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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– Page One of Comments are HERE!
- Page Two of Comments are HERE!
23 windchill 13 and overcast – like producing energy at 18 watts per hour overcast – which I’m hoping will clear off later when the sun gets a bit higher. Got 8.8 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 42.6 – this is not the way to reach 300 for the month. We shall see what we shall see.
My bet is this “market correction” is going to end up as it usually does – the folks with money will buy low and make out like the bandits they are while folks without money will sell because they’re afraid of the Market tanking altogether losing them what little they have. It will also increase the power of the remaining stockholders since corporations operate under 1-share-1-vote rules (something the Rs are trying to convert the US system to) rather than 1-person-1-vote rules. I devoutely hope Nancy Pelosi’s team has a complete omnibus budget for both the remainder of FY18 AND all of FY19 hidden back in their “it’d take a miracle” closet because the way the Rs are going we might actually get that miracle. Especially if panic selling sets in and the Market does tank. I’ve never paid a lot of attention to anything I had in “the Market” – a small mutual fund thing I sold about 18 months back to do some future pay forward/tithing/donating with and my only slightly larger TIAA-Cref I got through the university – and while I hope the Market doesn’t tank, I’m not going to worry one way or the other for myself – as long as we can keep the Rs’ paws off Social Security. I have to strongly curtail donating on Social Security but I can live on it just fine as long as they leave it alone.
Need to go make a few phone calls (bet they still aren’t going through but I’ll give it a shot anyway) after I wander the internets. Still need Good Energy for my friend – the pneumonia is better but the doctor is a little concerned about low blood O2. Well, I’m not going to freak or anything, but low blood O2 is part of what’s messing with Aji’s health and well being so I’m a little concerned, too. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 44 and cloudy in Bellingham. Not much new from me today……bills to pay, laundry waiting, and if energy lasts, primroses to plant.
Time to find some coffee. Take care everyone.
So, she was asleep when I got there. The nurse said she’s sleeping a lot. I signed up for another visit Saturday afternoon. I did get to talk with her mom & daughter — she’s going to Boston for a couple of days, the school is going to try to get her a cap & gown to bring here, and someone to do a thing, so Min can see her graduate. Stopped at the fancy grocery store on the way home & got frozen chocolate cheesecakes. I fluctuate between feeling stabbed in the heart & numb.
{{{anotherdemocrat}}} – holding you in my heart. Healing Energy to your friend – and you – shaped to your needs. moar {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, meese! Wednesday …
It is 10 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 16. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast. The 5 day trend shows that we will get back into the 20s by Monday.
More incompetence exposed in the “response” to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. Rotted food, contracts for critically needed meals given without any oversight. It is almost as if no one cares about what happens to the people there! Shocking to discover that putting a white supremacist in charge of the executive branch – and a party willing to confirm people with no hearts and no brains to important administration posts – would result in a crisis in a U.S. territory that is majority non-white. >_<
I am wondering how having the shitgibbon declare that he is shutting down the government over funding for the border wall that was supposed to be paid for by Mexico is going to play. Can he really then claim that it is a Democratic Party shutdown? Using the MS-13 meeting to unleash his latest diatribe – while having his Chief of Staff declare that DREAMers who did not sign up for DACA were “lazy” – is full-throated racism. I hate what the Trump presidency* has exposed about our country. The polls show that overwhelming numbers of Americans want a DACA fix but that the majority of Republicans don’t. An op-ed in The Atlantic a couple of days ago by a couple of Republicans suggested that it is time for Republican officeholders – and voters – to stop giving power to the Republican Party until they develop a sense of decency and an interest in preserving our democratic institutions. I will not hold my breath that the Flake Fake or the Corker Conman or the Sasse Sham will ever deliver more than words.
Eric Holder’s and Barack Obama’s new group, the NDRC, has released the list of states that they will target in their anti-gerrymandering project. Wisconsin is one of them! I hope they realize that our court system is as corrupt as our legislature and that if they intend to challenge the vote-thieves in court they will have an uphill battle. We have good federal district judges but the 7th Circuit was just packed with right-wing tools. This is going to have to be done electorally – like Senate District 10, finding good local candidates and helping them build their grassroot organizations. It won’t be easy because the berners who flipped the state to Trump in 2016 insist on purity and are stalking any candidates who don’t buy the whole Bernie Sanders package. I wish them luck.
