Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Sept. 9th through Sept. 15th

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.

  • Page One of Comments is HERE!

  • Page Two of Comments is HERE!

34 Comments

  1. Good morning, Meesefolk; 55 now with a high of 73, and the clouds have cleared off.

    I’ve been glad to see the polling numbers in MI have been strong for Team Blue, but nobody is taking anything for granted, especially with the elimination of straight ticket voting. Out-of-staters don’t get how bad that is, but it’s sure to cause long lines in places like Detroit where there typically aren’t enough machines to begin with. And “just vote absentee” isn’t a solution either, since we don’t have no-excuse absentee voting. On the other hand, Chris at Eclectablog is hearing that high-up Rs in the state are worried that it might backfire and hurt Rs; Schuette isn’t particularly popular with Rs, so split tickets may boost Whitmer and other top of the ticket Dems. Most Dem candidates in my area are canvassing with literature packets from multiple Dem candidates, in order to get the word out about Team Blue rather than just their own candidacy. Smart. Good day to and for all!

  2. I left work early yesterday – I had been miserably cold all day, and I’m never cold at work. Slept in this morning, and I’m finally not cold, but I’m staying home. I slept for maybe 9 hours, wow. Rainy day again, we have 50% or more chances of rain all week — Isaac & then Joyce will be giving us lots of rain. Today, I’m just gonna veg out.

    • {{{ad}}} – you needed the sleep and I’m so glad you got it. Healing Energy and enjoy vegging out. Naps are good when your body’s trying to heal. moar {{{HUGS}}}

      • Hugs right back to you! I vegged all day & listened to audiobooks. Have the alarm set to go to work tomorrow.

  3. 56 when I got up – still in the 50s – which is what it was supposed to have been yesterday. I’d love a fire this morning but it’s going up to 80 so I’ll stick out the chill and let the sun do the work. Sunny so far today which is good. Got 13 KWHs yesterday which was the best in 5 days, hope to do even better today. The m-t-d is 120, not bad but definitely not great for September. Hands are cold and hurt. Makes it slow and difficult to do much of anything but while that includes keyboarding, at least keyboarding is the least painful thing to do. still slow though. Thank heavens Moose has both a preview and an edit feature. 😁 Considering what day it is, not sure I want to visit my TL on twitter at all. Cold-blooded, religious-based, terroristic murder that should have been treated as murder and would have gotten the help of the entire world’s policing agencies to bring the planners and instigators to justice was instead used as a political ploy to start a war in which many more innocents died than at the original event – and still are. Let’s just say I’ve got a problem with that. sigh. Healing Energy to everybody shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  4. Good morning, 58 and cloudy in Bellingham. I decided to read Woodward’s new book, Fear, but doing so has given me an even deeper case of the tRump blues. He’s despicable, worse than I thought. I have the Kindle version so it’s harder to skip around so I’m going to have to do a fast read to finish it.

    This article in Politico is an interesting oral history of 9/11. We had just returned from two weeks on our boat, so I was still on island time. But seeing the events on my kitchen tv screen brought reality home real fast.

    “We’re The Only Plane in The Sky”

    The story of those remarkable hours—and the thoughts and emotions of those aboard—isolated eight miles above America, escorted by three F-16 fighters, flying just below the speed of sound, has never been comprehensively told.

    This oral history, based on more than 40 hours of original interviews with more than two dozen of the passengers, crew and press aboard—including many who have never spoken publicly about what they witnessed that day—traces the story of how an untested president, a sidearm-carrying general, top aides, the Secret Service and the Cipro-wielding White House physician, as well as five reporters, four radio operators, three pilots, two congressmen and a stenographer responded to 9/11.

  5. Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …

    It is 59 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 81. Sunny skies are in the forecast.

    New Hampshire had a primary last night and my NH peeps tell me that the Democratic candidate for governor was a good pick. I am sure they are looking forward to kicking the deplorable Sununu to the curb. I can’t imagine a two-year term for governor – in this case it is good as it limits the damage a Republican with control over voting rights can do – but you would be in permanent election mode, I would think. Rhode Island tonight, New York tomorrow then primary season is done.

    Donald Trump gave the fight for Puerto Rico recovery a big boost by helping to remind people that under his watch – and his barrage of paper towels – nearly 3,000 Americans died and they still don’t have power. He was widely mocked for saying it was a great response and promising that the people in the path of Florence have nothing to worry about – the federal government is ready! That set off another set of mocking tweets. Of course, South Carolina and big parts of North Carolina are his base so he will be unlikely to treat them like he has treated the people of Puerto Rico.

    I avoided the jingoistic 9/11 displays yesterday. I have great sympathy for the victims and their families – and was impressed by the resiliency of New Yorkers – but commemorating the failure of a Republican president to protect our country from attack as though that was some great thing is gross.

