanges – it wasn’t because they were losing money on ACA policies, it was to coerce the government into allowing a merger with Humana. Their withdrawal led to the falsehood about the “Obamacare death spiral” which is being used to repeal the ACA and to kill 34,000 people a year. I hope those executives enjoy the tax breaks that the Republican will give them – they will never be able to clean the stain off their souls for their part in this.

    See all y’all later!

  15. Good morning Meese. A lot of schools are closed in this area due to the ice storm we got last night. Glad I don’t have class on Tues. this semester.
    Going to stay snug in my house and get some reading done.

    This is horrible:

  16. Allergies are still…. just wow. Today’s supposed to set a new record warm. Again. But there’s no such thing as global warming. It’s totally a coincidence (or a made-up “fact”) that the warmest years ever are happening now. /rant

    Allergies have turned off my brain. I know there’s stuff I should be thinking about, but it’s all I can do to remain upright.

  17. Hello, Moosekind, it’s a beautiful morning here, dispelling yesterday’s cold rain, high winds, and gloom. Current temp. is 37 F., going up to 47 F. It’s going to be a busy day, with errands, a possible trip to the gym, and writing.

    It hasn’t even been a full week yet, people. Not even a full week and already the teardown has begun. What hath the election results wrought? The ruin of this country, that’s what!

    May everyone have as good a day as possible.

  18. Started the day at 35 heading for mid-60s and starting to clear off. Got 9 KWHs yesterday! Be nice to get close to same today. Today is our last “Spring” day for a bit – starting tomorrow we’ll be back into what passes for winter around here. (i.e. colder than in Austin, not as cold as Madison and points NE.)

    I do not like politics as a game of chutes and ladders! Well, we’ve known since 11/9 that we were about to drop into a very long chute – so long we don’t really even know where the heck it’s going to stop (at least in this game we have the possibility of stopping before we hit bottom unlike in the real game). It’s deplorable of course what the Deplorables are doing and the Deplorable in Chief is signing, but nothing new. We’ve been here before. I am still optimistic for the country. As a nation, we will manage to put the breaks on and get the wheel back before we go over the cliff. We outnumber them. I’m not so optimistic for individuals, people I know and love. As these programs are defunded or shut down entirely, people are going to die. Hell, the programs as-is are no way adequate. We lost people last year, Tricia for one, because the programs have holes big enough to drive a train through and every single person on my community list at DK is there in whole or part because of medical bills. But even more will die without them. But we will survive and overcome. We can, we will.

    Need to get to work before somebody notices I’m not. Bright the day and wind to thy wings, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  19. Good morning, 40 and cloudy in Bellingham. I’ve got a more of the same day ahead as nothing I started to do yesterday was finished. Looks like my carpet caper will eventually get fixed though, so that’s good news. The store does have some left, but I don’t know if it’s enough. They have finally realized I’m taking responsibility for my error and not blaming them so we should resolve the fix today.

    I stopped reading the news this morning with this lovely tidbit…….

    Witnesses: Kellyanne Conway Punched Man at Inaugural Ball

    My outrage allowance is nearly used up for the day!

    • My outrage allowance has been used up for the year!! If I thought that there was a strategy, I would say that the yam and his yaminions are being outrageous to distract us from the awful things that the Republican Congress has planned for us. But I think they are simply the worst of the worst gathered around the ugly thing that is T-Rump.

      I am glad the carpet problem will be resolved … none of us need more stress points in our lives right now.

      • There’s a strategy – it’s just so totally out of the way we think it’s difficult to comprehend. They are in the processing of erasing the Black Man in the White House. Everything that has President Obama’s name or fingerprints on it is the target. They’d erase his name from the records if they could – and will do their best to see that it’s as forgotten as the “unimportant” names between the “famous” ones like Washington and Lincoln. Think Hitler’s response to Jesse Owens winning gold medals in 1936. This is what we are up against and until we realize it we will not be able to stop it.

  20. Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …

    It is 32 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 36. It is snowing now and is expected to snow and spit most of the day. Fingers crossed that the temperatures stay above freezing until everyone gets home safely from school and work this evening.

    I was offline for most of the day yesterday and when I opened up my news feed, it was like drinking from a firehose. JHC, how are we going to survive the daily barrage of infantile mewlings and petty vindications from the Thin-Skinned Vulgarian and his henchmen (although I did notice that they found some women for yesterday’s signing photo op after being mocked on social media)? I am going to note it and continue to focus on what I consider fixable – the ACA repeal. I was alarmed that the yam shared the letter that President Obama had left for him and that President Obama told him the importance of keeping health care coverage for millions of Americans. Unfortunately, he just handed the Petty One a weapon to inflict the most harm on the man whose stature dwarfs him on a daily basis. :(

    Trying to catch up … see all y’all later!

    • Good Wednesday morning Meese

      36 here in Saugerties.

      My response to the Orange Maniacs crap on voter fraud is simple. Republicans commit massive voter fraud across the US by DEFRAUDING many of us (especially black folks) of the right to vote.

      • This has to be our focus. If we lose the right to fair and honest elections we will never regain power.

        I am watching this closely and taking notes on who cares about voting rights. If any Democrat votes for Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, they should be scorned. I am hoping that Senate Democrats voting for the Cabinet Full of Deplorables are doing so because they are holding their fire for the Sessions vote. We cannot allow a man whose political career was built on maintaining Jim Crow to have the power to ignore civil rights and voting rights.

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