See all y’all later!
Good morning, Meese! The dark streets are shining in the light of the street lamp where I live, and one can only suppose it’s from the freezing rain. County schools are on a two-hour delay. The temperature is currently 32 F., going up to 45 F. later. As I have a child-tending job this afternoon, it’s going to be slow-cooker chicken vegetable soup with rolls and butter for dinner tonight.
Now The Occupant wants a military parade! Fer gawd’s sake—the country supposedly can’t afford to fund community health centers and a lot of other things, but can afford a parade to assuage Private Bone Spurs’ ego? Not to mention the fact that the debt ceiling has to be raised because of the reckless tax cut bill, and—and—oh, never mind. This is what we get when a non-politician, who knows nothing and cares less how government works, is elected.
Still trying to get our taxes done in between worrying about everything else. Wishing all a good day!
It looks like a shutdown will be averted as the Democrats are now “taking their chances on solving the immigration impasse later.” Goddess help us.
I noticed that Barbara Comstock was in the news – reported as “taking a stand against Trump.” Bullshit. A “stand against Trump” would include a vote, not a 20 second TV clip. She is going to lose her seat and good riddance. The R after her name enables Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell to destroy the social safety net and send people who came to America as babies “back” to a country they don’t know. Shame on her for even pretending to have integrity and shame on the people reporting it as a principled stand.
Wednesday Meese
Battering the hatches here for another winter storm – just got a text message from my school that school is closed – which doesn’t make a difference for me since I don’t have school today. My furnace fan has stopped working – have to get a plumber in – doubt I can get one today – luckily I have two space heaters that work well and we have a second furnace that heats the upstairs where hubby is still sick and in bed.
Everyday another news story on fuckups towards Puerto Rico
Cold enough for a hat & gloves. I’m at work even though I’m depressed from yesterday because it’s not like I’d do anything if I stayed home. Her daughter posted an update:
I apparently missed an HOA meeting, so there must be an update on the repair of the complex. So the great news just keeps coming. So I’m in my cubicle eating oatmeal & drinking tea. Listening to beautiful but sad Summer of Love.
{{{anotherdemocrat}}} – more {{{HUGS}}} more Healing Energy to all concerned shaped to your needs. Take care of yourself, please. moar {{{HUGS}}}
21 windchill 7 and it’s trying to clear off. Hope it manages. Only got 2.1 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is at 45 – kind of shoots down the 300 for February goal. Only way to get that would be over 11/day average for the rest of the month. Possible but not likely. sigh.
I wish folks would realize that mad king donald craves attention – everything he does and says is designed to get attention – “treason” or “military parade” or whatever – he feeds off the MSM and twitterstorms that follow. The more he outrages us, the happier he is. The bigger our response, the more he does it. Because it works. If we sent $5 to the Dem candidate of our choice or to the ACLU or SPLC or the new group to stop gerrymandering or…every single time he pulls this crap and nothing else. No phone calls. Especially no tweets or other social media. “Meh, what’d you expect” should the MSM ask. Don’t feed the beast. Then he might or might not stop doing it but we’d be able to stop him sooner because we’ll have Congress back. The more he derails us from the work of precinct-level organizing and boots on the group the further away that “blue wave” recedes. That’s not why he does it, but it’s why the Rs support him in it.
Meanwhile Evil Ones being evil. Ethnic cleansing by covert genocide or deportation of all people of color in this country. Which is why we must stop letting them derail us from the most important thing – getting back Congress in 2018. They are just getting started. People have died, are dying, will die – but not yet in the numbers they will if we don’t get the Evil Ones out of power.
Gonna tour the internets for a minute or 6 then I need to do some baking. It could wait until Sunday but the house is cold and having the oven on will help. Besides, it makes the house smell nice. :) Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 49 and cloudy in Bellingham. tRump angst kept me awake in the night so now my day is starting late….again! When he finally goes away I hope my sleep and our country recovers :::sigh:::
February is birthday month for us and Ron is next so I need to start getting ready for Saturday’s birthday lunch. Our sons want to do the cooking but want me to plan the menu. Life does go on regardless, and it will be fun to be together.
Take care everyone.
I stopped letting tRump angst disturb my sleep after I accepted the election results. It took a while – months, really – but I can say that my sleep disturbances seem less associated with news events and more related to child raising and work.
