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, Moosekind, can’t believe it’s already Terrible Traffic Tuesday! This is a slow and sleepy morning for me. Took a cold tablet last night before bed because of sneezing and a headache, woke up feeling a bit drugged. Never mind, it was a night’s sleep. It’s going to be sunny and hot in Ashburn today. Currently the temp. is 72 F., going up to 92 F. Ugh.
Today is my youngest grandchild’s first day of preschool. His parents have taken him there three times to see the place, and one of his best friends will also be in his class. In fact, his father just texted a photo of him holding up a sign that says “First day of preschool.” He is wearing his Crocs on the wrong feet, by the way.
Was exhausted yesterday after having a sword fight (using “light sabuhs”) with this three-year-old and dancing in the kitchen of Elder Son’s house while Alexa played “I’m Too Sexy.” After Grandpa and I picked up the dog from day care we all took a nap after we arrived back home.
Aside from calling my senators re Coathanger Kavanaugh and the Elizabeth Warren Commission on Puerto Rico, I’m going to focus on my personal life today. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Good morning, Meesefolk; the morning fog has burned off, and I can already tell that it’s going to be a hot one today…86-90 is the predicted high. Unlike anotherdemocrat, I won’t be saying “brrr” to that!
I’m hoping I’m not just living in a bubble, but I’m beginning to feel like the Dem excitement in MI is real and a force to be reckoned with. Schuette, the R candidate for governor, doesn’t seem to be generating any excitement except among diehard Republicans; he’s transparently “slick” but also seems to fumble regularly. The ads on his behalf are cut from the same template as Republican ads of the past 20 years; even my mostly apolitical Hubby laughs at them for the overdone storm clouds and doom and gloom narration. I’m not complacent, because we have a lot to overcome, even without the gerrymandering, but I am cautiously optimistic.
Ha! “The ads on his behalf are cut from the same template as Republican ads of the past 20 years;”
It is really all they have – their present and future is pretty gloomy; how do you run on “Our party’s leader is a serial sex abuser and criminal money launderer – vote for us!” I wish there were a way to inoculate people from the pull of the ads – they are designed to connect to our lizard brains and bypass the parts that would say “that’s ridiculous.” If we could figure out how to get people to ignore the ads, all that donor money would be wasted.
I really wonder how effective they are anymore. They’ve become such a caricature of themselves that I find them laughable, but that’s no surprise. I know studies have shown that negative ads work, but I wonder if there have been studies about this particular types of ads?
At least according to my PV’s weather widget it’s 72 going up to 82 – considering the humidity is at 96% imma thinking the heat index will be in the mid 90s or so. Overcast at the moment but not dark thankfully. I paid one of the neighboring college kids $20 to climb on the roof and clean the solar panels. Now if we’d just get some sunshine we could see if that makes any difference. 😁😁😁 It certainly ought to. The wash water was coming off brown. Got 15.6 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 43.5 – so almost on track to meet or beat the system’s best September so far. Holding the Good Thought on that.
Seriously limiting time online because of my eyes. I’ve been on for about an hour now and my eyes are seriously starting to burn/bother me. Not to the “glasses off, covering my left eye” stage yet but I’d get there if I stay on much longer. I suppose it’s a good thing in a way. Keeps me out of the firehose of OMGHOF – yes, the Evil Ones are doing evil. They are doing too damned much evil to get caught up in the specifics. It’s organizing, canvassing, phone banking, GOTV time – elections have consequences as a bunch of non-voters have learned. Time to make this election go our way. (& hope to Ceiling Cat the ijits will remember – and continue to vote in future elections. ) Meanwhile, I’ve got a couple of other things I need to check before I get offline. Healing Energy to everybody, shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. 🤗🤗🤗
Good morning, 51 and partly cloudy in Bellingham. I’m watching the Senate judiciary hearings and my head is exploding. I wasn’t going to watch, but seeing this in action is leaving me with out words.
https://twitter.com/BradMossEsq/status/1036982726723887105
Here you go, DoReMI.
