Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: May 13th through May 19th

May 12, 2018 JanF Community 120

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 is HERE!
 

 
– Page Two of Comments is HERE!
 


 

42 Comments

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

    Morning low of 48 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 66. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

    • Thanks for posting that! Fortunately we have a lot of strong women to carry on Ann Richards’ work – including her daughter.

  4. Good morning, Moosekind! It’s cool, showery, and gray here in Ashburn this morning. I didn’t hear any thunder last night (well, naturellement, I’m deaf as the proverbial post), but I can see that it must have rained quite heavily. The current temperature is 63 F., going up to 73 F.

    Hope it clears up a bit later today because Elder Son is giving a Mother’s Day barbecue at his house. We’re taking the dog with us, so I hope he and the resident gloomy Labrador will get along.

    The WaPo has another long, loving examination of The Trump Voter this morning. People have a right to be stupid, but that doesn’t mean I have to waste my time reading about them. To hell with them.

    We made a little more progress yesterday in our unending quest to actually see the floor so we can vacuum it. Things are getting better!

    Happy Mother’s Day to all!

    • I am pretty sick of the “Trump Voter” stories. There is nothing we need to know about them; they are the (1) people who voted reflexively Republican and always will – like John “Not a Maverick” McCain – the (2) “people” who voted because they think they can turn back the clock to when white male christians ran the country and (3) those who voted out of peeve that their chosen candidate did not win. There is literally nothing we can do to win any of those people over – they have admitted that they don’t care if their farms and businesses go bankrupt, how do you break through that? The third category will do it again when their god loses the nomination PLUS the Venn diagram of the second category and the third is tighter than people will admit – many berners are misogynist racists. The first group will stop being large enough to sway elections as they are called to their creator.

      We will win in 2018 and 2020 by expanding the electorate – getting young people who grew up during the Obama Administration registered and to the polls. And getting voter id cards and rides to the polls for our base, many of whom were disenfranchised by their red state governments in 2016.

      We need to amplify the ugliness exposed by the unfiltered Republican Party. They are the party who, when confronted with resistance, says: “he is dying, anyway.” They would like all of us to die. Sorry (not sorry)! It is not going to happen that way.

        • I am trying to formulate a “plan” for how to talk about the mid-terms and I am not quite there yet. The advice being given by the pundit class is terrible – there is nothing wrong with mentioning how awful Trump is but it needs to be couched in terms of “oversight” not “impeachment and removal.” Their bullshit about Democrats not having a message is because the message does not resonate with THEM – they have health insurance, they can afford to fly to Canada to get abortions, they and their kids aren’t getting shot for barbecuing while black, their friends are not getting deported. Our message is simple – health care, a living wage, affordable housing and college, justice for all, decency. It won’t fit on a bumper sticker or in their pea brains.

  6. Watching the news, waiting for Joy Reid. The forecast for Chicago is chilly & rainy. I may get a hoodie at Goodwill & scotchguard it, so I’ll have something I don’t care too much about to wear & not have to mess with an umbrella. Monday says “thunderstorm possible” so maybe I’ll get a cheap umbrella, too. I’m trying to keep it to 1 small carry on. Ironically, the song I can’t stop listening to is the Snow Patrol one about the Resistance. “standing in the steady throng of restless hope” — that was how the Women’s March felt, why I’m sure that’s what this song is about.

  7. Good morning, 53 and sunny in Bellingham. We did get the patios clean again so I’m looking forward to breakfast outside with son #1 and dinner tonight with son #2 and his family. I’ve had nice phone visits with my daughters and RonK has a big bouquet of flowers waiting for me to arrange. Counting my blessings!

    Best Mom’s day wishes to all.

  8. 73 with 89% humidity (no, I don’t like that) but at least it’s cleared off. Heading for 86 which probably means over 90. Got 18.5 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 195 so we’ll reach 200 by early afternoon. Just checking in while I wait for the washing machine to finish. Rough day for me, rougher for others. I am totally rock-solid foundation love from my mother. Others did not have that blessing and the wound never stops bleeding. Momma’s been gone over 29 years so the “Mother’s Day” this, that, or something else that pops up in ads, on my email, various other places are painful. No, I can’t call my mother or send her a fancy singing email today. But others, well, the wound has never stopped bleeding but this day twists the knife. Healing Energy to everyone, everywhere – shaped to the person’s need.

    But there are many who do have mothers around or – like me – have loving children, near or far. I am blessed with my sons and grandsons who at least think of me on Mothers Day (I have a nice card from my Austin son and will probably get a phone call shortly from my Fayetteville son). So. Love flowing to everyone, everywhere, shaped to the situation. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

    • {{{Bfitz}}} me too. This whole week has been hard, but today just, as you said, twists the knife. This is the song I’ve had on repeat all week:

      I’ve seen for myself
      There’s no end to grief
      That’s how I know

      That’s how I know
      And why I need to know that there is no end to love
      All I know and all I need to know is there is no end to love

      • {{{Becky}}} – always Healing Energy, always {{{HUGS}}}, always Love.