The news keeps coming at us from a firehose and it is impossible to process it all. I am working to organize the news into “folders” to help me focus. I hate to say “pay attention to what is important!” because what is important is personal – and sometimes the important things are things we can’t change easily – so instead I am allowing myself to read and enjoy/gnash my teeth/cry over/lol and then set it aside.
Here is what I see, your mileage will vary:
– Trump is a disgusting pig. This folder is very fat and the “Trump Combover Exposed” video went into it. I laugh, retweet a few tweets and then tuck it away. The “Fire and Fury” book and paying porn stars for sex went in here also.
– Trump is a buffoon – non-dangerous version. Military parades, misspelling Frederick Douglass go in here. I shake my head and wish Barack Obama was still president.
– Trump is a buffoon – dangerous. This is one of the folders that should not be ignored but which I can do nothing about so I have to read and then tuck it away, hoping the courts and the Congress can stop the worst of it. Nuclear weapons, drilling for oil in national parks, disbanding the CFPB, repealing child labor laws are in here.
– Republicans are terrible people. I get tempted to put too much energy into reading the stories about Republican Epiphanies and how Decent Republicans will ride to the rescue and save us from the destruction of our democracy. Sadly, that will not happen because — drumroll – Republicans are terrible people! They simply cannot stop voting to enable the vulgar talking yam because he is helping them achieve their priorities: starving the “beast” of government and returning tax dollars to their donors. Every once in a while they allow one to peel off and vote against a terrible bill but if they really wanted to fix this, they would caucus with the Democrats.
– Republicans have terrible policies. Here is where my energy is focused – winning elections so that Republican policies are relegated to minority study groups in the House of Representatives and the Sunday talk shows. If we can take back Congress, legislation that destroys lives will not be put on any Republican president’s desk, period. The executive orders and rogue federal agencies will be their only tool and we have the courts as a firewall.
– All Things Mueller. Literally no one can do anything about this except Robert Mueller. The wheels of justice grind slowly and no one knows where the process will end up. The daily news is “wow, they are really awful” about the campaign, the Trump crime family, Russian interference, Nunes, Ron Freaking Johnson. I have already been limiting my intake because this is the least useful thing I can expend energy on. To the extent that Congress might ignores Russian hacking, it is critically important to keep their feet to the fire but the investigation of the 2016 election will NOT change a single person’s life for the better.
{{{Jan}}} – Yeah, I haven’t let the angst get to my sleep since just after the election. I was sick for a week. I’m still upset but it’s a slow drumbeat like a heartbeat underneath everything – but I turned my energy to other things. Those are very good categories even if only mental ones and not actual folders to put stories in. More detailed than what I do. I actually only have a couple of categories for my own sanity. Rs being Evil – I can do something about; Rs being Evil – I can’t do anything about. Then I do what I can and turn the rest over to The Universe. moar {{{HUGS}}}
Yes, they are not actual folders – more of a sorting technique than anything as the stories I can’t do anything about simply fall away. I certainly don’t want to save any of the stupid news stories!
Sounds like a well-thought-out approach, Jan!
I have been thinking about how I consume the news for a while but had not really organized it until I wrote the comment out. I wanted to share my own tRump angst status and one thing led to another! I think the fact that the dumb unlikely-to-happen military parade and the ridiculous Nunes memo was trending on Twitter while “800,000 DREAMers getting deported” and “Puerto Rico housing allowances running out” was not, made me realize how our short attention span media drags us from hair-on-fire story to hair-on-fire story and we let them!
I will see how it works out. I do not intend stopping my mockery of tRump, the person, but I want to make sure that it doesn’t overshadow tRump, the Republican Party’s president, who can do real harm to our country.
Thanks for sharing your coping strategy Jan. I’ve let it all mush together and it’s overwhelming! I think the key worry driving my night time angst is what’s happening with health care. The combination of rising costs and uncertain policies is effecting everyone in my family. I’ve been able to help my kids and grand kids so far but I know I’m reaching the point where I need to be more careful and that really worries me. Being the family matriarch as well as the head of the family bank is a heavy lift, especially in the night.
Amen to this……
I have hopes that the ACA will survive after last year’s repeal attempt. The insurance market has seemingly fixed itself, adjusting to the loss of CRAs by re-working the Silver and Gold plans to give people more subsidies. My 2017 Gold plan is significantly better than my 2016 Silver plan for about $20 more a month. My insurance used to go up about $60 to 80 a month each year before the ACA stabilized prices so $20 is a bargain.