It is looking good, but what’s even better is that nobody is sitting around expecting a blue wave to happen without work. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Dems so motivated…and working…in this state; our state party was complacent for so long (because unions did the heavy lifting), but our new leadership is really working the Project83 strategy. It’s our statewide equivalent to the 50-State strategy; 83 counties with about 30 organizers assigned across the state.
We really need to get the word out about our Supreme Court nominees. Now that Labor Day has passed, I think that will start happening. We also need to publicize the candidates for MSU Trustees; after the Nassar debacle, we need new leadership there too. And of course our ballot initiatives, including the one that would create an independent commission to determine congressional districts. A lot of work yet to do, but I think we’re up to it.
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday, I think …
It is 75 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 72 as the front moves through. Right now we have lashing rain and showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout the day.
I am glad to not have watched any of the Kavanaugh hearings! I did catch a few parts of it on Twitter later in the afternoon and the wrapup later in the evening. I ran through the livetweet posted by hegemommy (who works with ABL at re-wire) and her commentary was clever and useful (and snarky) – plus no photos of ugly Republican Senators, their words are bad enough! Today the hearing resumes at 9:30am and questioning is expected to go into the evening. There will be more tomorrow unless the Republicans decide to shut it down because they certainly can do anything they want. Make no mistake, Kavanaugh on the court will be an epic disaster for humanity but the time to stop it was in 2014 and 2016. I read an article that suggested that 15 million people who are environmentalists regularly don’t vote in mid-terms. Why the f-ing hell not??!? If everyone who will be harmed by a conservative Republican majority on the Supreme Court had voted in 2014 and 2016, we would be having a confirmation hearing for an RGB-type Justice, not this sociopath. Argggh!!
The short week is making all my deadlines loom large so I best get to it.
See all y’all later!
Here is Hegemommy’s Twitter: Jessica Mason Pieklo.
Here is the start of her livethread from yesterday.
Wednesday Meese. Good morning. 66 going up to 91 here in the Catskills. Very muggy here.
Still kicking off the bronchitis – but feeling much better. Fingers crossed I’ll have my first eye surgery on the 19th.
Glad you’re feeling better & holding the Good Thought for getting the surgery on the 19th! 👍✨💖🤗🤗🤗
Thanks, Sis, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed along with you!
It keeps not raining in the mornings so I’m still walking. 1.2 miles today — and even a little running. I added a ramp in the visitors garage & ran down it. Supposed to rain today — and I just realized I left my umbrella in the car. Anyway, yay me. Was home for the a/c guy yesterday & caught part of the hearings. Kavanaugh is a creep. I’m recording Ellen de Generis today — Beto O’Rourke will be on. Have a good day — today’s song is Red Flag Day. from the Cologne show (1st one after Bono lost his voice, got treated & he’s fine now)
72 heading for mid 80s and humid. That humidity makes what would otherwise be comfortable temps not. sigh. But they are dropping – gonna be in the upper 60s tomorrow morning just after sunrise. Some clouds but mostly sunny at the moment. Generated a hair over 16 KWHs yesterday, best so far this month, and I think washing the panels did help. Not a lot, of course, maybe 10% improvement, but it adds up. The m-t-d is 59.6 so almost on track to meet or beat the best Sept so far.
Didn’t watch the hearings and meant to stay away from twitter but was RTing some of Denise’s Black Kos stuff and got trapped. I did read through Melissa at Shakesville’s “live blog” for a bit which was good and informative. Wish the HOF over koathanger Kavanaugh’s snubbing/turning away from a Parkland parent hadn’t taken over my TL. Yes, it was evil and indicative of his character as well as how he would/will rule. But we already knew this. Sigh. I finally got loose from it. And will avoid it again today. Better for both my eyes and my tummy anyway. Healing Energy to everybody shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
bfitz, do you use artificial tears? My eyes are very dry and have stayed irritated from the smokey air so the preservative free drops really help. I was using Restasis, but the non prescription drops seem to do the same for much less cost.