  10. Monday Meese

    53 and cloudy here in Saugerties NY going up to 76.
    PR

    Making things even worse for Puerto Ricans

    • I don’t think anyone expects the FCC to be anything but cruel. When I look at the heads of the various Trump departments and agencies, I am amazed at how easy it was to confirm deplorable people whose sole interest was in dismantling – or destroying the mission of – the agencies they were put in charge of. The Republican Senate was a willing accomplice in the destruction of good government programs by their confirmation of so many truly terrible people.

      • Deplorable Senate has been trying to dismantle govt for decades. They finally get a president who’d help them do it.

  11. Good morning, meeses! Monday …

    It is 55 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 72. We have been having waves of storms since about midnight and we are expecting them all day long. Right now there is a slight lull.

    I scanned the news headlines with a sense of unease. It feels like no one is really in charge of keeping the ship of state from floundering and one wonders how long we can continue to be the disunited states of America and still function. I wouldn’t mind some good news for a change.

    Busy week here – last week was discombobulated and my to-do list had to be set aside. Time to get to it!

    See all y’alls. later!

  12. We might hit 100 later this week. 98 for sure which is close enough. But climate change is a hoax.

    I got a cheap hoodie yesterday & will scotchgard it tonight (in case I lose it at the show or something, I just want something I won’t care if I lose it). Laundry done, food for after I’m home next week is in the freezer. I have a post on FB with lots of comments about Chicago. Got to wear tights with my sparkle skirt to the show — it’ll be in the 50s when we get out. Here’s Love Is Bigger from one of the Las Vegas shows.

  13. Good gray Moon Day morning, Moosekind! When I took the dog out at 5:30, it was “mizzling”—not exactly raining, but one could feel tiny damp droplets. It’s foggy this morning, too. Current temp. in Ashburn is 58 F., going up to 82 F.

    We had a busy but wonderful day yesterday, with a barbecue at Elder Son’s house in Arlington. It’s too bad the weather was too overcast and chilly to permit of our lounging on the new deck, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway.

    Today will be busy as well. We want to put the dog in day care while we haul more stuff to Elder Son’s house for his yard sale on Saturday. If he can sell the china we received for our wedding 50+ years ago, I’ll feel less terrible about parting with it. We simply don’t have room for it here and even if we did, we wouldn’t have room to host one of the family dinners of the type we gave at Barky Manor.

    Had a terrible night last night, so hoping to catch up on sleep sometime today. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!

  14. Good morning, 63 and sunny in Bellingham. It’s finally time to open the upstairs windows so we can enjoy the breeze at night and smell the fresh air in the morning. I’m going to the pool this morning so I’ll find the screens this afternoon and hope I washed them when I put them away last fall.

    Best Monday wishes to all.

    • One of the advantages of a newer house is that the screens are built in – we open the windows and get fresh air whenever the wind isn’t blowing directly in. I don’t sleep well in a closed-in room with no night sounds. Now we have – we hope – a period of cool nights and warmer days and that is perfect sleeping weather!

  15. Good morning, Meesefolk. It was 55 when I got up this morning, with an expected high of 75; quite a change from my weekend in OH, which was marked by mid-80s and humidity.

    And what a weekend it was…although D and SIL are having full-service movers packing today and moving tomorrow, they still had a lot of boxes ready for moving this weekend. So load and unload was the order of the day(s); Friday night, 12 hours on Saturday, and a few hours on Sunday. I give them high marks for their hyper-preparedness, which enabled us to use our time efficiently. But by Saturday night, we were all exhausted to the point that coherent sentences were a struggle. There was a brief discussion Saturday night about playing a board game until we all collapsed into giggles at the thought of trying to muster the brain power to complete a game.

    I have to say that there new townhome is gorgeous and spacious. I have a tendency to look at floor plans and photos and turn every room into a room with ballroom proportions. In this case, I underestimated the amount of space they have. Even SIL, who had real concerns about enough space for storing his tools/toolchests is feeling better; they emptied their storage unit Thursday night, and the stuff from that only takes up a small corner of their utility room. Once he saw that, he relaxed considerably.

    Sunday afternoon, I went to the play rehearsal to do some fittings and was quite relieved to find I’ll have to do minimal alterations to my work so far. My daughter has been taking all the measurements, and even though I’m the one who taught her how to do it to meet a sewer’s need, there’s always the niggling concern that maybe they won’t be right. I should have had more faith in my daughter; her measurements were spot on. I’m taking tonight off from sewing though; I’m still not feeling fully recovered from the weekend, so I’ll get back to the sewing room tomorrow.