    See all y’all later!

    • I just read a long article about that photograph, taken on 9/11. You know the one I mean. That photo haunts me to this day, as I’m sure it haunts a lot of people.

  6. Susan Collins’ response to the people of her state disagreeing with her support of Kavanaugh and her vote to repeal Roe will be her undoing.

    • I can’t decide whether this was hubris or a moment of political tone deafness; I suspect the former. I’ve never bought the moderate label for her, nor have I ever fully believed her “I only listen to Mainers” schtick. But I do believe the Mainer on Twitter who tweeted about visiting one of her offices and watching one of the staffers answering the phones and saying they would pass the message on, and writing down absolutely nothing…repeatedly. No typing on a computer, no writing, not even tick marks on a prepared sheet. Collins has been one of those saying she wasn’t getting many calls; do we now know why? The money “raised” is merely pledged, but I for one will be adding to the total if she votes for Kavanaugh.

  7. Well, I got up & came in to work. I felt normal all day yesterday. Decided walking before work might be pushing it too far. There’ll be the hurricane in the Carolinas today, by the weekend a tropical storm is supposed to hit us here — this will be 3 weeks of rainy weather, which is really weird for Texas. And the Dallas police officer shooting story just gets more & more wrong. She needs to just come clean & tell the truth, because there’s just no way what she’s saying now is it.

    I’m gonna play City Of Blinding Lights because I need the energy.

    • You must have been busy last night! There were hundreds of excellent tweets calling out tRump to retweet – it was wonderful to see the responses.

  8. Good morning, Meesefolk; 52 now and very foggy with a high of 72 today. Tomorrow we start our creep into the 80s, but the evenings will remain cool…IOW, perfect for playing during the day and sleeping at night.

    I’m going out to dinner with my two best girlfriends tomorrow; today I’m preparing two wallet-sized cheat sheets for them with their respective November voting lists. They’re both solid D voters but not particularly political, so I’m making sure they have the info on races like MI Supreme Court, MSU trustees, and other races that don’t show up with affiliations on the ballot. I considered (briefly) whether this was an insult to their intelligence but decided they can decide not to use it if it is. It’s more likely that the worst case is that they’ll roll their eyes at me, and I can live with that. Best case is that they’ll share the information with friends and family, so it’s worth the effort. A good day to all…

    • That is a really helpful thing to do! You could call it “DoReMI’s Guide to the MI Ballot”. 😊

      • I hope they share your view, rather than seeing it as an insult to their intelligence! One of my friends is moving to TN in the near future, but it looks like her move will be after the registration deadline in TN. That complicates matters, but I’m going to encourage her to apply for an absentee ballot and complete it while she is still a legal resident of MI.

  9. 60 with projected high of 78 today. That feels a bit unusual but we could do with some cooler weather. Could do with some rain, too. Holding loving kindness thoughts for everyone in the path of Hurricane Florence, Isaac and other storms. Especially the people of Puerto Rico and the USVI, and the surrounding islands.

  10. Good morning, Meese! It’s yet another cloudy day here in NoVa, but it looks as if most of Virginia will dodge Florence. Only the coastal areas, such as Hampton Roads, will feel the force of it. Currently it’s 66 F., going up to 79 F. with a possibility of showers.

    Feeling outraged and disgusted as usual by Thing’s claim of “success” in PR, especially since I just read yesterday that ICE took $10 million of FEMA’s money to spend on its own evil doings. No wonder PR didn’t get any help!

    This morning I happened to look at the “Kids’ Post” section of the WaPo and learned that September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. There will be various activities in DC throughout the four weeks. Also, a writer named Pablo Cartaya has written a book called Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish, about a 14-year-old boy who travels from Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico to track down his long-missing father. Cartaya hopes to educate mainlanders and others about Puerto Rico, including the fact that its inhabitants are American citizens. I may buy that book for the grandchildren.

    Today I hope to attend a film that’s showing in the theater about Irena Sendler, a Catholic nurse who saved hundreds of Jewish children from being murdered during the war. This evening there is a gala buffet dinner in all the restaurants of this Home for the Aged, to celebrate said community’s 10th anniversary.

    Still reading Fear. It’s a hard slog as I’m not big on nonfiction. Worthwhile but IMHO, quite put-downable.

    Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and to all in the hurricane’s path beyond. I’m especially thinking of cassandra carolina, who introduced me to the Pond. Hope she’s going to be OK. Can’t remember her Twitter handle or I’d contact her.

  11. 59 when I got up but it’s sunny again today and 63 already. Still 100% humidity which at these temps make it feel cooler rather than warmer. Got 15.8 KWHs yesterday, 2nd highest for the month, and the m-t-d is 136. We shall see what we shall see.