{{{princesspat}}} – I’ve tried them but they don’t work for me. I wish they did. Only thing that does any good is to flush them with plain water frequently. The hard part is remembering to do it before my eyes get to burning really badly. I had the equal no difference between Rx and non-Rx as you did. I’m glad they work for you. Healing Energy and moar {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s sunny and hot this Woden’s Day in Ashburn, with a current temp. of 70 F., going up to 92 F. I’m sick of the heat and this isn’t even hot, compared to Austin and Phoenix.
Another very slow start this morning because I took a cold pill last night that knocked me out. Feel better this morning, though, so far.
Going to try to stay away from politics today and get some things done. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Good morning, 54 and will be sunny in Bellingham. I had an eye exam yesterday and yes, my vision has changed and my current prescription is very blurry. So I bought new computer glasses and my computer screen is much more comfortable to read. The whole world may improve when the new lenses come in!
I was awake with tRump angst last night so I’m going to try to change the subject today.
Best wishes to all.
What are “computer glasses” – is that like the tri-focal midrange? I am finding it nearly impossible to get a prescription that matches my eyes any longer. The optometrist’s machine flips into a prescription that looks good on the eye chart but when I get my new glasses, street signs are still blurry. I am not sure if it is my frames, the fact that my ears are not exactly on a perfect plane or what. I need good eyesight so is it very frustrating.
I have had computer glasses for years – they are set for a different range than reading glasses
Jan, do you have astigmatism? I had astigmatism and myopia. The Lasik “monovision” option corrected both.
I have a very severe astigmatism in one eye and am nearsighted in both. I can’t have anyone cut on my eyes, any problem resulting in loss of vision would not be covered by my disability insurance and I need to work at least part time for the next 5 years (I checked when Lasik became a “thing”). Plus I have the start of some cataracts so when I am in my 70s, I will be doing that surgery.
I just don’t know why my glasses aren’t correcting my vision any sharper than they are! Maybe it is time to ditch the tri-focals and use computer glasses instead. I will research it. I will probably make an appointment to see my ophthalmologist to see if she can get a better prescription to work from. I am not sure the optometrist at Costco is interested in helping me figure this out.
I’ve got the same vision situation (except I don’t think I’ve got cataracts developing). Definitely go to an ophthalmologist on this. Sounds like you’ll end up needing 2 pairs of glasses – the computer ones for work and then a “general” pair for everything else. Some kinds of vision issues just can’t be dealt with in one pair of glasses, the adjustment needed for the different situations is just too close – so they try to “meet in the middle” for a single pair and as you can see (or can’t see) that doesn’t work. 🤗🤗🤗
Jan, I need a separate prescription for reading the computer screen, but tri focal glasses don’t work for me. The BCH damage to my leg and the stairs in this house means I have a leg elevation/computer spot on each floor so 3 pairs of a separate prescription is pricy so I buy over the counter reader glasses and fine tune with the computer screen magnification. It’s a bit hit and miss, but this way I have the glasses I need where I need them.
My main glasses have a bifocal spot for reading and a correction for astigmatism. I use bifocals because the transition glasses trigger dizziness and I can’t risk that with the stairs.
Good morning! Hot, hot, and more hot, but rain is supposed to move in by early evening and bring cooler temperatures with it. The rest of the week and the weekend seems to be headed towards high 60s and low 70s, so I may actually be productive for a change. Tonight’s task is going to be culling my clothes closet. It’s been several years since I last went through things, and it’s time to use a heavier hand than last time. I need to concede that I’m never going to be a size 6 again, nor do I anticipate needing power suits anytime soon [ever], so it’s time to clear things out. I glanced at The Hubby’s closet, and he needs some weeding out too, so I should have quite a pile to donate after tonight.
The paperwork on my desk seems to have been breeding while I was off Monday and yesterday, so it’s time to tackle the piles. Good day to and for all!
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 61 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 72. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast.