    • Just reading that exhausted me! On my last move I had professional packers because a lot of the stuff was going into storage while we lived in a short term (furnished) rental while the house was being built. But a lot still had to be manually packed and moved and I am 100% sure I could not muster the same level of energy I had 15 years ago. I may have to scale down my plans and sell everything and just have a suitcase for my next move! :)

      I am glad the new townhouse fit everything – what a relief that must have been!

  16. Good (sorta) afternoon folks – 80 and 61% humidity. The light breeze helps some. Sun keeps coming and going. Got 19.4 KWHs yesterday and 12 so far today – the m-t-d is 224. So we’re still possible but iffy on 500 for the month.

    Yesterday I tried to RT as few Mother’s day things as I could to keep them out of some of my very dear friends’ TLs – it been a really bad day for them. Not great for me on the one hand but I did get phone calls – long ones – from both of my sons. Today has sucked on a different note. My water pump blew as I was still a 10-minute drive to the mechanics’ – so I got to wait around for 2 hours and pay $110 to have it towed the rest of the way. Water pump isn’t nearly as bad as the radiator or the head gaskets but it ain’t good. Parts and labor come in around $400-450 together. The mechanic’s a nice guy and said he’d do what he can to keep it close to $400, but it’s still a chunk of change. I’ll put everything on a credit card then next month when it hits I’ll do credit card musical chairs to give myself time to deal with it. I can deal with it. But there are several people who I was planning on sending money to – like grocery money to – over the next couple of months that I won’t be able to now. And that really sux. sigh. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

    • I think the biggest challenge of living on a fixed income is how to deal with the “unexpected” expenses. I put unexpected in quotes because they aren’t really unexpected – we know that a car will need repairs, an older appliance might go out, a plumber or electrician may be required. But knowing they can happen and actually budgeting for them are two different things. Line item “Savings for Unexpected Things” tends to get short changed at the end of the month more often than not so the scramble to pay starts. I think about people who do not have credit cards – and no savings – and wonder how they get through the bumps in the road. I guess many don’t, as evidenced by your needs list.

      • Yes, 30 years ago I wouldn’t have been able to get the tow because they demand payment up front and I had neither cash nor credit cards. Actually I had something like that happen back then (actually 35 years ago). I parked it in a fortunately close parking lot and basically walked away from it. Called the salvage people to come get it – got $50 back instead of paying out. And went carless in a city without transit for almost a year until a friend and my mom pooled together the $500 to get me another beater (’65 Ford Falcon). I am very much blessed with the changes the last 35 years have brought in my life. But I really wish I had enough to help others get into that more secure space as I was helped back then.

  18. Tuesday Meese
    59 going up to 64 with rain

    Primary day today

    PR

    Pedestrian dies in front of St. Patrick’s Square and another is seriously injured. Both crossed in area where traffic lights do not work after the passage of Hurricane Maria

    <

  19. Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …

    It is 61 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 73. Cloudy this morning giving way to sunny skies this afternoon.

    The horrors out of Gaza are a reminder that United States foreign policy put into the hands of people who use the bible for “guidance” is a recipe for disaster. I was disappointed to see Chuck Schumer support the embassy move – are there really that many New Yorkers who think that “God” wants the embassy there and would punish a politician who followed the path of diplomacy instead of confrontation? Scores deads, thousands injured all to give Mike Pence a biblical boner.

    I will be watching primary day for signs that the Democratic Party wing of the Democratic Party is strong enough to withstand those who would bern it down. I was reading an article yesterday about the Wellstone Action group (named after Paul Wellstone) having a fracture after the board added “gender and racial justice” to their mission statement. Wellstone’s kids said that their dad would not have been willing to include that, that his focus was on the plight of the white rural poor. I will never in a million years believe that he would not have been a strong advocate for justice regardless of who was in need of it – white identity politics that turns a blind eye to racism has no business in our party, I don’t care what your name is.

    I will be watching for news from Ashburn and hope that Diana found – literally! – shelter from the storm.

    See all y’all later!

  20. Trying an experiment today — different breakfast (almond butter sandwich) and lunch. Just to see if it’s my own cooking making me sick. It’s sad when you know how many more hours till you can have another immodium.

    I put one layer of scotchgard on the hoodie last night, will do another tonight when I get home from workout. That’ll give it plenty of time to dry & air out. Got to duct tape the battery cover on my camera — camera & phone should be sufficient, right? The battery cover is broken but I’ll tape it closed. It just has to work Monday & Tuesday. They are revisiting some real oldies on this tour, here’s Gloria, from their 2nd album.

      • {{{ad}}} Take them anyway. Better to have & not need… :) – Healing Energy and moar {{{HUGS}}}

        • I think, though that just one coat of scotchguard will do, since there isn’t even rain in the forecast much less thunderstorms

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