But the health insurance issue is certainly not resolved. The repeal of the mandate means that people willing to go uninsured, can. And the loss of Medicaid money as states start pruning the rolls will increase the uninsured. That will put pressure again on hospitals and medical providers who will have to provide free emergency health care – which will in turn raise prices for everyone. The ACA was a delicately balanced program and removing pieces of it without caring about the whole is going to put pressure on the system again. I just hope we can regain power with enough numbers to fix the damage being done and shore it up before it reaches a crisis point.
For me, this will be my last full year on the ACA so I will only have one person to worry about next year, my daughter. I have to figure out what kind of policy she will need and make sure she is covered after I switch over to Medicare.
tweet of the day
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I saw that last night and concur with the people who would like to see it as a poster or a t-shirt. But of course, the comments devolved into a swamp of mansplaining art critics who objected to “raging” or the binary choice portrayed. I closed the comments and went back to enjoying the art.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 7 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 19. Cloudy this morning, light flurries starting this afternoon and then snow overnight. The forecast suggests that we might get quite a bit of snow but it is too far out to be certain.
I was energized watching Twitter covering Nancy Pelosi’s “DACAbuster” (h/t Smartypants). It took a while for the media to figure out what was happening but I had seen Nancy’s statement and knew she wanted to make a point:
Well, done, Once-and-Future Madame Speaker!
Momentary Grace has a place to take it all in: VNV Wednesday: #GoNancyGo
I am shocked that people are shocked that the Trump White House is full of abusers and that the Republican Party is full of abuse apologists. That said, it can be relegated to the “another example of how hateful trumpism and Republicanism is” folder. The government shuts down tonight at midnight unless an agreement is reached on the budget. The budget passed in the Senate is pretty good for what it does. Now if we can get a commitment from Paul Ryan to bring a clean DACA bill to the floor, it will be a success.
See all y’all later!
If you didn’t see Lawrence O’Donnell’s A-block last night, go to msnbc.com & find it. He was really angry about the domestic violence news — angrier at Kelly’s defense of Portman, I think than at Portman. Eating my oatmeal, drinking tea. Just putting one foot in front of the other.
27 windchill 19 – could be worse and at least I’m not going out in it (except to fill the bird feeding station) – sunny at the moment and hopefully will stay that way like it did yesterday. Wonderful generation day yesterday – 11.9 KWHs, highest for month & year so far, and the m-t-d is 56.8 – definitely helped make up for Tuesday’s 2.17 – didn’t totally make up for it, of course, but I’ll take it with gratitude.
Rs being evil, nothing new there. But oh wow! it was great watching Nancy Pelosi go 8 hours mostly reading Dreamer statements and explaining to America and the World what the American Dream really is – no, we have never in our history even come close – but this is what our goal is, this is what we’re working towards. America needed the reminder with the Nazis in power right now trying to destroy everything America – that Dream of America – stands for. And it was a real energizer for our team, that reminder. It was at least as much an energizer for our team that it was our (currently) Minority Leader using the rules, not breaking them, to do this. One of our old-time pros, experienced, knows what she’s doing – reminding us we have a lot to fight for and we are quite capable of fighting for it – even in 4″ heels.
Gonna tour the internets then do some house stuff but I’ll check back later. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good Thor’s Day morning, Moosekind! Not that we have any thunder from dear old Thor today. It’s brilliantly sunny with only a few white wisps of cloud (thinking of you, bfitz, and wondering how much solar generation we’re getting up here), but very cold. At nearly 11 a.m., the temp. outside is 26, going up to 35 F. today.
These 9 a.m. training sessions at the gym are wreaking havoc on my schedule. Today he had me do an exercise that I considered very rude. It reminded me of humping practice in the haram, and I told him so. He didn’t know what a haram was or what the word means in Arabic. Dear Goddess, he’s naive! He didn’t know what “upskirting” was, either.
Anyway, I drove home in an apoplectic fury because he told me he’d filed his taxes electronically with no problem at all. As he uses the same version as I, I don’t understand why I couldn’t e-file yesterday. I’ve already had one call with TurboTax and am in line for a callback from a Higher Authority. If I’m fobbed off with more excuses, then next year I’m going to use a different package. Believe me.