    I mostly stayed off twitter yesterday. Not a day I spend online much anyway but definitely not while #45 is in office. He can’t stand the attention being somewhere else so will always tweet out something outrageous to get it back on him. Combine the OMGHOF about that with the memories and seriousness of the day itself and just no. Meanwhile I miss weatherdude. Kossacks/Meese/other online family are on the eastern seaboard and I really wish I could find something somewhere with accurate information. Think I’ll check out DK Weather Center. Channeling as much Protective Energy as I can for them. Healing Energy to everybody, shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

    • I tweeted the most recent weather diary I could find. My nephew is driving from GA back to NC tonight, and he helpfully took the map and added a red dot to where his home is. Dennis (weatherdude) is writing at @DAM_Weather.

  12. Good morning, 55 and raining in Bellingham. Between the changing light, scanning the news, and reading Fear I’m gloomy this morning. Time to find some coffee and make a plan for my day.

    Best wishes to all.

  13. Thursday Meese and it is primary election day here in NYS

    Polls don’t open till noon (close at 9PM)
    My goddaughter will drive me after she comes home from work.

  14. Good morning, meese! Thursday …

    It is 55 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 81. Sunny skies are in the forecast.

    The Rhode Island primary has set the stage for their general election. The pro-Trump Republican who switched to “Democrat” to run in the primary (at the behest of the state Democratic Party, because they are aholes) was beaten, thank goodness. The pro-choice woman who was challenged because she wants to put abortion protections in place when Roe is overturned fended off her challenger (who was also endorsed by the state party). The incumbent Democratic governor won her primary against the bernery guy.

    Today is the New York primary and what an ugly mess! I just hope the the IDC is thrashed and that real Democrats will take over the legislature and put Cuomo’s feet to the fire. I will be watching the New York Attorney General race – that position is key to the resistance and we need someone competent there.

    Over 12,000 migrant children being detained – what a disgrace! Everyone who voted for this hateful regime – and voted for the Congressional enablers – should hang their heads in shame. Deplorable.

    See all y’all later!

  15. Ok, I have to get back into walking tomorrow morning. No real excuse not to, unless the tropical storm we’re expecting for the weekend hits early. Willie Nelson is going to do a concert for Beto O’Rourke here in Austin in a couple of weeks — that’ll be cool. There’s a home game that day, so downtown will be full of people and maybe some of them aren’t registered to vote. And maybe this rainy spell will be done by then. I always say after our terrible drought — especially 2011 with 90+ days over 100 degrees — that I’d never complain about rain, but 3 weeks of rainy days is a bit much for Texas.

    Another reason I should be walking: my brain is playing music that’s great for walking to. No idea why Stand Up Comedy, it isn’t one of U2’s better known songs, I don’t think I’ve heard it recently, but it’s a good one:

    Out from under your beds
    C’mon ye people
    Stand up for your love
    Love love love love love…
    God is love
    And love is evolution’s very best day

  16. 66 and overcast – which moved in yesterday afternoon. Just got 9.3 KWHs and the m-t-d is 145.5 – not bad but not good either. Checking in early because I’ll be running errands most of the morning. Stuff I “normally” do on Saturday doing today so I don’t have to be so rushed getting to the Dem HQ for my “shift”. There’s not much news out there – same ol’ same ol’ pretty much. Sometimes we get more details of it, sometimes we get a chance to slow it down, but that’s all that changes. Rs are evil. Lefties are complicit which makes them evil too. Holding the Good Thought for the NY primaries today. Healing Energy to everybody everywhere shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  17. Good Thor’s Day morning, Meese! It’s cloudy here in NoVa as usual, 70 F. going up to 81 F. Got up too late to join the walking club, so may walk after breakfast. Both Dearly Beloved and I are either getting colds or allergies: I don’t know how to tell the difference. Anyway, we both took cold meds. last night.

    Yesterday was very busy so today I may slack off a bit. Need to finish reading Fear so I can get on to other things.

    Tonight there is a Talent Show here at the Home for the Aged, so we’ll have dinner early and go to that. Last night’s 10th anniversary dinner was fantastic—Beef Wellington, if you please, and Chocolate Cremeux. I was amused to notice that one of the desserts offered was “Mousse Tracks” ice cream. I pictured a tottery little chocolate mousse picking its way through the snow on skinny, rickety chocolate legs. Someone here at the Home needs a proofreader!

    Nothing much to add except that the hurricane has been downgraded to a “3” or even a “2,” and is threatening to stall. “Very big and very wet,” as our Prez with a second-grade vocabulary says.

    Wishing all a good day!

Comments are closed.