I was busy yesterday and when I was finally able to open Twitter to catch up on the news, it was like a firehose! I tried to figure it all out in 200 character chunks but it was too much. Even on my newsaggregator, it was too much (3 pages of BREAKING NEWS instead of the usual 1). The best I can tell is that someone high up in the Trump Badministration is telling us that tRump is a dotard and that they have to keep the scissors away from him. That is NOT breaking but I guess what is new is that someone is clearly labeling it a danger to our country. I don’t know what to make about the timing but there are also rumors that the yam’s advisors are trying to push Mattis out as Secretary of Defense so my guess is that it is one of his supporters. I get itchy thinking about the generals running the country but I am anxious about who would be next in line at Defense – another Fox News pundit? Meanwhile, Coathanger Kavanaugh inches closer to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, poised to destroy any chance we have for legislative action on gun safety, reproductive rights, health care, and voting rights – and putting meaningful checks on the dotard’s autocratic ways. :(
See all y’all later!
Good Thursday Morning Meese
73 here in Saugerties NY going up to 93 with rain. Muggy and steamy. Ugh.
It’s supposed to be cooling down but I still feel all hot & sticky after my walk. 1.21 miles & I ran down that ramp again. Yay me! I brought my iPod to work because Hozier has a new EP out today: Nina Cried Power. Yes, that Nina. I’ve been dying to hear it, but my iPod won’t find it, even though I pre-ordered it. Meanwhile, here’s Magnificent from my boys. Beautiful — and a good one to walk to.
Good morning, Moosekind! It’s a lovely but HOT Thor’s Day morning in Ashburn, with a current temp. of 78 F. at 9:48 a.m. It’s going up to 94 F. later, ugh.
This morning I rose early, collected two ladies outside Willow Crossing (the next building but one from my building) and drove the three of us to the opening of the new Trader Joe’s. They knew the way, I did not, so I was glad to have them with me. When we arrived the line of people waiting to get in stretched down the block and round the corner! The staff, looking ecstatic at the turnout, presented each of us with a plastic lei and a free TJ shopping bag. Now those of us who adore that store will have a 10-minute drive instead of a half-hour drive to the Trader Joe’s in Reston.
Had the night from hail last night but hope to have a nap later. I also have a Communications Committee meeting this afternoon at 3 p.m., during which I hope to present a couple of ideas for future articles for the quarterly “newspaper.”
Too much news as usual, hardly able to keep up with it all, but hoping those at the Pond will be able to cope.
70 with 100% humidity going up to mid 80s (??? on the heat index) and sunny at the moment. Yesterday got 14 KWHs and the m-t-d is 73.9. Staying with what we’ve been generating plus one good 20-KWH day will meet the highest this system has done. (Or of course a bunch of 16-17 days.) Cooling down plus no yard work has let the dust and pollen settle out so my eyes are better but a good rain to wash it clean would be nice. Won’t help my joints (especially my hands) any, but I’ll take the trade off.
Staying out of the firehose that is twitter right now. I check another site each evening for the upshot. Dems are doing a good job of pushing off the koathanger Kavanaugh confirmation as long as possible. We know what the vote will be once it’s actually brought to the floor but every day that’s pushed off is good. Very little else “breaking” is actually breaking. It’s more a “well duh” – which means somebody’s trying to manipulate popular opinion. And I don’t really trust the folks who do that. Any way, need coffee. Healing Energy to everybody shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning meese. 58 with projected high of 89 today. It might actually be a little cooler than it was yesterday!
Lots going on at work and in the world. Like DoReMI’s multiplying papers on her desk, my workload seems to be following the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 33, 54,…)
🤗🤗🤗💖💖💖🤗🤗🤗
Good morning, 56 and mostly sunny in Bellingham. Yesterday was a full day with a PT appointment, a long wait for my coumadin blood test, and then lunch with Ron at the waterfront restaurant we enjoy. I came home to breaking news and a needed nap.
My messy desk needs attention this morning, hydrangeas are calling, and pillows are waiting to be sewn so I hope I can avoid twitter and accomplish something today.
Late to the party as usual; I would have been here sooner, but I couldn’t drag myself away from Twitter and the videos of Sen. Booker risking his career to do the right thing. I’ve called both my senators, urging them to stand with and speak out in solidarity with and support of Cory Booker and the other Dems on the Judiciary Committee. I’m bursting with so much emotion that I don’t know whether to cheer or cry (and am actually doing both).
Oh, and 64 when I got up, grey, and with a high of 72 today. :D