Well, that’s enough personal stuff. I was in a hurry to do my taxes before the gummint shuts down. It might not, though. The thing about the ego-stroking “military parade” is also sending me into a rage. We’re not helping Puerto Rico and VI, but the Rethugs can afford a military parade with all those phallic-looking weapons?
Will conclude today’s little rant by expressing the wish that the Dems should improve their messaging. They always seem to be on the defensive when policies are discussed. Someone needs to think up bumper sticker slogans that would get the message across.
Ha! Yes, Democratic messages don’t fit well on bumper stickers. It is because our coalition is wide and diverse and the message is more complicated than the Republican message: “Make America White Again”. It might be “Make America Decent Again”?
I am sorry the taxes are giving you fits and I hope that you get it sorted out. It appears that they will have the government opening again after a slight pause so there is no rush now.
Good morning, 49 and partly sunny in Bellingham. Today is buy the food and flowers day so I hope to both at Costco. My son will go with me because thanks to sudden and persistent asthma episodes it’s still not safe for me to drive :::sigh:::
Watching Rachael interview Erich Holder was so uplifting last night…gives me hope.
NDRC Announces 2018 Electoral Targets
I’m totally late – was struggling with writing for deadline – got up at 3AM and have been pounding the keyboards since them.
Finished and can now go look at twitter etc.
Good morning Dee…..you’re right on time for me! Hope your hubby is feeling better.
My husband is crazy – tried to go to work yesterday – got to commuter bus station – he left his wallet, tickets and phone here – came back and got into bed.
He has now attempted to go in to work today – I’m worried about flu relapse .
Wish he would stay in bed! Relapsing is frequent, from what I’ve been hearing.
But this is a country where your boss thinks you’re vacationing in Florida if you’re out sick even for one day.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 16 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 16. It is still snowing lightly and I can’t tell yet how much we got overnight – probably not enough to cancel school.
So the government shut down because Principled Deficit Hawk Rand Paul was fine with borrowing $1.5 trillion for tax cuts but not fine borrowing $1.5 trillion more to fund the federal government. The Senate vote was finally taken around 1am and just minutes ago the House passed it. The government will likely reopen before anyone knew it was shut down if they can catch the Orange Orsehole before his daily news briefing from Fox and Friends.
The budget bill itself is a net win but the fact that we lost the last bit of leverage House Democrats had to stop the DREAMer deportation is sickening. I hope the DACA stay holds because if it doesn’t it will be devastating.
A quick scan of the news shows that a large portion of it (“who does Hope Hicks sleep with”) can be safely ignored. I will check my news tabs after I get a few early morning work projects done for the rest of the news.
See all y’all later!
Sigh – saw too much “Hope Hicks” trivia and not enough DACA, Puerto Rico interest.
Trying to keep my spirits up – it ain’t easy.
Friday Moose
Cold here, snow on my car – have school – but want to post yet another Puerto Rico diary
will tweet it and link here in a few – help me with support please
I’m so pissed.
Will read and retweet it, Sis!
Gracias hermana!
rec’d & shared
Got it!
Read & RT’d – will put it out again in a little bit. {{{HUGS}}} – Healing Energy to your husband – and everybody everywhere.
Good morning, Meese! Can vaguely glimpse the blue beneath the cloud cover but not sure we can “pray the gray away,” because tomorrow we’re supposed to get a lot of rain. Jolly good thing, too, as we’re in a drought. At 7:48 a.m. it’s 21 F. here in Northern VA, going up to 44 F. today.
What a nasty little piece of ordure is Rand Paul—well, all “Republic” Congress critters, really. “Never miss a chance to grind the faces of the poor and mess with the middle class” is their motto. One would like to think these wretches will get what they deserve.
So the government shut and opened like a clam shell. We’re heading for a second Great Depression, which is why I’m determined to pay off our credit cards and save as much cash as possible.
Turned out after my live chat with a TurboTax expert that it’s the gummint’s fault I can’t file my return. Congress critters messed with some of the rules regarding Roth IRAs. Many years ago I cherished the pathetic delusion that funding a Roth would enable me to avoid paying taxes when I was old enough to start withdrawing the money. Now there is a form for which Turby is waiting to be released on the 15th. So my filing will have to wait until then.
Going downstairs for breakfast. Wishing a nice, peaceful day to all, with hopes that something good will happen for PR and VI.